The Software As A Service (SaaS) industry is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the world, with an expected worth of $60.36 (£43.67) billion by 2023. Furthermore, 91% of CIOs are adopting or plan to use cloud SaaS to streamline their growth strategy and improve internal processes.
So, it’s safe to say the SaaS industry is going through a golden age and there’s plenty of opportunities for brands in the space to achieve rapid business growth.
A sound digital marketing strategy is a key part to raising brand awareness and connecting with more customers and we’ve put together five SaaS marketing tips to provide you with some inspiration
1. Offer product trials
A useful way for marketing your software is to offer free product trials to let prospects take your services for a drive and see their needs are met. There are several benefits to offering a product trial, such as giving tech-minded people a chance to experience your software without having to go through a sales rep.
Another advantage is that product trials can be self-service, meaning you can continue to generate leads without needing to invest a large portion of your marketing budget into the offer.
To make product trials truly worthwhile, consider offering onboarding support through one-on-one calls or group webinars. This ensures the prospect will have a positive experience and may increase the chances of them buying into the service.
2. Immediate bookings lead to highly qualified leads
As part of the lead generation process, it’s vital that you make booking a call or product demo as easy as possible. After all, a consumer is more likely to convert when they are helped by a sales rep who shows them the genuine benefits of a service.
A good way to do this is to use appointment scheduling software so prospects are connected to your sales team instantly. For example, Appointy is an easy-to-use platform that allows prospects to decide when they want a sales rep to contact them and is highly customisable.
Another option is Calendly, which offers time zone detection software for ensuring calls can be scheduled properly across different countries and synchs up with various other platforms.
3. Showcase your partners
The SaaS sector is competitive, yet that doesn’t mean you can’t collaborate with like-minded businesses for a mutually beneficial partnership. Creating a partnership programme with another SaaS brand drives more awareness, offers complementary features to your customer base, and helps you gain more leads.
When designing a partner page for your website, follow these best practices:
- Think about how a potential partner complements your products and define a customer persona that works for everyone involved
- Set out clear partnerships goals to identify the value of what you and another business can bring to the table
- Give your partners all the resources and content they need to promote your products with confidence and vice versa
4. Set up a referral programme
Referral marketing is one of the most effective ways for SaaS businesses to gain more leads. In fact, leads from referrals have a 30% higher conversion rate than leads generated from other channels.
To set up a successful referral programme you can use several techniques. They include displaying it clearly on the homepage, making it clear what people will be getting in return for signing up and doing the research to understand what incentivises your audience.
You should also make it easy for people to refer a friend by adding a social media sharing button or have an option to copy and share referral codes.
5. Continually optimise your CTAs
Calls-to-action (CTAs) play a huge part in driving conversions and there are many traditional lines to choose from such as ‘book a product demo’ or ‘find out more.’
It’s imperative that you constantly optimise your CTAs to see what works and what doesn’t. We recommend carrying out regular keyword research to see what terms your audience are searching for and to understand why people are using your products.
Armed with this information, you can increase the likelihood of turning a prospect into a customer.
Start your SaaS marketing strategy with Trio Media
At Trio Media, we specialise in helping SaaS brands grow their digital presence with our SEO, PPC and content marketing services. Contact us today on 0113 357 0440 and we’ll be happy to help.
