Top 5 SaaS Marketing Strategies Leading Companies Are Following Right Now
In 2011, Marc Andreesen made a striking comment in his seminal WSJ essay, stating, “Software is eating the world."
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Join For FreeA decade later, the world stands by his thesis. This is beyond doubt that the software industry is skyrocketing. Even Gartner predicts that by 2023, the global market will reach a staggering value of $78.5 billion.
This is, therefore, beyond question that the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) industry is booming worldwide. The companies have disrupted or taken over large parts of our economy and will continue to do so going forward. With over four billion people actively using the internet as part of their day-to-day lives, this trend is not going away anytime soon. Rather, experts forecast that by the end of 2023, more than 75% of cloud workflows will be effectively delivered as SaaS.
Considering the steady growth of the market, it is safe to say that SaaS is going to be the reigning force in the market for some time now. And if you are running a SaaS company right now, there could not be a better time to think about strategy and growth.
Having said that, the considerable growth has also created a lot of competition for SaaS companies. It has become rather difficult to stand out as a brand and make an identity for oneself. So, how are leading SaaS companies achieving that goal?
The answer is SaaS marketing.
What Is SaaS Marketing?
SaaS marketing is a particular kind of marketing that aids in promoting and raising awareness of software as a service. A SaaS (software as a service) marketing strategy initially appears to be no different from a typical marketing strategy. You create a product, bring it to the market, create awareness, and then hopefully, sell it to a lot of customers. But here’s the catch. It is essentially more difficult than regular product marketing because you have no tangible product to show for your marketing campaign. Naturally, it is harder to convince your potential customers to invest in your software and integrate it into their day-to-day processes. This is why SaaS marketing holds such paramount significance. This defines how successfully you can convince your customers and ensure more conversions.
Here is how the top SaaS companies are doing it.
SaaS Marketing Strategies
1. Content Marketing
SaaS is uniquely positioned in the market to leverage content marketing campaigns as its primary driver of growth. Potential customers are most likely looking all over the internet for a suitable solution that would alleviate the pain points in their businesses. If you can make them stumble upon your website, your work is half done.
Leading B2B SaaS firms are taking strategic approaches to provide pertinent resources to offer effective solutions to the questions customers are looking for during the buyer’s journey. So, if you want your SaaS brand to become visible to your potential customers, create a website and start putting up original, authentic, and engaging content designed to answer specific problems. Your content should also be buyer persona-specific, high-quality, and SEO-optimized.
2. Free Trials
Another effective marketing strategy to increase awareness and boost the popularity of your SaaS is to offer free trials. This is an excellent opportunity to showcase your USP, as well as the quality and reliability of your customer service. If your SaaS succeeds in appealing to your target customers, you’ll surely see some bulk conversions.
3. PPC Campaigns
If you have the budget, the best way to garner your customers’ attention is through Google Ads. In other words, pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns. If your SEO strategy is not generating the desired organic traffic, this is how you get in front of the crowd.
4. Leverage Software Review Websites
While PPC and social media ads can boost awareness for your SaaS, you need to do more to establish authenticity and reliability for your brand. And this is best accomplished through positive reviews published by popular software review sites. While looking for new software solutions, customers usually refer to these reviews before making the final decision. And if you could manage some good reviews on these platforms, you would be all set to make a good impression.
5. Incentivize Referrals
More than third-party reviews, what can bring you more reliability are referrals. Any marketer would vouch for the power of referrals in marketing strategy, SaaS, or product, online and offline. So, if you want a quick entry to the market, build up a referral program and, if possible, incentivize it. You would be surprised to see what your customers are willing to say to get an extra free month or a discount on the subscription.
Final Words
Once you start executing these SaaS marketing strategies effectively, lead generation and customer acquisition become a cakewalk. Every leading SaaS company is leveraging these tried and true methods. And if you want similar results for your SaaS brand, you should emulate them as well.
Got any other ideas on effective SaaS marketing? Let us know.
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