The SaaS or Software As A Service industry is growing at an alarming rate. A study was conducted and it showed that the SaaS industry is growing at a rate of 30% per year and as per a Crunchbase report, there are more than 15,500 SaaS companies in the world.
This means that there is a lot of competition in the SaaS industry and the landscape is ever-changing. This is because technology keeps on evolving and with that, new marketing channels and strategies keep on emerging.
As a SaaS company, you need to be ahead of the curve and adopt new marketing strategies to stay ahead of your competition. This is where digital marketing comes in. Digital marketing for SaaS companies is essential if you want to stay ahead of the competition and grow your business.
In this guide, we will take a look at what digital marketing is, why it is important for SaaS companies and the 12 successful SaaS marketing strategies that you can use to grow your business.
What is Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing is the process of promoting and selling products or services online. It is a broad term that encompasses a variety of marketing activities, such as content marketing, social media marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), and email marketing. Digital marketing has become one of the most popular and effective ways to reach out to customers and promote your products or services. This is because more and more people are spending time online, whether it is on their computers, laptops, tablets, or smartphones.
As a result of this, businesses have started to shift their focus from traditional marketing methods, such as print and television advertising, to digital marketing.
The Benefits of Digital Marketing for SaaS Companies
Digital marketing provides some distinct advantages for software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies. Whether you want to craft a SaaS go-to-market strategy or you want to optimize your existing campaigns, here are some of the benefits:
1. Helps You Reach out to More Customers
As we mentioned earlier, more and more people are spending time online. This means that if you want to reach out to your target audience, you need to be present where they are spending their time, which is online. Digital marketing helps you reach out to more customers as it gives you the opportunity to promote your products or services to a larger audience. With digital marketing, you can target your ads to people who are more likely to be interested in what you have to offer.
2. Cost-Effective
Another reason why digital marketing is important for SaaS companies is that it is a more cost-effective way to market your business. Traditional marketing methods such as print or television advertising can be quite expensive, and you may not always see a return on your investment. With digital marketing, you can track your results and see exactly how much you are spending on each lead. This helps you to allocate your budget more effectively and ensures that you are getting a good return on your investment.
3. Increased Customer Engagement
Digital marketing also helps you to increase customer engagement. With traditional marketing methods, it can be difficult to track customer engagement and know what is working and what is not. With digital marketing, you can see how many people are clicking on your ads, how long they stay on your website, and what kind of action they take after they leave. This helps you to gauge the effectiveness of your marketing efforts and make changes accordingly.
4. Helps You Stay Ahead of the Competition
If you are not using digital marketing, your competitors probably are. This means that they are able to reach out to more customers and engage with them more effectively. As a result, they are likely to see more success than you are. If you want to stay ahead of the competition, it is important to use a successful SaaS marketing strategy that includes digital marketing. For example, if you are not using search engine optimization (SEO) to improve your ranking in search engines, your competitors will be able to outrank you.
5. Helps You Build Trust and Credibility
When you use digital marketing, it helps you to build trust and credibility with potential customers. If they see that you are using a variety of digital marketing tools, they will be more likely to trust you and your business. In addition, if you can show them that you are using effective strategies, they will be more likely to do business with you in the future.
Digital marketing is an important part of any SaaS marketing strategy. If you are not using it, you are missing out on a lot of potential customers. If you want to stay ahead of the competition and build customer retention, it is important to use digital marketing.
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SaaS Marketing Strategies that Work
There are many dos and don’ts of digital marketing but let’s focus on what you should do today. Now that you know some of the benefits of digital marketing for SaaS companies, it is time to look at some of the best SaaS marketing strategies that you can use. Just a quick note before getting started: a lot of business owners, entrepreneurs, startup founders and even marketers implement several marketing channels at once without connecting them with each other. That’s a mistake. What you want is to craft a SaaS sales funnel where all the strategies you put in place are interconnected. Here are some of the most effective ones:
1. Focus On Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
If you want your website to rank high in search engine results pages (SERPs), then you need to focus on SEO. This is a process of optimizing your website so that it can be easily found by potential clients when they are searching for keywords related to your business. There are a number of things that you need to do in order to optimize your website for SEO. These include:
- Creating keyword-rich content
- Using relevant keywords in your titles and tags
- Building backlinks from high-quality websites
- Making sure your website is mobile-friendly
These tactics will help you improve your website’s ranking in SERPs, which will result in more traffic and leads. Also, make sure to track your progress in SaaS SEO strategy so that you can see what is working and what needs to be improved.
2. Invest In Content Marketing
Content marketing is another effective digital marketing strategy for SaaS companies. This involves creating and sharing high-quality content that educates, entertains, and informs your target audience. Some of the best types of content to create include blog posts, infographics, eBooks, whitepapers, and case studies. These pieces of content can help you attract the attention of your target audience and build trust with them.
In order to be successful with content marketing, you need to have a content marketing strategy in place and also should be familiar with buyer personas. This will help you create content that appeals to your target audience and helps you achieve your marketing goals. Some of the steps to get started with content marketing are as follows.
