4 Essential Top of the Funnel Marketing Tactics for B2B SaaS

Top-of-the-funnel marketing is all about identifying and engaging potential customers who are just starting their journey. 

Imagine panning for gold in a river. You know the gold is there, but it's buried under dirt, sand, and rock, and it’s your job to sift through the junk to find the valuable stuff. 

Top-of-the-funnel marketing for B2B SaaS businesses is a lot like that: You have to sift through a lot of noise to reach potential customers looking for a solution that your product delivers. 

While that’s almost always easier said than done, there are a few tried-and-true tactics we’ve collected over the years that have helped our partners attract the right audience and set the stage for long-term growth.

Before we dive into tactics, it's important to understand the goal of top-of-the-funnel marketing

Top-of-the-funnel (TOFU) marketing is the first stage of the buyer’s journey. It's where you introduce your brand to a wider audience and spark initial interest in your product or service. Think of it as the awareness stage of the customer journey, where you cast a wide net to catch a lot of potential customers’ attention.

The goal of TOFU marketing is to educate your audience about the problems they face and how your solution can help. By addressing customer pain points and providing valuable insights, you position your brand as a trusted authority in your industry. 

This builds brand awareness and creates a pipeline of prospective customers who are more likely to consider your offering when they're ready to make a purchase.

Common goals of TOFU marketing include:

• Building brand awareness: Getting your name out there and making people aware of your business
• Generating website traffic: Attracting visitors to your website to learn more about your product or service
• Capturing leads: Collecting contact information from interested prospects so you can nurture them through the sales funnel
• Establishing thought leadership: Positioning your company as an expert in your industry, which in turn builds trust with your audience
• Nurturing a community: Building relationships with potential customers and fostering a sense of community around your brand

So, how do you do it? Let’s take a look at some of the most impactful TOFU marketing tactics for B2B SaaS businesses.

Tactic #1: Build brand awareness with a social media presence

Social media is a digital marketing playground where your brand can connect with potential customers on a more personal level. It's a great tool for building brand awareness and reaching a wider audience — especially when you consider that more than 60% of Instagram users (and a quarter of LinkedIn users) either follow brand accounts or use the platform to research them.

For B2B businesses, social media platforms offer a unique opportunity to share industry insights, showcase your expertise, and engage with decision-makers. By consistently creating valuable and engaging content, you can establish your brand as a thought leader and attract potential customers who are actively seeking solutions to their business challenges.

Successful social media marketing for B2B businesses involves:

• Choosing the right platforms: Identify where your target audience spends their time online. LinkedIn, Twitter, and industry-specific forums are often popular choices for B2B marketers.
• Creating high-quality content: Share informative blog posts, industry news, case studies, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of your company culture.
• Engaging with your audience: Respond to comments, messages, and mentions promptly. Show that you value your followers' input and are actively listening to their needs.
• Running targeted ad campaigns: Use social media advertising to reach a specific audience and promote your brand or content.

A brand that got TOFU social media marketing right: Teamwork.com

B2B marketing doesn't have to be dry and technical or even make a sales pitch to be successful. Teamwork.com proves that you can leverage social media to build brand awareness and establish thought leadership through creative and engaging content.

A popular project management platform for businesses, Teamwork.com has mastered the art of creating engaging content that resonates with their target audience of agency marketing professionals.

One of their most successful initiatives is a video series called "The Client." This series takes a comedic approach to the everyday challenges faced by agency marketers. 

Imagine hilarious skits that perfectly capture the struggles of managing demanding clients, tight deadlines, and ever-changing project scopes. With humor and relatable scenarios, Teamwork.com connects with their audience on a personal level, all while subtly showcasing their platform’s value proposition: streamlining project management and fostering collaboration.

Tactic #2: Establish industry authority through conferences and webinars

Conferences and webinars are powerful tools for establishing your brand as an industry authority and generating qualified leads. When you can offer valuable insights and expertise, you attract potential customers who are actively seeking solutions to their business challenges. 

When attendees register for these events they typically provide their name, email address, company, and job title. This information is invaluable for lead generation and allows you to follow up with prospects who have already shown interest in your product or service. 

Nurturing these leads with targeted content and personalized outreach increases your chances of converting them into paying customers.

Webinars are particularly effective for top-of-the-funnel marketing because they allow you to share in-depth knowledge with a targeted audience. By hosting webinars on relevant industry topics, you can position your company as a thought leader and generate leads from attendees who are interested in learning more about your solutions.

For the best results, consider the following when planning out your webinars:

• Choose relevant topics: Select topics that interest your ideal customer profile (ICP) and align with your brand's expertise.
• Offer valuable content: Provide actionable insights and practical tips that attendees can immediately apply to their businesses.
• Promote your webinars: Use email marketing, social media, and other channels to reach your target audience and encourage them to register.
• Follow up with attendees: After the webinar, send a personalized email with additional resources, offers, or invitations to connect further.

