The SaaS market is worth $145.5 billion in 2021, as per the research by Statista.
The Software as a Service (SaaS) is a B2B subscription-based model, in which the developers launch software apps that streamline the business’ core tasks.
The above statistics clearly show the scope of SaaS products in today’s competitive business world.
However, marketing for SaaS products is not a cakewalk. You are not selling the latest handbag or a nice outfit. You are supposed to convince your target audience to integrate your software into their business model.
Then, how do you advertise a virtual product? How can you get people to sign up for the subscription?
Top 10 SaaS Marketing Tips that work in 2021
Let’s face the reality – it is not going to be easy. Without any physical product to advertise, reaching out to your target audience with your SaaS application and getting them to make a purchase is trickier than you think.
Fret not, we have made it easy by curating a list of 10 tips that work wonders in the SaaS market.
- Build a solid Content Marketing strategy
A study of 1000 people showed that customers were 131% more likely to do business with a company that educated them with informative and valuable content. Your audience finds your brand by searching for their pain points.
Educational content or blogs that answer their queries or provide them with the best advice never fail to grab their attention.
Take Moz, for example. The company offers SEO tools to help websites scale up their performance on Google and other search engines. They educate their audience by posting content around SEO, keyword ranking, email marketing, competitor’s research, and similar niches.
People looking for ways to build their search engine ranking visit Moz to find more relevant information and end up buying one of the tools.
That’s exactly how SaaS businesses sell their services. Magnetic marketing no longer works. You can’t call or email people to sell a software app. Instead, you need to drive audiences’ engagement with content marketing.
A high-quality content strategy that offers value to your readers can play a key role in driving traffic to your website. It can also convert your prospects into qualified leads.
- Attractive pricing plans
Customers are price sensitive. They will not stick around if they don’t find your deals attractive. Now, to make these deals attractive, you need to come up with an affordable pricing plan that helps customers save money in the long run.
Moz, for example, offers savings up to 20% to customers signing up for the yearly plan. Mostly, SaaS users are on the lookout for long-term deals. There is a good chance they will sign up for the yearly plan if it saves them 20% of the total cost.
Source
You need to offer similar or better incentives to build a long-term relationship with your customers.
- Display fewer options
Studies have shown that too many plans can confuse your audience. So, offer 4-5 effective plans and list all the features clearly with each plan. In the example mentioned above, Moz has clearly listed the features its customers can claim from different plans. It allows your audience to understand the benefits associated with each plan and choose accordingly.
You can use other customized templates or create your custom-built template for pricing and feature display. Nothing too fancy, just make sure it is easy-to-read and simple for your customers.
- Optimize your website for search engines
We are not talking about stuffing your website with keywords. There’s more to SEO than keyword research and on-page optimization. For starters, you need to focus on strategies that can generate organic traffic to your website (without any paid ads). These people are your target audience—those who are actually interested in buying your SaaS products.
So, how do you optimize your website for SEO?
Content goes a long way in bringing organic traffic to your website. However, it works when you optimize your content for the right keywords. Add meta-data, relevant keywords, external and internal links, images, and tags to improve your on-page SEO. Off-page SEO is equally important, as it builds your brand authority and makes your website appear as a credible source of information.
- Refine your PPC campaigns
Pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns are the paid ads that charge commission for sending visitors to your website. Every time, a user clicks on your website or finds your product in the search engine through PPC ads, you are charged a small percentage of commission.
PPC brings the best results when it is combined with search engine optimization techniques. You can’t just build a landing page and run a few ad campaigns centred around your SaaS products.
Pro tip: It’s important to optimize your ads for the right keywords and phrases to ensure a higher search ranking and regular traffic.
- Build a simple and professional-looking website
A detailed and effective inbound marketing for SaaS includes a professional-looking website that has a clean user interface.
Your customers land on your website to check the pricing and features in detail. Your job is to make your website as clean and nice as possible so that most people visiting your platform feel empowered to sign up for the SaaS plan.
Hire a professional and experienced website design and develop company to get your website up and running. It’s always better to leave it to the hands of a professional since the website for SaaS is not the same as other local websites. You need a mobile-compatible and user-friendly platform that offers a seamless browsing experience to your audience.
- Keep the sign-up process hassle-free
Have you ever abandoned a website because of a complex and lengthy sign-up process?
No user wants to fill a three-page form with unnecessary information, especially when they are buying your SaaS products for a free trial. People find it easier to press the back button and get similar services from your competitors than filling lengthy forms.
Keep the registration page short and simple. Make it easier for them to fill the form quickly and get started with the free trial. The easier the sign-up process, the higher the chances people will stick around.
- Offer free trials
Free trial for 30 days.
This statement can lure a large number of customers to your business. Why not? After who, who wouldn’t like to try a feature-packed and advanced SaaS solution for free? It is going to cost you little to nothing, but a free offering can increase your conversion drastically.
For this trick to work, you must have an effective SaaS strategy in place. Your product must be good enough to get your users to sign up for the paid SaaS plan once they are done with the free trial.
A free trial is a proven way to boost your conversion. So, let your customers use your services for free initially to get a better understanding of the product and how it can benefit their business.
- Attract your customers with positive reviews
Nothing is as effective as word of mouth marketing for SaaS products. As you reach out to businesses, you need to present yourself as a reputable and trustworthy service provider.
Customers don’t make impulsive decisions when buying SaaS products. They check your website, read reviews on the SaaS review platforms, and talk to their colleagues before making any decision. If you are having a hard time searching for the best SaaS reviewing platform, here is the list of companies you can approach.
Trustpilot is one such website to have your SaaS platform listed and reviewed. That’s where a vast majority of your customers research your products before getting to your website.
You could contact the editorial team of the review sites with your value proposition and product information. For those who have not embraced this technique yet, it is time to incorporate SaaS reviews into your marketing strategies.
- Build a strong social media presence
People make purchases when they see others using the same products and services on social media. That’s the power of social media marketing.
If you don’t already have a social media presence, create a business account on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Twitter, and other social media tools.
It’s a wonderful way to build your audiences’ engagement and achieve customer retention. You could try polls, Q&A sessions, actionable posts, and other effective tips for getting your audience to follow your account and check your services.
For example, there is a reason why GoPro’s Instagram handle gets thousands of likes. Understandably, the bigger brands have a lot of budgets but the tactics they use to create a social media strategy can be adopted by most other businesses.
Add your social media links to your websites to make it easier for your customers to find and follow you on Instagram and Facebook. Paid advertising tools are also trending on social media. These tools allow you to get your business in front of your target audience and direct them to your landing pages.
Conclusion
These SaaS marketing tips are designed to bring more people to your business while helping you retain your existing clients.
The industry is expected to grow at a rapid pace, as the demand for SaaS products has skyrocketed. Keep your business ahead of your competitors using the above marketing techniques and generate maximum leads for your brand.
Good Luck!
