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Inbound marketing: Best practices and tactics for your SaaS business

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Sabah Noor
date icon Dec 07, 2023
date icon 10 min read
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Software as a Service (SaaS) is evolving rapidly, and in the coming years mastering the art of inbound marketing will not just be a strategy, but it will be a necessity. Inbound marketing stands as a beacon, guiding SaaS businesses through the complicated landscape of attracting, engaging, and delighting users in a way that goes beyond traditional marketing approaches.

For new B2B businesses, it is important to explore the foundational aspects of inbound marketing, only designed for the SaaS marketing in a startup. With a focus on both Inbound Marketing for SaaS and inbound marketing innovation best practices.

Join us in reviewing the inbound marketing tactics and practices that attract leads, cultivate relationships, and ensure sustained growth in the competitive SaaS markets.

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What is Inbound Marketing for B2B SaaS?

Inbound Marketing for SaaS takes the core principles of inbound marketing and customizes them to meet the diverse needs of the Software as a Service (SaaS) sector. Inbound marketing outperforms traditional marketing by generating three times more leads per dollar.

Unlike traditional strategies focusing only on conversions, Inbound Marketing for SaaS goes beyond, focusing on customer retention, feature upselling, and the strategic use of consumer data to fuel business growth. Insights from lead generation statistics show that 68% of marketers have confidence in the effectiveness of the inbound approach.

This approach is based more on the buyer journey, unfolding in three key stages:

  • Awareness: At the top of the funnel, the focus is building awareness around the problem and how your SaaS product provides the solution. Content created in this highlights pain points and strategically positions your SaaS product as the definitive answer.
  • Consideration: As we move down the saas marketing funnel, the consideration stage involves content focusing on your SaaS product's unique selling propositions (USPs) and capabilities and standing against the competition. The goal is to guide potential customers toward a deeper understanding of your SaaS product's unique value.
  • Decision: The final stage is about converting potential customers into clients. This is achieved through content showcasing flexible pricing, customer testimonials, and personalized product demonstrations. The objective is to instill confidence in decision-making and encourage informed choices.

SaaS Inbound Marketing Efforts

Inbound marketing is a game-changing strategy that reimagines how organisations interact with their customers in the digital age, particularly in the context of SaaS companies. Unlike traditional outbound tactics, which drive information outward, inbound marketing for SaaS focuses on attracting potential consumers naturally through the creation of interesting and relevant content.

The saas inbound marketing strategy revolves around developing meaningful relationships with the target audience of SaaS companies. Businesses aim to build trust and credibility by providing content that addresses the specific needs, concerns, and interests of their SaaS customers. This journey commences with the attraction of prospects through various channels such as blog posts, social media, and search engine optimization (SEO). The brand is strategically positioned as a valuable and informative resource.

To enhance engagement, SaaS companies employ attractive content offers such as eBooks, seminars, and guides, encouraging users to willingly submit their contact information. Once prospects enter the inbound marketing funnel, they receive personalized and tailored information that guides them through the purchasing process. This emphasis on personalization is crucial for SaaS companies, given the unique and often complex nature of their products.
Moreover, inbound marketing places a strong emphasis on the significance of pleasing existing consumers and converting them into brand evangelists. SaaS businesses can foster loyalty and encourage word-of-mouth advertising by delivering outstanding post-purchase experiences and consistently providing ongoing value to their customers.

Inbound Marketing vs Outbound Marketing

A Successful marketing strategy involves a delicate balance between inbound and outbound methodologies. Both exhibit distinctive approaches that are crucial in shaping the customer experience. These approaches provide insights into their influence in the SaaS Marketing and focus on the best practices essential in inbound marketing. Let’s compare inbound and outbound marketing:

1. Approach

  • SaaS Inbound Marketing: It smoothly approaches and attracts potential customers by offering engaging content and building a genuine connection. Simply, it radiates charm and charisma, resembling a captivating storyteller.
  • Outbound Marketing: Takes on an interruption-based approach following persistent door-to-door salesperson. It casts a wide net to reach a broad audience through promotional and sales-oriented tactics.

2. Audience

  • SaaS Inbound Marketing: Draws and engages potential customers organically, tailoring content to individuals genuinely interested in the product or service.
  • Outbound Marketing: Takes a broad approach, targeting a wide audience without necessarily ensuring pre-existing interest, relying on volume for potential results.

