When you’re a new small business, there is a lot that you have to learn about. One of the biggest focuses on growing your SaaS business is getting your name out there. This is, of course, also known as marketing.
But “marketing” is a very broad term. It includes all sorts of different forms of marketing, like the kind done through social media platforms, word-of-mouth, and branding. With all of these different types of marketing, it’s tough to make sense of all the noise surrounding the subject.
One of these lesser-known strategies of marketing is something called SaaS marketing. If you’re totally lost here, don’t worry. We’ll walk you through what it is and how you can do it well.
What is SaaS Marketing?
First, we need to answer that burning question in the back of your mind: just what is saas marketing?
The acronym stands for Software as a Service. This form of marketing is what software companies use, hiring the use of an app to connect their customers through a platform.
This is a cloud-based service that must be marketed in a specific and targeted way, since you aren’t offering a specific product, and many people will do extensive research before picking you. For instance, one important feature of SaaS models that can be promoted is their integration potential. Put simply, SaaS applications can be integrated into the cloud and on-premises applications without the need for any middleware or hardware and this makes SaaS models incredibly popular. To clarify, one example of a vendor that provides an integration platform to help businesses connect data, applications, and devices is MuleSoft. You can learn more about MuleSoft integration by taking a look at some of the helpful resources on the Royal Cyber website.
How Can You Use SaaS Marketing?
What are the best ways that you can use SaaS marketing to optimize your company’s software service?
There are some key moves you can make that are specific to this type of marketing that stand out from the competition. Here are some of our favorite ways to implement this marketing.
Provide a Free Trial
Everyone loves free stuff. Think about how many times you have turned down a free t-shirt. You probably haven’t ever, right? No matter how many t-shirts you already have at home, there’s no good reason to turn it down if it’s free.
That’s because the idea of gaining something for nothing is just flat-out appealing. So with this knowledge, how can you offer your potential customers what they want? By providing it for free.
Offering a free trial of your software gives your customers an opportunity to try before they buy. Once they start using your software, they’ll see the value in it and become paying customers.
Focus on Creating Opportunities for Conversation
What draws us all together is the sense of community that we get when we engage with others. Make sure that your SaaS platform allows for multiple different outlets and opportunities for conversation among members or customers.
Opening up a dialogue between members allows them to remain actively engaged, using your software or app more than they would otherwise. It incentivizes returning to your software.
Draw in Users Through Social Media
Social media is something that our lives are centered around these days. For better or for worse, many of us spend hours out of each day scrolling through sites like Instagram and Facebook.
So why not use the knowledge of where your audience is to your advantage? Keeping your online presence at the forefront by targeting your marketing through social media. This drives traffic to your SaaS in an efficient, meaningful way.
Customer Support is Key
We have all had experiences with customer service in one capacity or another. We all know what a difference good customer service can make.
That’s why it’s important to focus your energy and resources on providing the best customer support possible for your users and customers. There should always be help available to answer any questions users may have.
SaaS Marketing Can Be Very Effective
SaaS marketing, though unique and different from traditional marketing, can be quite effective when done correctly.
