Digital marketing is a key part of any successful company. Digital marketing strategies for SaaS companies can be complex and difficult to implement, but there are some easy-to-follow guidelines that will help your efforts in this area. The following article provides insights into how you can create an effective digital marketing strategy for your SaaS company.
What Is Different about SaaS Marketing Strategy?
In the world of SaaS, marketing is a whole other beast. Unlike traditional businesses with tangible goods that can be marketed to any individual who fits their target demographic, Saas-based companies are limited by only being able to market themselves effectively when they’re in front of potential buyers and clients at just the right time – which isn’t something you own or control! But more importantly than anything else: It’s about identifying prospects early on before they become your competition for customers down the line.
The objective for SaaS companies has been to get prospects signed up and then figure out what people are interested in. There is an obvious distinction between the two with one being digital marketing dollars spent on signups, demos or paid versions of software platforms versus just convincing somebody about your product’s benefits from a broader perspective which could be done through any number of channels like social media advertising or email newsletters
The sales cycle in SaaS business
The sales cycle in the SaaS business is quite different from the ones that exist in traditional businesses with a big chunk of it happening before your typical prospective customer has ever heard about you or seen your product. Digital marketing is critical in this part of the sales cycle and it also plays an important role throughout the entire SaaS sales funnel.
Digital marketing for SaaS in the very early stages may differ from that of more mature companies. But there are some tactics, regardless of where you fall on the timeline, that will help you market your business and increase sales. Digital marketing is perhaps most effective when it’s woven into a multichannel strategy.
Here are some Digital Marketing Tactics that you could employ to make sure that they are integrated into your overall SaaS Digital Marketing Strategy :
Organic Search (SEO) – Search Engine Optimization for SaaS Business
Paid search cost per clicks tends to be high for businesses in the B2B SaaS industry. This makes it more attractive to invest in a Quality SEO Content Strategy, including comprehensive and systematic keyword research and prioritization with an emphasis on optimizing existing pages for some of those keywords as well as developing a content plan that is robust but still strategic going forward.
5 SEO Strategies for SaaS business
1) Evaluate the competitors.
Evaluate the competitors of your SaaS business and note down the on-page SEO strategies that they have implemented. Analyze what are the keywords and on-page SEO elements that they are using to rank well in search engines. The competitor’s analysis will help you to build a better understanding of how your SaaS business can compete in this highly competitive industry.
2) Develop a keyword research strategy for your SaaS business.
Keyword research is the foundation of your on-page SEO strategy and it will be the driving force behind your off-page SEO efforts. So, you should make sure that you have a clear idea of what types of keywords are relevant to your SaaS business and which ones are not. Conducting keyword research for your SaaS business is not an easy task but you will find plenty of useful resources on the web that can help you with keyword research for your SaaS business.
3) On-page SEO elements for your SaaS business.
On-page optimization methods are those on-page SEO strategies that are implemented naturally in the content of your website and they include keyword usage, content length, and consistency in the messaging of your website. Many SaaS businesses have found great success with on-page optimization methods and it is advisable that you apply them to rank well in search engines for your target keywords.
4) Build a solid link-building strategy for your SaaS business.
Links are still one of the most important factors in determining whether a website will rank well in search engines or not. So, you should make sure that you have an effective link-building strategy and then implement it to drive traffic to your SaaS business website.
5) Content marketing strategy for your SaaS business website.
Content is one of the most important ranking factors in search engines and it can help you a lot to get natural backlinks from high authority websites. Refraining yourself from creating content for your website is not an effective SEO strategy and it will also harm the reputation of your business as a new internet startup company. So, you should make sure that you have a good content marketing strategy for your SaaS business website.
Create an interactive, mobile-friendly website that your customers want to visit.
Today, most people are accessing the internet through mobile devices which makes it more convenient for them to view and interact with websites. If your website is not mobile-friendly, you will be losing potential customers from your SaaS business as they won’t visit your site due to a bad user experience. Therefore, you should make sure that your website is responsive and interactively mobile-friendly so that it can be accessed efficiently through any mobile device.
Create a dedicated website for your SaaS business website.
It is very common to see startups creating landing pages or subdomains for their SaaS business websites and then use them to promote their products/services on the internet. This is not an effective SEO strategy for a startup because it does not include the powerful search engine ranking benefits that a dedicated domain or website can offer to your SaaS business. Therefore, you should make sure that you register and create a dedicated website for your SaaS business website so that you will be able to rank high in search engines and drive a lot of potential customers to your website.
Google Ads/PPC for your SaaS business website
Google Ads or Pay Per Click campaigns can help you to get instant traffic to your SaaS business website. By using Google Ads/PPC, you will be able to improve the visibility of your SaaS business website in search engines and then drive targeted traffic to your site.
1. Create a conversion based Google Ads campaign to promote your SaaS product
One of the most popular ways to start Google Ads campaigns is by using the Conversion Optimizer in Google Adwords. The conversion optimizer helps you to set up your ads so that they are highly targeted, and it lowers your cost per conversion which is great for new startups. Once you have set up your ads so that they are relevant to what your website offers, you can instantly start seeing conversions and view some of the reports that we will get into later on.