3. Content

  • SaaS Inbound Marketing: Delivers informative, valuable content designed to meet customer needs, focusing on building trust through personalized engagement.
  • Outbound Marketing: Leans toward promotional, sales-oriented content, often generic, with an immediate conversion goal in mind.

4. Timing

  • SaaS Inbound Marketing: Connects with customers throughout their buyer's journey, aligning with their pace and preferences.
  • Outbound Marketing: Disrupts customers' routines, potentially reaching them at inconvenient times, which works like a potential resistance element.

5. Relationship

  • SaaS Inbound Marketing: Prioritizes relationship-building over transactional interactions, fostering trust and long-term customer loyalty.
  • Outbound Marketing: Focuses on transactional engagements, emphasizing immediate conversions and quantity over the depth of the relationship.

The effectiveness of inbound marketing in enhancing the lead conversion rate surpasses that of outbound marketing by a factor of 10. Inbound marketing is about telling captivating stories, keeping customers engaged throughout their buying journey, and building lasting relationships. The secret ingredients for long-term success are delivering valuable content and making genuine connections. Remember, for SaaS, it's not just about making a sale; it's about the journey and the relationships formed along the way.

Why do you need an Inbound Saas Marketing strategy?

Before we talk about inbound marketing practice, it’s crucial to figure out why your business needs a strategy and why it is important to have one. Here are the key reasons why having an inbound marketing strategy is not a choice but a necessity:

Authentic Connection Building:

Inbound marketing builds authentic connections by creating content that resonates with your audience. This approach establishes genuine rapport, fostering long-term relationships beyond just transactions.

Customer-Centric Approach:

Inbound marketing revolves around understanding and prioritizing your customers. This approach helps SaaS consultants create personalized and meaningful interaction by pinning and addressing the customer’s needs, ultimately fostering brand loyalty.

Cost-Effective and Sustainable Results:

Unlike traditional outbound methods with high upfront costs, inbound marketing offers a cost-effective and sustainable approach, which is particularly advantageous for SaaS examples looking to maximize ROI. While requiring an initial investment, the results compound over time, generating organic growth and reducing reliance on expensive outbound tactics.

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How do you implement inbound marketing for SaaS?

Executing SaaS inbound marketing involves a structured three-step process:

  • Content Creation
  • Content Promotion
  • Content optimization

Each step involves further breakdown of their own, increasing the effectiveness of inbound marketing.

1. Content Creation

User Research:

Build detailed user personas based on their roles, tasks, needs, pain points, missions, values, and past experiences. Once you get your user details, you can shape content marketing that aligns with them – topics, types, language, medium, where it gets shared, and word length.

Keyword Research:

Next, it's time for keyword research. This is your secret weapon to ensure your content pops up in searches and gets clicked, especially if you're doing blogs or creating landing pages. Don't worry if it sounds complex; we've got resources to guide you through SaaS Branding ,Saas SEO ,keyword research, making your content stand out.

Competitor Research:

Return to basics with competitor research using a good old SWOT analysis for marketing analysis. Look at what your competitors are doing right regarding SaaS templates and where they're slipping. Find opportunities to outshine them and potential threats to watch out for.

Focus on content topics, formats, third-party reviews, social media presence, sales funnels, nurture journeys, chatbots, keywords, and channel trends to get a complete picture.

Channel Trend Research:

With competitors, watch emerging channels that could make your content go viral. Your competitor and user research will give you some ideas, but there might be hidden opportunities in new social media platforms, features in existing ones, or new tech adopted by many.

Think TikTok, Whatsapp for business, or voice assistants like Alexa – these game-changers can redefine how companies reach customers.

Medium Research:

Find out what content type your potential users prefer. This depends on their demographics, which you figured out in the user research phase. It's a game-changer that will guide what kind of content you create and might even shake up your whole marketing team structure.

Audio content could be the way to go if you're targeting on-the-go non-desk employees.

Content Development:

Once all your research is completed, it’s time for execution. Your research does the most important work, giving you a crystal-clear strategy for every aspect of content creation. If you're working with a team, ensure they can easily read and understand your research.