Creating buyer personas: These are fictional representations of your ideal customers. Knowing who your buyer persona is will help you create content that appeals to them.
Defining your goals: What do you want to achieve with your content marketing? Do you want to increase brand awareness, generate leads, or close sales? Once you know your goals, you can create content that is aligned with them.
Creating a content calendar: This will help you plan and organize your content so that you can ensure that you are regularly publishing high-quality pieces.
Writing and sharing your content: Once you have created your content, make sure to promote it through your website and social media channels. You can also reach out to influencers and ask them to share your content with their followers.
Analyzing and optimization: After you have published your content, track how it is performing and make changes as needed. This will help you further improve your content marketing strategy.
3. Do not forget about Email Marketing
Email marketing is one of the most effective ways to connect with potential and current customers for your SaaS company. It allows you to nurture relationships, share valuable content, and build trust and credibility over time. When done right, email marketing can be a powerful tool in your digital marketing arsenal. But like any other marketing channel, there are certain best practices you need to follow in order to get the most out of it.
Here are some tips for email marketing success.
Keep your list clean and up-to-date: One of the most important things you can do to ensure successful email marketing is to keep your list clean. This means removing invalid or bounced email addresses on a regular basis.
Personalize your emails: Generic, one-size-fits-all emails are a thing of the past. In order to stand out in today’s inboxes, you need to personalize your emails. This could mean using the recipient’s name in the subject line or body of the email or tailoring the content to their specific needs and interests.
Segment your list: Another way to ensure your emails are relevant and engaging is to segment your list. This means dividing up your subscribers into groups based on certain criteria, such as location, age, gender, interests, etc.
Use engaging subject lines: Your email’s subject line is the first thing recipients will see, so it needs to be catchy and compelling. Avoid using generic phrases like “Newsletter” or “Monthly Update.” Instead, get creative and use something that will pique the recipient’s interest and make them want to open your email.
Write compelling content: Once you have someone’s attention with a great subject line, it’s time to deliver on the promise with equally engaging content. Your email copy should be clear, concise, and interesting. It should also include a call-to-action (CTA) that encourages recipients to take a specific next step, such as visiting your website or signing up for a free trial.
Use images and videos: People are visual creatures, so incorporating images and videos into your emails can help make them more engaging. Just be sure not to overdo it, as too many images can make your email look cluttered and make it more difficult to read.
Test, test, test: As with any marketing campaign, it’s important to test your SaaS marketing efforts before you launch them. This could involve sending test emails to a small group of subscribers or A/B testing different subject lines or content to see what performs best.
By following these tips, you can ensure your email marketing campaigns are successful and help you achieve your overall SaaS marketing goals.
4. Invest In Pay-Per-Click Advertising
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is a form of online marketing in which SaaS businesses can purchase ads that appear on search engine results pages (SERPs). When someone clicks on one of these ads, the business pays a small fee to the search engine.
PPC can be an effective way to drive traffic to your website, especially if you are a new business with a limited budget. It is important to note, however, that PPC is not a “set it and forget it” solution. You will need to continuously monitor your ad campaigns and adjust your bids and keywords in order to be successful.
Here are some tips for successful PPC advertising.
Research your keywords: The first step to any successful PPC campaign is keyword research. You need to identify the keywords that potential customers are using to search for businesses like yours. Once you have a list of relevant keywords, you can begin bidding on them.
Set up negative keywords: In addition to targeting specific keywords, you also need to set up negative keywords. These are the words or phrases that you do not want your ad to show up for. For example, if you sell accounting software, you would want to add “free” as a negative keyword so your ad does not show up when someone searches for “free accounting software.”
Write compelling ad copy: Once you have your keywords and negative keywords set up, it’s time to write your ad copy. This is the text that will appear on SERPs alongside your ad. It needs to be clear, concise, and persuasive in order to get people to click on it.
Test and optimize: As with any SaaS marketing campaign, it’s important to continuously test and optimize your PPC campaigns. Try different ad copy, landing pages, and bids to see what works best for your business.
5. Use Social Media to Show Off Your Software
Social media is a powerful platform for showing off your software to the world. Make sure to post regular updates about your product, as well as any new features or integrations. Use high-quality images and videos to really show off what your software can do. In addition to promoting your product on social media, you can also use it to connect with potential customers and build relationships. Social media is a great way to connect with influencers in your industry, as well as other thought leaders.
To make the most of social media, be sure to post regularly and interact with other users. If you can build a strong social media presence, you’ll be well on your way to promoting your software effectively.
6. Consider Providing A Free Trial
One of the best ways to promote software or a SaaS product is to offer a free trial. This allows potential customers to try out your product and see if it’s a good fit for their needs. When you offer a free trial, be sure to set up a system that allows you to track conversions. This will help you determine how effective your free trial is in terms of generating qualified leads and sales. You can also use this data to improve your free trial strategy over time.
