Mapping SaaS Content to the Buyer Journey: The Ultimate B2B Guide

Your SaaS content shouldn’t be a random collection of posts. It needs a purpose. This guide shows you how to strategically create content that addresses the needs of your ideal customer at every stage of their journey, turning curious visitors into loyal users.

This guide will show how to create content that helps customers at every step of their journey with a SaaS product. It explores how to make content work harder, from when someone first hears about a product to when they become a loyal fan. This approach ensures content provides real help and value, naturally bringing in important words for search engines.

Why SaaS Content Needs a Journey Map

SaaS sales can be tricky. People often take a long time to decide if a product is right for them. A simple purchase might happen very quickly, but bigger business deals can take many months, even up to a year or more.¹ This is why knowing exactly what content to offer at each step is very important.

The complex nature of SaaS sales cycles means that choosing SaaS often involves a big change for a business. It includes many people, different needs, and lots of questions. A clear path for sales is key for growth.¹ The customer journey is not always a straight line; people might jump back and forth between different stages, or they might start their journey at a later point.² Because of this, a content plan cannot be fixed.

Content must be ready for any stage a potential customer might be in, guiding them smoothly between different types of content and stages. This requires strong links between content pieces, clear calls to action, and a content structure that lets people explore easily, rather than following a strict path. It also means that sales and marketing teams must work closely together to understand where a customer is and what content they need next.¹

Strategic content mapping adds immense value and depth by ensuring messages fit what potential customers are thinking and needing at that exact moment.¹ This helps identify where things might get stuck and how to make the journey smoother.¹ For example, if many people stop at the security check part of the process, a business can prepare documents for that early on.¹

When content mapping shows a sticking point, such as many prospects leaving during a product demonstration, it points to a wider problem beyond just the content itself. Perhaps the demonstration is not effective, or the prospects were not ready enough before seeing it. The content team can then create specific content, like a ‘Demo Preparation Guide’ or ‘Common Demo Questions Answered’ section, to help with this problem before it causes a delay, making the sales process more efficient. This shows how content plays a key role in improving how a business works overall, not just its marketing.

Readers will learn how to create a content plan that guides an audience from simply knowing about a product to loving and using it every day. This means less guessing and more clear steps to help a business grow.

Understanding the SaaS Buyer Journey

The journey a customer takes with a SaaS product is often broken down into different steps. These steps help understand what a customer needs and thinks about at each point.

The Core Stages of the SaaS Buyer Journey

Awareness: When a problem is first spotted. This is when someone realises they have a problem or need in their business.² They might not know what the solution looks like yet, so they start looking for information.² They become aware of a brand through things like adverts, friends, or searching online.⁴
Consideration: Exploring possible solutions. At this stage, people know their problem and are looking at different ways to solve it.² They are comparing various products or methods that could help them.² They are gathering all the valuable choices to make the best decision.⁵
Decision: Choosing the best fit. This is the final step where buyers pick a solution and a company to work with.² They might try out the product, ask for demonstrations, or look at how much it costs.² The goal here is to help them make that final choice.⁶
Post-Purchase: Making the most of a new tool. This stage is very important for SaaS, as it is all about keeping customers happy and helping them use a product well. It includes:

Acquisition (including Onboarding): A prospect decides to try a product, perhaps with a free trial or demonstration.⁴ Onboarding helps them learn how the product works and its value.⁴ Getting this right is key to keeping them.⁴
Adoption: This is about helping customers use more advanced features and make a product a regular part of their work.⁴ The aim is for them to build a habit around usage.⁴
Retention: Keeping existing customers is much easier and cheaper than finding new ones.² This stage focuses on making sure customers stay for a long time.²
Expansion: This is when customers start using more of a product or add more users. It means finding chances to upsell (offer a better plan) or cross-sell (offer other products).¹
Loyalty and Advocacy: This is the goal – when customers are so happy they tell others about a product and become its biggest fans.⁷

Why Each Stage Matters for Content

Each stage has different customer needs and questions.⁸ Content must match these needs to be truly helpful. For example, in Awareness, people want general information, but in Decision, they want specific details.⁸ Providing the right content at the right time moves them forward.³

Table 1: SaaS Buyer Journey Stages & Content Needs

Stage	Customer Need	Key Questions	Content Goal
Awareness	Recognise a problem, understand pain points.	“What is this problem?” “Do I even have this problem?” “Why is this happening?”	Educate, identify pain points, establish thought leadership.
Consideration	Explore solutions, compare options.	“What are the ways to solve this?” “How do these options compare?” “Is this right for me?”	Show solutions, highlight benefits, build trust, differentiate from others.
Decision	Finalise choice, seek reassurance.	“Which product is best?” “Why choose this one?” “Can I trust this company?”	Remove barriers, provide direct proof, make purchase easy.
Post-Purchase	Learn product, get value, continued success, grow.	“How do I use this?” “Am I getting the most out of it?” “What’s new?” “Can I do more?”	Support, educate, drive adoption, foster loyalty, encourage expansion.