Present it in bite-sized pieces, like a Sushi buffet, so everyone can get on the same page and work toward your goal.

2. Content Promotion

Once your content research is done, you'll know where your content can be engaged. Instead of discussing the advantages of these promotion channels, let's explore ways to maximize your content reach through them. These tactics will help your content promotion strategy and expand your audience reach.

SEO:

SEO takes the lead in content promotion efforts. Most marketers have biases toward seo; here are a few valuable insights you need to implement:

Firstly, don’t ignore link-building; it’s a key factor. Secondly, focus on building out topics and content hubs rather than only focusing on keywords. For example, see how Maze goes the extra mile in creating guides and collections for the user.

Maze

Social Media:

Social media is the best B2B content distribution strategy. Use the demographic data from each platform wisely, customizing your social copy and post types to connect with your audience. To enhance reach, implement a social promotion strategy with your internal team. This is particularly effective for smaller SaaS businesses and startups.

Email Marketing:

Hyper-segmentation is the key to a successful email marketing campaign. Avoid sending generic newsletters to a vast list; instead, segment your audience based on their jobs, roles, locations, and involvement with your brand. Update content delivery frequency to suit their preferences.

Referral Marketing:

What are your most significant ambassadors? Your current users, especially those who score seven and up in your NPS survey. Engage them by creating unique, shareable content, like email templates or text snippets, for easy referral. Enable effortless share options for word-of-mouth marketing.

Influencers:

Influencers play a crucial role. Identify influencers within your niche by searching keywords or hashtags. Remember the dos and don'ts:

  • Build a relationship with influencers, offering transparency and trust.
  • Clearly outline expectations in writing.
  • Never offer free trials or devalue their work; respect their effort and pay accordingly.

Events:

Both online and offline events offer prime opportunities for digital marketing content. Build events around your target customer's Jobs-to-Be-Done, ensuring insights and collaboration with relevant brands with a relevant b2b saas marketing strategy.

Partnerships:

Partnerships come in various forms, from newsletter swaps to joint events and product integrations. Identify businesses that align with your customer base and explore innovative ways to collaborate for mutual market penetration.

3. Content Optimization

Content optimization is the final part of an inbound marketing journey. Even if your content is already exceptional, there's always room for refinement. This last step is the key to continually attracting more leads and designing the sales process by minimizing churn rates.

KPIs:

Look out for the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that signify you're aligning with your monthly, quarterly, and yearly goals. These KPIs, measured against historical data, should challenge your content strategy without setting unattainable objectives.

Inbound content-specific KPIs to consider:

  • Primary: MQLs or product activations, New MRR/Pipeline generated, Newsletter signups, Impressions, Social media growth, and Brand searches.
  • Secondary: Qualified lead generation or signups, Click-Through Rate (CTR), Newsletter signups, Time on page, Exit rate, New visits, Visits by source, Blog subscribers & views, Inbound links, Email opens and click-throughs, Keyword rankings, SaaS SEO KPIs.

Red Flags:

Optimizing content is about spotting potential issues. Implement tools and processes to alert you if content falls short. Whether due to technical glitches affecting content delivery or a mismatch with the intended audience, various SaaS tools can signal red flags, and we'll introduce some shortly.

NPS & Polls:

If you get uncertain about your brand and content perception, turn to your audience for valuable insights. Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys are the perfect resource to measure how your brand is perceived and assess if you're achieving your desired results. For a deeper understanding, conduct surveys among your subscribers. Ask them about their preferences, what resonates with them, what doesn't, and what additional content they're eager for.

6 Best Inbound Marketing Practices for a SaaS Business:

1. Diversify Value Beyond Product Purchase:

Every Customer interaction is not supposed to result in a product sale. Instead, focus on converting visitors into leads.

Offer additional value through resources like ebooks, guides, and free discovery calls, changing your approach based on the lead's level of interest.

2. Engage Current Users for Insights:

Interview existing clients to identify missing features. Highlight these features in your content to bridge the gap between what users seek and what your product provides. This approach is more user-centric, enhancing content credibility and addressing potential customers' needs.

3. Enable User Segmentation:

Effective email marketing relies on proper segmentation. Start questioning users about their interests. This way, users can self-segment themselves. This not only refines content delivery but also fosters engagement and a deeper understanding of subscribers' preferences.

