Content marketing is indispensable for technology and SaaS companies. Here at Seven Oaks Consulting, we’ve adopted some of the best content marketing ideas for technology companies to help our clients generate measurable results. To inspire you to content marketing success, I’ll discuss some of these ideas, paying attention to potential results and companies that do an excellent job of implementing each idea. These content marketing strategies and ideas will help you establish thought leadership, captivate your audience, build trust, facilitate growth, generate qualified leads, and maintain competitiveness.

1. Thought Leadership Content

Thought leadership content dives deeper into relevant complex topics, offering comprehensive insights and data-driven analysis. They include white papers, research reports, ebooks, industry trend analyses, etc., often adopted to establish expertise in a subject or niche, enhance company credibility, and drive qualified organic leads.

This content marketing idea is crucial for B2B technology companies because B2B audiences require detailed information to make informed purchase decisions. 

An example of thought leadership content is IBM’s “The Future of Cloud” series, which offers deep insights into cloud computing trends and helps position IBM as an industry leader. Microsoft also publishes white papers and ebooks on technology trends like AI and cloud computing. These resources educate prospects and generate high-quality leads by acquiring contact information for downloads.

According to the Content Marketing Institute, 82% of technology marketers used thought leadership content, and 57% agreed they delivered some of the best results.

2. Educational Content

Technology companies use educational content like webinars, live events, tutorials, how-to guides, online courses, etc., to provide valuable knowledge and skills. They are often interactive, vital for client engagement, and provide an opportunity for the company to showcase expertise, answer questions in real time, and build deep company-client connections.

This technology content marketing idea is highly effective for lead generation and nurturing. A study by BrightTALK found that after attending webinars, 62% of attendees expressed their interest in requesting a demo and making price inquiries from the sales team. 

Hubspot has Hubspot Academy, which offers free courses on inbound marketing and sales, attracting professionals seeking to learn and implement modern marketing techniques. Salesforce also adopted this tactic. They host regular webinars covering topics like CRM best practices and digital transformation. Salesforce webinars attract thousands of attendees, many converting into leads and customers.

3. Case Studies and Success Stories

Well-crafted and detailed customer case studies and success story videos showcase real-world evidence of your solution’s effectiveness. According to the Content Marketing Institute’s annual research report in 2022 (PDF), they can significantly influence purchasing decisions. You can also use case studies and success stories to build trust by showcasing detailed accounts of the problems faced by the clients, the solutions provided, and the measurable results achieved.

Salesforce has an extensive library of customer success stories highlighting how businesses have achieved growth and efficiency using its CRM solutions. IBM frequently publishes case studies highlighting how its technology solutions have benefitted various industries and organizations.

4. Interactive Content

Technology companies can also adopt interactive content like quizzes, infographics, calculators, assessments, etc, to encourage user interaction. This type of content significantly increases user engagement, data collection, and conversion rates. According to a Content & Buyer’s Journey Benchmark Report (2014)  from Demand Metric, interactive content generates conversions moderately or very well 70% of the time, compared to just 36% for passive content.

You can also integrate GenAI systems with interactive content to provide personalized insights and enhance engagement.

Adobe’s ‘What Type Are You?’ interactive quiz is a typical example of using interactive content in technology content marketing. The quiz engages users by analyzing their creative personality traits, subtly promoting Adobe’s design tools.

5. Video Content

Video content is highly engaging and conveys complex information in an easily digestible format to inform, educate, or entertain. These types of content can be crucial to driving substantial engagement and conversion, as 88% of people are convinced to buy a product or service after watching a brand’s video. 

You can get some inspiration from Intel’s ‘The Museum of Me’ interactive video experience that visualizes a user’s Facebook data in a captivating virtual museum, showcasing Intel’s technology capabilities.

6. Content for SEO and Organic Reach

Publishing informative and in-depth blog posts, articles, landing pages, pillar pages, and other materials optimized for search engines is the traditional pillar of content marketing.

Search engine optimization is vital in every content marketing strategy. Your content should address searchers’ pain points and most-asked questions about your niche or solutions. Publish content that improves organic engagement, establishes your industry expertise, and generates leads.

