SaaS companies have to take a different approach to marketing compared to other online businesses due to how they operate and the services they provide.
If you are finding your current marketing strategies ineffective you may simply need to take a new approach and use from fresh ideas and this is exactly what we provide below. Using our expert knowledge as a SaaS SEO agency we have listed five marketing strategies that you could start using today.
1. SEO Implementation
- Search engine optimization is by far the most important strategy and can yield fantastic results. Just think of the millions of potential customers who use Google daily to find things.
- Due to the digital nature of SaaS businesses and the fact that your products/services are usually not limited by geographical location, ranking highly on Google and Bing SERPs is invaluable.
- Great SEO starts with keyword research and understanding the mindset of your customers. When you know what they will commonly search for and their demographics you can utilize a list of relevant keywords in your SEO marketing campaign.
2. Pay Per Click Advertising
While SEO can bring great results PPC advertising can help make up for any shortfalls or any areas where you simply aren’t ranking highly for keywords. There are many Pay Per Click advertising platforms so it can be tricky knowing which ones to use.
Start with a simple and well-known one like Google as this is easier to learn and you can find keywords that aren’t as competitive which could give you niche business.
Once you have created a successful PPC campaign on Google take a look at your business and consider if any other platforms could be useful. Social media sites like Facebook and LinkedIn for example have PPC models but they may not be suitable for your customer base.
3. Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing works brilliantly because someone else is basically doing the work for you! Who wouldn’t want to take advantage of that?
Many SaaS companies have affiliate schemes where they pay people to promote their products/services. The process is simple – you give Person A a unique affiliate link. They promote it and if someone buys your product using the affiliate link Person A gets a commission.
Everyone here is a winner – the affiliate marketer earns money and promotes your company and you get a product sale – easy! This could be something to consider but you just need to work out the financials of the affiliate scheme as it has to be attractive for the promoter but also profitable for you.
4. Content Marketing
Content marketing is incredibly big for SaaS companies as it helps improve your online presence but can also boost SEO.
This is a broad term that can apply to multiple types of online content like email marketing, social media posts, blogs, podcasts, and videos. The aim is to provide customers with useful information that complements your SaaS products/services.
5. Referrals
Referrals are similar to affiliate marketing but work on a personal level. A referral scheme can be lucrative when done right and it is usually inexpensive to create as the promoting and finding new customers is done by the person giving out referrals!
With a referral scheme there typically has to be a mutual benefit for the referer and the referee. You may give them both a 10% discount on your software for example or a reduced price on the monthly subscription.
As with affiliate marketing you must make sure that the referral scheme is profitable and that you are still making money even after any discount.
Diversify Your Marketing Strategies to Gain an Edge Over the Competition
Don’t feel overwhelmed as no one is expecting you to immediately implement all of these marketing strategies. You may find that some of them aren’t relevant to your business or industry. The first step is to do some customer research and gather data to see which (if any) of these strategies are applicable.
With this data ready you can then take a one-by-one approach. Start with SEO implementation and when you are ranking highly on Google, perhaps then consider diversifying and building your SaaS marketing strategies further.
