# Define the audience and content decision > Choose the customer questions the content program can answer better than the alternatives. Complete the exercise, produce a working artifact and review it against a practical rubric. Source: https://saas-marketing.net/courses/b2b-saas-content-strategy/01-define-your-strategy/ Topic: SaaS Content Marketing Type: course-lesson Published: 2026-09-17 Last updated: 2026-09-17 Publisher: SaaS Marketing (saas-marketing.net) License: CC BY 4.0. Quote or republish with attribution and a link to https://saas-marketing.net/courses/b2b-saas-content-strategy/01-define-your-strategy/ ## Short answer Choose the customer questions the content program can answer better than the alternatives. This lesson turns that decision into a working document: a one-page content strategy with audience, decisions, proof and distribution owners. Use the steps, example and review questions below to complete the exercise with your own product or an explicitly labelled practice case. ## Key takeaways - Choose the customer questions the content program can answer better than the alternatives. - A one-page content strategy with audience, decisions, proof and distribution owners. - Keep assumptions separate from observed evidence. - Finish with a decision and a named next action, not only a completed document. --- This lesson is part of the [b2b saas content strategy course](/courses/b2b-saas-content-strategy/). Choose the customer questions the content program can answer better than the alternatives. ## Prepare your working case Choose one product and one customer segment. Gather the relevant product information, customer evidence and operating records before writing the answer. If you are learning without access to a business, use a clearly labelled practice case and state the assumptions you make. Keep the scope small enough that you can explain the decision to another person. The purpose is to learn how to reason through the work, not to produce a longer document than the situation needs. ## Work through the exercise ### Step 1 Review recent sales calls and customer questions for recurring decisions. Record your answer, the evidence behind it and any unresolved dependency before moving to the next step. ### Step 2 Separate buying questions from implementation and retention questions. Record your answer, the evidence behind it and any unresolved dependency before moving to the next step. ### Step 3 Choose a focused audience and explain the product's relevant role. Record your answer, the evidence behind it and any unresolved dependency before moving to the next step. ### Step 4 Write the evidence and point of view the team can actually support. Record your answer, the evidence behind it and any unresolved dependency before moving to the next step. ## Worked situation An implementation-heavy product may gain more from a migration guide than from another broad article about industry trends. Treat this as an illustration of the decision, not a measured result or a claim that the same approach fits every company. In your own case, identify which condition would make the conclusion different. That condition belongs beside the recommendation. ## Produce the deliverable A one-page content strategy with audience, decisions, proof and distribution owners. Use the [working template](/templates/saas-content-strategy-template/) to organize the result, then run the [review checklist](/checklists/saas-content-strategy-review/). Add the project name, date, owner and a link to supporting evidence. If a key input is unknown, describe how you would learn it rather than filling the gap with a confident guess. A useful deliverable can be read without a live presentation. Another person should be able to identify the problem, understand the recommended choice and see what happens next. Remove any section that does not help them make or execute that decision. ## Review your work | Review question | Evidence in your work | Revision needed | | --- | --- | --- | | Does the strategy name specific questions? | | | | Is the product connection useful rather than forced? | | | | Can the team produce the required evidence? | | | Ask a colleague to challenge the weakest assumption. Write down the strongest alternative explanation and the evidence that would distinguish it from your current view. This makes the result easier to revise when new information arrives. ## Continue the course Return to the [course outline](/courses/b2b-saas-content-strategy/) or use the lesson navigation below. For the wider topic, visit [saas content marketing](/saas-content-marketing/). The [resource library](/resources/) and [calculators](/calculators/) provide additional working tools. {/* expanded-practice-2026-09 */} ## Apply define the audience and content decision in a working review Use the lesson to produce a small working artifact. State the starting problem, apply the method to one case and ask another person to inspect the result. Compare their interpretation with the explanation you intended. Revise the artifact before repeating the exercise at a larger scope; reading the material alone does not establish that the method can be applied. For this topic, involve the editor and the subject-matter owner of the claim and work from the content brief, source notes and published version. The relevant unit is one reader task served by one canonical resource. State the question the review should resolve before choosing a chart, an asset or a tool. If participants disagree about the unit or scope, resolve that disagreement before combining their evidence. ### Evidence to prepare A useful content review checks the decision, evidence and next action before polishing the introduction. Keep original analysis distinct from sourced facts. A link to a source does not establish every nearby claim, and a longer article is not automatically a more complete answer. | Review field | What to record | | --- | --- | | Topic | Define the audience and content decision | | Decision | The specific action this explanation should help you choose | | Working evidence | the content brief, source notes and published version | | Unit and scope | one reader task served by one canonical resource | | Responsible people | editor and the subject-matter owner of the claim | | Remaining uncertainty | The missing fact that could change the decision | ### Two situations that can change the interpretation #### When several pages answer the same question A definition and a calculator can coexist, while two broad introductions with the same answer may be better as one stronger resource. Use this check: Compare the audience, decision, evidence and next step of the overlapping pages. Do not merge pages that serve materially different tasks merely because they share vocabulary. The [focused diagnostic guide](/guides/content-library-has-duplicate-intents/) provides the correction process and a working evidence sheet. #### When useful content has no product connection A reporting tutorial can show how a governed dataset supports the analysis without claiming that the software makes the decision for the user. Use this check: Identify the workflow in the article and the specific product capability that can support it. Do not turn every paragraph into a product pitch or imply unsupported capabilities. The [focused diagnostic guide](/guides/content-has-no-product-connection/) provides the correction process and a working evidence sheet. ### Record the decision and the limit A broad strategy article and a working template can support each other because they serve different tasks. Two articles that repeat the same explanation with slightly different keywords may instead need consolidation. Compare the required answer before deciding that a new URL is justified. Keep the conclusion beside the evidence that supports it. Record what the team will do, who owns the next action and which event or date will trigger a review. If the underlying definition, audience or product behavior changes, revisit the conclusion rather than assuming the old result still applies. A clear limit is useful information; it tells the next reader where additional investigation is required. Use the [complete topic collection](/topics/saas-content-marketing/) for related methods and the [category field guides](/industries/) when the product's buying situation or implementation requirements change how the method should be applied. ## Frequently asked questions ### What should I have completed by the end? A one-page content strategy with audience, decisions, proof and distribution owners. ### Can I take the lesson without company data? Yes. Use an explicitly labelled fictional practice case. Do not present its assumptions or outcomes as customer evidence, and note what you would need to verify in a real project. ### How do I know if my work is ready? Does the strategy name specific questions? Is the product connection useful rather than forced? Can the team produce the required evidence? Use the rubric to identify what is supported and what needs another check. ### Do I need to sign up for the course? No. The published lessons are free to read. Download forms are optional, and the course can be completed at your own pace.