2. Target low competition keywords related to your SaaS product
It is important not to target too many keywords at once, but instead focus on targeting only those keywords that will generate conversions and make sure they are competitive with other websites in that niche. If you are going after the more competitive keywords they tend to bring in less traffic and cost you a lot of money with no conversions, but if you are going after less competitive keywords they tend to bring in a lot more traffic and conversion.
3. Test and analyze your SaaS product campaigns
It is important to test out new ads to find the most effective ones before settling on one, you should also test different landing pages and even make some personal changes including changing up your call to action throughout the campaign manually in order to see which combinations work best for you. A lot of people get way too focused on Google Adwords and spend too much time messing with the data in their reports, instead, you should be doing this while having your ads running so that real people are seeing your content. This is an important part of testing because if you can find out things like what messaging works best with potential leads then you will be able to see instant changes in your campaigns.
Remarketing ads for SaaS business
There are a few ways you can use remarketing for your SaaS product. The first is by using remarketing ads on Google Display Network, which will enable you to display relevant ads to people who have previously visited your website. When these people visit other websites on the Google Display Network, you will be able to show them a more targeted ad that is relevant to their interests. The second way is by displaying relevant ads on LinkedIn and Facebook that are tailored to the specific person’s interests based on previous visits to your website. Remarketing campaigns can help SaaS companies create new clientele, increase conversions, and target specific demographics of people who suit their interests.
Account-Based Marketing (ABM) for SaaS business
Selling a product that is not traditionally sold directly from the company website can be challenging. However, with account-based marketing (ABM), you have more of a chance to reach out and talk to potential clients about the benefits of your SaaS company product. ABM often times works wonderfully because a lot of businesses are interested in it and on some level may already be interested in your service. You need to target specific companies that are related to your business and show them how your service will benefit them. This type of marketing is often done outside the website to increase visibility and decrease cost at the same time.
While this may seem like a lot of work, ABM campaigns can be very beneficial to a SaaS business. Use them in conjunction with your other online marketing strategies and you should see excellent returns for your time.
1. Create a list of your target account and your competition
2. Determine what you want to achieve with your account-based marketing campaign
3. Choose the right platform for you to reach out to your target audience
4. Nurture relationships and engagement
5. Build on the relationship that you have nurtured with your target account
Take advantage of social proof for your SaaS business
Curating customer reviews and success stories are key to SaaS marketing. Social proof has a lot of power in the digital world, generating what is called word-of-mouth advertising: people talking with their friends about your product.
The importance of being featured on websites that aggregate feedback for software products cannot be overstated – this speaks to higher conversions because customers can see how others have benefited from using it as well so they’re more inclined to purchase too!
Sign up and demo process should be as easy as possible.
You don’t want to have a bunch of hoops for people to jump through in order to use your product because if they can’t figure out how easy it is then you wasted their time.
One of the biggest mistakes with this is having a signup process that forces the user to signup and then waits for an account manager or salesperson to get back to them. The process should be automated, and the demo should let users skip over any sales speak or questions they can’t answer.
You want to make sure you’re putting the customer first and not losing potential customers because of a complicated signup process. The more intuitive your product is, the easier it is for sales.
How to use the Freemium model to grow your business in the SaaS industry
One of the most important aspects of growing your business is acquiring more paying customers. Not only do you want to generate revenue for your company, but you also want to maintain a healthy growth rate year after year. For many startups, this means implementing strategies that will help them expand their customer base and attract new clients – especially when the company is in a competitive marketplace.
One of the most popular ways to increase your numbers is to try out the freemium model – which, for companies in the software-as-a-service industry (SaaS), means allowing new customers to unlock all of their features and services for free until they reach a certain limit or threshold.
This model is great for startups because it allows users to try out and get accustomed to your product without making a significant financial investment. There are several different ways that SaaS companies have applied this model, but the most popular option would be to give users a limited number of features, such as storage or software modules, at no cost.
For example, you might start with a limited number of free projects for your business management software or a set number of function points in your project management tool – ideally, the amount you’re offering is enough to give users a taste of what your software can do and help them decide whether or not they want to continue. If that’s the case, then they can typically upgrade to a paid plan that gives them unlimited features and use.
There are also SaaS companies that run their free version alongside a premium one, offering basic services for free and more advanced features for paid plans. In most cases, the free version tends to be cheaper than the premium one – not by much, but enough to give existing customers an incentive to upgrade. It’s a little more complex than just giving away freebies, but it gives you the opportunity to offer more value for your money while continuing to grow your audience and boost revenue at the same time.
Use product tours to take new users on a step-by-step walkthrough
While this can depend heavily on the type of software you offer, most businesses in this industry will benefit from giving their first-time users an overview of the main features and how to use them – whether that’s through onboarding videos or written product tours.
Part of your product tour should be an introduction to your product and how it works, as well as a demonstration of some of the more popular features. That way, users will have a better idea of what your software can do for them and have a sense of how they can benefit from using it in their own business.
