“Minds do not leap. Observation, evaluation, and iteration, not sudden shifts of perception, solve problems and lead us to creation.”

Kevin Ashton, the guy who, among other things, pioneered the global standard system for RFID and other sensors, said that. But how does that quote relate it our topic today?

Most business models in the world are a microcosm of life on a smaller scale. Digital marketing for a SaaS company is no exception. To truly excel at it, constant observation, evaluation, and iteration of ideas and efforts must take place, to lead you to ÿour goal. That’s where the ROI (Return on Investment) comes in.

The process of measuring the ROI will force you to acknowledge the viability and success (or lack thereof) of your marketing efforts. Before you can think about ways to measure the ROI, you must understand the significance of measuring it.

ROI – The What and The Why

ROI, in SaaS, refers to the profitability ratio to evaluate the quality of fruits your marketing labours bear. In simple words, the question you, as a SaaS owner, want to ask of your company is whether you’re getting as much as you can in relation to what you put in.

Why, you ask? Well, that’s where Senor Ashton’s wise words come into focus. To solve problems and lead you to creation, it is observation, evaluation, and iteration that take the limelight, rather than simple whims and epiphanies.

Measuring the ROI, correctly, of course, is akin to the observation part. This in turn, will allow you to evaluate your actions, and ultimately compel you to make alterations to your efforts. (Read: iterations). 

Now that we understand the What and the Why of ROI, let’s move on to the How.

How to measure ROI “the right way”?

The right way. A bit vague, isn’t it? Let’s see if we can’t shed some light on it. Measuring the return on investments is almost as simple as proving 2+2 = 5. The whole point of the exercise is to be able to derive actionable insights. So first things first, you need to know what to measure.

Let’s go about this per channel.

The Website

Your SaaS company’s website is basically a virtual office space. A lot of people come by, some even prospective customers. You have invested a lot to make this office welcoming and catering to the needs of said customers. The parameters you need to measure in this case are:

• Traffic and its source

Measure how many people visit your website on a weekly basis as well as where they come from.

• Time spent

Measure the visitors’ time spent on your website. Maybe they liked something they saw. You can use that information to talk to them more effectively.

• Bounce rates

Bounce rates give you an idea about how many people leave your website immediately after arriving. You don’t want this number too high.

• Website actions

Finally, measure the actions visitors take on your website. Calculate conversions per page, inquiries, likes & comments, shares, etc.

Paid Advertisements

Paid Advertisements are, well, pretty self-explanatory. But the process of generating leads and measuring their performance isn’t that simple. Here’s what you, as a SaaS owner, need to track:

• Define target CPR

CPR, or Cost Per Result, refers to the ratio of profit per a predetermined metric (a click, lead, conversion, or sale), generated by an ad to the cost of running said ad. You want to define a target CPR initially and work your way towards achieving that with A/B testing.

• Ad interaction rate

This one is rather straightforward. It refers to the number of people who clicked or interacted with the ad in some way in relation to the number of people who saw the ad. Anything close to a 2% interaction rate is a good sign.

• Campaign-wise ROI

Simply put, you want more coming in than going out for all of your marketing efforts. Calculate simple ROI analysis on each marketing campaign you run and compare data across channels.

• Per-channel performance

Different channels have different audiences, and hence suit one company or product more than the other. Figure out the yield of each channel and compare the performances to optimize future ads.

Organic Channels

These cover the company blog, social media presence, email newsletters, etc. Everything under content marketing such as blogs, articles, leadership articles, as well as organic social media content. This content is the face of your brand, and people will judge your knowledge and competency by it. This is how you measure how people react to it:

• Reach and impression

Reach is the total number of people who see your content. Impressions are the number of times your content is displayed, no matter if it was clicked or not. 

• Engagement

Engagement refers to the number of responses such as likes, comments, shares, retweets, clicks, referrals, etc. conjured up by your content on various platforms.

• Revenue generated and profit/Resource-cost comparison

This is the calculation of direct revenue generated thanks to your content, in relation to the cost of resources and man-hours used to create said content.

Example of measuring ROI of a marketing channel:

Total marketing costs =  X (Email marketing team allowance) + Y (Email Marketing software). So X + Y is the total investment.