To get started, simply create a landing page where visitors can sign up for your free trial. Then, promote your free trial through your website, social media, or other marketing channels.
7. Leverage Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is a form of online marketing in which businesses partner with influencers to promote their products or services. Influencers are people with a large following on social media or other online platforms. They can help promote your SaaS product to their followers, which can lead to increased brand awareness and sales.
To find influencers that would be a good fit for your SaaS business, search for people who have a large following in your target market. Then, reach out to them and see if they’re interested in promoting your product. If you can build strong relationships with influencers, you’ll be well on your way to success with this SaaS digital marketing strategy.
8. Incorporate Campaigns Into Sales Funnels
If you want to be successful with marketing your software, it’s important to integrate your marketing efforts into your sales funnel. A sales funnel is the process that potential customers go through when they consider purchasing your product. It typically starts with awareness, moves on to interest and consideration, and ends with a purchase decision.
Your marketing campaigns should align with each stage of the sales funnel. For example, if you’re trying to generate awareness for your product, you might create a blog post or social media campaign, or even a referral marketing campaign. If you’re trying to generate interest in your product, you might create a webinar or e-book.
And finally, if you’re trying to generate sales, you might create a special offer or discount. By aligning your marketing efforts with each stage of the sales funnel, you can be sure that your campaigns are more effective.
Ready to implement a SaaS digital marketing plan to stay ahead of the competition?
9. Get Listed On SaaS Review Sites
Getting your company and product listed on popular SaaS review sites is a great way to increase awareness and reach potential customers. It might seem easy and basic but surprisingly, for some reason a lot of B2C and B2B SaaS companies neglect this channel when it comes to lead generation. Many people research products on these sites before making a purchase, so it’s important to make sure your company is listed.
To get started, find a few SaaS review sites that are popular in your industry and submit your company for listing. Include detailed information about your product and be sure to include links back to your website. Once you’re listed, encourage your existing customers to leave reviews on the site. Positive reviews can help increase traffic and sales, so it’s worth taking the time to get them.
10. Use Retargeting Ads
Retargeting is a form of online advertising that allows you to target potential customers who have already shown an interest in your product. That’s because retargeting ads are served to people who have visited your website or interacted with your brand in some way.
For example, you can create a retargeting ad that is served to people who have visited your website but didn’t make a purchase. Or, you can create an ad that is served to people who have interacted with your brand on social media. Retargeting ads are highly effective because they’re targeted to people who are already interested in what you have to offer.
11. Give Importance To Testimonials, Case Studies, And Customer Stories
When potential customers are considering your SaaS product, they’ll want to see proof that it works. That’s where testimonials, case studies, and customer stories come in. These are all forms of social proof that can help increase sales.
Testimonials are short statements from happy customers that praise your product. For example, “I was able to increase my sales by 20% after using your software.” Case studies are in-depth looks at how your product was used to solve a problem for a customer. They usually include quotes from the customer as well as details about the problem and how your product helped solve it.
Customer stories are first-hand accounts of how your product has helped someone. They’re usually more personal than testimonials or case studies, and they can be very powerful in convincing someone to try your product. All of these forms of social proof can be highly effective in increasing sales. So, be sure to include them on your website and in your marketing materials.
12. Make It Easy For Businesses To Buy
If you want other businesses to buy your product, you need to make it easy for them to do so. The B2B SaaS purchasing process should be simple and straightforward. To make it easy for businesses to buy, start by offering a free trial of your product or follow a freemium model. This will allow potential clients to try your product before they buy it. Next, make sure you have a clear call-to-action (CTA) on your website and in your marketing materials. The CTA should tell potential clients what you want them to do, such as “Buy Now” or “Sign Up For A Free Trial.”
Finally, provide multiple purchase options and make it easy for clients to pay. For example, you can offer monthly or annual subscription plans, as well as a pay-as-you-go option. You should also accept major credit cards and popular payment platforms. By making it easy for customers to buy your product, you’ll be more likely to increase sales.
As a SaaS marketer, you have a lot of options when it comes to marketing your product. By using these 12 digital marketing strategies, you can reach more potential customers and generate more sales.
Final Thoughts About Digital Marketing for SaaS Companies
As we’ve seen, there are many digital marketing channels and strategies that SaaS companies can use to reach their target market. The most important thing is to identify the channels that will work best for your company and then create a plan that takes advantage of those channels and once you’ve implemented them, don’t forget to track the right SaaS metrics to understand your top performing campaigns so you can double down on those.
If you’re not sure where to start, consider hiring a digital marketing agency that specializes in SaaS companies. They can help you create a comprehensive plan that includes all of the strategies we’ve discussed in this article.
At Growth Hackers, we specialize in helping SaaS companies with their digital marketing. We have a team of experienced professionals who can help you create a plan that gets results. Our services include SEO, PPC, social media marketing, and more. We make it our mission to help our clients grow their businesses, and we’re confident that we can do the same for you.
If you’re ready to take your SaaS company’s digital marketing to the next level, contact Growth Hackers today to get started.
