Six SaaS lead generation strategies your business must follow
Written by Nick Brown | 15th March 2024
The software-as-a-service (SaaS) business model is viral right now. In the era of cloud computing, many organizations love the convenience of operating business-critical software online.
That means more companies are coming up to meet this demand. So, using the right SaaS lead generation strategies is crucial if you want to compete in this crowded marketplace.
The importance of using SaaS lead generation strategies
Developing effective SaaS marketing and lead generation strategies can be a challenging task. The sector is a highly competitive space, and finding potential customers is only half the battle. There’s a lot to do if you want to have any chance of turning potential leads into paying clients.
Most SaaS companies are looking to reach out to a target audience of B2B customers. This means using business-friendly marketing strategies, like social media, email campaigns, high-converting landing pages, and paid ads, to boost customer acquisition rates.
Some marketing efforts are likely more successful than others for SaaS companies. So, let’s look at six specific strategies you should follow to up your game and land new clients.
Six winning SaaS lead generation strategies
Implementing a culture of innovation is the starting point for developing a winning SaaS lead generation strategy. After all, the objective is to reach a wider audience than you have thus far. That means trying new approaches and fresh ideas.
To start:
1) Try email automation
To begin, it’s worth trying automated email marketing software. To be clear, this doesn’t mean sending out cold emails to everyone. Instead, you should turn your website traffic into email leads by capturing email addresses using a web form. People showing enough interest to sign up will be high-quality leads by default.
A well-planned email marketing campaign is one of the most effective ways of reaching potential B2B customers. According to a survey by eMarketer, half of B2B marketers say that email is the most impactful marketing channel.
Using an automated platform is one of the most straightforward ways to reach your sales-qualified leads.
2) Launch a referral scheme
Referral marketing can be a powerful tool for growing your SaaS client base. The beauty of referral programs is that they have their own social proof built-in. If your existing clients recommend your service to their business connections, it’s a great way of cutting through the marketing clutter.
There are two main schools of thought when it comes to referral programs: you can either ask for referrals at a suitable moment (e.g. after closing a deal), or you can put an ongoing program in place that rewards clients for bringing in new business. Both can be effective strategies, so the one you choose will depend on your overall goals.
3) Use promotional videos
If you haven’t considered making videos to promote your product before, now could be the time. Explainer videos can be a great way of grabbing the attention of potential clients. They also have the advantage that you can distribute them however you like. Put them on your home page, social media platforms, or email marketing messages—it’s entirely up to you.
Over time, you can build a library of videos to increase client engagement. For SaaS businesses, this is crucial because retaining existing clients is just as important as attracting new ones.
For instance, creating a collection of helpful how-to instructional videos for customers to access builds brand authority. That’s a critical element of good customer relationship management.
4) Have a content marketing strategy
Of course, these kinds of videos are excellent as educational content, but it’s also vital to put a more broad-based content marketing strategy in place. High-quality output is crucial for getting your message across.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with different types of content. The humble blog post can be a remarkably effective way of marketing a SaaS business, provided it’s on a well-chosen topic and written by someone who knows what they’re talking about.
You could also consider using gated content. This is content that’s only accessible to selected people. An example would be an email newsletter available to anyone who signs up with their email address. The key point to remember is that you should only gate valuable content. Otherwise, why would anyone subscribe to it?
Effective content marketing strategies have to take many factors into account, such as search engine optimization, web page optimization, organic traffic generation, and so on. That means it’s best to take expert advice rather than try to find your way through.
5) Offer a free trial
Everybody loves a bargain. When it comes to SaaS marketing strategies, “try before you buy” can be an excellent way of persuading business owners to sign up for the long term.
Sales cycles tend to be quite drawn out in the software-as-a-service space, and getting potential buyers over the line means overcoming the inertia of the B2B decision-making process. Letting them get their hands on the goods for free is a great way to resolve this problem.
There are a couple of options here. Either you can follow a freemium pricing strategy, which means anyone can use the basic features of your product, but only paid accounts can access premium features, or you can grant full access for free for a limited period. Both strategies can work well to speed up the sales process and boost conversion rates.
6) Mobile-first
Finally, these SaaS lead generation strategies will only be half as effective if you don’t have your SaaS website optimized for mobile browsers. In this day and age, it’s vital to design your site with a mobile-first mindset.
According to Statista, mobile devices other than tablets (so phones, mostly) account for 58.33% of global web traffic. So, be mobile-savvy, and make sure your site delivers an equally good user experience regardless of the device it’s being viewed on.
Final thoughts on SaaS lead generation strategies
There’s no doubt that marketing a SaaS business can be tough. The space is competitive, and attracting new clients is difficult—but that’s just the nature of the game.
Luckily, with the right SaaS lead generation strategies in place, it’s one you can play to win.
Author's bio
Nick Brown is the founder & CEO of accelerate, a SaaS SEO agency. Nick has launched several successful online businesses, writes for Forbes, published a book, and has grown accelerate from a UK-based agency to a company that now operates across the US, APAC, and EMEA.
