When working with content teams at B2B SaaS companies, I often come across teams that have mistakenly chosen a non-revenue based metric to guide and measure their performance with. The number of content pieces being produced on a quarterly basis, or even worse, the number of pageviews are common metrics that I see these teams being aligned to which ends up rewarding non-revenue generating activity.
I wanted to share our content framework that our client’s find extremely useful to refer to when planning their content calendar, as well as their distribution and acquisition strategies once the content has been produced. Each content piece, and that includes landing pages, should have a clear goal, and supporting processes, in place before the first word is even written: who is the audience and what is the acquisition channel, how should the page be optimized (very different optimizations required for a page that is meant to target a keyword for SEO vs a landing page for a PPC campaign vs a product marketing post to help the sales team with their outreach).
Here are 5 content types that we bucket everything under:
→ Informational
→ Product
→ Backlink magnet
→ PPC
→ Product marketing
I’ve described each post type below, as well as the generally accepted structure, how it is to be optimised, and what distribution and acquisition generally tends to look like. There are of course creative exceptions to these rules, but I feel that using this framework as a starting point helps content teams improve the effectiveness of what they are producing.
Informational
Purpose
Cover keywords in your company's space as comprehensively as possible, to rank and thereby attract leads looking for the type of solution you sell.
Structure
Typically question and answer style content. Subtitles are in the form of what/why/how/etc.. 'The top X products' type posts are being rewarded by Google for many queries and are worth experimenting with. Understand the search intent that Google believes is the most apt for the keywords you are going after and see how the content you create fits in with this.
Optimisation
SEO optimised. Internal and External links are crucial. Include topics and concepts that other high ranking posts have for the keywords you are targeting ensuring your content is highly relevant in the eyes of the search engines.
Distribution
Follow the general distribution plan, posting to sites, forums, communities related to your niche to get initial traction and backlinks. Seed initial traffic with short PPC campaigns
Acquisition Method
Organic search
Example
Product
Purpose
Cover your product's capabilities, educating visitors on why your product is the one they should be considering.
Structure
Focus on design and not too much text. Bullet points describing features and benefits users get from them. Screenshots, videos
Optimisation
SEO optimised. Internal links are crucial. Ranking potential depends on what the search engines consider the search intent for your keywords are. If there are no other product pages ranking in top positions of the SERP, you might want to consider another content type.
Distribution
Big feature releases may be welcome in forums and communities where your ICP is found, smaller or more general releases have less distribution potential. Depending on your product, PR distribution to media sites may be a possibility.
Acquisition Method
Organic search & visitors from other pages of the site educating themselves on your product's functions
Example
Backlink magnet
Purpose
Content that is created for the sole purpose of being linked to from other sites that are talking about the niche your product is in to boost your backlink profile
Structure
Multiple possible structures here: statistics pages, dictionary/glossary, expert roundups, unique data analysis
Optimisation
SEO optimised to help with gaining natural links over time. ‘Statistics + your niche’ related keywords are common and content ranking for these keywords generally attract backlinks.
Distribution
Follow general distribution plan for expert roundups, asking experts to amplify distribution to their networks and to provide backlinks. PR distribution to media sites in the case of data analysis pieces. Limited distribution potential for other content types.
Acquisition Method
Organic search. Traffic from news and media sites in the case of data analysis pieces.
Example
PPC
Purpose
Attract companies looking for the solution your product is solving, providing just enough information about your product's capabilities to convince them of signing up for a free trial/demo request
Structure
Short and to the point. Content relates strictly to the PPC keyword that was used. Provide social proof (customer logos/quotes), and limit to one CTA - start free trial/request a demo
Optimisation
Noindex these pages to ensure they are not competing with pages meant to rank in search engines.
Distribution
N/A
Acquisition Method
PPC
Example
Product marketing
Purpose
To be used by sales, product and CS to educate existing customers and new leads on your product's features.
Structure
Follow blog structure and company style guidelines. Let the brand shine here, using the tone and voice your brand stands for.
Optimisation
Easy to read, personable with screenshots and animations to show your product's capabilities. SEO optimisations probably not required here unless the product release details can be linked to a valuable keyword for your company.
Distribution
Manual distribution to leads and customers by various teams in the company.
Acquisition Method
Short PPC campaigns for big feature launches.
Example
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