Are you a SaaS (Software as a Service) business? Are you trying to fit in with all the other B2B businesses hustling it out in the marketing space? Then you must sometimes feel like a zebra amongst horses– because you are.
Trying to market an SaaS platform as though it is a standard B2B solution will often fall flat in today’s crowded market. The fact is, SaaS platforms are obsessed with lead generation and top-line revenue growth; so they often put features and price first to close sales instead of focusing on selling value and solutions. You’ll need to refine your SaaS marketing tactics to minimize customer turnover, optimize your SaaS pricing and grow your SaaS subscription business end-to-end.
The key is to craft sales-ready messaging focusing on the future state of your ideal customer (remember those ideal customer personas?) and demonstrate how your SaaS platform solves those problems. If you do this, your brand is more likely to stand out from the crowd and ideally, convert a website visitor into a free trial on your SaaS platform.
Here are some methods to get you the lead generation and conversions you’re dreaming of.
Embrace Content Marketing
SaaS is uniquely positioned to take advantage of SaaS content marketing as a primary strategy for growth. Potential customers that are most likely to adopt a new SaaS platform are those who may already be searching for a solution for their pain point online.
It turns out that prospects often focus on features, instead of outcomes. Saas businesses need to use creative means to reach out to these potential clients.
Unfortunately, netting these leads isn’t as simple as creating a few blog posts. To compete in the crowded SaaS content marketing space, you need to be churning out consistent high-quality, persona-driven content that is not only keyword optimized but offers value to your potential SaaS customers to help them sell your SaaS platform to their boss.
While this shouldn’t be a problem for SaaS companies, it can be. Creating quality, SEO-optimized content can be tricky. However, if you have done the work to create persona-driven content that speaks to relevant pain points, your SaaS marketing campaigns are uniquely situated to write as a thought leader on the topic.
You researched pain points and created a solution that helps solve their specific problem, right? Have you thought about what happens when someone finds you as a source for information and a solution to their problem?
How do you continue the conversation and draw leads deeper into your sales funnel without annoying them with cookie-cutter marketing automation emails? Are you personalizing sales-ready messaging to industries or personas?
Offer Free SaaS Trials
Everyone loves free stuff, and it pays to give some things away. One option is to give away some of your more valuable content in exchange for contact information, through persona-driven content offers. As part of any effective SaaS marketing plan, it has become standard for high-growth SaaS companies to offer free infographics, eBooks, videos, white papers and other resources in exchange for an email address. This allows you to convert the potential customer in your sales funnel as a marketing qualified lead.
The best part? It doesn’t cost you a thing. Depending on the exact product you are offering there is often little to no cost in allowing a potential customer to try out your offering. There are no shipping or return shipping costs, so there is little to lose on this SaaS customer acquisition strategy. This is an opportunity to show off, not just your product, but your customer service and support. If the product is the right fit, you may see lead conversions to paid SaaS subscriptions happen with no additional effort. That is music to an entrepreneur’s ears.
Pay Attention to SEO
SEO–three little words that make ALL the difference in your metrics. While optimizing your blog posts for relevant, high-value keywords is essential, you also need to evaluate your entire website for SEO. It is important to understand that SEO for SaaS platforms has the ability to drive leads into your sales funnel organically, without having to rely on ads. With that said, SEO isn’t magic; it actually does nothing to nurture leads into customers, which is where lead nurturing comes into play.
The ideal goal of SEO down the road is to increase rankings to get into the top three spots of Google search (the Holy Grail) so that your awesome SaaS company will not need to buy ads for those specific search phrases.
How do you get there? Understanding your primary audience and researching keywords is the first step, followed by reviewing all of your content and meta-data to improve your ranking. Also, don’t forget the importance of backlinks to your search engine ranking.
Leverage SaaS Review Sites
As consumer confidence in online reviews remains steady, the number of SaaS reviews sites continues to grow. Are you there yet? Chances are, potential customers are looking at these sites to find solutions to their software needs.
You had better make sure your solution is front-and-centre on those sites. If this hasn’t been part of your SaaS growth strategy yet to grow faster, you will want to review the top websites like Capterra or G2 Crowd to ensure you are listed and well-represented.
If your SaaS platform is not already on top review sites like G2, reach out to the site editorial team with your specifications and value proposition. Some sites also offer premium features that spotlight your SaaS platform’s key value propositions and how exactly it helps others.
Incentivize Referrals
It’s not just about what you know, but WHO you know. You would be surprised at what SaaS customers would do for a free month of service–including referring a friend or colleague. SaaS marketing is similar to all other marketing in one way: referrals are one of the most effective ways to reach new customers. Exploit the connections you already have to reach new customers.
Ideally, you want to target a long-term customer who loves your SaaS platform, so they are ripe to ask for referrals. Whether it is in the form of subscription discounts, free premium features, or a full-fledged SaaS referral program, find ways to encourage your current SaaS customers to spread the word and be compensated accordingly.
Refine Call To Action
One of the most reliable ways to get more SaaS customers to try or purchase your product is, well–simply to ask them (revolutionary!). Review your overall marketing strategy and clarify the next steps you want your site visitors to take.
Next, make sure those CTAs are crafted in such a way that they are clear and visible in all the right places on your pages. Whether you are hoping visitors will sign up for a free trial, make a purchase, download a white paper, or sign up for your newsletter, make sure the ask is crystal clear.
These SaaS marketing strategies are designed to create more quality leads and generate more SaaS customers. But remember, the market is always changing in high-churn industries like SaaS, so these days your team needs to be on top of SaaS marketing trends and focus on client engagement to minimize churn.
Are you still looking to maximize your B2B SaaS marketing reach or increase engagement for your business? Megan Killion Consulting is an experienced marketing team with the expertise and know-how to help you meet your SaaS marketing goals. Book a chat today to get started on addressing your unique business needs and allow us to show you how we could help move your brand forward.