Revenue = Z = Leads generated through email marketing x lead conversion rate x average sales value

ROI = Z – (X+Y)/(X+Y)

Some Final Points to Remember

Track the trackers – Ensure you have functional trackers in place to measure all the data that you need. Google analytics and HubSpot are two of the prime examples of trackers.

Go for better dashboard tools – There are a number of marketing dashboard tools out there that help you derive actionable insights from raw data like Google data studio, Datorama, Tableau, etc. Find one that best suits your needs.

Keep an eye out for red flags – With all this constant tracking, collecting and deciphering of data, it may be possible to miss out on trends. Keep checking all datasheets and dashboards thoroughly to make sure any underperforming metrics are taken care of immediately.

Shift focus in times of need – If even after multiple efforts and iterations you keep seeing red flags, it may be time to shift your focus, and your budget towards different strategies. 

Know what you don’t know – For strategies that you’re unsure of, it’s best to only keep a small experimental budget at first, at most. If things do not go according the plan, your best bet is to consult an expert about it before investing any further.

Speaking of experts, you need not look far. Here, at Alter Marketing Solutions, our team of expert data analysts and digital marketers come together to ensure your SaaS company’s digital marketing efforts are fruitful, and your ROI keeps soaring. Drop us a message at [email protected], or call us at +91 99864 60086 for a free consult. 

Want to learn more about creating the perfect growth plan for your SaaS product? Get Free Access To Our SaaS Growth Plan EBook. Download Now!

You must have heard the old “change is the only constant” chestnut a million times in your life. And it’s probably truer now than ever before, with these uncertain times we live in. Digital marketing trends for SaaS companies also mirror this theory.

In the digital sphere, things are constantly changing at a rapid pace. And so are the trends in the SaaS industry. For companies to keep up, there needs to be a stable structure in place for digital marketing efforts to grow and evolve in a smooth manner.

But what would such a structure consist of, and how would a SaaS company go about shaping it? Let’s find out!

Stay on Top of Trends

For SaaS companies, keeping up with the latest digital marketing trends is pivotal. We live in an era where Elon Musk tweeting about dogs can lead to a stock market crash worth billions. SaaS marketing spheres may not be as volatile, but new technologies that give rise to new trends are surfacing every day. And the markets need to adapt to them ASAP.

For SaaS digital marketing trends, there are many ways you can ensure staying on top in your niche. Such as:

• Subscribe to email newsletters
• Read industry blogs 
• Follow industry leaders on social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc) 
• Network with people in the know.
• Follow competitor trends
• Case Studies in your niche

Adopt a Growth-Driven Web Design

Because of the method of traditional websites, the ordinary SaaS web design is doomed from the get-go. When decision-makers approve the setup and design of a website, it is generally considered “finished.” That is where the real work begins for growth-driven design.

GDD (growth-driven design) is a process for creating a website that is solely focused on improving over time. This progress is constantly aimed toward expansion. Rather than ending with a “finished” product, GDD begins with a “LaunchPad” website. This LaunchPad website is an enhancement to your present site that also serves as a source of real-time user data. When user data begins to flow in, it’s time to start experimenting with different versions of your website. This is to see which one generates the most traffic.

Growth-driven design is ideal for brands looking to update their website and improve its performance. This ensures the website is built to grow and adapt to the changing demands of the SaaS industry.

Devise Adaptive Marketing Strategies

With consumers’ habits and priorities changing on a daily basis, it’s important to reevaluate your marketing strategies from the ground up. Starting from communication to how you spend money on advertisements and content.

Marketing must now, more than ever, be focused on your consumers’ current needs. People are likely to be turned off if you continue to push a hard sale or show any signs of being opportunistic. With so much turbulence across the globe, companies need to be quick to adapt to their market imbalances. They have to be on the right track with some nifty market research and changes that put the consumers’ needs first.

Track Performance Metrics with Result-Driven Software

Learning how to adapt to new trends is the trickiest part for companies. You must conduct research on a regular basis to maintain an active understanding of your target market and keep customers interested. Being able to keep up with and adapt to new trends reflects well on your firm and its customer success strategy.

Implementing a result-driven software such as HubSpot allows you to have an understanding of your performance. Not only that, it tracks key metrics and performance indicators, allowing you to draw valuable insights about your marketing efforts.

An Eye on the Future

Technology is already a big part of our daily lives, and it will continue to be at the forefront of the SaaS sector in the future. Companies will continue to use smart technologies to engage with customers, and give rise to new SaaS marketing trends. Your company must ensure that they are utilizing technology to its fullest and engage customers.

