17 B2B SaaS Marketing Channels You Should Consider For Your SaaS Startup

Every business has a website these days, but the best B2B SaaS marketing channels are those that you customize to fit your company’s unique needs.

Customization can be as simple as changing colors and fonts or more complicated, like adding new features to increase user engagement. It all depends on how much time and effort you want to put in. For example, if you need a lot of customer service help, you might want an app for live chat.

An excellent way to find out what will work best for your SaaS business is by thinking about your target market and their preferences when it comes down to technology usage- do they prefer desktop computers or mobile devices? Do they have any special needs such as hearing impairments? By thinking about these things, you will build the perfect customer experience.

This article will go over some of the best B2B SaaS marketing channels you can consider for your company to improve sales and user engagement.

1. Your Own Website

Ever heard of a little something called “word of mouth?” It’s one of the best B2B SaaS marketing channels available because it’s what Google uses to rank websites. Websites that become popular have a better chance of being found on search engines, leading to more users and a higher conversion rate.

One great way to make sure your website ranks well on Google is through an effective SaaS content marketing strategy. Content marketing helps you take the benefits of your SaaS product or service and turn them into emotionally compelling stories, sticky and easy to share with other people.

2. Mobile Apps

Nowadays, it seems like everyone has a smartphone, so having an app for your B2B SaaS company is one of the best digital marketing channels you can consider because it’s accessible to a large target audience. Even if the user doesn’t have your app, there is still a chance they will see a push notification about a sale or new product launch.

Unfortunately, apps can take up a lot of time and money, so be sure to do your research before deciding whether or not to build one.

3. Emails

Email marketing is a great way to keep your SaaS company top of mind with current customers and prospective users. You can even create different incentives for people to sign up. Some good examples include newsletters about upcoming events, new products/services, coupons/discounts, etc.

Be sure not to send out too many emails; otherwise, your customers might think of you as a spammer and unsubscribe. You can also include polls in your emails to discover what your users want from your company.

4. Video

If the text doesn’t resonate with the user enough, then video might be the right fit for them. You can even consider adding promotional videos on YouTube and embedding them into your website using the “YouTube iframe” function. If you have a Facebook page, you can also create custom ads, so people see all different kinds of content about your company- it’s very affordable too.

5. Blogs & Newsletters

Blogs are great SaaS inbound marketing channels to inform your customers about new products/services, events in the community, and even industry news. If you don’t have time to update your blog yourself, consider hiring an intern or outsourcing articles — it will be worth the money if you can keep people interested in your SaaS business. Newsletters are an excellent way to inform customers about upcoming promotions, coupons, new products/services, etc.

6. Social Media

Do you want to reach millions of users? Then social media might be the B2B SaaS marketing channel for you! Several platforms offer social media integration, such as Facebook and Twitter. You can even create special offers that require people to “like” your page before redeeming them.

According to Forbes, 94% of B2B SaaS marketers use Twitter, and 93% actively use Facebook (2016). If you want to improve your company’s overall presence, consider using at least one of these social media platforms. Keep in mind that you’re not limited to just one SaaS platform because it’s possible to use both Twitter and Facebook simultaneously- just remember to separate your personal brand from the business if you choose this route.

If someone wants information about your SaaS company, then they’ll contact you directly; in the meantime, they can keep themselves entertained on social media by reading all of your informative tweets/posts.

7. Events

Attending events is a great way to grow your SaaS brand  because it allows customers from all different industries to interact with you in person — it doesn’t matter what you sell. For example, if you’re a plumber and want to market your company, you can probably attend home improvement or real estate expos.

You can even host your own event at your office. Just make sure that there are people who can provide customer service because customers will likely have questions about your SaaS product.

8. Surveys & Questionnaires

If you want to find out more about your customers, then consider sending out a survey or questionnaire, it’s a great way to tell what they like and doesn’t like about your SaaS product or company — this will help you provide better customer service in the future. You can even send them out through email or text message.

9. Direct Mail

Before sending out a direct mail piece, you’ll want to target your ideal demographic — once you do that, create something that will stand out on the mailbox! If you can’t afford to purchase mailing lists, make sure to consult with local businesses because not everyone is willing to sell their list for the right price.

10. Competitions & Giveaways

Let’s face it — humans love to compete! Giving out incentives is a great way to get people involved in your SaaS company, just be sure that you have a prize worth winning. For example, SaaS giveaways and other promotional events can be a great way to start. Remember to give out incentives to the winners, though!

11. Billboards

Billboards are excellent display ads to attract attention. Still, you should take note that they’re not too effective if the billboards are in the middle of nowhere or if an amateur creates them — it doesn’t matter how good your billboard looks; there has to be a clear message associated with it. However, if you use digital billboards, then it’s an entirely different story because people can interact with them and share their favorite brands.

12. Television ads

Although televised advertisements are expensive, they might be worth the investment if you have a large budget because television ads tend to go viral faster. Keep in mind that your customer also has the option of sharing your ad with their friends whenever they see fit.