The goal here is to help guide customers through the product, so they understand how it works and how you can help them solve their problems. But the goal is also to make sure they have a good idea of what your software has to offer from the get-go.
Use the power of referral marketing to convert more prospects
One of the best ways to get new customers is through referrals from existing ones. In fact, studies have shown that word-of-mouth marketing generates up to 66 percent of all leads for B2B companies. And while it’s not always easy to generate repeat buyers and referrals, there are several things you can do to encourage customers to refer your product to their network.
One of the best ways to do this is with a rewards program, which lets existing users give something back for referring new customers. You can offer incentives like credits or free upgrades for each referral they make, which gives your current users an incentive to reach out to their networks and spread the word about your product.
There are several different ways you can send out emails to existing customers and prospects, asking them to refer new users or make a review on your website. Keep in mind that it’s important not to ask for referrals straight away – you don’t want to come across as pushy or sales-focused, which could turn off some of your leads. Instead, you want to give users a chance to get acclimated with your product before asking them for referrals or reviews on your behalf.
Getting your SaaS product in third-party review sites can help increase the number of paying customers.
Getting your SaaS product in high-quality third-party review sites acts as social proof for your business. Many prospects trust these websites, and when they vouch for your product you are more likely to get a customer. Another benefit of getting reviewed on one of these sites is that it gives backlinks for SEO which helps with the ranking in search engine results pages (SERPS). The only concern about this strategy is that there’s always risk involved because many reviews allow prospects to compare numerous similar products so they can choose what best fits their needs.
Sites such as Gartner, Capterra, GetApp, and Software Advice all offer CPC ads that help you get on the top of category listings. If your customer base is verified via LinkedIn profiles (like with G2 Crowd), reviews are seen as more genuine for prospects who may be interested in trying out a new service or app from there; TrustPilot also enables buyers to read reviews about products they’re considering before buying them too!
Optimize Your CTA Buttons To Get The Highest Conversion Rate
When it comes to CTA buttons, you’ll likely have three of them on your website: ‘Try,’ ‘Buy’ and ‘Subscribe.’ Of these, the first one – ‘Try’ – is probably the most important. Getting people to sign up for a free trial is a great way to convert visitors into paying customers, as it lets people see whether or not they like your product before committing to buying it (and helps them get used to using the software too).
It’s important that you optimize your ‘Try’ CTA on your website and landing pages by making sure that both text and images appeal to visitors. For example, if you’re a company that provides HR software, you might want to test out different images with the CTA button like these:
The call-to-action image could be something relating to work or human resources; with text, try things like “See How Our Software Helps You Better Manage Your Workforce” or “Get Started With A Free Trial. No Credit Card Needed.”
When it comes to your ‘Buy’ and ‘Subscribe’ CTAs, you’ll likely want to add more details about what’s included with each plan level. For example, if you’re selling a SaaS product for managing employee email campaigns, the CTA to buy should include features like “Unlimited Email Storage” and “Automatic Campaigns.”
Another way to optimize your ‘Subscribe’ CTA is by including specific benefits for going with a paid plan. You can do this by referencing the features that are only available on these plans, like unlimited storage or more advanced features. Both of these types of CTAs should still include a short-and-sweet description of what your company does though.
When you’re testing out different CTA buttons, it’s important to keep the rest of your website design consistent so that they look like a part of your site. That means not switching up the color for nothing – if you change the ‘Try’ CTA button from blue to orange, do it everywhere.
Finally, you’ll want to track where your leads are coming from and what they’re doing after signing up for a trial or purchasing a subscription. This way, you can make adjustments on the fly if something isn’t as effective as another variation (or tweak the design of an element that’s been getting great results).
Find other companies that enhance the experience for your users
If you have a B2B product, it’s also important to get in touch with other companies that work with your prospect base. If you cover the HR industry but offer software designed for small businesses, then getting in touch with payroll and bookkeeping companies could prove beneficial.
With this approach, you can partner up with these services and offer them a free trial of your software as part of the deal. That way, you can have both companies try to grow their platform by offering value to prospects who are interested in more than just one service or app.
Conclusion:
In this blog post, we covered Digital Marketing Strategies for SaaS Companies. We talked about SEO and how to optimize your site with keywords that are relevant to the industry you serve while also optimizing individual pages so they rank higher in search engines. You learned how PPC can help increase traffic and conversions on your website by using ads strategically throughout platforms like Facebook or Google Ads (with targeting). Social advertising is another way to reach a wider audience of potential customers at no cost other than time spent setting up social media profiles. Finally, we looked into ABM as an effective means of marketing strategy where companies target individuals who have influence over buying decisions within their organizations. To boost customer lifetime value, it’s important to focus on providing free trials which give prospects a chance to try your service before signing up for a subscription.
We hope you enjoyed Digital Marketing Strategies For SaaS Companies!
If you want to learn more about Digital Marketing, Digital Marketing Strategy, Digital Marketing Agency or Digital Marketing Agencies then please subscribe to my blog and let me know what else you’d like me to cover in the future.
