10 ways to market your SaaS business
14th October 2018
Important considerations to help you successfully grow your online software business
The Cloud is a great enabler. Much of this enablement is a function of the reduced costs of the SaaS business model. Cost is no longer an insurmountable barrier to entry.
Today, small and medium scale businesses are able to launch an online application and establish a presence in the global marketplace with relative ease. However, selling a SaaS solution off the website is an entirely different proposition to developing the application.
As any high street boutique will tell you, setting up shop is one thing. Making a real success of the business requires you to catch many more customers than passing trade will bring to your door, even in the online world.
Here are some important considerations that help you to successfully grow your cloud-based web application business.
1. Make sure you budget for marketing
Don’t blow all your money on just bringing the SaaS solution to market. Make sure there is funding for marketing. It’s not just the start-up marketing elements like your website. You need to budget for monthly activity.
2. Be realistic about your marketing budget
Budgets need to be set in line with your expectation. The faster you want to grow, the greater your budget needs to be. Also remember, not every lead is converted. Or put another way, if you want to hit big numbers it’s no good budgeting peanuts!
3. Maximise digital marketing
Generating leads is one thing. Conversion rates are another matter. Frequently smaller SaaS businesses do not have a field sales function. The web app is being ‘sold off the webpage’. The marketing components need to be exemplary and the use of digital channels fully exploited.
4. Get your branding right
Bring the brandmark or logotype together with copywriting, typography, photography/graphics and design. Make it modern and vibrant. The SaaS market moves fast. Look up to date and relevant. The way the website looks says so much about the brand. SaaS businesses tend not to have a geographical anchor. The website is the anchor point for all digital channels as well as the virtual shop window. You have to get it right.
5. Communicate your brand properly off the website
Brand personality is a lot like style – it’s hard to define but easy to recognise. Essentially the way you bring the copy together with the visual elements defines the personality. SaaS businesses need to communicate their brand properly. Take time to get it right.
6. Make sure you explain your solution properly
Be clear, concise and accurate when you are explaining what your solution does. Ensure that you clearly put across features and benefits. It’s difficult to convert potential SaaS solution customers if you cannot articulate the product coherently.
7. Make sure you offer a free trial or demo for your web application
Ensure that you have the capability to offer a free trial or online demo of the solution. This is the fastest way for potential customers to evaluate a SaaS solution. Traditional procurement processes of mid-market and larger businesses often include submitting lengthy and unwieldy RfP type documents. However, this is more appropriate to on-premise software solutions. Online applications are much more like boxed product software and RfPs are inappropriate.
8. Have a 90 second video
Create a video that communicates the benefits of your online application in 90 seconds or less. Think of it as a ‘digital elevator pitch’. In today’s time poor world, this is a great way to make as much impact on potential customers in the shortest space of time. Use the video on the front of your website, post it to social websites and push it through social channels and email campaigns.
9. Invest time in developing the marketing strategy
Marketing needs to be integrated. The marketing strategy is the blueprint that ensures the activity you undertake to market your SaaS business is integrated. This maximises the ROI by ensuring that your marketing budget is used as effectively as possible.
10. Include content in the marketing strategy
Content marketing is one of the very best ways to push your business forward. Content is a vehicle for your solution. Discussing the issues your SaaS product or service solves through content formats such as white papers or blogs pulls potential customers towards you. It showcases the expertise of your subject matter experts, helping to build the perception of thought leadership.
Grow your SaaS business with Xander Marketing
We’ve been working with SaaS companies for many years so we know how to market your web application effectively. If you require help to grow your online software solution call Xander Marketing today on +44 (0)330 223 2770 and find out how we can help, or request a free 30 minute marketing consultation.
