SaaS Marketing Strategies: Best Practices and Video Use Case

Software as a service (SaaS) is a model in which applications are delivered over the internet on a subscription-based model.

These “digital products” are sometimes referred to as web-based software, on-demand software, or hosted software. Common examples include Mailchimp and Microsoft Office 365.

SaaS companies store and deliver the product via the cloud and regularly update it, too.

It has become mainstream and a part of our daily lives now but webmail, bookmarking and photo sharing were some early SaaS innovations. While in business, recruitment, customer relationship management (CRM), and expenses were some of the early services.

SaaS became widely accepted because compared to complex in-house IT programs, SaaS implementation is fast and simple.

Here are a few advantages of SaaS:

Easy access
Multi-tenant structure
Familiar web-based interfaces
Fast delivery
Collaborative functions
Automatic updates
Customization
Low risk of data loss
Mobilization of workforce

(SaaS) is a component of cloud computing. It is crucial to note that not all SaaS services reside in the cloud. SaaS products or apps can be developed and deployed to a cloud-based server.

A web browser is used to access and use the product itself. SaaS applications can be hosted on a cloud service provider’s servers, databases, and network resources, or they can be hosted in a SaaS provider’s data center by an Independent Software Vendor (ISV).

The four basic types of clouds that SaaS services run on include public clouds, private clouds, hybrid clouds, and multi-clouds.

SaaS marketing

If you have great software as a service, you can bet you’ll have competitors. To stand out and help your prospects find you, you’ll have to invest in SaaS marketing.

But before you start developing a SaaS marketing strategy, you need to know a few effective approaches.

So let’s dive into it.

SaaS marketing strategies

1. Content marketing

Businesses widely use content marketing to build their brand, generate leads and attract customers. It’s a small investment that can get you great return.

Blog posts, social media content, and videos. These are all great ways to connect with your customers on different stages of the buyer’s journey. Video is especially effective. Details coming up.

Video marketing

The fact is that marketers swear by video. According to our latest video marketing statistics survey, 59% said that investing in video for their business showed a positive ROI. We believe this is the case because video is generally more engaging than word or image-based marketing collateral.

One of the reasons why video can work wonders for SaaS marketing is that your customers are already on the internet, you just have to take them to the right place.

Check out this video we made for a SaaS client:

If you liked that and want one for your business, hit us up! We’d love to talk strategy and help you win with video.

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If you’re not convinced about video marketing for SaaS, here are some ways it can help you based on your campaign goals.

Awareness

The awareness campaign is crucial in SaaS marketing because it can help your consumer realize that you exist and if you have a strong brand image, you’ll remain top of mind.

Two of the widely used video types in this stage include promo and explainer videos.

Consideration

The main purpose of the consideration campaign is to educate your prospects and show them that out of all the possible alternatives, you offer the best solution to their specific problem.

If you run an effective campaign that establishes trust, converting these leads into clients will be.

Consideration videos mostly include educational videos such as how-tos.

Conversion

The end goal marketers have usually is conversion. This could include sales, sign-up, free trials, or any other desired action.

Like in the previous campaigns, video can be helpful here as well. Some of the types of videos you can use for a conversion campaign are case study videos and testimonials.

If you’re not familiar with the types of videos mentioned above, keep reading. We got you.

Type of videos businesses could make

i. Promo video

A promo video is a commercial video created with the goal of promoting your products and services to current and potential clients. SaaS companies have a great chance at generating engaging and amusing promo video content. This tactic has been employed by all of the top SaaS firms to connect and excite new audiences.

ii. Explainer video

Explainers are short (1 to 2 minute) marketing videos that breakdown your company’s product or service in an easy-to-understand way. These videos are frequently used on landing pages, the main page of a website, or a prominent product page.

The most effective explainer videos are the ones that communicate the value of your product in the shortest time possible. The explainer video format was created to capture the attention of viewers. Because attention is valuable, most explainers have a high production value and a strong call to action.

Here’s an explainer we made for another client:

iii. How-to videos

Videos are a particularly appealing way to learn how to do something online since they show you how to do it.

A how-to video walks viewers through the processes of completing a task in order. It communicates the process simply and concisely.

Here are some more video types that you might want to consider.

iv. Customer support/FAQ videos

A well-produced FAQ video could help your audience understand how your service works while saving your business time and resources.

Think about it, now your customer support department won’t be overwhelmed.

A video that presents your SaaS offering in an easy-to-understand manner could replace a complicated text-based manual or webpage.

v. Thank-you videos

Thank-you videos are a way for your business to express gratitude to customers for their support. If you are thinking of creating a thank you video, make sure the message is clear.

