Building a SaaS (Software as a Service) company is no easy task. It requires a great product, a smart growth strategy, and a strong team. But even with all those things in place, you still need one more thing to succeed: customers.
And to get customers, you need to market your SaaS. But how do you do that? How do you get the word out about your SaaS product, attract the right people to your business, and convince them to sign up?
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to market your SaaS business, step by step.
1. Create a free trial
The best way to get people to buy your software is to let them try it out first. Free trials are a great way to get potential customers to experience your software and see how it can help them.
During the trial, you can collect data on how they use your software and what features they find most helpful. You can then use this data to personalize your sales pitch and show potential customers how your software can help them in particular.
Free trials are a great way to get people to experience your software. But, you should make sure your trial period isn’t too long. A week is usually a good amount of time to let people try out your software, but not so long that they forget about it.
2. Use a freemium model
One of the best ways to get people to use your software is to give them a taste of it for free. That’s exactly what a freemium model does. With a freemium model, you offer a basic version of your software for free. Then, as users want more features or functionality, they can upgrade to a paid version.
This is a great way to generate leads and build brand awareness. Even if users don’t upgrade to a paid version, they are still using your software and talking about it. This can lead to word-of-mouth referrals and new customers.
3. Offer a money-back guarantee
Nobody wants to invest in a SaaS product only to find out that it doesn’t meet their needs. That’s why it’s so important to build trust with your potential customers.
One way to do that is by offering a money-back guarantee. This shows your customers that you believe in your product and that you’re willing to stand behind it.
It also gives them the confidence to try your product and see for themselves how it can help them. And if they’re not satisfied, they can simply get their money back.
4. Create a referral system
Referrals are one of the most powerful marketing tools out there. In fact, studies have shown that people are four times more likely to buy a product when it’s referred to them by a friend.
So why not take advantage of this powerful form of word-of-mouth marketing and create a referral system for your SaaS business?
There are a few different ways you can do this. One option is to offer your existing customers a discount on their next purchase if they refer a friend to your business. Another option is to give them a cash reward for each new customer they refer.
However you decide to structure your referral system, the key is to make it as easy as possible for your customers to refer their friends to your business.
5. Write guest posts
If you’re looking to get your SaaS company’s name out there, guest posting is a great way to do it.
Guest posting is when you write an article for another website or blog, and in return, you get to include a link back to your own website in the article.
This is a great way to get your name and your company’s name out there to a new audience. Plus, it’s a great way to get high-quality backlinks, which can help improve your website’s SEO.
When you’re writing a guest post, make sure the content is high-quality and relevant to the website’s audience. You want to make sure you’re providing value, and not just trying to promote your company.
6. Create an affiliate program
Affiliate programs are a great way to get other people to promote your SaaS product. In exchange for promoting your product, you can pay your affiliates a commission for each sale they generate.
Affiliate programs are a great way to get more exposure for your SaaS product. When people see that your product is being recommended by other people, it can help to build trust and credibility. Adopting a growth mindset can significantly amplify this effect, as it pushes for continuous improvement and adaptation, making your product even more appealing to potential affiliates and customers alike.
This can help you to increase your sales and grow your business.
7. Use social proof
Social proof is a powerful tool in marketing, and it’s especially useful in SaaS marketing.
Social proof is when you use real customer testimonials, reviews, case studies or other evidence to show potential customers that your product is worth trying.
The more social proof you can use, the better. Potential customers are much more likely to trust your brand if they see that other people have had a positive experience with your product. You can do that through case studies, or even when sending your sales proposal, you can add the logos of your trusted clients at the end of your deck.
You can use social proof on your website, in your ads and in your email marketing campaigns.
8. Create a blog
Blogs are a great way to improve your SEO. When you create a blog and fill it with relevant content, you increase your chances of ranking for keywords your audience is using in search engines. For example, if you run an escape room that caters to corporate team building, having a blog about team culture will help boost your visibility.
Blogs are also a great way to provide your audience with valuable information. You can use your blog to answer common questions your audience has, provide them with tips and tricks, and more.
Your blog is also a great place to create content that you can share on social media, such as adding content about your company’s corporate events
9. Use SEO
SEO is a powerful way to get your SaaS in front of potential customers. With SEO, you can optimize your website and content to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) for relevant keywords.
This will help you get more organic traffic to your website and generate more leads. Plus, SEO is a long-term strategy, so the work you put in now can continue to pay off for months or even years to come.
When it comes to SEO, start by doing keyword research to find the most relevant keywords for your SaaS. Then, optimize your website and content around those keywords. Be sure to also include meta tags, title tags, and alt tags in your content.
You should also aim to get backlinks from high-authority websites. This will help improve your website’s domain authority and increase your chances of ranking higher in SERPs.
10. Create a YouTube channel
Video content is taking over the internet, and YouTube is the biggest platform to host it. If you want to get your SaaS business in front of a new audience, you need to create a YouTube channel.
You can use your YouTube channel to post videos about your SaaS products, give tutorials, and share customer testimonials. You can also use it to post videos that are related to your industry, but not necessarily about your product.
For example, if you have a SaaS product that helps small business owners with their marketing, you could create videos with tips on how to market a small business. This will help you get in front of a new audience and establish yourself as an expert in your field.
Be sure to optimize your videos for SEO by using relevant keywords in your title and description, and add links to your website and social media profiles in the video description.
11. Use email marketing
Email marketing is a great way to promote your SaaS. You can use email to send out newsletters, product updates, special offers, and more. Hire an email virtual assistant to promote your brand through email marketing.
The key to success with email marketing is to make sure that your emails are relevant and valuable to your subscribers. Don’t just send out emails for the sake of sending out emails. Make sure that you have a clear goal in mind and that your emails help you to achieve that goal.
You should also make sure that your emails are well-designed and that they look good on mobile devices. Most people check their email on their phones, so it’s important to make sure that your emails are mobile-friendly.
12. Create a content upgrade
Content upgrades are a great way to get your audience to engage with your content and to collect leads.
A content upgrade is a piece of content that you create to go along with one of your blog posts. It’s related to the topic of the blog post, but it goes into more depth and provides more value.
For example, if you have a blog post about how to create a successful email marketing campaign, you could create a content upgrade in the form of a checklist that people can use to make sure they’re hitting all of the key points.
To access the content upgrade, your audience will need to provide their verified email address. This is a great way to collect leads and to build your email list.
Conclusion
To grow your SaaS business, you need to market your product to the right audience. Use the tips and examples in this post to create a marketing strategy that will help you reach — and convert — more customers.