SaaS marketing was the buzzword for 2020. Rings a bell, doesn’t it?
It makes so much sense because of the sheer volume of data available at disposal today. The fact that it’s neatly laid out in a subscription-based cloud service is nothing short of a miracle.
B2B SaaS is rising because of how many startups are being born out of a pandemic. What’s exciting is that 70% of apps that businesses are using today are SaaS-based. It’s no surprise that the industry is leading to become $138 billion a year mammoth.
Sometimes I wake up late, only to discover a new SaaS company is launched. It’s surprising how fast these tools are being developed and the rate at which they are growing.
The beauty of SaaS lies in the ease of usage. A laptop and an internet connection are all you need, and you can take your business online.
In this blog, I’m going to cover 3 types of SaaS marketing tools that every online business needs.
These tools help:
- With lead generation
- With feedback from your audience
- And, with email marketing
1. CRM tools
Customer relationship management tools help to see everything in a single place. It’s where you manage your interactions with the customers.
A CRM platform helps marketers:
- Refine the sales cycle
- Map out the lead generation process
- Assess and compare data from previous months
- Close sales effectively by segmenting the leads in a better way
And a lot more.
Marketing as a discipline of business is not a solo performance.
Imagine this- Marketing is a live musical with different instruments playing simultaneously. Then, CRM’s are the opera managers who bring everything together.
Tools to look out for: Hubspot, Salesforce
2 Survey & Lead generation tools
The best way to do market research is to ask the audience directly. Isn’t it?
Lead generation is how marketing starts. Survey and lead generation tools make it easier to ask the right questions in a better way as well as build an asset. The email list.
Free tools like google forms or landing page builders are a good way to start. These tools have the added advantage of fitting right into your CRMs and sending data across.
Lead generation activities and surveys that look unattractive are such a turn-off, no wonder why 63% of marketers say that their biggest challenge is lead generation.
Tools to look out for: Typeform & Survey monkey
3. Email marketing tools
Next on this list are email marketing tools which are a personal favorite.
Emails are one of the most profitable marketing channels because you get $42 in return for every $1 you spend on it. If that doesn’t sound like a good deal, I don’t know what does.
Sending out emails professionally is not an easy feat. There are a lot of moving parts. As your list grows, managing subscribers becomes cumbersome. That’s where these tools come in.
SaaS email marketing tools make it easier to:
- Send bulk messages,
- Engage with subscribers,
- And orchestrate drip sequences
Emails are easily the most personal form of communication. The trick is to move over from just a simple “Hi, {Name}.”
Emails personalized to the core with good copywriting result in higher CTRs. That’s why 31% of B2B marketers prefer this channel to nurture leads.
When will you?
Tools to look out for: Convertkit & Mailchimp
So, now that you understand why these softwares are essential, let’s look at the next steps.
Next Steps:
- Tools go a long way in helping marketers, but they are nothing without a strategy, so work on that first.
- You might not need all tools at first, so figure out what you can afford and start with, in line with your S.M.A.R.T goals.
- Use tools like Zapier to connect two or more tools seamlessly. It’ll automate your workflows to the next level.
- The primary benefit of these tools is data at your doorstep, so don’t turn a blind eye to it.
Conclusion
One blog is not nearly enough to cover the entire spectrum of tools available to SaaS marketers. The reason to choose these tools was their prime importance.
Getting started with a CRM platform is wise because you get to see all your data in one place,
Listening to your customers with surveys is the best way to get feedback for your product,
And email lists are the holy grail of personal relationships with your customers.
Once you start growing your B2B SaaS business things will change rapidly. Make sure you get the basics right.