Why Product Documentation is an Underrated Marketing Asset for SaaS Businesses
Just because we all want helpful answers, fast
Two months ago, I left my position at a company after a four-year tenure.
One of the last steps in wrapping up my time there was to document every decision I made, every step-by-step process, and every FAQ I could think of — making it easy for my replacement to pick things up.
It then hit me that this documentation could be used by ten or more new hires without my presence.
The team can use these documents to troubleshoot potential issues with minimal effort and abstraction.
How does this then translate to marketing?
These days, we spend more time researching on our own instead of talking directly to vendors before making a purchase. To do so, we rely heavily on websites, testimonials and product guides.
Which puts an ever greater emphasis on well, product documentation.
Yet for many, it’s an afterthought. It’s often an afterthought; a checkbox to be ticked once the core business operations are up and running.
But imagine this: One well-crafted how-to guide can be served to millions of customers. It’s a highly scalable customer tool and with no additional cost.
For example, no-code web design and web platform, Webflow created Webflow University covering a wide range of video tutorials (as pictured below) enabling you to learn web development skills as you build your website!
Talk about killing two birds with one stone.
Truly, when given the focus it deserves, a high quality, user-friendly product documentation not only strengthens your relationship with your customers, but talks to them even when you’re not there.
In fact, it’s an untapped marketing and sales tool, especially for SaaS businesses.
Actionable tip: So, don’t hide your how-to guides behind logins or pay-walls, limiting access to paying customers only. Start making it accessible on product pages, reference them in marketing collaterals and make people want to read your docs.
Above all, keep your documentation simple and to the point so you don’t waste your customer’s precious time.