You can then send these personalized videos in emails to your customers.

vi. Behind-the-scenes (BTS) content

BTS videos are always a great idea. This type of content demonstrates to potential customers that the brand behind your product is open and transparent. It makes your business approachable.

Here’s a BTS video of a Slack promo:

2. Offer free trials

An excellent SaaS marketing technique for client acquisition is to use free trials to convince users to sign up and start using your services.

It’s also a great predictor of buyers’ intent. Free trials give potential customers a chance to try your service before they spend money on it.

This also helps them understand whether your SaaS product is what they are looking for.

With that said, there are a few safety nets to be aware of. You should consider providing some onboarding or support, depending on the complexity of your product.

Doing so guarantees that users will have a great experience.

3. Focus on SEO

SEO is about creating content that is relevant to people’s search queries. To gain organic traffic from Google and other search engines, you must optimize your pages and website.

Keyword research is the cornerstone of every excellent SEO plan. It’s a way of determining the specific terms consumers use while looking for content about your company.

You might want to consider free keyword research tools like Google Ads keyword planner.

Other than keyword research, you can also use on-page SEO tactics. This helps your page load faster and can boost your website’s search rankings.

4. Run a PPC campaign

PPC (pay per click) refers to paid search and social techniques that are used to increase reach, leads, and conversions for SaaS companies.

Investing in PPC can help you meet the goal of rapid expansion by ensuring that relevant people notice your SaaS offerings right away.

Another factor that affects the growth of your company is the ad quality score. In case you don’t know your Google ad quality score, you could be losing a lot of money. You should consider a PPC campaign if your content marketing strategy and SEO are not generating enough organic search traffic and leads.

Here’s a handy chart:

Pro tips:

Use the right keywords
Uphold ad quality
A/B test ads

Now, to give you some inspiration for video marketing specifically, we have compiled a list of the best SaaS video from both B2B and B2C industries. Check them out below:

Best SaaS videos

B2B SaaS

B2B SaaS refers to companies that provide software solutions to other businesses. The objective is to help the companies run more efficiently using high-tech automation resulting in reduced human resource costs.

Check out some of these B2B SaaS companies and how they’ve used videos to market themselves.

1. Sendlane

Sendlane is a cloud-based service providing email marketing solutions to content creators, digital marketers, and e-commerce companies.

Email automation, performance tracking, real-time reporting and analytics, and email retargeting are some of its key features. Check out this animated explainer video our team made for them:

2. Freshbooks

Freshbooks is an accounting software mainly developed for small and medium-sized businesses. This subscription-based service incorporates features such as invoicing, purchase orders, expenditure tracking, accounts payable, time tracking, payroll integrations, and industry-standard reports.

‘How to get started with Freshbooks?’ is a great example of how-to videos. It gives answer to a question and is helpful to customers.

3. Pandadoc

PandaDoc is a document-automation software. It works with a variety of CRMs, cloud storage, and other software.

4. Taskrabbit

TaskRabbit is an online and mobile marketplace in the United States that connects freelance labor with local demand, allowing customers to get help with daily activities such as cleaning, moving, delivery, and handyman jobs.

5. Veeva

Veeva is a cloud-based software solutions provider for regulated industries like consumer products, chemicals, cosmetics, and life sciences. From R&D to commercial, Veeva cloud solutions deliver data, software, and services. Veeva assists businesses of all sizes.

In the video, we can see the experiences of people that work at Veeva. It is a marketing tactic to show the culture of a company. By doing so, you can build trust with your consumers.

B2C SaaS

Companies that sell their SaaS offerings directly to a consumer are known as business-to-consumer (B2C) SaaS.

Just like B2B SaaS, B2C SaaS businesses provide cloud-based software. Here are a few examples and how these companies have used video to their advantage.

1. Together App

We made this video for Together App.

It connects people who contracted Covid-19 so they can discuss their symptoms and find support from others who are going through a similar ordeal.

2. Duolingo

Duolingo is a language-learning app. The company’s goal is to make education free, enjoyable, and accessible to everyone.

This video is on-brand and does a great job of highlighting important functionalities and features in just 30 seconds.

3. Veed

Veed is a video editing software that allows users to produce social media content. And this video does a good job of covering all the basics. The tone is polite and informative, it keeps you engaged. It’s a great example of a how-to video.

4. Calm

Calm is a software that makes guided meditations and Sleep Stories, among other meditation products. The visuals are beautifully done. This one’s a great example of a SaaS promo video.

In conclusion, well-rounded SaaS marketing generally includes paid and organic efforts.

In both categories, video can elevate your strategy. It can provide you with engagement, increased conversion, and customer loyalty.

So, if video feels like the right choice for you, hit us up.

We specialize in creating animated explainer videos and we’d love to help you.

Here’s our portfolio and don’t hesitate to drop us a message if you have questions or ideas you want to discuss