When we plan SaaS content strategy and map out clients’ target market interests, we need to account for all stages of buyer awareness.
We don’t necessarily have to start at the top of the funnel or follow specific publishing order, but we need to make sure every part of the audience is represented when we look for SaaS blog topics.
Here’s an example of an effective SaaS blog post we’ve created for one of our clients, PlanMan, a project management tool for architects.
According to our analysis and the content plan we drafted, we had cover the needs of two major groups within their target market:
- Architects and city planners specifically looking for project management software.
- Architects and city planners looking to improve their processes and grow business in general.
While the first group is absolutely aware of the existence of project management software products for architects, the second one may not be.
So all the topics we’ve suggested and analyzed for the first group included specifics of the PlanMan product – features, pricing, alternatives, “PURPOSE software/app”-type articles, and so on.
As for the second group – anything related to running an architecture practice like billing, invoicing, certifications, hourly rates to charge, productivity hacks, and so on.
While running keyword research we’ve come across a pool of keywords about iPad apps for architects. Upon further investigation we’ve found that SERPs are filled with random and generic tech review-type sites.
This was a clear opportunity to expand the semantics of the domain and cover some of the relevant keywords.
So we’ve produced the article on iPad architecture apps – PlanMan is one of the long-term clients we create content for.
It was a relatively straightforward article to create, being a list of about a dozen iPad apps architects can use for various purposes. The word count of the article is just a bit over 700 words.
Very quickly the article became of the of the power posts – it’s getting both traffic and SaaS signups:
The post got thousands of clicks on Google over the next six months. There have been a number of free trial signups that have converted into paying customers as well – definitely not bad for a ~$100 investment.
Next we’re going to include this article into a regular content audit we run for this client – and then expand & optimize it some more based on first-hand Google Search Console data.
With more blog posts appearing on their website, the iPad app piece will get more internal links.
All in all we expect to revitalize this post and get it gathering more traffic and signups in the future. Thanks to the fact that we run at least two major content audits per year for our long-term clients, we can spot and correct these things.
Top takeaways for SaaS blogging
There are several non-obvious takeaways from this, in no particular order:
– Effective blog content does not have to be long, technical, or super-researched
– Don’t overthink the topic twist and the content angle too much, if you see an opportunity – take it
– apply generic content opportunities to your niche. “TOOLS/TECHNIQUES for YOUR_TARGET_MARKET” usually work pretty well
– monitor your blog content performance to spot declines; run frequent audits and re-optimize content.
December 2023 update –
PlanMan blog has been growing with tightly focused blog posts that cover all major interests of freelance architects and growing architecture firms – anything related to business development and growth, tools, project management best practices, and so on.
Impressions and clicks have been steadily growing, and here’s what Ben Snape, the founder of PlanMan has to say –
If you want us to help you plan & create simple, effective, and lasting blog content pieces like that one - get in touch with us!