This table is valuable because it directly addresses the core purpose of mapping content to the buyer journey. By clearly listing the ‘Customer Need’ and ‘Key Questions’ for each stage, it provides a fundamental understanding of what a user is trying to achieve. This understanding is critical for creating content that truly offers value, as it ensures every piece of content is created with a specific aim and directly helps with a user’s need at a particular point in their journey.⁹ It helps content creators move beyond general topics to content that is truly focused on the customer.¹⁰ The ‘Content Goal’ column then turns these needs into clear objectives for content creation, making the mapping process understandable and measurable.

The ‘Post-Purchase’ stage is a revenue multiplier, not just a cost centre. While many businesses focus heavily on getting new customers, the evidence clearly states that keeping existing users is much harder, costing 5 to 25 times more than building long-lasting customer relationships.² The B2B SaaS sales process goes beyond just making a sale.²

Customer success in these later stages creates chances for selling more expensive plans, offering other products, and getting referrals.⁷ This suggests a big change in how businesses should think: the stages after a purchase, such as onboarding, adoption, keeping customers, growing their usage, and making them advocates, are not just about support or managing costs. Instead, they are key drivers of long-term income and steady growth. Content in these stages directly helps increase the value a customer brings over their lifetime and reduces the number of customers who leave, which is much more cost-effective than always trying to find new customers. If this stage is not given enough attention, a lot of potential income is missed.

Buyer journey stages reflect evolving search intent. As a buyer moves from Awareness to Decision, the questions they ask change, as shown in Table 1. In the Awareness stage, they ask ‘What is this problem?’ which shows they are looking for information. In the Consideration stage, they ask ‘How do these options compare?’ which indicates they are comparing products or services. In the Decision stage, they ask ‘Why choose this one?’ showing they are ready to make a purchase. This change in questions directly affects the types of words they use when searching and the kind of content they are looking for. For search engine optimisation, this means the choice of keywords must change with the customer’s journey. Content for the Awareness stage should target broad, problem-focused keywords and longer search phrases.¹¹ Content for the Decision stage should target specific product names, comparison terms, and pricing questions. If content does not match what users are trying to find at each stage, opportunities to appear in search results and connect with users effectively are missed.⁸ This is a main idea of semantic SEO, which looks at the meaning, purpose, and other related ideas behind a user’s search.¹¹

Content for the Awareness Stage (Top of the Funnel)

At the very start, people are just realising they have a problem. They are not ready to buy yet. Content here should help them understand their problem better, without pushing a product too hard.

What Buyers Need Here

People at this stage are looking for information to understand their pain points.³ They are researching and may not even know what a solution looks like.² They are trying to define their needs.³

Best Content Types for Awareness

Educational blog posts: These are great for explaining problems, industry trends, and how-to guides.³ They help a business become a trusted source of information.²
Industry reports & thought leadership articles: These show a business is an expert in its field.³ They give deep insights into market trends.¹³
Explainer videos & webinars: Videos can quickly get people interested and help them understand complex topics easily.⁴ Webinars can also educate without being too sales-focused.⁴
Introductory eBooks: These are digital books that give a good overview of a topic, often used to get someone’s email address.⁴
Social media content: Short, engaging posts like infographics or quick tips can grab attention and help people discover a brand.³
Search ads (Google Ads): These can capture attention when users are searching for information about their problems.²

Making Awareness Content Shine

Content should focus on pain points, not products. It should help people understand their problem, not just talk about a product.² This builds trust.

For search engine optimisation, focus on discovery using broad keywords and topic clusters. Use keywords that people search for when they are just starting to research. Think about wider topics and related terms.¹¹ This helps content show up when people ask general questions about their problems. For example, if a product helps with project management, an awareness blog might be ‘Signs Your Team Needs Better Project Organisation’ rather than ‘Our Project Management Tool Features’.

Awareness content is an investment in future trust and authority. This type of content aims to educate without directly selling.² It works to establish a brand’s expertise and build trust.² This fits well with Google’s E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) guidelines.¹¹ By regularly providing high-quality, non-promotional content at the awareness stage, a SaaS company does not just attract visitors; it builds its reputation as a reliable and knowledgeable source. This long-term investment in authority and trust makes it much easier to convert prospects in later stages because they already view the brand positively. It is about earning the right to sell, rather than just trying to sell.

