Marketing Your Startup's SaaS For The First Time? If so, do This

Photo: Decryption Marketing

By no means would I even imply that selling a product is easy. If it were, everyone would excel at it and those who are great at selling products wouldn’t stand out so much. What I could say with complete temerity—is that selling a tangible product is simple.

That’s because the consumer is able to see, touch, and if necessary—return a product to the retailer or manufacturer she purchased it from if unsatisfied with its performance.

Obviously, that isn’t the case at all when it comes to SaaS. Unlike a physical product, SaaS (Software as a Service) isn’t tangible at all. Therefore, convincing consumers to purchase a subscription is—let’s just say, more of a strenuous process.

That said, just because an endeavor requires a bit more effort, doesn’t mean that it still cannot be done in a simple manner. As legendary football coach Norv Turner once said, “There’s beauty in simplicity.”

If you're in the process of marketing your startup’s SaaS for the very first time, here’s one of the simplest—yet effective ways to do it.

Pinpoint an audience with a problem

Another thing that makes marketing and selling SaaS to customers more difficult than a tangible product is that typically, SaaS is sold on a subscription basis. Which means that customers must be convinced why it is in their best interest to make a long-term commitment by paying for a subscription of your software. 

Extra effort notwithstanding, the simplest (there’s that word again) way to convince a customer to commit to handing over their hard earned cash and subscribe to your service, is by identifying and targeting those with a particular problem that your SaaS would best serve as a solution to. 

Perhaps your program makes people healthier, wealthier, or even sexier—whatever the case, the very first task when marketing your SaaS, is to identify target customers who could stand to gain most by your MVP—then, take the following actions.

Blitz social media 

Speaking of simplicity, the simplest way to familiarize a worldwide audience with your startup and its offerings today is by having a consistent social media presence (unless you have a crazy television advertising budget). 

Recent studies show that 43% of consumers now discover new products, services, and brands through social media. This means that nearly half of the people who will discover your startup and its services—will do so via a social media platform.

Nonetheless, as it pertains to marketing SaaS, simply having a presence on social media isn’t enough. Remember, you’re not marketing a tangible product. Therefore, persuading people to make a purchase will require providing them with a bit more information about how your software could help improve their lives in a way that is relevant to them. 

Strategically blitzing social media video platforms like: Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X, and YouTube is not only essential in ensuring your audience is aware of your startup and its offerings—it also plays a pivotal role in informing your audience of what your SaaS does and how it could help improve their lives. 

Offer free trials 

With now well over 200 million users, it’s safe to say that all-in-one food tracker, calorie counter, macro and fitness tracker MyFitnessPal, is easily one of the most successful fitness apps on the market today. 

Similar to courting a desired mate, MyFitnessPal’s marketing team didn’t convert prospects into subscribers by simply telling them how much their app could improve their lives; instead, they showed those they sought to serve how the app would improve their lives by offering them free trials to experience the app’s benefits for themselves.

An integral part of the marketing funnel to convert prospects into paying subscribers is by first converting them into users by way of free trials.

A unique advantage that SaaS actually does have over most products is that it allows brands the opportunity to let users experience the benefits of their program by way of a free trial. 

By offering free trials, consumers could experience the benefits your program provides in their daily lives. And if your SaaS truly solves a consumer’s problem or makes their life more convenient in a way that is significant enough to them—they will happily pay for a subscription in order to live happily ever after with your service. 

Let’s convert your ideal audience into subscribers

At Decryption, we believe that awesome brands attract awesome customers. Contact us today and schedule a complimentary client consultation and together, we’ll begin the process of converting your ideal audience into awesome happily satisfied subscribers.