Before You Spend Another Penny on Ads, Fix This First

On the SaaS Marketing Weekly podcast, last week, I had an amazing chat with Jamie Skeels, the Head of Demand Generation at Rocket SaaS. We went deep into a topic that most marketers and founders overlook: demand capture.

In our view, this is where every SaaS growth strategy should begin. Because if you’re not capturing demand from people already looking to buy, you’re leaking revenue.

What is Demand Capture?

Most SaaS teams talk about demand generation, but forget that it’s actually made up of two distinct parts:

• Demand creation: reaching people who aren’t in buying mode yet
• Demand capture: converting people who are actively in the market right now

Jamie explained it best. Only about 5% of your market is ready to buy at any given time. Demand capture is about being in the right place, with the right message, when that 5% is actively searching.

Start at the Bottom Before You Scale the Top

This is where many companies go wrong. They pour money into top-of-funnel campaigns: LinkedIn ads, SEO, webinars, without fixing the bottom of the funnel first.

If your website messaging is poor, if your landing pages aren’t optimised, if your call to actions are vague or hidden, then all that traffic is going to waste.

Before you scale your reach, tighten your conversion funnel. That’s what demand capture is all about.

The Three Foundations of Demand Capture

Here’s what Jamie and I agree are the essentials:

1. Positioning
   If you haven’t clearly defined who your product is for and why they should choose you, you won’t convert high-intent traffic. The best way to fix this? Interview your best customers, look at your win data, and define the unique value you offer. Also, read Apil Dunford’s book, Obviously Awesome!
2. Messaging
   Your homepage should pass the five-second test. Can a visitor quickly understand what you do, who it’s for, and why it matters? Cut the fluff, ditch the jargon, and stop copying the vague messaging of big-name SaaS brands.
3. Conversion Pathways
   If someone is ready to buy, make it easy for them to do so.

• • Optimise your demo booking page
  • Include interactive product content like demos or explainer videos
  • Run remarketing campaigns on LinkedIn and Meta to convert returning visitors

Go Where Buying Decisions Happen

Your buyers are making decisions in specific places. You need to show up there.

Here are a few high-intent channels that should be part of your demand capture strategy:

• Google Ads and Organic Search: these are the people typing in “best [your category] tool”.
• Review Sites like G2 or Capterra: your buyers are reading comparisons and looking for reassurance.
• Competitor Search Terms: these are the warmest leads you can get.

Not every business is the same, but most SaaS buyers use these touchpoints when evaluating options. You should be present on all of them.

Don’t Overlook Meta Ads for Retargeting

One underrated tactic we discussed was retargeting on Meta.

Meta may not be where B2B buyers go to shop, but that doesn’t mean it can’t help you convert. It’s cheap, it’s always on, and it’s where your buyers hang out when they’re off the clock.

If your software helps people solve a real business problem, they’ll click—even if they’re lying on the sofa watching Netflix.

Fix the Bucket Before You Pour More In

To wrap it up, think of your marketing funnel like a bucket.

• Traffic is the water
• Leads are the water you collect
• Poor messaging, bad landing pages, and unclear CTAs are holes in the bucket

If your bucket is full of holes, don’t spend more on water. Plug the leaks first.

Conversion rate improvements don’t just cost less than traffic, they compound over time.

So, before you pour more budget into ads, content, or SEO, get your demand capture in place.

More traffic is only worth it if you’re converting the traffic you’ve already got.

Is demand capture something you’ve prioritised in your strategy? Or is it the piece you’re now realising you’ve skipped?

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By Ryan James

Founder @ Rocket SaaS