There is a strong link between awareness content and paid advertising. Search ads (Google Ads) and social media advertising are effective ways to reach people in the awareness stage.² Content marketing is also very important here.² Paid ads can quickly bring people to high-quality, search-optimised awareness content. This means that instead of sending ad traffic directly to a product page, which is too early in the journey, people are sent to helpful articles or videos that address their problems. This makes ads work better, leading to more engagement and fewer people leaving the site quickly. It also helps nurture potential customers more effectively, turning people who have never heard of the brand into warmer prospects who are more likely to move further along the sales path. The content then acts as the main page for the ad, giving immediate value and building trust.

Content for the Consideration Stage (Middle of the Funnel)

Now, potential customers know their problem and are looking at different ways to solve it. Content here should help them compare options and see why a particular solution might be the best fit.

What Buyers Need Here

Buyers are exploring potential solutions and evaluating different products or methods.² They have a deeper understanding of their need but have not chosen a specific SaaS solution yet.⁵ They are gathering all the valuable choices to make the best decision.⁵

Best Content Types for Consideration

Case studies: These show real-world examples of how a product helped others, with actual numbers and results.⁵ ConvertKit uses case studies to show how specific features help users achieve results.¹⁴
Customer testimonials & expert reviews: Short quotes from happy customers or reviews from experts build trust and show services are a good solution.⁵
Demo videos: These show a product in action, explaining how it works and its features.⁵
Advanced eBooks & whitepapers: These offer a deeper look into topics, showing how a solution addresses complex problems. They can also be used to collect leads.⁵
Interactive tools: Things like calculators or cheat sheets encourage users to interact with a brand and see how a product could help them.⁵ For example, ROI calculators help potential customers measure the return on investment.³
Comparison pages: These pages compare SaaS services with competitors, showing why a particular one is better.² They can also compare different plans within a product.⁶

Making Consideration Content Shine

Clearly show what makes a product different and better than others.³ This means highlighting unique selling points.

Use content to answer questions people often have, like about pricing or features.¹⁵ This helps address common questions and objections, moving people closer to a decision.

The power of ‘social proof’ can accelerate the consideration stage. Case studies, customer testimonials, and expert reviews are repeatedly highlighted as important content types for this stage.⁵ ConvertKit’s approach relies heavily on detailed case studies.¹⁴ In the consideration stage, buyers are often careful and looking for proof. Social proof content, like case studies and testimonials, provides clear evidence that a product delivers results for real people who faced similar problems. This does not just give information; it builds a lot of trust and reduces the feeling of risk, which can greatly speed up a potential customer’s move from considering options to making a decision. It is the difference between saying ‘we are good’ and having customers show ‘we are good’. The more specific and measurable the results in these case studies, the more effective they become.¹⁴

Interactive tools bridge the gap between information and personalised value. Interactive tools like calculators and questionnaires are effective for the consideration stage.⁵ Cognism uses ROI calculators, for example.³ These tools allow potential buyers to put in their own information and see results or situations that are specific to them and related to the product. This active involvement helps them see the direct value and impact a SaaS product could have on their own situation, making the benefits much clearer and more relevant than a general description. It changes the content from ‘what our product does’ to ‘what our product can do for you’.

Content for the Decision Stage (Bottom of the Funnel)

At this point, buyers are almost ready to choose. Content needs to give them all the final information they need to say ‘yes’ and make the purchase easy.

What Buyers Need Here

Buyers have decided on a solution type and are now making a list of possible companies.³ They are looking at specific offers and might ask for proposals or trials.³ They need to identify their needs, evaluate final options, and be encouraged to make the decision.⁶

Best Content Types for Decision

Product pages: These are very important. They show everything about SaaS services, including prices, features, pictures, and common questions.⁶ They help people see every angle of a product.⁶
Free trials & product demos: Letting people try a product for free or showing them how it works in a live demonstration is crucial.¹ This helps them experience the value first-hand.¹
Free consultations: Offering a chat to discuss how a product can help them directly.⁶
‘Alternatives to’ pages: These subtly position a product as the best choice when comparing it to well-known competitors.⁶
Price comparison charts: These clearly show pricing options, helping buyers see the value and any savings.⁶
Promotional offers: Discounts, special access, or limited-time deals can encourage an immediate purchase by creating a sense of urgency.²
Use case pages: These describe how potential buyers would use a product to solve specific tasks or problems.⁶

Making Decision Content Shine

Make the buying process smooth and easy, with clear pricing and payment options.² This removes barriers to purchase.

Answer all questions directly and highlight why a product is better than others.⁶ This provides clear, direct information.

The psychological impact of urgency and risk reduction is strong in decision-stage content. Promotional offers, discounts, and limited-time deals are clearly suggested for the decision stage.² Free trials also reduce risk.¹ At this stage, buyers often weigh the good and bad points, and even small doubts can stop a sale. Promotional offers create a feeling of urgency, pushing for quick action. Free trials, on the other hand, remove financial risk, allowing buyers to experience the product’s value without having to commit. Both strategies use psychological triggers, such as the fear of missing out or avoiding risk, to help potential customers make the final step. This shows that content in the decision stage is not just about giving information; it is also about convincing and designed to overcome any last psychological hurdles.

