Hello!
Technology companies offering SaaS (software as a service) have much to live up to when it comes to being seen as tech-savvy. And, being tech-savvy means knowing about such things as an online presence, right?
Since SaaS companies are in a growing market, increasing online visibility should be top of their list.
This is not always the case, as according to a study conducted in 2017 by Emily Byford 11% of SaaS companies didn’t even have a blog. Two years later (2019) and the figure has increased to 15%.
Additionally, those SaaS companies that do have blogs are still not making the most of them.
Here are 3 SaaS blog mistakes that are losing you customers, and how to fix it:
1. Not Blogging Consistently
Nearly as bad as having no blog at all, blogging only when you feel like it can damage your conversion rate.
According to SEOtribunal.com statistics, blogging and more importantly, blogging consistently has many benefits.
Here’s some of that data, giving you ten good reasons:
- Businesses that blog experience twice as much email traffic.
- Small businesses that blog see 126% more lead growth than the businesses that don’t.
- Companies that publish 16 or more blog posts per month see 3.5x more traffic than those that post 4 times or less in the same period.
- 80% of B2B marketers use blogs as a content marketing tactic.
- 52% of B2B marketers agreed that blogging is their most critical content marketing tactic.
- Blogs increase website traffic by up to 6x
- SEO leads see a 14.6% close rate, while outbound leads only have a 1.7% close rate
- Companies that blog have 55% more visitors to their websites.
- 66% of B2B marketers who use blogs generate more leads than those who don’t.
- Companies who blog receive 97% more links to their website.
So, having a blog has definite benefits and posting consistently means daily, every other day, weekly, fortnightly or monthly. Whatever schedule you decide upon, it should be one that you will stick to.
Without a planned schedule of content, the reach of your blog posts will be hit and miss. If you want your B2B SaaS company to grow online you need to post good content regularly.
2. Poor Quality Blog Posts
This is a common mistake amongst some SaaS companies and it ties in with the problem of not blogging enough.
Currently, long-form posts (1,500 words and over) are doing well. But, more importantly, any post today needs to include useful and interesting information.
Providing a mix of different types of posts will help SaaS companies to increase quality.
Different types of posts include:
- Educational or how to
- Inspirational
- Data-driven
- Infographics
- News stories
- Case studies
Formatting a blog post for your website is completely different from writing up an article to go in the company newsletter or industry magazine.
But, many SaaS companies haven’t yet realized this. Lengthy blocks of writing on a website will scare the customer away.
At the very least your posts should have plenty of white space and a decent font that’s easy to read.
Other things that will make your customers click away are broken links in your text and information that’s no longer relevant or out-of-date.
3. Having No Call to Action in Posts
A call to action (CTA) in your website blog posts should be a given. If you’re not doing this, it’s a mistake that will lose you customers.
A good CTA is more than just a text link. Website visitors are no longer impressed with a plain link, if they ever were? They’ll expect something more before they hand over their email address.
High converting calls to action now usually offer something of value.
For SaaS companies a free trial is popular and a great way to convert the visitor into a lead.
Other popular things to offer are e-books or reports.
Creating a good CTA involves some trial and error.
All elements should be tested and changed if needed. Things such as the message, overall design, even the shape and colour of the CTA button.
Marketing expert Neil Patel’s post, how to create the perfect call-to-action details all the elements you should pay attention to.
How to Fix Your SaaS Blogging Mistakes
The 3 blogging mistakes are:
- Not blogging consistently or not at all
- Poor quality blog posts
- No call to action in blog posts
The good news is they can all be fixed but it takes some effort. The statistics above speak for themselves when it comes to the benefits of blogging.
Blogging consistently
This is much easier if you create an editorial calendar to keep track of your content.
You can plan so that you know what topics you’ll be covering and when you’ll be publishing them.
The calendar doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive.
The Hubspot marketing team use Google Calendar which is completely free.
They say it’s the longest-running editorial calendar the team has ever seen! Here’s their blog post, How to Create an Editorial Calendar in Google Calendar [Free Templates.]
High-quality posts
Creating high-quality blog posts involves continuous effort pulling together ideas and stories to help your business grow.
A well thought out post will connect with either existing or potential customers. So, knowing your B2B buyer persona is vital at this stage.
Detailing an accurate buyer persona is something businesses often have a problem with. It means undertaking some research on the company you’re targeting. Look at their website and social media profiles, such as Linkedin to find common traits.
This post by Alicia Duddy of Leadfeeder walks you through the main steps of creating a B2B buyer persona.
Topics for your posts can be based on the type of problems your ideal buyer needs solving. What type of questions do they regularly ask? Are there common SaaS issues that you can blog about?
Also, check out what your competitors are writing about. Take a look at social media and industry forums to see what’s being discussed.
If you have a better solution to a common industry problem, write a blog post about it?
Don’t forget to look at the material and resources that you already have to hand. Perhaps a company presentation or training program could be turned into a blog post.
No call to action
Most business websites these days have a call to action in their blog posts. If your business doesn’t, it’s time to fix that problem so you don’t lose customers.
Think of it this way, if your post is good enough to attract your ideal customer, you want to encourage them to stay connected. A call to action moves them forward to the next step, so they’ll eventually become buyers.
It’s essential then, that you hit the right note. Avoiding common mistakes is a good idea and this post by Wishpond highlights 7 CTA mistakes that will kill your conversion rates.
Final Thoughts
It’s natural to think that any technology company will automatically know how to market themselves online. But, just because you know how to build software, doesn’t make you an expert in online marketing.
Quite often the reverse is true, as the statistics above, show.
Online competition is fierce and SaaS companies may have even bigger shoes to fill than non-technology businesses. Their reputation is at stake.
Fixing the 3 most common SaaS blogging mistakes will increase traffic, leads and conversions. It will help secure your business reputation and put you ahead of competitors in an ever-growing market.
Most of all, it will stop you losing valuable customers.
Thank you!
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