The Truth About Working With a B2B SaaS Content Marketing Agency vs. a DIY Approach

When you’re at the helm of a B2B SaaS company, it might seem like if you want something done right, you need to tackle it yourself. But when you take on the weight of the world alone, you can end up feeling like you’re drowning. 

Let a B2B SaaS content marketing agency be your lifeline. 

Anyone who works in this industry can tell you just how challenging it can be to create & execute a winning content marketing strategy. Sure, you’re sold lofty visions about how content marketing can lead to all sorts of dreamy results.

But actually getting there? Another whole ballgame in itself. 

Instead of barely keeping your head above water with content marketing, you can lean on a B2B SaaS content marketing agency to develop and deploy a transformative strategy which takes your business to new heights. 

There are two main methods for approaching content marketing:

1. The first is a DIY approach, where you or your team handle content marketing in-house. 

2. The second option is to partner with a leading B2B SaaS content marketing agency, which owns this part of your marketing strategy and the results. 

It can be tempting to want to handle SaaS content marketing in-house. On the surface, it seems easy enough to throw together some blog posts using SEO keywords, and it might appear to be a good place to save on spending. If you’re interested in approaching content marketing on your own, we get it: our team has written robust B2B content marketing guides (like this B2B SEO guide), so definitely check them out.

While you can download the tools and do the research, one thing I’ve seen during my time in content marketing is that it can be challenging for organizations to use those tools correctly, together, and in a way that sets them apart. 

While many free resources can give you a great crash course in content marketing, they ultimately end up being fairly surface level.

The truth is that content marketing strategies are much more complex and technical than they appear on the surface, especially if you want content to actually translate to business results. Even experienced marketers can be inundated with the tasks and to-do list required for a content marketing strategy that moves the needle and leads to tangible results.

Here’s why a killer content marketing strategy matters, and why it’s best left in the hands of a SaaS content marketing agency. 

SaaS Businesses and Content Marketing: A Dynamic Duo

There’s no shortage of ways to develop your marketing strategy. Outbound, paid ads, social media marketing… These options just scratch the surface of what’s available today, and which are vying for your attention (and budget). But content marketing might just be the most valuable (and best performing) marketing avenue that can actually deliver the results you’re aiming for. 

A type of inbound marketing, content marketing is the process of creating content and distributing it through chosen channels, which ccan be social media, email, blogs, or websites. It uses search engine optimization (SEO) and technical practices to optimize pages to ensure they’re ranked as highly as possible in the search engines. 

Content marketing is just one piece of an organization’s marketing puzzle, but it can often be the most impactful. Well-executed content marketing allows customers to find you on Google, can help you educate your audience on your product or service, and ultimately leads to closed deals. Research shows that 75% of marketers say SEO is their most effective content marketing tactic, while further studies show that content marketing is used to generate demand/leads, nurture audiences, and build loyalty with existing customers. 

Content marketing is a heavy-hitter. But in the ever-competitive B2B SaaS landscape, it’s simply not enough to pen a few blog posts and call it a day. 

The Breakdown of B2B SaaS Content Marketing

Content marketing is just one part of a B2B marketing strategy. So you might be wondering: why don’t we just handle it ourselves? 

Here are just some of the tasks and responsibilities that go into a B2B SaaS content marketing strategy:

• Content audits: It’s crucial to take inventory of your existing content, audit it, analyze it and its performance, and understand where you need to make improvements to reach your specific goals. RevenueZen’s content audit process is particularly robust: we look at every single URL, to see if it’s ranking for keywords, if it’s optimized and how to make sure it’s targeting the desired keywords. If pages need to be updated, merged with other pages, or deleted entirely, we’ll know and determine that together.
• Editorial calendar: Content needs to be produced regularly and often. You’ll need to launch and follow a comprehensive editorial calendar, which will dictate content production. RevenueZen’s approach is to handle this quarterly, and we also plan around special events in your org. For example, if you’re deploying a new department, we’ll begin trickling out content months in advance. 
• Content planning: This is the bread and butter of your content. You’ll decide on target keywords and content ideas (using research and data), and should align these topics to the buyer’s journey. It’s also wise to use incoming data about keyword rankings and content performance to inform future content production and ongoing optimizations. 
• Content creation: Content creation typically includes blogging, which is a primary source for how people consume information. Don’t believe us? You’re actually reading a blog post right now. Other types of content will likely include laser-focused organic solutions pages, which is targeted web copy designed to speak to your customers. All content will be created and posted using technical SEO best practices, to ensure rankability. 
• Analysis and adjustments: The results of your organization’s content marketing strategy need to be constantly monitored, analyzed, and reported on. This typically takes the form of a monthly reporting process, where data is shared internally with your team. Then, modifications can be made to your content marketing strategy, based on how content is performing, and what new results you’d like to go after.

