Digital marketing is a tough process for all businesses, regardless of the type of product you sell. That said, the specific type of service your business provides should impact the way you run your digital marketing campaign.
We're going to talk about companies that sell software as a service in this article. We'll discuss the ways in which you can tailor your campaign to account for your business style as well as some of the fundamental methods that are consistent throughout digital marketing.
Hopefully, you can leave the article with a better understanding of how to move forward. Let's get started.
Digital Marketing: Methods for SaaS Companies
A marketing strategy has to start by taking into account both the speed and nature of the end result. Whatever your metric of success, whether it's a download, a subscription, or the purchase of a product, there are going to be different ways of creating your campaign to account for those things.
When it comes to SaaS companies, the metric of success is usually carried out in a very quick way. You don't tend to spend too much time wooing people down the sales funnel. Instead, you present them with key information for the software that they need, and they either make the purchase or they don't.
A big piece of this is having a great product at the right price point, but that doesn't have all that much to do with marketing.
Let's dig into some of the core methods of optimization before we cover the ones specific to software as a service.
Site Optimization
The first point to focus on is the quality of optimization on your site. Google ranks websites based on their content, but also on how well designed the back end of the website is.
Here we're referring to things like page load time, user experience, site architecture, the presence of dead links, and the keyword optimization of your main pages. There's an art to designing a website that's well-optimized, but the fortunate thing is that most platforms that create the site for you do their part to optimize it as it's being created.
That isn't to say that you shouldn't go through and double-check that everything is up to Google's best practice standards.
Content Creation
The content you put out into the world is really the source of most of the traffic you're likely to get. Even PPC ads, which we'll discuss later, tend to be tied to your content in some way.
You should create content in response to the keyword research you do on your target audience. The process involves finding your key audience, researching what they are searching for online, and creating a post in response to that keyword phrase. Additionally, you have to stay on top of those numbers and create the content while the trend is still there.
The process of optimizing pieces of content is less involved than optimizing your entire site, but it still requires some touch. It might not be a bad idea to consult with the experts, at least to get an idea of what great optimization requires of you.
Keep in mind, though, that Google's algorithm rewards sites that provide value to users. If they can list the sites that will actually help their users, those users are likely to come back and frequent Google again. So, the top priority for you should be to contribute value through your content.
The frilly optimization should come after as if you're editing a piece of writing. You won't get much success if your content is stuffed with keywords and doesn't really answer any user concerns, though.
PPC Advertisements
PPC (pay-per-click) ads are the ones that you see as you scroll through your social media feeds. You'll also notice them embedded in Google results pages from time to time.
From a business standpoint, there are few better ways to reach more people at an affordable cost. You're able to invest a small amount into an advertisement that will go right to the people you want it to and sometimes engage with thousands of individuals.
Along with content, ads are how you're going to spread your reach throughout the internet and get in touch with people who want to purchase your software.
Accounting for SaaS Customers
The nature of software is such that people don't tend to buy it on an impulse. A lot of people have a problem with buying clothes from Instagram ads, for example, and you wouldn't really do that with some kind of computer program that you weren't familiar with.
That said, those who are interested in purchasing your type of software are likely ready to make a purchase when they see the right product. This means that you should really focus on the search engine results pages. Those who want something tend to Google it and engage with the first few sites that show.
Success in the results pages requires good keyword research, frequent content, and a good understanding of who it is that you're trying to reach. Each time you specify one of those categories a little clearer, you set yourself apart and come up against less competition. So, if you can nail your research and optimization, you'll be in a great spot to grab the customers in your niche.
Another thing to keep in mind is that most SaaS customers are returning from the past. Individuals who have used your services and enjoyed them will come back for more. It's a lot easier to engage with those people than it is to bring another person aboard.
That means you should keep a tight email list that engages active users. You should also be sure to market your product updates and changes through social media and those email chains. If you can keep people interested in engaging with your brand, you'll get a lot more activity when that new product drops.
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Explore our site for more insight into digital marketing and a better idea of the success you'll see when you work with the pros.