21 Essential SaaS Marketing Tactics for 2024

The Software as a Service (SaaS) industry is projected to exceed $700 billion by 2028. This growth creates ample opportunities for SaaS businesses, but it also means facing intense competition. To stay ahead and thrive, having a robust SaaS marketing strategy is essential. Developing this strategy can be time-consuming, but the potential rewards are significant. For example, Chanty attracted 70% of their initial 10,000 users through effective SaaS content marketing.

As a link-building and comprehensive SaaS SEO agency, we specialize in helping SaaS businesses achieve their goals. In this article, we’ll explore effective SaaS marketing strategies to elevate your business.

What is a SaaS Marketing Strategy?

A SaaS marketing strategy aims to promote your SaaS product, generate leads, and retain customers. Most SaaS companies employ a mix of strategies rather than focusing on just one. For instance, Slack uses a combination of content marketing, social media, and email marketing.

Here are the core differences between SaaS marketing and other types of marketing:

• Complex Products: SaaS products are often intricate, leading to longer sales cycles. Therefore, you need to continuously engage and nurture leads through each stage of the sales funnel.
• Retention and Acquisition: Unlike single-purchase products, SaaS is subscription-based. You need to consistently demonstrate the value of your product to retain customers and maintain recurring revenue.
• Higher Commitment: With numerous tools available, you must create comparison articles and educational content to attract and retain users. Your marketing team needs to stay proactive and informed.

How to Develop a SaaS Marketing Plan

Creating a SaaS marketing plan involves multiple strategies and tactics aimed at increasing revenue and acquiring leads. Key steps include:

1. Research Competitors: Understand what your competitors are doing, the expectations of your target audience, and the platforms they use.
2. Review and Enhance Existing Plans: Assess your current marketing tactics and consider improvements, such as adding a newsletter or refining email campaigns.

Understanding Your Ideal SaaS Customer

To tailor a SaaS marketing strategy effectively, you need to deeply understand your ideal customer. Here’s how to achieve that:

1. Develop Customer Personas: Create detailed profiles of your ideal customers, including their behaviors, demographics, interests, goals, and attitudes. Include niche-specific details such as company size or departmental objectives.
2. Map the Customer Journey: Create a customer journey map to strategize different stages of the buying process. For example, at the awareness stage, focus on creating top-of-funnel (TOFU) content and leveraging user-generated content and influencer marketing. At the decision stage, offer comparison articles and personalized emails highlighting your product’s benefits.

Offering Free Value to Your Audience

Free trials and no-payment-needed options are common in the SaaS world. With high competition, convincing a customer to buy immediately can be challenging. Offering a free trial allows potential users to experience your product before committing to a purchase.

You might offer:

• A free trial with limited access.
• A freemium model with essential features at no cost.
• A limited free version.
• Free access forever under specific conditions.

Prominent SaaS companies like Shopify prominently display their free trials to attract users.

Top 21 SaaS Marketing Strategies

Here are 21 proven SaaS marketing strategies to help you attract targeted leads, scale customer acquisition, streamline onboarding, and reduce churn:

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO helps drive organic traffic without relying on paid ads. Focus on:

• On-Page SEO: Optimize your web pages by researching relevant keywords, improving image alt tags, refining URLs, and enhancing meta descriptions.
• Off-Page SEO: Build high-quality backlinks. For example, combining on-page and off-page SEO strategies helped Postalytics increase organic traffic significantly.

2. Content Marketing

Content marketing can significantly boost visibility and authority. Consider:

• Blogs: Create actionable blog posts, like Ahrefs, which guide users while subtly promoting their product.
• Landing Pages: Having multiple landing pages can increase leads. Use these pages to collect user information and link to offers.
• Webinars: Host online seminars to provide valuable information and promote your product.
• Videos: Produce educational or promotional videos. Canva, for instance, shares tips and updates via Instagram reels.
• Podcasts: Utilize podcasts to reach audiences who prefer audio content. Mailchimp features inspiring podcasts on its website.

3. Content Upgrades

Offer additional content in exchange for email addresses. This could be in the form of PDFs, ebooks, checklists, or templates. For example, Hootsuite places content upgrades prominently on their blogs to capture leads.

4. Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing isn’t just for direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands. SaaS companies like Buffer have successfully used influencers to expand their reach and grow their subscriber base. Collaborate with influencers relevant to your niche to broaden your audience.