Why Not Take a DIY Approach?

Handling content marketing in-house is not uncommon, and many orgs choose to tackle their own content marketing strategy. But It’s a common misconception that content marketing can be mastered just by publishing posts with keyword-rich blog posts. The reality (as many org leaders quickly find out) is that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Content marketing requires tons of research, effort, and ongoing efforts to get right. 

Here’s why it might be best to partner with a B2B SaaS content marketing agency, instead of taking a DIY approach.t o

1. They compliment your current marketing strategy

Marketing teams handle everything when it comes to your organization’s marketing, from paid ads to the language being used on printed materials. If they’re also handling content marketing, it might be challenging for them to consistently create, deploy, and monitor content that moves the needle. Instead, you can lean on a B2B SaaS content marketing agency to compliment your current marketing structure. This ensures that content marketing gets the full expertise and focus it deserves in your org. 

2. Freelancers alone might not cut it 

Freelancers might seem more “budget-friendly,” but as they say, you get what you pay for. Freelancers might be able to write straightforward content, but do they know how to execute a technical SEO strategy? Can they keep your audience engaged for the duration of the piece? Who is monitoring their work and reporting on their progress? 

3. DIY works, but it needs to be for the long haul

Taking a DIY-approach to a content marketing strategy is definitely possible. But it’s important to remember that content marketing requires longevity, consistency, and maintenance for it to translate into desirable business outcomes. For example, when you do land content on Page 1 of Google, instead of hitting the brakes, you need to keep up the pace, so you don’t get knocked right back down.

When you work with a B2B SaaS content marketing agency, you know the work will be done right (every time), and that it’s a long-term strategy, instead of a quick-fix approach (where things slip through the cracks). 

(BTW – we were recently named one of Vendry’s top SEO agencies!)

What Does a B2B SaaS Content Marketing Agency Bring to the Table? 

Quality content which achieves marketing goals is a fine art. That’s why B2B SaaS content marketing agencies exist in the first place.

Here’s what you get when you partner with a leading B2B SaaS content marketing agency:

1. You have a team of marketing experts hyper-focused on your content 

When it comes to a B2B SaaS content marketing agency, they eat, sleep, and breath content marketing. They’ll know the tricks and tips, are experts at understanding your brand voice, and can turn your content visions into realities. They’ve cut their teeth in SEO, content production, and analytics, and it’ll show in the results.

2. Your agency partner is results-driven

The leading content marketing agencies know that writing and posting is not enough. They’re looking for results, and will track and modify their efforts to make sure you’re able to reach your goals. 

3. You can be as hands-on as you want (or not)

Content marketing agencies are ready to own your content marketing strategy. That means if you just want monthly reporting and check-ins, they’ve got your back. But if you want to be involved with the content creation and editing process, they’re happy to work with you in a hands-on fashion. 

4. You free up internal resources 

Tasks like content production, writer schedules, editing pieces, SEO keyword research, audits, and reporting can be time consuming. Instead of having to own (or have someone else on your team own) content marketing and everything that comes with it, you’re free to focus on other high-velocity tasks. 

Don’t Just Tread Water. Let a B2B Content Marketing Agency Take Your Org to New Heights

B2B content marketing is a powerhouse tool that helps your organization boost inbound organic leads, nurture current customers, and enhance your brand image. But it’s not an easy undertaking, and it requires a great deal of ongoing work to actually see results from it.

Instead of being inundated with content marketing, let us take it from here. We help ambitious B2B brands break their previous record of organic-sourced revenue growth in 16 months, and content marketing is one of our specialties. 

Let’s talk about how we can revamp your content marketing strategy, so you see the results your business deserves.