7 Sep 2022
Insights, Marketing, Web
When you’re marketing once-off purchases, like a laptop or fridge, it’s pretty straightforward: Promote the product, and people who want it; buy it. SaaS marketing is an entirely different kettle of fish.
Unlike traditional forms of marketing, with SaaS marketing, you’re promoting a product that consumers can’t physically touch – along with a service they likely haven’t used before. And not only that, they’re committing to a long-term payment plan when they invest in your SaaS solution.
Both software and service need to take centre stage in your marketing strategy, pitching the benefits of your technology as well as the human support behind it. Let’s explore some other ways SaaS marketing is different from traditional forms of marketing to help you develop your own SaaS marketing strategy.
SaaS marketing doesn’t always follow the same marketing principles as other industries, from a hyper-focus on content marketing and SEO to amping up customer review strategies. Understand some of these key distinctions below.
Apart from enterprise SaaS solutions, where the customer is paying significantly more for your SaaS product, the buyer’s journey is typically much shorter than your average software purchase.
Rather than spending months going back and forth with sales calls, if someone is looking for a SaaS solution, once they’ve compared you to competitors, read reviews, and completed a free trial, they’re likely ready to bite after just a few weeks or even days.
In response to this speedy buyer journey, your website, marketing assets, and ad campaigns must be as informative, impactful, and persuasive as possible.
Understanding your target audience’s pain points and demonstrating how your SaaS solution solves them in sharp, concise, and compelling marketing materials is vital for securing quick customer buy-in.
Your SaaS marketing strategy needs to keep content at its core if you want to break through the online noise. According to ProfitWell, SaaS businesses that prioritise content marketing see much higher growth rates.
That’s because building consumer trust for a product people can’t see or touch means developing rich resources, webinars, podcasts, whitepapers, blogs, guides, and case studies.
Your target audience needs to see how your SaaS works in the real world and the results in the flesh. Otherwise, they may find it too risky to commit to a monthly subscription.
Content marketing is also essential for educating your customers, making complex SaaS processes more digestible, and positioning yourself as a trusted authority in the industry.
According to Mike Sonders, SEO drives up to 77% of organic traffic for SaaS businesses.
SaaS companies need to place greater emphasis on their SEO strategies to be successful. As you learned above, content marketing strongly influences your target customer’s decision-making process.
So if they don’t see your content while researching SaaS online, you won’t stand out as a major player and miss the chance to convert them through content. That’s why developing a strong keyword strategy for your website and all online content is crucial.
By understanding what your target audience is searching for online and optimising your content to show up for these relevant keywords, you stride far closer to building that essential trust and credibility.
According to a study by Spiegel Research Centre, a product with at least five reviews can increase conversions by 270% compared to a product with no reviews.
And for SaaS companies, this number is likely even higher. Since you can’t actually hold SaaS software or know what the service will be like before you commit, customers heavily rely on reviews to make a purchase decision.
Generating SaaS reviews as part of your marketing strategy is essential because it proves to target customers that you’re a legitimate company and can back up your claims.
Getting more positive reviews comes down first and foremost to the quality of your customer service and product. Still, SaaS marketers can encourage more by adding themselves to comparison sites, asking past customers to give feedback, and inviting industry experts to review their SaaS.
At the end of the day, the best SaaS marketing strategies are those that design, maintain, and promote their first-class customer service and quality SaaS product.
To achieve this, designers, developers, customer service teams, and SaaS marketers need to collaborate closely and keep a close eye on customer feedback and consumer trends.
Do you need help crafting a winning SaaS marketing strategy but don’t have the time?
Let us do it for you! With rolling monthly price plans starting from just £3,000 per month, we join or become your dedicated SaaS marketing and web design partner, taking your online presence to sky-high success with smart automation, strategic digital marketing, and high-converting websites.
Get in touch with us today to get started.