4. Share Expertise:

Answering prospective customers' questions directly is a powerful content strategy. Anticipate search queries and provide guided and valuable content. Share your expertise openly, positioning your SaaS branding as the convenient, best solution to their needs.

5. Align Content with Search Intent:

The key to successful inbound marketing is to create and optimize SEO to give people what they're after—understand their search intent.

It's all about figuring out the genuine purpose behind someone's Google search to create content that truly satisfies their needs. Whether through how-to articles, product lists, or other formats, align your content with prevalent search queries. Google is an expert at reading user intent, and the top-ranking results shed light on what people are primarily looking for in a particular query.

6. Continuous Optimization and Definition:

Blend quantitative and qualitative insights in the decision-making process for content creation. Utilize tools such as SEMrush, Google Search Console, Google Trends, and Google Analytics to identify trends, assess competitor strategies, and optimize content based on customer feedback, sales insights, and industry trends.

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Wrapping Up

In digital marketing for saas, inbound marketing helps you to cultivate a distinctive identity, setting you apart from competitors. Not only this, it establishes recognition and confidence in your product. The true value of content lies in building real connections with users, even before they become subscribers. Inbound marketing convinces users that your SaaS is the optimal solution for their needs; they are more likely to act by signing up, sharing your content, or expressing interest in the product.

If you want to get ahead with Inbound marketing, You can get help from an SEO agency for SaaS, like Saffron Edge, a top-tier marketing agency. Our experts will blend into your team, giving you the best result and making you stand out in the competitive market. Plus, we equip your team with the latest SaaS marketing tools to meet your business goals using a saas marketing mix.

Connect with us and stay ahead of the competition.