13. Sponsorships & Endorsements

Sponsorships are a great way to help people promote your SaaS product. You can even make money through endorsements! Just remember one thing; don’t ever abuse any endorsements or sponsorships because they lose their value over time.

14. Radio Ads

Your radio ads need to be catchy, persuasive, and most importantly, creative. Remember that radio ads are not recommended for companies who want to sell products/services that require people’s full attention (such as cars or houses). However, you should use this marketing strategy when you want to create interest that can later be enhanced by direct mail, telephone campaigns, etc.

15. Public Speaking

Speaking in front of people might seem like a nightmare for some; however, it’s also one of the most powerful ways to make people aware of your SaaS product, especially if you’re a B2B SaaS company. It’s a win-win situation because not only can you gain exposure for your business, but the person who invited you to speak also gets a leg up on their competition.

16. Employee Advocacy

If you want to expand your SaaS company, it might be time to ask your employees if they’d like to become brand ambassadors. If they agree, then be sure to provide them with all of the necessary tools to reach more people. They might even do you a favor and help you gain new fans/customers!

17. Paid Ads

Paid marketing channels are another great way to market your SaaS product, but you have to be careful. A lot of SaaS  companies are getting sick of traditional Google Ads because they are taking up valuable real estate on the Google SERP. Because of this, more people are turning to places like Facebook ads and LinkedIn ads, where they can get a more personal feel for their audience.

It’s important to remember that no matter how organic, you make your organic presence.

Things to Consider When Choosing a B2B SaaS Marketing Channel 

Below are a few questions you need to ask when deciding what B2B marketing channels to use for your SaaS startup:
How does the channel help you get leads? – In other words, what type of traffic does the channel provide? If it’s direct or targeted, then you’ll need to find a way to tell those people about your B2B SaaS startup.

What is the cost of using this channel?

Before spending any money on advertising, make sure that you know how much it will cost you and the return on investment. Remember that you might have to spend a little more money to get your message out there, but it’s still better than doing nothing at all (or have no idea how much money you’re spending).

Will this channel help expand my company?

Just because one channel doesn’t work for you now doesn’t mean that it won’t work for you later- just be sure to keep trying until you find something that works!

Why does this channel stand out from the rest?

Ultimately, you’ll need to come up with answers before choosing your B2B marketing channels. Also, don’t forget to give yourself time to experiment so you can figure out which channel is the best fit for your B2B SaaS startup.

What is the main message that you want to convey?

If there’s one thing that you remember from this article, then we hope it’s this: if your marketing campaign doesn’t have a clearly defined goal, then you need to work on defining it as soon as possible.

How does your target market feel about the different channels?

It’s not a good idea to use a SaaS marketing strategy if it contradicts how your specific audience feels- stick to what people are passionate about. You’ll have a serious advantage over your competition. Remember, the more engaged your target market is with your product or service- the more exposure you will get.

What are the risks involved?

You might have a good marketing plan in place, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any risks involved with using it- if you’re not comfortable with taking on some potential problems, then don’t do it! However, just remember that there isn’t any marketing strategy that comes without risks, so be prepared for any negative consequences.

How long will it take before I see results?

If you want to become a successful entrepreneur, you need to know how much time and effort it will take to get there. No matter what your product/service is, the process of making people aware of it can’t happen overnight- it’s going to take some serious time and effort.

What are the long-term benefits?

Just because something seems enticing now doesn’t mean that it will always be worth your time. If you want to change up your marketing strategies, then it might be a good idea to sit down and think about what would benefit you in the long run.

How will I become successful?

If you want to become a major success story, you need to get down to the basics- find out what made so many other people so successful and try your best to get there. However, keep in mind that achieving greatness isn’t easy- it’s going to take time, patience, persistence, and a whole lot of hard work.

How does it help convert leads into customers?

If you’re not sure how the marketing strategy you’re using is helping you convert leads to customers, then it might be a good idea to spend some time (and money) figuring that out.

Who is my target market?

If your target market isn’t entirely composed of potential customers, then there’s no point in wasting time and money on marketing strategies that aren’t going to help you.

Will it work for my B2B SaaS startup?

Before using any marketing strategy, you should always think about whether or not it will fit your company- after all, just because something is practical for one company doesn’t mean that it’s effective for yours! Remember, the bottom line is that it’s got to be suitable for your business- not somebody else’s!

Does this channel provide high customer lifetime value?

If you want to be successful, then it’s essential that whatever marketing strategy you’re using is proven to provide high customer lifetime value. Keep in mind that the higher your customer lifetime value, the more money you’ll earn- which is why this particular statistic should always be on your mind.

Keep Experimenting

Even though some channels are better than others, never take them for granted! It’s all about testing and measuring which channels work for your company. In most cases, Google Analytics will allow your marketing team to track which digital marketing channels are generating the most traffic and conversions. Still, sometimes it’s better to look at your reports with a creative eye.

What are your thoughts on B2B SaaS marketing channels?

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