If you operate a business in the software as a service (SaaS) industry, you know it’s crucial to choose the right digital marketing strategy. That’s why more companies in the sector make inbound marketing their primary approach for earning sales, retaining clients, and more.
Inbound marketing for a SaaS organization is an ideal option because it focuses on attracting — and maintaining — the interest of clients rather than resorting to old marketing tactics that push your company onto consumers.
Want to learn more about inbound marketing for SaaS? Discover what you need to know now!
1. Free trials often lead to sales
It’s rare that the words “free” and “sales” are used in conjunction, but for a SaaS company, free trials are often vital to reeling in new clients. Like a business that offers free returns, giving your customers access to a free trial can generate new leads and convert shoppers fast.
Just because you’re giving away a no-cost trial doesn’t mean your business will lose money — despite the common misconception that free equates to a loss. A trial version of your product is an affordable way for your business to attract and earn new clients.
For your trial, choose a pricing and payment model form that best suits your business’s needs.
Many SaaS marketing campaigns, for example, require that customers use a credit card when signing up for a free trial. That way, your business can immediately monetize the product after the trial ends.
Your free trial can also give prospective clients a sneak peek into the full version of your software. For example, your company may lock certain features to entice users to sign-up as a client.
For many users, this strategy works well.
Your potential customers not only enjoy trying out your product but also see the value of investing in it. Their investment and satisfaction can even lead to word-of-mouth recommendations.
2. Slow and steady doesn’t always win the race
For many businesses developing a marketing strategy, patience is critical when striving to experience growth. While it’s important to wait the appropriate time for results in a SaaS marketing campaign, it’s much more pressing to generate new leads fast.
Inbound marketing is ideal for a SaaS company because this marketing method produces reliable and consistent results. Outbound marketing, however, can deliver sporadic and unpredictable results, which decimates your return on investment (ROI).
Why does inbound marketing work so well?
It often provides users with personalized and targeted content. A user that joins your email newsletter, for instance, may receive emails related to a specific software they researched on your website.
In comparison, an outbound marketing campaign may consist of a billboard on an interstate. While a ton of commuters see your billboard, how many of them are in your target audience? Even worse, you can’t track and determine which clients came from your billboard campaign.
With inbound marketing, you can, which makes it easy for your team to monitor your ROI.
3. SEO tactics are crucial
When you’re selling software, your marketing tactics often consist of approaches that draw new clients into your business and show them why investing in your products is a valuable exchange for their time and money.
But you can’t show prospective customers the worth of your software if they’re not aware of your brand — which is where search engine optimization (SEO) tactics come into play. SEO is a vital inbound marketing tool, helping your business get noticed on search engines.
For example, if someone searches, “saas accounting software,” and your business offers that, you’d want to appear at the top of search results for that query. That way, your website’s front-and-center, encouraging users to click and learn more about your offerings.
If you’re new to SEO, partnering with an SEO agency can make the process of optimizing your website for search engines — and users — seamless. But, if you’d like to manage your SEO strategy in-house, you can start by researching the searches of your target audience.
You can also check out the SEO strategies of your competitors. While you don’t want to cut, copy, and paste their approach onto yours, their plan can provide valuable insight and ideas for inbound marketing campaign.
4. Be a leader in your industry
Selling software isn’t always easy, especially when you find yourself confronted with fierce competition. That’s why, when you’re developing your inbound marketing tactics, you must discover ways to emphasize your competitive edge and unique selling points.
A few ideas for demonstrating industry leadership include:
- Create original content that encourages customers to explore your website
- Share testimonials and customer reviews
- Get active on your blog and social media accounts
- Interact with clients via reviews and comments
If you want to position yourself as a leader in your industry, you need to adopt a unique and original approach to your marketing — so remember to curate content and advertising tactics that are not only effective but also true to your brand.
5. Get social online to increase sales
Social media is a must for any business’s inbound marketing campaign.
Platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter are a great way to reach new clients and get the word out about your company and services. As a SaaS company, however, you may need to go beyond traditional social media platforms to reach your target market.
Use social channels that offer the most benefit to your business. Technology-based forums, like subreddits on Reddit and TechDiscussion, can help you target not only the right audience but also research their wants and pain points.
With that kind of data, you can develop a strategy that drives leads and sales.
6. Make your SaaS sellable
Although SaaS marketing may seem challenging at first glance, one of the best pieces of advice when looking to make your marketing campaign a bit easier focuses on producing top-tier software that sells itself.
Create amazing software that speaks for itself and shows customers why your business is worth their investment. It’s also essential to promote a friendly and readily-available customer service system, too.
For your inbound marketing campaign to succeed, it’s essential for departments across your company to work together. If your software features an annoying bug for users, for instance, try to work with your development team to prioritize its resolution.
Or, collaborate with your developers to develop unique selling points or statistics. Maybe your software saves companies an average of eight hours a week, for instance. To run those numbers, however, you probably need some information from your development team.
With that information, you can produce content and marketing material that emphasizes the strength of your brand and your product to users. When you have that kind of inbound marketing strategy, you can achieve massive success.
Are you ready to grow your business?
No matter your company’s size or industry, you need to create an effective marketing strategy.
As a SaaS organization, your approach is likely different from that other companies — but that doesn’t mean a strong marketing campaign is any less important. If anything, it’s critical to your short- and long-term success.
When you develop an inbound marketing campaign for your SaaS business, you want to ensure it drives results. At WebFX, we use results-driven strategies, which have created more than $1 billion in revenue for our clients, to help you reach your goals.
Learn how we do it by contacting us online today.