5 SaaS Marketing Strategy Trends in 2020

SaaS companies are used to things rapidly changing in their industry, and there are more strategies now than ever before to increase awareness of your product. With so many new advertising and marketing options, SaaS companies need to recognize which trends provide value and which should be deprioritized. By considering which trends are best for your business, you can get a leg-up over the competition and increase your client conversion rate.

With this in mind, here are some SaaS marketing trends in 2020 that companies should be aware of.

1. A Rise in Native Advertising

While ad blockers have made user experiences online more enjoyable, it has made advertising much more difficult for companies. As a result, marketers have had to think about reaching clients in new and more effective ways. Native advertising has caught on because they are not only more pleasing to the eye, but they also don’t have the same negative connotations that traditional online advertising does.

They tend to be more natural-looking than banner or sidebar ads, and they also tend to blend into content better than older forms of advertising. Not only that, but these ads are seen as more trustworthy and are often difficult to differentiate from organic content. In a time where social media advertising is considered unreputable, creating native ads that support content rather than distract from it can be essential when you need to gain clients’ trust.

2. More Options for Pricing

Pricing has been a concern for a number of other industries--not just SaaS companies. However, with most now adopting a data-driven pricing strategy, clients are reporting higher satisfaction levels and it's leading to more sales. There are several different payment options that SaaS companies have adopted, and you will need to find the one that works the best with your business model. Most SaaS companies still rely on user-based pricing, but other options that are available include:

• Pay as you go: Used mostly by cloud-based services and determined by the amount of data used;
• Business-size: Offers different businesses a price based on the number of employees they have;
• Customized: Starts at a base price and then is customized to fit the demands of a business.

Over time, more SaaS companies are likely to adjust their payment plans to make them work on an individual basis rather than a one-size-fits-all solution.

3. Increasing Video Marketing

Video continues to grow rapidly in digital marketing, and it doesn’t look as though it is about to end anytime soon. In fact, 83% of marketers believe that video marketing will have the most significant impact on social media marketing over other types of content. Not only does video attract potential customers’ attention, but it also provides a higher conversion rate than other forms of content marketing.

You don’t have to start a YouTube channel in order to use video in your SaaS marketing strategy (though it can help). You can create videos to share on social media and your website in order to provide more information for your clients, create a personal relationship with them, and to establish yourself as an authority in your industry. If you can, try to provide value in each video that you share with your audience. The more it seems like you have knowledge of that topic, the more potential clients are likely to reach out to you and ask about your software.

4. Reliance on AI

While SaaS companies have been using AI for years in order to optimize user experience, it’s likely that it will start to be used in other ways rather than just as a chatbot. AI allows personalization for clients in a way that other forms of advertising cannot, which can be especially helpful for B2B marketing when individual circumstances must be weighed for each sale.

One of the most exciting developments to come from recent AI advancements is the accuracy of predictive analytics. By using past data, SaaS companies can do a better job of determining how their products can benefit clients and provide insights on how they can get the most out of the product. This helps in customer retention and brand loyalty, as well as offers SaaS companies more information on how their products are working.

Email curation and customer profiles allow for more targeted results, as well as allowing SaaS companies to cater to clients in new, innovative, and customized ways. Instead of relying on a singular brand message to appeal to all potential clients, multiple strategies can be implemented in order to reach new users. This diversification can help you to attract customers that you might not have even considered would be interested in your product.

5. Inspirational Branding

As branding becomes more essential for SaaS companies’ success, finding ways to reach customers with a positive attitude has become a priority. For many SaaS brands, that means providing content that promotes a product as a solution to a problem. Several brand names have had an increase in sales and recognition such as Salesforce, Slack and Zendesk. All promote their software as a way to build relationships among others and to make work environments more pleasant.

Branding that focuses on an end result tends to succeed over other messaging because it offers a real solution to a problem. By providing that for your clients, you are automatically encouraging relationships and loyalty. You can add this brand voice to all of your content, including videos, your blog, ebooks, and email marketing lists as long as it is consistent. As a company, you want to build an experience that is easily recognizable by those who might not have used your software before.

Summary

SaaS companies are experts when it comes to adapting to new challenges. 2020 offers a variety of marketing tools to help businesses develop their brand messaging, creating customer trust and loyalty, and to create more targeted advertising. As technology improves and trends develop, keeping updated on what can benefit your business the most is essential to its success over the coming year and beyond. Contact us here at SimpleTiger to see how we can help scale your SaaS business.

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