SaaS is always changing and expanding. To ensure you do not get left behind, an adaptive structure that can foresee and integrate new trends is essential. And the best way to create said structure is with the help of SaaS digital marketing agencies, such as Alter Marketing Solutions. Build your company’s marketing efforts are built around an adaptable structure with a team of multi-talented and multi-faceted individuals primed at handling your business. Send an email to [email protected] or give us a call at +91 99864 60086 to get started right away.

Want to learn more about creating the perfect growth plan for your SaaS product? Get Free Access To Our SaaS Growth Plan EBook. Download Now!

“Jack of all trades and a master of none, but often better than a master of one.”

It’s an old adage. It says that it often bodes well to be good at several things even if you’re not an expert at any of them than to be an expert at one thing and bad at everything else.

You must be wondering ‘what does it have to do with SaaS companies?’ Answer? A lot. Today we’re going to look at a key reason a SaaS company dominates a niche market – Vertical SaaS.

A lot of SaaS companies around the globe offer a multitude of services, covering various industries. For example, MS Office and Slack. These are examples of horizontal SaaS. However, in recent years, there has been an increase of vertical SaaS companies that create solutions for niche industries like banking software, real estate programs, etc.

Vertical SaaS is a group of software solutions that cater to the needs of a particular niche industry. Some of its prominent examples are:

• Cox Automotive, a provider of automotive solutions, paid $4 billion for Dealertrack, an on-demand software provider for the industry.

• Health Assurance Plan, a dental software that provides comprehensive solutions to dentists as well as patients right from connecting them to post-treatment care.

• Veeva, a life science company that provides cloud-based CRM and content management systems, grew from zero to $2.4 billion in less than six years.

These examples and more, strongly suggest that vertical SaaS is the future and a real competitor to horizontal SaaS markets.

Building a vertical SaaS is one of the best answers to how to scale your SaaS company. But even vertical SaaS companies need a proper plan of action when it comes to growth.

Here are some key pointers to help you scale your vertical SaaS product:

Select the Right Vertical

When it comes to digital marketing for SaaS companies, a one-size-fits-all approach is not going to cut it because of the specialized nature of a vertical SaaS company. Therefore, it is paramount that you pick a vertical that has a large enough potential for growth, and not nearing market saturation.

Also keep in mind your level of expertise in a particular area, as niche markets require extensive and in-depth knowledge to provide comprehensive solutions for the said market. Aside from that, conducting market research is just as important. Follow the selection of your SaaS vertical by studying at least 10 companies (both vertical and horizontal) and learning about their products and offerings. This will allow you to distinguish your product from theirs and improve your odds of capturing a niche.

Stick to Your Guns

It may be tempting to move to a different vertical because they have similar issues or you want to expand your consumer base. However, you should refrain from doing so. Each additional layer requires you to tailor your product to a certain amount, limiting your capacity to provide answers to specific vertical challenges.

Sticking to one vertical also allows you to collect, aggregate, and store industry-specific analytics. The data can subsequently be monetized through value-added services such as benchmarking or marketing reports.

Speak the Language of Your Audience

Research is imperative. If you want to carve out a niche in a market, you will need to speak to the customers and treat them the way they want and expect you to. You must speak the language of the prospects and offer solutions that fully address the industry’s problems. This improves your chances of gaining and keeping customers.

Get industry insiders on your side to provide nuance and help improve your services. An added incentive is that it gives you the tools to quickly understand and adapt to market fluctuations.

Aggressive Promotion is Key

It doesn’t matter if you’re selling the elixir of life, but if no one knows that it gives you immortality, they will not buy it. You can have the best product or service in a market, but you need people to realize exactly just how much it would make their lives easier and solve problems. That’s where digital marketing for SaaS companies comes in.

Promoting is especially important if you are new to the market and your target audience is more inclined to go with established industry names. You need to grab their attention and build credibility if you want to stand a chance.

Final Words

There is no question that while it may be harder to break the status quo and establish yourself in a vertical market, the rewards are arguably more than worth it.

Andreessen Horowitz’S General Partner Kristina Shen talks about the scope of fintech companies leveraging vertical SaaS techniques to grow.

https://twitter.com/kshenster/status/1290671386017456130

Because more and more niche-specific software is being produced these days to satisfy the industry’s distinct needs, the future of SaaS is unquestionably going vertical.

