Actions to consider for SaaS B2B marketing
For years I’ve been part of the target audience for marketing software solutions of all kind. Some of them did it really well with their marketing, like MoZ for example. So I ended up buying their tools because I really trusted the expertise of the people behind.
How can you get the trust of your potential customers? Truly making an effort to help them and showing your expertise, instead of just blasting your product around. I believe inbound marketing is the key for success and these are some ideas to make it happen, coming from a mainly B2C marketeer like me ;)
1. Embrace content marketing
Nowadays having a strong content strategy helps for B2B marketing, while sometimes is not so easy to produce content regularly. A good idea is to work on a content pillar, long form content that can be broken down into small pieces and different formats to be shared along time. A classic content pillar could be an in-depth property market report, buy/sell/rent guide or an e-book.
2. Leverage Linkedin advertising
It’s expensive, but it works. Probably there is no better way to target professionals by industry and position. And they are catching up with Google and Facebook in terms of advertising features: Retargeting, contact form ads and lookalike audiences are finally available, all three good options for lead generation.
3. Make use of marketing automation
The so called marketing on auto-pilot, it’s about building the journey and creating automated flows to make your leads convert, mainly through email marketing based on user interactions. You need to think of your conversion funnel, the different paths to reach to the bottom and then execute the strategy with a tool like Active Campaign, Infusion Soft or Hubspot.
4. Organice webinars and workshops regularly
No better way to get closer from your potential customers, let them see your face and share your expertise in person. Think of how can you help them being more successful in their job and prepare a session around that. Offer them for free but of course, don’t forget to collect the contact information ;)
5. Create an ambassador program
Building a referral program for industry experts, professional influencers in your industry than can spread your message. You can give them free access to your tool, advance access to beta features or directly a commission per purchase. This can really help on the word of mouth besides getting high quality leads.
6. Don’t target only decision makers
Target also everyone around them who potentially can influence in the decision. And definitely target those who are going to use your product, even though they might not be the ones choosing to use it. The clearest example is targeting real estate agents, if you are marketing a real estate CRM.
7. Advertise how you solve the usual pain points
Research competitors, conduct surveys and talk with people in the industry to identify the main pain points that users face. Then make sure your software solves them properly and advertise how you do it. Working on educational animated videos can really help.