Software as a Service - or SaaS - has been disrupting the economy for multiple years. These providers are truly the norm today. By 2021’s year-end, about 75% of cloud workflow services are delivered as SaaS. Paced with technology, it’s much more affordable and simpler to develop this type of software. With more than 4 billion users on the internet today, the SaaS market growth is only climbing to new heights.
With a market that’s starting to become saturated, effectively standing out amongst your competitor is becoming increasingly difficult. Marketing your SaaS has become astronomically important, as consumers juggle between different systems with often low barriers to entry.
5 Reliable Strategies for SaaS Marketing
- Content Marketing for your SaaS
An investment which grows over time is a smart investment. The same could be said for content marketing.
Simply put, creating and distributing relevant content which caters to your audience is the bread and butter of content marketing strategy. This includes blog posts, emails, social media posts, videos, webinars and other media types which are insightful for your current and potential customers. These tactics help build your brand presence, drive traffic to your website and cultivate new leads.
Some notable tactics by big players include Dropbox’s blogs and webinars or Moz’s guides and blogs.
Understanding your consumer profiles is extremely important while SaaS marketing. This will influence where you distribute your content and what type of content you create.
For more information on writing effective SEO blog posts, click here.
- Product Trials
Countless companies use product trials for conversions and are simple to manage for both the business and the consumer.
If you have an audience which understands SaaS products well, a product trial can yield favourable results. Experiencing the product themselves, you’re inviting your customers to a real interactive experience with your SaaS, granting you accurate feedback and conversion data if they continue using your product. This also involves little further marketing investment yourself. Users which undergo your product trial will be more likely to purchase it, making them very qualified leads to follow up with.
The effectiveness of a product trail for your SaaS marketing plan shouldn’t be ignored.
- SaaS Marketing Create a Referral Plan
Referrals are a simple, inexpensive and fast method to generate new sales. However, developing an effective SaaS marketing referral plan is easier said than done. There is a disagreement in the business community about whether or not to incentivize referrals and if so, how much? On one hand, incentivizing a referral would in hindsight, generate a higher quantity of referrals. On the other hand, a large incentive program may generate lower quality referrals that would not end up using your SaaS long term.
Every company is different, that’s why A-B testing is the preferred method for experimenting with referral plans. Set measurable goals and clearly define the difference between a high quality versus a low-quality referral. Communicate on a referral landing page when and how customers get incentivized and state clear parameters.
Create templates for marketing and sales departments and make it simple for employees to ask for referrals.
- Retargeting Customers
Only a small percentage of internet customers actually go through the entire sales funnel and buy your SaaS on their first visit to your site. Retargeting (or also remarketing) tracks your website’s visitors via cookies and displays online advertisements as they continue to browse and surf the web. This helps website visitors convert to your product.
Retargeting should be an essential element of your SaaS marketing strategy. It allows your company to cultivate credibility, familiarity, and authority with your ads appearing in several places.
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO operates hand in hand with content marketing as discussed earlier. It allows your content to be more easily discovered on search engines such as Google or Bing with users' search queries.
There are two types of SEO which complement your SaaS marketing strategy: On-page and Off-page SEO.
On-page SEO is content you create. Putting yourself in the shoes of your target audience, think about what people like to read, share, watch and link back to. This area includes internal linking, keyword research, website responsiveness and speed.
Off-page SEO is trickier and takes more time to establish. Building quality backlinks from reputable sites are crucial, in addition to social media sharing and links from influencers. A rule of thumb for retrieving backlinks is offering value to the desired party and building a relationship, rather than simply asking for a backlink.
Final Thoughts
In short, SEO takes time and A-B testing but it is worth investing in for long-term value.
We understand that marketing takes time. That's why we offer affordable packages where we take care of your website's SEO and marketing. Contact us today for more information.