Are you looking to dip your toes into the vertical SaaS market? Follow these above tips to get you started and connect with us at Alter Marketing Solutions, where a team of proficient digital marketers will assist you in taking your company to the next level. Send an email to [email protected] or give us a call at +91 99864 60086.

Want to learn more about creating the perfect growth plan for your SaaS product? Get Free Access To Our SaaS Growth Plan EBook. Download Now!

“What is the truth, but a lie agreed upon” – Nietzsche.

Quite often, in various walks of life, we encounter situations where the perceived truth turns out to be false or wrong. Certain half-truths are spread as the whole truth, which are led by ignorance or deception and give rise to myths. Digital marketing has no shortage of these half-truths, especially digital marketing for SaaS companies.

Digital marketing myths can be dangerous for your SaaS company and can cause you to lose your business if you’re not careful. It’s advisable to consult professional digital marketing agencies for SaaS, to stay away from wrong information. But working with an agency comes with its own set of ideas and expectations, which again may not be all true.

Today, we are going to quickly go over 5 of the biggest myths surrounding digital marketing agencies for SaaS companies. Let’s dive right in! 

1. Myth: A marketing agency will solve all my problems

A marketing agency is not a unicorn at the end of a rainbow if you want to take your business to the next level. It will certainly give a boost to a number of aspects, but your company has to have a clear vision and infrastructure in place to succeed.

Fact: A digital marketing agency will need assistance from your company

Think of your SaaS company as a Formula One car. It has the ability to go incredibly fast, but you need someone to take it past the checkered flag. You need a Lewis Hamilton. That’s where the digital marketing agency comes in.  

But even Lewis Hamilton needs a competitive constructor’s team around him to win the Championship. The digital marketing agency you hire must have a clear objective with a defined goal to achieve within a preset budget. There must be a point of contact who is open to discussing strategy and a team that is primed for best results.

2. Myth: Only big agencies are good

Large-scale agencies often have bigger clients. For small-to-medium businesses (SMBs), size is not always king. it is often more important how well an agency’s services match your company’s needs.

Fact: Smaller agencies are often more capable of providing better services

Marketing a brand’s products and/or services are dependent on multiple factors. An agency’s manpower is one of them, but not the most important. It is far more important that there is a marriage of minds when it comes to your company’s expectations and ambitions. Very often, a smaller agency might be far more suitable for your SMB because they are more likely to provide greater attention to your specific needs.

3. Myth: SaaS companies will achieve overnight success upon digital marketing

SaaS companies often have a misconception that upon hiring an agency for digital marketing, success will immediately knock on the door. That is very often not the case, since digital marketing is an ongoing process, not a milestone.

Fact: Digital Marketing is a marathon with checkpoints, not a 100-meter dash

To reap maximum benefits of outsourcing to a digital marketing agency for SaaS companies, patience is a key virtue. Consistent trials and a planned approach are necessary for desired success.

4. Myth: Digital marketing is the be-all and end-all for SaaS companies

The definition of success is often different for different marketing campaigns for different companies. But one thing is for sure, solely relying on digital marketing performance is likely not going to be enough for achieving the desired success for SaaS companies.

Fact: Digital marketing is key, but don’t neglect offline marketing

No question that digital marketing, especially for SaaS companies is quite necessary. A competent agency will take care of that. But the buck does not stop there for you. To maximize the potential for success, offline marketing techniques such as physical ads, flyers, word-of-mouth, etc. cannot be neglected and must be used in tandem with digital marketing techniques. 

5. Myth: You have to invest a lot of capital upfront

The days of expensive traditional marketing campaigns like TV ads, billboards, radio spots are numbered. Digital marketing provides more fine-tuned services at far reasonable rates.

Fact: Digital marketing agencies allow you to invest wisely, over time

Digital marketing allows you to spread your marketing costs over the course of a month, a quarter, or a yearly basis. Take affordable steps as you go on with marketing campaigns and review your ROI as you go along. This way you get to protect your capital with smart investments.

6. Myth: Digital marketing can be done in-house

Well, technically, sure. In the same way that I can cook a decent meal so technically, Gordon Ramsay and I are the same. Digital marketing is possible in-house, but an in-house team will never be as efficient, high-quality, and purpose-built, for it to compare to the dedicated team at a digital marketing agency.

