SaaS, or Software as a Service, is the process of delivering and using computerized personal or business applications over the internet. As a company, you do not need to install expensive and complex software and hardware.
SaaS products or services can be accessed through a monthly, quarterly, or annual subscription plan. They usually have a simple sign-up and payment process and can be used by both individuals and businesses.
One of the fastest growing “on-demand software” trends globally today, the SaaS industry is a $141 billion industry. The competition in the industry is getting stronger as more and more companies digitalize their processes. It is also estimated that approximately 80% of companies were using one SaaS application or another at the end of 2022.
SaaS marketing tools – how should you choose from multiple options?
So, you have launched your SaaS business. Your product is viable, people are buying it, and other businesses are calling you to partner with you. But this is not the end of the road, right? You need to make sure your business grows and thrives quickly. For this, you need to invest in marketing efforts.
But SaaS businesses cannot use the usual marketing techniques and strategies. SaaS products are usually “intangible” (do not have a physical shape), and have different needs and characteristics compared to physical goods and products.
You must therefore use a specialized set of marketing tools to help you improve your business.
SaaS marketing tools help you manage critical and routine processes such as email marketing, customer segmentation, social media management, and content creation.
But there are dozens of tools that can do these tasks. Some are free, some are offered at a one-off cost, and some have a subscription model (usually monthly). Many of them are similar in form and function. Some are very niche tools. Some die out soon after launch. So how do you choose the best ones for your business?
The process of choosing the right SaaS marketing tools for your company starts with you. You know your business better than others. You know your customers better than others. You know where you want to take your business in the coming years. This position gives you a lot of insights into your business and the industry in which it is operating.
Keep in mind the following factors while choosing the best SaaS marketing tools for your business:
- They should be affordable for your business
- If you are a SaaS start-up, you may not have a large budget for the tools
- Many SaaS marketing tools are free, while some are priced at different levels
- You should choose a SaaS marketing tool that has a free level, to help you get comfortable with it before moving on to a paid version
- They should be easy to use
- Whether a start-up or a large business, your marketing and IT teams have a lot of work to do
- The tools should therefore be easy to learn, use, and integrate into your overall marketing automation system
- They should be effective
- The SaaS marketing tools that you choose should help you achieve your business goals
- Do not make a decision based on a short-term need or requirement
The top 5 SaaS marketing tools
- Google Analytics
- Marketing in today’s digitalized world relies completely on data
- Your customer data is a treasure trove of information about their habits, pain points, and other insights which you can use to finetune your marketing efforts
- Google Analytics is a traffic measurement tool that gives you information on your website visitors, their interaction with different web pages on your website, where they come from, and what are their main interests or likes
- Google Analytics also provides you with important backend data on your website’s performance, such as loading speed, mobile responsiveness, and error notifications
- This is a free tool from a world leader in the field
- True North
- True North is the one that helps you make effective marketing decisions
- It helps you measure the success of different campaigns, launch new products or services, and check if you are meeting your ROI targets
- True North helps you identify and track the key performance indicators of your campaigns using data effectively.
- You can compare actual performance against simulation models to optimize your bids and campaigns
- This marketing platform is available free for a trial period followed by a monthly subscription option
- MailChimp
- One of the oldest and most popular email marketing tools in the market
- MailChimp is a marketing automation platform that helps you send out targeted and personalized emails to your customers
- MailChimp also offer e-commerce features specifically for Shopify storefronts
- This SaaS marketing tool has both free and paid versions
- Ahrefs
- Ahrefs is an important SaaS Marketing tool
- It helps you manage and optimize your SEO and SERP rankings
- Its site audit function helps you identify the best features of your website and those areas where it needs to be improved
- Ahrefs also helps you track your competitors in real-time in terms of site traffic, keywords, and their most popular website pages
- Ahrefs has a paid trial offer and a monthly subscription model
- Hootsuite
- Your SaaS business needs to create and increase brand awareness and visibility
- Social media is an important channel for this requirement, as it is a two-way communication between your brand and your customers
- Hootsuite helps manage and optimize your social media strategy
- It helps you manage multiple social media accounts, plan your content, analyze different metrics, and handle social media advertising from a single dashboard
- This SaaS marketing tool is available on a monthly subscription-based model
The tools listed here are used by a majority of companies in the SaaS industry. These SaaS marketing tools offer powerful, useful, and unique features that can help your SaaS business grow quickly.
The bottom line is that any SaaS marketing tool you choose for your business must help you to manage leads, grow them into conversions, get them to return regularly, and acquire new leads. This has to be done continuously and in a well-defined manner.
Conclusion
As a SaaS business owner, you could have many different priorities. But your most important priority is to make your customers’ journey as smooth as possible.
The right tools will make your business processes faster, easier, and more accurate. Your business will have a much more efficient system of identifying and tapping potential customers, capturing more qualified leads, pushing trials of your product or service, and retaining customers.