If your SaaS content strategy is to hook prospects with content, you should make sure it matches the buyer’s intent.
And we mean EVERY ELEMENT of that content. 🙃
Yet some SaaS marketers overlook aligning their CTA (call to action) with where their potential buyers are in their journey.
Why should you (and they) care about a simple “button”?
Turns out…
- over 90% of people who look at your headline will read your call to action as well
- sales increased by 1617% by including a CTA to an email
- customized CTAs convert 202% better
That means not only your content but also CTA converts.
Anyway, let us give a deeper explanation. We’ll first walk you through the buyer’s journey. And then introduce you to the importance of matching your content’s CTA with the buyer's intent level.
Sounds good? Let's dive in! 🚀
First, what is buyer intent?
Simply put, buyer intent refers to the motivation behind a potential customer's online actions. But it’s more than just knowing what product or service your customers are interested in. It’s the specific reasoning behind a potential customer’s interest in your product or service-—like the answer to “Why did she/he exactly buy?”
Look at some actions that support a buyer’s signal
- visiting your website multiple times
- email clicks
- adding items to their cart
- social media interactions
- submitting a form to request more information
For SaaS businesses, uncovering the buyer intent is key to developing effective sales and marketing strategies. And to optimize conversions and retention, it’s essential to understand how buyer intent affects the buyer journey.
So, let’s review the buyer’s journey again, along with the buyer intent signals.
Stage 1: Awareness
In this first stage, buyers recognize they have a problem or need, but they haven't yet identified a solution. They just know that there’s a standing issue to fix. Potential buyers here scour the internet looking for information, so their intent signals are centered around research.
Some of the buyer intent signals during the awareness stage include
- keyword searches
- website unique visits
- social media following
- email subscriptions
Stage 2: Investigational
In this stage, buyers are researching potential solutions. They are looking for the best way to solve their problems. During this stage, the buyer's intent signals are focused on what solutions exist in the market.
This can mean:
- keyword searches that contain specific product or brand names
- product reviews
- competitor comparisons
- case studies
- evaluating pricing
Stage 3: Decision
At this stage, the buyer has decided on the solution they will purchase. The people here consider their options carefully. Intent signals during the acquisition stage could be:
- a request for a demo
- sales requests for quotes
- frequent visits to product pages
Stage 4: Post-Purchase
After making a purchase, the buyer enters the post-purchase stage. In this final stage, buyers are looking for smooth and easy onboarding, as well as post-sale support. This is all about a positive experience with the product or service.
Intent signals could include
- renewal or subscription activity
- product usage
- initiates the checkout process
- payment processing
- feedback and leaving reviews
As you may have noticed, buyer intent can be categorized into two types:
- Active buying intent
Intent like this is strong and immediate. It implies that the buyer is actively searching for a solution and plans to buy soon. These potential buyers are the most valuable since they're more likely to buy.
- Passive buying intent
In this case, the buyer might be interested but not actively searching. It could be that a prospect is in the research or consideration phase and might make a purchase if the right nurturing or offer comes along.
So now that you’re familiar with the buyer’s intent. There’s a good chance that you apply this in your SaaS content strategy.
Your new SaaS content strategy: Understanding the buyer's journey with purposeful content
By now, I believe you know that the B2B buyer's journey is a dynamic process, not a linear path. It's more like a maze where buyers might loop back or skip stages as they explore solutions.
But in case you don’t (and I hope I’m wrong 😬), here’s an accurate visual representation of the buyer’s journey.
So, it’s kinda obvious that your content strategy needs different content types at different intent levels. Let’s use the 4 buying stages above to list the recommended content types.
- For the awareness stage, your content should focus on educating your audience about their problem and providing information about different solutions. Content types that work well in this stage include blog posts, social media posts, infographics, and explainer videos.
- Once your audience is aware of their problem, they start considering different solutions. Therefore, your goal is to differentiate yourself from other competitors and show why your product is the best solution for their problem. For instance, you can provide case studies, product demos, comparison charts, and whitepapers.
- At the decision stage, your content should be focused on persuading and converting your audience into customers. Offer demos, free trials, customized proposals, and consultations.
- Lastly, at this stage, create content that adds value to your buyer’s experience. Content types such as guidebooks, tutorials, user manuals & FAQs, and follow-up SaaS emails are effective resources to keep your customers engaged and satisfied.
But here’s what NOT everyone realizes: Your content’s CTA should be a proper reflection of what the buyer wants to do. In short, match the next step/CTA with the buyer's intentions.