Fact: Thorough digital marketing needs a dedicated team of at least 25 people

There are a whole host of tasks to do, optimizations to be made, and insights to be acquired for a digital marketing operation. Social media marketers, multiple content creators, graphic designers, web designers, and so the list goes on. Hiring multiple people to cover all these skillsets is a significantly more tedious, not to mention expensive, task than approaching a specialized digital marketing agency for SaaS companies.

Choosing the right agency for your company

Lastly, choosing the right digital marketing agency for your SaaS company is a crucial process. It is imperative that myths and false information are dispelled before you make a choice. Always make sure to thoroughly vet the agency with regard to previous experiences, the scale of the agency, and the abilities of the personnel involved to understand your business.

Here at Alter Marketing Solutions, we have a marketing staff of highly skilled number-crunchers to devise the most effective, individualized marketing plans for your business. Come find your match at [email protected] or give us a call at +91 99864 60086.

Cold outreach and a handful of ads are a thing of the past. SaaS marketing has now grown into an industry of its own over the years, with the competition among companies at an all-time high. Delivering a lasting impression on customers and deriving sustainable results are challenges faced by every company especially with various myths put in place to hold you back.

Here are some digital marketing myths we’ve debunked so you don’t have to:

1. Your Product Needs to be Perfect

The thirst for perfection is one seen everywhere in the SaaS industry, but achieving it is a hard feat. A finished product may take months, even years to achieve, but sales take equally as long. If you’re a salesperson or the owner yourself looking to get a headstart in a sea of customers, starting marketing from the day you sign up is the way to go. Sell your ideals, your mission, your vision while you work on your product and witness the multitude of customers ready to subscribe not only to your product but to your belief.

2. Marketing is Fast

SaaS marketing is a vast playing field, from generating the amount of content required to the frequency of changes made to your website; the data is vast and thus requires significant time and energy to go through. Companies spend a large portion of their revenue on sales and marketing, getting started with upfront investment. However, transforming that investment into a marketing model that works is no easy feat and requires endless hours of continuous refinement and changes. Thus, if you want a marketing model that’s sure to work, make sure to have patience handy.

3. About Increasing Conversions

Many consider conversions the absolute goal when it comes to SaaS marketing however your true goal should always be revenue. There may still be problems from getting conversions and then transforming them into a viable revenue stream. Thus, you should look at all aspects of the cycle from the referring page being optimized to the next step after a conversion occurs. Your goal at the end of the day should be building a system that generates revenue rather than one that increases conversions.

4. Data Dominates. Or Does it?

Again, a difference in goals. We see a lot of people strive towards the acquisition of as much data as possible without considering why they’re doing it. Your objective when it comes to data should always be insights. Thus getting good quality data that could then be utilized to its ideal capabilities will always be better than acquiring a large chunk of data with minimal relevant insights. Understanding how and what metrics to use can give your company the headstart it needs. Gathering qualitative data through surveys and customer relationships is also a great way of gathering data that matters. 

5. The Truth About Marketing Channels

Facebook ads, Google Adwords, content marketing, and the multiple other channels available are important parts of the marketing puzzle. One should try them all out and see which ones are a good fit for your SaaS company and optimize your strategy accordingly. If you’ve tried these channels in the past, one thing to remember is to not discard them immediately if they don’t work out for you. The problem almost all the time isn’t the marketing channel itself but your implementation. All in all, various channels provide awesome opportunities for your company to grow, make sure to use them effectively in order to see viable revenue. 

6. Content is King

Along the same lines of marketing channels, content marketing is something we see almost every SaaS company using. However, relying on only content marketing and expecting large amounts of return is a utopian ideal, to say the least.  The amount of content being created and optimized for the general public is at an all-time high, making it more exigent than ever to create unique content. Your goal should always be to create content that stands out and then distribute it effectively rather than the amount of content you’re producing; only a combination of both can help you reap the rewards of your hard work.
Like most things in life, digital marketing is not a perfect science. Every company out there today probably needs an effective marketing strategy to reach its goals. At Alter Marketing Solutions, we have a marketing staff of highly skilled number-crunchers to devise the most effective, individualized marketing plans for your business. Send an email to [email protected] or give us a call at +91 99864 60086.