There are numerous things you need to consider when looking for a SaaS content marketing agency. Perhaps the most important factor is finding a provider that specializes in software, thus ensuring that every piece oozes expertise and authority. It’s also much better to cooperate with companies that have a solid SEO background.
Although many entrepreneurs tend to rush this process, we suggest you take your time going through different options. You should also determine your goals and budget before contacting providers and engaging in interviews. That way, you can find a tailor-made solution for your software brand, getting a bigger bang for your buck.
In this article, we’ll outline some of the basics of the onboarding process. We’ll also share some tips that will help you prepare for working with a content marketing agency.
Creating a Content Marketing Plan
Many software brands make the mistake of engaging content providers too hastily. They presume these agencies serve as plug-and-play solutions, being able to generate numerous articles and social media posts with minimal instructions. But as you’ll soon find out, the operational process is more complex than you might’ve imagined.
That being said, here’s everything you need to do before looking for a reputable provider!
Cover the Basics
The majority of software entrepreneurs understand that content is a vehicle that can increase the number of website and social media visits and followership. However, they usually don’t understand how content works and how it would impact their overall marketing strategy.
The first thing we suggest you do is learn more about different promotional tactics. For example, creating content for emails, social media, or websites is completely different, with some writers struggling to maximize certain formats.
You should also check some of the best blogs to see what good articles should look like. Learning about the best writing, optimization, and conversion practices is also relevant as it will allow you to generate more value from search engines, as well as higher sales.
Determine Your Goals
We commonly use content as a part of a larger marketing tactic. As previously mentioned, you’ll use emails for email marketing and articles for search engine optimization. Because of that, your goals, channels, and optimal format will affect each other.
All that being said, after determining what you want to accomplish, you need to find the right vehicle for that objective. For example, paid ads are perfect for generating quick value, although they’re more expensive. Social media allows you to create casual relationships and increase authority, although it doesn’t always convert at a high clip.
When setting your long and short-term goals, you also need to be realistic. If you have a low marketing budget, you can expect to dominate your vertical in just a few weeks. Similarly, certain channels and content types have their own inherent limitations you should be aware of at all times.
Form Content Budget
Like with any other marketing activity, budgeting creates a framework of what we can and can’t do during a campaign. Ideally, you would want to populate your blog with as much content as possible or create several social media posts a day. Unfortunately, many software providers aren’t willing to invest that heavily in this type of promotion.
We recommend that you create some flexibility in your budget for content production. That way, if you notice your current marketing strategy is bearing fruit, you can bump up the spending for even higher gains.
Marketing agencies usually offer several plans to their clients, where they calculate the costs based on the number of words or posts they produce. During negotiation, we suggest you ask them for a quantity discount and order extra pieces for your favorite channels.
Hiring a Content Marketing Provider
After learning more about the content marketing process and creating an actionable plan, it’s time to put all that knowledge into action. Hiring a content marketing agency can be streamlined, ensuring that you partner up with the right company. Here are all the steps you need to undertake.
1.  Use Your Network
The simplest way to find a reliable provider is by getting in touch with people in your network. For example, you can leave a public post on Facebook or LinkedIn, asking for a recommendation from your contacts. An even better solution is to message one of your friends who is an entrepreneur and has already worked with one of these agencies and ask for an email address.
2.  Browse Google
If you didn’t get any suggestions from friends, the next logical step is to check the Google or another search engine of your choice. It’s worth mentioning that the top results aren’t always the best solution; it just means they’re investing heavily in marketing.
Nevertheless, using Google is still a good way to learn more about the vertical. You can collect the contacts of top companies and ask them for a quote. Even if you don’t hire any of them, the data will help you out later on in negotiating prices.
3.  Check Blog Content
Once you shortlist several providers, you should head out to their respective websites to check the type of content they write. The most logical thing is to avoid brands that are lousy at their job. Besides writing style, you should also pay close attention to grammar and search engine optimization practices, as this will also have an impact on your campaign.
If you wish to dig a bit deeper, you can also check their social media posts (critical if you need content for your social accounts). Some companies also create user-generated content for sites such as Medium and LinkedIn, which can also provide some valuable information as to how they approach articles.
4.  Explore Directories and Review Sites
Review sites and directories are another valid source of information. Almost any legitimate marketing agency will submit its name to the biggest local and regional listing, as well as sites such as Yelp. Besides confirming the business’ legitimacy, these platforms allow the accruing of reviews.
Speaking of reviews, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to visit some of the best marketing blogs and see if they’ve ever mentioned your brand in their search tabs. The biggest players are published all over the place, so it wouldn’t be strange to see them featured on these platforms.
5.  Check Their Credentials
If it’s a tight race between several content agencies, we recommend that you assess their writers. Most providers mention their team on the About Us page, highlighting their editors and a few of the best writers. While there, you should vet all writers and editors and check their credentials. Ideally, their entire team should have journalism, English, or marketing degrees.
Keep in mind that your assigned writer might not be mentioned on the About Us page. Some companies work with dozens of authors spread across numerous projects. So, you might get a completely different person for your marketing project.
6.  Read Case Studies
Another common trick is to check all the case studies that a company has published on its site. While white papers are not a standard in some industries and niches, they’re quite common in marketing. By checking their research documents, you can learn more about the company’s methodology, dedication to science, and overall writing quality.
Most notably, companies that publish case studies on a regular basis are among the best agencies in their verticals. By proxy, the lack of these studies can be somewhat of a red flag, although it shouldn’t be a determining factor when hiring a provider.
7.  Ask for Track Record
Analyzing the writing style is one thing; assessing their track result is a completely different objective. Basically, you want to know what kind of results this content can yield. For example, if you’re paying for articles, you want to know if these blog posts are getting enough traffic and whether they’re converting at a high clip.
Another good way to determine if a content marketing agency is doing a good job is by determining how long their average contract lasts. If most of their clients stick for several years, this is a good indication of quality service.
Conclusion
 You don’t have to be a marketing wizard to find the right content agency for your business. The great thing about these providers is that you can learn a lot about their service by simply reading articles published on their site. Similarly, you can browse their social media to see what kind of posts they share with the public.
If that isn’t enough, you can always see if their name appears in Google. Being listed in the biggest directories is also a good sign, showing you that they’re a legitimate business that can help you out.