The interplay of sales and marketing is very important in the decision stage. This stage involves sales calls, product demonstrations, and contract talks.³ At the same time, content types like product pages, comparison pages, and free trials are vital.⁶ Clear and open communication is necessary.² This stage is where marketing content and direct sales efforts come together most closely. Marketing content, such as detailed product pages or comparison charts, gives the sales team the tools to answer questions and deal with objections. Sales teams, in turn, provide feedback on common objections or questions, allowing marketing to create even more focused content. This close working relationship ensures a smooth experience for the buyer and helps to get the most conversions. It is a team effort where content helps sales, and sales helps inform content.

Content for the Post-Purchase Stages (Onboarding, Adoption, Retention, Expansion, Advocacy)

The journey does not end when someone buys a product. For SaaS, this is where the real work begins to keep customers happy and successful. This part of the journey is about building long-lasting relationships.¹

What Customers Need Here

Onboarding: Learning how to set up and use the product quickly to see its value.²
Adoption: Getting used to the product, using more of its features, and making it a regular part of their work.⁴ Building a habit around usage.⁴
Retention: Continued satisfaction and support to prevent them from leaving.²
Expansion: Discovering more value, needing more features, or adding more users.¹
Advocacy: Being so happy they tell others about a product.¹⁷

Best Content Types for Post-Purchase

Onboarding guides & in-app walkthroughs: Step-by-step guides, videos, and interactive tours that show new users how to get started and use key features.² ChiroTouch used Zoom training videos for onboarding.¹⁹
Knowledge bases & FAQs: A central place for customers to find answers to common questions and learn about features.⁴
Product updates & newsletters: Keeping customers informed about new features, improvements, and best practices.¹³
How-to videos & webinars: Showing how to use advanced features or new ways to get value from the product.⁴
Community platforms: A place for users to connect with each other, share tips, and get help.²
Personalised communication: Emails or in-app messages tailored to a user’s behaviour or needs.⁷
Gamification & usage dashboards: Badges, progress bars, or visual summaries of their activity to encourage continued engagement and show value.¹⁶
Upsell/cross-sell prompts: Automated messages or in-app suggestions to upgrade or try other products based on their usage.¹
Referral programs & user-generated content: Encouraging happy customers to tell others about a product, perhaps with rewards.¹⁷ Asking users to share their own templates or workflows.¹⁷

Making Post-Purchase Content Shine

Focus on customer success and long-term value, showing customers how a product helps them achieve their goals.⁷

Foster loyalty and turn users into advocates by building a strong relationship so customers stay and recommend a business to others.²

Onboarding content is the foundation for all subsequent post-purchase success. Onboarding is described as vital to keep users and convince them to subscribe or renew later.⁴ It also helps users quickly see the value of the product.⁷ A bad onboarding experience can lead to many users leaving early.¹⁶ Effective onboarding content, such as interactive tours, checklists, and personalised guides, directly affects how quickly users start using the product and how well they adopt it. If users do not quickly understand the product’s main value, they will leave. This means that investing in high-quality, easy-to-use onboarding content is not just a nice extra; it is a very important step to prevent customers from leaving and is necessary for successful adoption, keeping customers, and expanding their use of the product. It sets the tone for the entire relationship with the customer.

Community content can be a scalable way to keep customers and encourage them to tell others about a product. Community platforms are common during the adoption phase ⁴ and are an effective way to keep customers.² Customer communities are also a key area for focusing on the customer.¹⁰ Building a strong user community through content, such as forums, shared templates, and user-generated tips, allows customers to help each other, share good practices, and feel like they belong. This not only reduces the work for customer support but also builds deeper loyalty and turns happy users into active supporters who bring in new customers through word-of-mouth. It is a way to improve customer experience and drive natural growth beyond typical marketing methods.

Table 2: Content Types by SaaS Buyer Journey Stage

Conclusion: Your Path to SaaS Content Success

Mapping SaaS content to the buyer journey is a powerful way to make marketing efforts more effective. By understanding what potential customers need at each step – from first realising a problem to becoming loyal advocates – businesses can provide the right information at the right time. This approach ensures content is not just seen, but truly helps and guides users.

Focusing on clear, simple language, using real-world examples, and always thinking about what the customer needs will lead to content that stands out. This careful planning, combined with smart search engine optimisation, will help SaaS businesses attract more customers, keep them happy, and encourage them to grow with the product. It is a path to lasting success in the competitive SaaS world.

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