A company that drives its industry through webinars: Adobe

Adobe, a leading software company, is a prime example of how webinars can be used to establish industry authority and drive business growth. With webinars and conferences, Adobe effectively demonstrates its expertise, builds relationships with customers, and drives brand loyalty. 

Their annual Adobe MAX Creative Conference is a testament to their commitment to providing valuable insights and fostering community within the creative industry.

By hosting this massive conference, Adobe positions itself as a central hub for creative professionals. Attendees have the opportunity to learn from industry experts, network with like-minded individuals, and discover the latest trends and technologies. 

The conference's focus on education and inspiration helps solidify Adobe's reputation as a leader in the creative software space.

Even if you can’t host your own, signing up to attend or even present on a specific topic can provide a valuable networking opportunity that allows you to introduce yourself and your brand to industry professionals.  It's a powerful strategy for any B2B company looking to establish itself as an industry authority and generate qualified leads.

Tactic #3: Share your expertise on a branded blog

Blogs allow you to share your expertise, educate your target audience, and build a strong brand identity. When you consistently produce high-quality blog posts, you can attract potential customers, establish yourself as a thought leader, and drive organic traffic to your website.

But a blog is more than just a content hub; it's a strategic tool for guiding visitors through the entire customer journey. If you regularly address common questions and pain points in your blog posts, you naturally build trust. At the same time, you create opportunities to introduce more in-depth resources. 

For instance, a blog post about the benefits of cloud-based project management might include a call-to-action to download middle-of-funnel (MOFU) content like a free whitepaper that delves deeper into specific features and use cases. This whitepaper could link to a bottom-of-funnel (BOFU) asset like a demo request form, moving the reader further down the funnel. By strategically placing these calls to action within your blog content, you can effectively nurture leads and guide them toward converting.

A successful B2B SaaS blog should:

• Provide valuable content: Offer insights, tips, and best practices that are relevant to your target audience.
• Use an appropriate tone: Write in a friendly and approachable style that resonates with your readers.
• Encourage engagement: Prompt readers to leave comments, share your posts on social media, or subscribe to your email newsletter.
• Promote your products or services subtly: Integrate your offerings into your blog posts in a natural and informative way.

A business that proves blogs are an indispensable asset: Sprout Social

Sprout Social, a leading social media management platform, is a shining example of how a well-executed blog can drive brand awareness, generate leads, and establish a company as an industry authority. 

Consistently publishing valuable content and engaging with their audience has helped Sprout Social build a strong reputation as a trusted resource in the social media marketing space. Their blog has helped them attract new customers, retain existing clients, and solidify their position as an industry leader.

Sprout Social's blog is a winner for several reasons:

• Consistent quality: They publish high-quality content on a regular basis, keeping their audience engaged and informed.
• Focus on customer needs: Their blog articles address the specific challenges and questions that marketers face, providing practical solutions and advice.
• Engaging storytelling: Sprout Social uses storytelling to make content more interesting and memorable.
• Effective promotion: They promote their blog posts through social media, email marketing, and other channels to reach a wider audience.

Tactic 4: Support your overall TOFU marketing strategy with SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing your website and content to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). But there’s a lot more to SEO than stuffing keywords in every page of your site to get the search engines to notice you. (Spoiler alert: They will notice you if you do that, but not in a good way.) It involves everything from strategically creating new content to performing more technical tasks, like optimizing page titles and ensuring search engines can understand the site map. 

While it's often seen as a long-term strategy, SEO plays a crucial role in supporting your top-of-the-funnel marketing efforts. Effective SEO strategies can significantly increase the visibility of your content and attract more qualified traffic to your website. This, in turn, will support your other top-of-the-funnel marketing efforts and help you achieve your business goals.

When your content ranks higher in search results, it's more likely to be discovered by potential customers who are actively searching for solutions to their problems. In fact, the number one result for any given search is 10 times more likely to drive site traffic than the #10 result. Winning that number-one spot means that your social media posts, blog articles, and webinars can reach a wider audience and generate more qualified leads.

To ensure your SEO efforts are lucrative, focus on the following:

• Keyword research: Identify the keywords and phrases that your target audience is searching for.
• On-page optimization: Optimize your website's content, structure, and metadata to improve your rankings.  
• Technical SEO: Ensure your website is technically sound and easy for search engines to crawl and index.
• Link building: Acquire high-quality backlinks from other reputable websites to improve your site's authority.

An agency that understands how to start the customer journey off on a positive note: Ten Speed

At Ten Speed, we understand the importance of a strong top-of-the-funnel strategy. We're not just content creators; we're strategic partners who are passionate about helping B2B SaaS companies achieve their growth goals.

By crafting engaging and informative content, optimizing your website for search engines, and leveraging social media to build brand awareness, we can help you attract the right audience and position your business as a leader in your industry.

Our team of experienced content marketers has a proven track record of delivering results. We'll work closely with you to understand your unique needs and develop a tailored strategy that aligns with your business objectives.

Book a call with us today and let's discuss how we can help you attract more qualified leads and drive sustainable growth.