5. Behavioral Retargeting

Re-engage visitors who didn’t complete a purchase through:

• Display Ads: Show ads on other sites they visit.
• Social Media Retargeting: Display ads on platforms like Facebook or Instagram.
• Email Retargeting: Use collected emails to send personalized offers.

6. Video Marketing

Video marketing can generate qualified leads and drive sales. Utilize various video formats such as product demos, informational videos, and collaborations with influencers. Distribute videos across platforms like YouTube and integrate them into email campaigns and landing pages.

7. Email Marketing

Email marketing offers a high ROI. Use it for:

• Welcome Emails
• Promotional Campaigns
• Onboarding Sequences
• Newsletters
• Reactivation Campaigns

Best practices include using engaging visuals, personalizing content, experimenting with subject lines, and including clear calls to action (CTAs).

8. Google Ads, Paid Search, and PPC

Paid advertising can complement organic efforts. Optimize ads by selecting the right keywords, designing effective landing pages, and bidding on competitor names. For example, search results for “Zapier alternative” show how competitors can appear in relevant searches.

9. Social Media Marketing

Social media can drive awareness and engagement. Utilize platforms like:

• Facebook: Share updates, educational content, and case studies.
• LinkedIn: Connect with business leaders and share industry insights.
• X (formerly Twitter): Engage with your audience through polls and discussions.
• Instagram: Use user-generated content and influencer partnerships.

10. Co-Marketing

Partner with complementary companies for joint marketing efforts. For example, a social media scheduling tool could collaborate with a social media analytics company to create an ebook. Clearly define collaboration goals, responsibilities, budget, timeline, and engagement strategies.

11. Referral Marketing

Encourage referrals with incentives. Define what makes a quality referral and offer rewards such as discounts or free upgrades. Dropbox’s referral program, for example, led to massive growth by offering additional storage space for successful referrals.

12. SaaS Pricing

Make your pricing clear and accessible. Ensure users can easily understand pricing structures and compare different plans. Showcase any free plans to attract hesitant customers. For example, Moosend provides a straightforward pricing table and comparison section.

13. Account-Based Marketing (ABM)

ABM focuses on creating personalized experiences for high-value accounts. Steps include:

• Building an Ideal Customer Profile (ICP).
• Researching challenges and tailoring your product’s value proposition.
• Developing personalized content and utilizing a multi-channel approach.

14. Testimonials and Customer Reviews

Leverage testimonials and reviews to build trust. Options include:

• Review Websites: Gain visibility on third-party sites like G2 and Capterra.
• Testimonials: Feature customer feedback on your site.
• Video Testimonials: Add authenticity through video reviews.
• Customer Success Stories: Highlight how your product has helped customers achieve their goals.

15. Improve User Experience

Enhance your product’s usability to retain customers. Focus on:

• Adding or improving features.
• Simplifying navigation.
• Addressing user pain points.
• Providing helpful content and support.

16. Sign-Up Flows and CTAs

Streamline the sign-up process to prevent abandonment. Best practices include:

• Minimizing required information.
• Using progressive profiling.
• Offering one-click registration.
• Creating compelling CTAs to guide users through the process.

17. Limit Customer Choice

Avoid overwhelming users with too many options. Provide a balanced range of choices that simplifies decision-making. For example, Miro offers a limited number of plans with clear value propositions.

18. Deals and Discounts

Use limited-time offers to encourage conversions. Ensure discounts remain special and are not frequent enough to diminish their perceived value. Grammarly uses this strategy to upsell by offering discounts to existing users.

19. Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)

Improve your conversion rate by analyzing user behavior and optimizing your website. CRO focuses on converting existing traffic rather than increasing it. This involves understanding user needs and enhancing their experience to boost conversions.

20. Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI can transform SaaS marketing. Tools like ChatGPT assist with idea generation, customer engagement, and workflow automation. For example, Buffer uses AI to help users brainstorm and repurpose content efficiently.

21. Marketing Automation

Automate repetitive tasks with marketing tools. CRM systems like HubSpot centralize customer data and guide marketing campaigns. When selecting automation tools, consider business needs, budget, features, integrations, and reviews.

Ready to Enhance Your SaaS Marketing Strategy?

Marketing a SaaS business is complex and ongoing. The 21 strategies outlined above can help you attract, convert, and retain customers effectively. If you need expert assistance in optimizing your SaaS marketing efforts, consider reaching out to MADX. Our team of experts is ready to help you achieve your marketing goals.

By implementing these strategies, you’ll be well-equipped to navigate the competitive SaaS landscape and position your business for success.