The dynamic duo: content and CTAs
What are CTAs again?
CTA (or "Call to Action") are prompts that guide your audience to take a specific action. They're usually buttons or links that encourage readers to engage, like downloading a resource, signing up for a webinar, or making a purchase.
But instead of referring to it as a “must-be-flashy-button,” SaaS marketers should treat it as the representation of your page goal and your visitor’s intent.
Importance of relevant content to action at every stage of the funnel
At each stage of the buyer's journey, your entire content should match the buyer's intent. Like in the earlier phase, focus on informative content to address their problems. In time, shift to content showcasing your solutions.
CTAs of your content should help bridge the gap between your page goal and your visitor’s intent by directing readers towards actions aligned with their current intent level.
Just like this smart analogy from a LinkedIn post: Don't propose marriage on the first date. Strategically position CTAs within your content.
Here’s an example referencing the buyer’s journey.
- Content in the awareness stage should lead to informative content, not to your sales team. And once they move to the investigational stage, your CTAs should direct them to in-depth content that encourages deeper exploration, like signing up for a webinar.
- Finally, as buyers move closer to the Acquisition and Transactional stages, position CTAs that prompt them to request a demo, start a free trial, or make a purchase.
Tips on how to level up your content strategy with matching content and CTAs
- Develop CTAs that mirror the content’s positioning and messaging:
If your CTA feels like a natural extension of the content it accompanies, you’re doing a good job! 😊 Whenever your content emphasizes a particular focus or benefit, the CTA should reflect that benefit.
- Ensure that the visual design elements of your content and CTAs are cohesive:
Visual consistency is the key. A consistent visual style helps maintain a seamless user experience. If your content employs specific colors, fonts, and imagery, your CTAs should adopt the same design elements. This cohesion reinforces the connection between the content and the desired action.
- Create logical paths from your content to your CTAs:
Guide readers logically from the content to the CTA. For example, if your content discusses the benefits of a product, the CTA could prompt readers to explore that features more. Or, if your content addresses a common problem, the CTA could lead to a resource that provides solutions. This makes the transition smooth and provides value along the way.
Intent-aligned content creation with CaaSocio
So, it’s final—match the CTA with the buyer's intentions. But how will our team do this?
Here’s how.
Customized content roadmaps
With CaaSocio, you'll receive a tailored approach to your SaaS content strategy. We create customized content roadmaps that align with your audience's journey, guiding them seamlessly from awareness to conversion. Your unique goals and target audience drive our strategy.
Already aware of your product positioning? Check out our article for new points—Sometimes, you Don’t need a new positioning. You just need to hire SaaS copywriters who can deliver results
Diverse content for various intent stages
As we recognize the non-linear path of the buyer's journey, CaaSocio crafts diverse content types for every stage. From informative long-form SaaS blog posts to website copies and emails, our content hits a wide range, resonating with your audience's evolving needs. And rest assured, that includes aligned CTAs with your buyer’s intent.
Flexible and scalable
CaaSocio's approach is adaptable to your changing requirements. Whether you're a startup exploring new markets or an expanding SaaS, our services are designed to be both flexible and scalable. We grow with you, adjusting strategies as your business grows.
Consumable content marketing
CaaSocio specializes in creating content that's not only compelling but also easily digestible—for readers and you as well 😎. Yes, digestible for you because we now offer consumable content marketing.
Meaning you get unlimited access to us helping your SaaS content needs for as long as you have CaaSocio credits. Unlimited revisions, no questions ‘bout that.
Still in doubt about outsourcing to a SaaS copywriting agency? We have good articles for you!
- How outsourcing to a SaaS copywriting agency can benefit your business
- Ask our SaaS copywriting agency: How can you assure the quality of the copy and content for clients?
- SaaS content partner: Power up your SaaS marketing by extending your content team
Match the buyer’s intent, period.
Stop overlooking your CTA with how your buyers are finding you. In your SaaS content strategy, the relationship between content and CTAs counts as crucial for successful engagement and conversions.
Organizing content according to buyer intent at each stage sets up a navigation pathway that guides prospects to a good decision (hi conversion! 😁).
So here are your key takeaways:
- Matching content to the intent-driven stages of the buyer's journey creates a seamless transition.
- Crafting CTAs that mirror the content's messaging and design improves the user's understanding of the desired action.
- Building logical connections between content and CTAs heightens the chance of an intuitive user journey and lead to value-driven outcomes.
Ready to level up your content strategy? Book a call to see how CaaSocio can help you!
