Formulating a sound SaaS marketing strategy is critical, and can be the biggest make or break hurdle for any SaaS developer and provider. All too often, great ideas and advancements in SaaS, and other platforms as well, fall to the wayside with not nearly the attention they warrant entirely due to poor marketing strategies.
Entire new genres of software that could have changed our lives forever have failed to take off because of poor SaaS marketing strategy. So, you need to formulate something solid that will reach your demographic, engage them and get them interested. This applies to any type of SaaS in any environment. The only thing that varies is what goes into a strategy to achieve this interest, this engagement.
#1 – Quantify the Problem
SaaS solves a problem. Even if it may not seem like that’s the mindset behind the creation of something – it may seem like just applying new ideas and new possibilities – it still all boils down to a problem being addressed. The difference in some cases may be that the problem isn’t one your prospects are aware of until it is illustrated to them.
So, upon identifying your demographic and the problem to solve, the first thing to do to engage them is going to be to illustrate in no uncertain terms the problem you are solving, and make them aware of the problem intimately.
#2 – Illustrate the Goodness of Problem Solved
Ok, so now they know this problem exists, if they did not before, and they know you are aiming to solve it. But, the expense of solving it, and being troubled to obtain and learn some new technology to make that happen could be daunting. This is true for B2B. B2C and enterprise marketing. That next step of “is solving the problem worth the hassle” is a hurdle. Show the benefits of the problem being solved. “This could be you, if this problem went away”. Cater to emotion here.
#3 – Illustrate Value in Conversion or Adoption
So their interests are piqued by the problem being brought to their attention, and you’ve shown that the problem is worth solving, but now you have to compete with traditional software solutions, fear of SaaS as a concept, and competition. It is here where emotion gives way to value, the money saved by SaaS, and the quality per cost of your solution to the problem.
#4 – Black and White
Now, you come to the competition mentioned above. Other SaaS providers will come along, even if you’re the first, and you have to head them off at the pass. And so, here, you illustrate case studies, scientific documents and reinstate the appeal to emotion, to show, point for point, where you stand above competition.
#5 – Branding and Relatability
Finally, after being aware of the problem, your solution, the value of adopting this solution, and how you stand above competition price and quality-wise, now you must leave them with something memorable and relatable. Now, you must be sure you have a good branding model for your SaaS. A memorable name, a recognizable logo, a solid mission statement and conveyed philosophy that is unmistakably you.
This, of course, doesn’t give you a definitive SaaS marketing strategy, but that’s not what the point was here. The point was to show you the five primary steps or key points involved in an engaging marketing strategy, to engage and hook prospects into becoming customers. The platforms and methodologies you use to carry these points … well, the sky’s the limit there, and we have plenty of pieces on those in our archives for your perusing pleasure.