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The reasons to start a blog are as strong as ever, even with so many platforms and channels to reach new customers.
Many SaaS startups put off starting a blog. They think it will use up too many resources, or that it will take too long to pay off. But a blog is an essential part of growing your business. Here are 3 compelling reasons why we think every SaaS startup needs a blog, and the best time to start one is now.
Brand is the only true moat in SaaS, writes Connor Keppell, founder of onsite service provider app Relay. Your blog gives you a place to express your brand, and then your blog content can fuel all your other channels.
In the world of SaaS, the competition can be fierce. In 2017, SaaS companies reportedly faced more than nine competitors on average in their first year—and that figure had more than tripled from the year before.
Because the marketplace is increasingly competitive, it’s crucial that you figure out a way to stand apart from the other options your customers have as soon as possible. Blogging gives you a vehicle of your own to showcase your company’s uniqueness.
Just ask Tom Zsomborgi, chief financial officer at Kinsta, a SaaS company in the hosting space. As he touches on the role the company’s twice weekly mega blog posts have played in the company’s growth, one reader (and customer) comments, “Great article, with valuable information. Transparency, the real awesome blog posts and the blazing fast support from Kinsta is what makes Kinsta awesome. I would gladly pay more if the price (must) rise.”
Your blog helps you establish your unique brand and reputation as a reliable provider that is worth even more to your customers than you charge—a defensible moat against your competitors. The content you create for your blog can be shared and repurposed for all other channels, functioning as a launchpad for your brand.
Awareness is the first step in expanding your customer base. To get your product in front of new customers, you can pay to advertise. And you can help them find you organically.
SEO, or search engine optimization, is the practice of optimizing web content for search engine algorithms. Good SEO can improve your website’s ranking on Google, thus making your content findable by people looking for what you offer.
72% of digital marketers assert that content is the best tactic for SEO. In other words, an important reason to start a blog is because it's your best bet of nabbing a top spot on Google.
SEO can be a powerful driver of new business growth. While SEO tends to pay off in the medium-to-long-term, prolific advisor, investor, and SaaS entrepreneur Hiten Shah notes that spotting niche content opportunities—which still exist for every industry—can even help in the short term.
Because the compounding ROI on search-focused efforts is so profound, it’s important to lay the foundation for SEO from the beginning—a compelling reason to start a blog now and not wait.
Creating optimized blog content might be easier than you think. Most SaaS companies already have a plethora of content that, with a little tweaking, makes the perfect material for a solid blog post. Whether it’s market research, whitepapers, an email newsletter, product documentation, or a write-up about a new feature, you probably already have plenty of content just waiting to be posted.
Updating and repurposing existing content can make blogging pretty straightforward for your SaaS company, helping you to generate organic traffic and grow your audience.
As Aaron Levie, co-founder of SaaS company Box, said, “The first 20 years of the web were won by those that built the best infrastructure. Now it’s won by those that build the best experiences.”
A blog can provide those experiences: With 61% of customers preferring to buy from businesses that offer custom content, it’s easy to see why customer loyalty is a compelling reason to start a blog.
For a SaaS startup, a blog is an opportunity to build a base of loyal customers. When you understand what content engages your ideal customers, you can build a sense of community that will ultimately lead to higher levels of customer loyalty.
Loyal customers gladly recommend the companies they believe in. They defend you. They write glowing reviews online. In essence, your loyal customers extend your marketing reach in a more authentic, believable way than you can do yourself.
How does starting a blog foster that kind of loyalty? It helps your customers:
Emotionally connected customers will become your most loyal, with up to a 306% higher lifetime value. This results in a positive growth cycle of more customers and a stronger brand (see reason #1 above).
For any SaaS startup, a blog comes with huge benefits: It gives you an opportunity to establish your brand voice, improve your site’s search engine ranking, and build loyal customers. And if these reasons aren't enough, a strong blog will help you recruit better talent, attract customers that are more in line with your mission, and more.
Here at SaaSpirin, we specialize in creating high-quality blog posts for SaaS companies. With our expert team of strategists, writers, and editors, we can help you generate the unique, well-informed content that will bring you the organic traffic and reliability you need to rise above your competition.
Discover more about our various hassle-free content plans today.