Moz’s comprehensive SEO guides and blog posts are good examples. They attract traffic through targeted keywords, establishing Moz as a go-to resource for SEO knowledge. Cisco’s blog is another prime example of the effective adoption of blog posts and articles for technology content marketing. The company consistently publishes detailed articles on networking, cyber security, and emerging technologies and gets up to 7.4 million organic traffic per month, according to Semrush data. Their posts have been instrumental in educating their audience, driving significant website traffic, and generating results. This is unsurprising, considering that 80% of businesses get marketing results with blogging.

7. User Generated Content (UGC)

User-generated content (UGC) is about leveraging the existing customer base to create authentic and relatable content. UGC fosters a sense of community, provides social proof, builds trust, and can easily convince prospects to take action. Encouraging your customers to share their experiences through reviews, testimonials, social media comments, etc., can amplify brand reach, credibility, and engagement.

2023 Power Reviews’ survey highlighted that nine in 10 customers consider reviews when purchasing.

GoPro’s #GoProAwards campaign is an excellent example of using UGC in content marketing. In this campaign, users submit and share their thrilling GoPro footage, creating a community-driven content hub that promotes GoPro’s products organically. Another example is the Adobe Creative Cloud community. They also encourage users to share their creations made with Adobe products on social media using specific hashtags. This shows the capabilities of Adobe’s tools and engages a large community of creators.

8. Podcasts and Audio Content

Adopting podcasts and audio in marketing offers a unique way to share in-depth knowledge, stories, and insights while building a loyal audience. They are convenient for listeners to consume on the go and an excellent opportunity to establish industry authority, enhance brand authority, and reach new audiences.

Edison Research reported that 46% of podcast listeners had purchased a product or a service from a company after hearing its advertisements on a podcast.

A good example of a successful podcast is Microsoft’s ‘Behind the Tech’ podcast, which features interviews with Microsoft leaders and innovators, offering a behind-the-scenes look at technology advancements and strategies. Red Hat’s ‘Command Line Heroes’ podcast is another typical example of leveraging podcasts for effective technology content marketing. Their podcast delves into the stories behind open-source technology and innovation. The podcast attracts a dedicated audience and positions Red Hat as a thought leader in the tech industry.

9. Influencer Collaborations

Influencer marketing involves partnering with individuals with a significant industry following and influence. These partnerships can be in the form of influencer-hosted webinars, product reviews, collaborations, etc.

Taping into influencers’ established trust and reach can help you attract potential clients. The influencers can promote your solutions to a broader audience, increasing visibility and lending credibility.

NVIDIA partners with gaming influencers to showcase the performance of their graphics cards in real-world gaming scenarios, tapping into the gaming community’s trust and influence. Another example is Intel. They collaborate with influencers and experts to showcase their latest products.

10. Engaging Social Media Campaigns

Social media has become vital to content marketing and is crucial for reaching a broad audience, connecting, and engaging your community. Consistent, high-quality social media campaigns can enhance brand visibility and awareness and improve company-client relationships. Technology companies can leverage contests, behind-the-scenes content, live Q&A sessions, etc, to engage their social media followers.

You can take some inspiration from Cisco’s #WeAreCisco campaign, where employees share their experiences and insights, humanizing the brand and attracting both talents and customers. You can also adopt Dell’s social media strategy across LinkedIn and Twitter. They post a mix of product announcements, industry insights, and customer stories. You can also share company behind-the-scenes, employee interviews, etc; the goal is to connect your audience to your brand.

11. Email Newsletters

Email newsletters offer a direct line to your audience, allowing you to share updates, insights, and exclusive content. They keep your brand top-of-mind, nurturing relationships with prospects and increasing existing clients’ retention rate and loyalty. Email marketing has a high ROI, with an average return of $36 for every $1.

Tech giant Oracle sends regular email newsletters featuring industry news, product updates, and upcoming events. These newsletters have helped them maintain a steady flow of communication with their audience and drive website traffic and leads.

Drive Growth with These Content Marketing Ideas for Technology Companies

Adopting content marketing strategies that align with arget audience preferences makes a difference for your tech company. You can decide to host the content on owned media or rented media. Whichever the case, it’s essential to understand their benefits and limitations and make the right decisions. Experiment with ideas to see what works and adapt your strategies accordingly.

Adopting these content marketing ideas requires commitment, expertise, and a dedicated team of experienced technology content marketers. Our technology content marketing services are structured to help you implement these strategies seamlessly and achieve your marketing goals. Contact us today to learn how we can help you drive growth and stay ahead in the competitive technology landscape.