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Projections for the future paint an even more remarkable picture, with social commerce sales in the United States, expected to reach nearly $80 billion by 2025. The pandemic-induced spike in these numbers can be attributed to a significant shift in consumer behavior. Notably, consumers have become increasingly reliant on digital platforms, as highlighted by PWC's research, which revealed that over 50% of surveyed consumers reported a heightened digital engagement. Furthermore, the popularity of smartphone shopping has been steadily rising, outpacing in-store shopping since March 2021 by a two-percentage-point margin. Establishing a robust presence on social media platforms has proven to be a key driver of sales. Stores that maintain at least one social media account experience an average increase of 32% in sales compared to those that do not leverage social media channels. Social media platforms have also emerged as the go-to destination for product reviews, with a remarkable 84% of online buyers in the United States consulting these platforms before making a purchase decision. When it comes to discovering new brands and products, the younger demographic, specifically Generation Z, heavily relies on Instagram. Being a mobile-first generation, Gen Z utilizes Instagram as their primary channel for exploration, with a recent report from digital and creative agency Composed indicating that 60% of U.S. Gen Z shoppers utilize the platform for this purpose. While it is evident that capitalizing on the social media trend is crucial for the growth of e-commerce fashion brands, it is essential to know where to begin in order to navigate this landscape successfully and that is what we will break down for you! What Works in DTC and Social Commerce? Your Audience and Social Media: Your Audience and Social Media Consumers utilize social media platforms in a manner akin to their use of search engines, employing channels such as Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit as integral components of their purchasing journey. These platforms serve as valuable sources of information, allowing individuals to delve deeper into companies and products as part of their decision-making process. Moreover, social networks enable users to explore recommendations from their own networks, guiding them towards relevant offerings. In this manner, social media plays a pivotal role in connecting shoppers with their desired products and services. Over time, social media has transformed into a virtual marketplace, where users can engage with friends, brands, and creators, resembling the experience of perusing merchandise in a conventional store. Just as the likelihood of making a purchase increases with more time spent browsing in a physical setting, extended periods of interaction on social media platforms similarly enhance the chances of conversion. Customers tend to gravitate towards platforms they are already familiar with and comfortable using. Millennials and Generation Z, for instance, exhibit a preference for visually-oriented networks like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat. In contrast, Baby Boomers are anticipated to favor Facebook as their platform of choice. Women seek inspiration and ideas on TikTok and Pinterest, while men turn to Twitter and Twitch for their next potential acquisitions. Apart from the prominent platforms, there exist other social buying sites such as Kaboodle and ShopStyle, which provide users with the ability to curate personal style boards, compile product lists, and engage in blogging. Much like the experience of shopping together in a physical store, these platforms facilitate product reviews and direct recommendations among friends and social connections. Your platform of choice should depend on the target audience of your product/service. It is important that you invest your energy and resources in a directive manner. The Recent (and Relevant)Trends: Present-day consumers display a keen interest in exploring novel features offered by social media platforms. Their diverse connections and interactions provide valuable insights to businesses regarding brand discovery and purchasing patterns. Among various tools for social media targeting, livestreams have gained exceptional popularity. A notable 71% of viewers engaging with livestreams have made purchases through social media, with 48% expressing a desire to utilize in-platform commerce tools for future transactions. Looking ahead to 2023, a significant portion of customers, approximately 45%, will prefer to make purchases directly through their favorite social media platforms. However, these customers also expect a more streamlined and efficient experience. While Gen Z emerges as the demographic most likely to embrace this functionality, with 52% expressing eagerness to engage in social media commerce, overall expectations encompass faster browsing and seamless purchasing processes. Moreover, as the metaverse continues to gain prominence, consumers can anticipate the integration of virtual or augmented reality-powered shopping carts in the near future. However, the extent to which customers embrace this trend largely depends on their generational affiliation. Older customers are generally less inclined to adopt these advancements, while early adopters exhibit a willingness to pay a premium for such immersive experiences. Notably, over 80% of consumers who regularly engage with augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies have already embraced social shopping, indicating their receptiveness to innovative approaches. Understand Influence: When making purchases on social media, 49% of buyers are influenced by targeted ads, while 4 out of 10 users are swayed by a brand's organic content. Some individuals (34%) seek recommendations from friends' posts or browse multiple social sites (34%) before making a decision. Throughout the purchasing process on social media, customers continue to rely on various influences: Friends Product comments, remarks, and reviews Brand familiarity Recommendations from significant others Among those aged 18 to 40, friends play the most crucial role in their purchasing decisions, followed by social media influencers. Millennials, Gen Z, and Gen X have developed increased trust in influencers, comparable to their trust in friends, particularly during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Baby Boomers, who are less influenced by Millennials, place greater trust in their significant others and friends. Trust plays a vital role in convincing individuals to purchase a specific product or service. Therefore, crowdsourced feedback or product reviews from strangers have the least influence on someone's buying decisions. Consumer’s Psychology The Recent (and Relevant)Trends One aspect of social shopping is the utilization of social proof and heuristic thinking. Consumers often observe what others are buying or have bought and take their lead from them. This is because people tend to view popular or dominant choices as the best and most valid options. It is a classic example of the power of peer influence. Social shopping features employ social evidence to encourage heuristic thinking in purchasing decisions. These features include Pick Lists, which provide insights into what people want and value, and Popularity Lists that showcase the most popular or remarkable products. Additionally, the Share Your Story tool allows consumers to offer human-interest testimonials or reviews, further influencing others' decisions. Follow the Leader Another psychological aspect of social shopping is the reliance on expert opinions and authority figures. Consumers have a natural tendency to trust the judgments of experts, regardless of what they say. This trust in expertise saves time and energy for users by relying on the knowledge and experience shared by authoritative individuals. Social shopping features take advantage of this tendency by incorporating Expert Reviews, which provide insights from niche leaders and industry experts. Referral-Generating Programs also play a role, as recommendations from trusted individuals within the community carry significant weight in the decision-making process. Follow Those You Like People often feel inclined to emulate and agree with individuals they like, admire, or find attractive. This tendency contributes to building social bonds and trust, as it is part of managing our image and identity through association. Social shopping features leverage this aspect by offering Influencer's Lists, showcasing the favorite brands, products, or services of influential individuals. Referral Programs create private shopping events or exclusive live-stream portals that are trusted by the social community. Additionally, Group Shopping features enable users to co-browse online stores together, allowing them to become influenced by the preferences of people they like and trust. In Conclusion Having a social commerce strategy in place is the current of doing business. To optimize yours, partner with Saffron Edge, a leading digital marketing agency with expertise in social media marketing and e-commerce. Contact us today to take your social shopping initiatives to new heights. ...

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