The digital age has brought massive changes in marketing strategies, particularly in the SaaS industry. Most SaaS companies use B2B marketing to grow their customer base, increase revenue, and position themselves as industry leaders.
However, converting B2B leads into loyal customers is very challenging because these clients have higher stakes. Unlike B2C customers, B2B consumers usually take longer to complete their research and make buying decisions. Hence, a more integrated and fluid approach is required to convince businesses or entities to establish long-term relationships. To achieve this goal, a B2B marketing agency should consider all factors like budget limits and creative demands to develop its strategies.
In this article, we will briefly explain the B2B marketing process and present the 5 most effective sales-driven strategies for B2B marketing agencies to grow SaaS companies and deliver value.
So, let’s dive in!
What is B2B Marketing?
B2B marketing is the practice of promoting and selling products or services from one business to another. B2B marketing typically involves a longer sales cycle along with more complex decision-making. Besides, the approach focuses more on building relationships with key stakeholders in the target organization.
Moreover, B2B marketing strategies include a variety of tactics to engage with customers and influence their buying decisions. Some of the popular techniques include content marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), email marketing, social media marketing, and search engine marketing (SEM).
The ultimate goal of B2B marketing is to attract and engage potential business customers, nurture those relationships over time, and convert them into paying customers.
Difference Between B2B Marketing & B2C Marketing
As the name suggests, B2B marketing targets businesses while B2B marketing primarily focuses on customers directly. Given below are some key differences between these two popular marketing strategies:
B2B Marketing |
B2C Marketing |
| Targets businesses and entities | Targets individual customers |
| Larger transaction sizes and longer sales | Smaller transaction sizes and longer sales |
| Follows a more consultative sales process | Follows a transactional sales process |
| Focuses on building relationships with key executives in the target enterprise | Focuses on building brand awareness and generating consumer interest |
| Requires a more personalized and targeted approach | Usually follows a generalized approach for a broad audience |
| Complex decision-making process | Less complex decision-making process |
| Relies on personalized marketing channels like email marketing | Uses broader channels like TV ads, radio, and newspapers |
| Focuses on product features, benefits, and return on investment (ROI) | Focuses on branding and emotional appeals |
Best Strategies Recommended by Top B2B Marketing Experts
Check out these 5 sales-driven B2B marketing strategies that can help SaaS companies achieve their desired objectives:
1. Understand Your Customers First
Suppose you have developed a SaaS product and want to sell it to the market. Unless you better understand your potential customers, you won’t be able to generate leads and achieve your sales targets.
In simple words, B2B customers are not interested in listening to what features a SaaS product or application has. Instead, they are more attracted to various ways that product can solve their challenges and contribute to organizational success. For example, if you’re selling workforce management software, you first need to learn the specific HR-related issues your software can effectively address to convince your potential client.
Hence, start by identifying the specific needs, challenges, and preferences of your target audience. Besides, spend enough time knowing your potential customer’s pain points and curate personalized messages to explain how your SaaS product will address those challenges. Eventually, this will help you build strong relationships, stay ahead of the competition, and establish a loyal customer base.
2. Determine Your Brand Positioning
There are hundreds of SaaS applications currently available with diverse features and functionalities. Why should a B2B customer buy your product only? How would you convince a buyer to prefer your software to others and build a long-lasting relationship?
This is where brand positioning comes in. It refers to the process of creating a unique and compelling image for a SaaS brand in the minds of the target audience. Moreover, it involves identifying the brand’s unique value proposition, defining its target audience, and developing a distinctive brand identity that resonates with customers.
Similarly, brand positioning differentiates your brand from competitors and helps SaaS companies attract and retain potential B2B customers. Besides, you can communicate your brand’s value proposition which is necessary to convince potential customers to buy your product. Eventually, you can build a strong brand identity and gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace. 3
3. Personalize Your Support
Do you know over 65% of B2B businesses lose their clients due to poor customer support? Customers are the most valuable asset for any organization irrespective of its size or sector. You cannot make the most of your sales strategies without taking care of your target audience.
As a SaaS company, you have to show your B2B customers what they mean to you. Hence, make your that your B2B marketing agency uses personalized support to show that you value your clients’ businesses and improve the overall experience. As a result, you build trust and credibility that eventually lead to higher customer satisfaction, retention, and referrals.
Similarly, when customers receive personalized support, they are more likely to become loyal customers who stick with your brand over time. Hence, by demonstrating your expertise, responsiveness, and willingness to help, you can differentiate your brand from competitors and win the trust and loyalty of customers.
4. Use Different Marketing Channels
To help SaaS businesses succeed, a reliable B2B marketing agency knows which marketing channels can be used to drive growth. Given below are some popular marketing channels you must include in your B2B marketing strategy:
Email Marketing: When it comes to delivering personalized and targeted messages, no other method is as effective as email marketing. Trusted by over 93% of B2B marketers globally, email marketing helps SaaS businesses nurture leads, reach prospects, and promote products and services. Besides, you can also communicate with customers and share important updates and events with this approach.
Content Marketing: A recent survey showed that over 80% of key decision-makers prefer well-researched blogs or articles to ads for research purposes. This is why content marketing is essential for SaaS businesses because their B2B customers want to be educated. So, to better satisfy the priorities of your target audience, create and distribute valuable and informative content. This will also help you demonstrate thought leadership, educate customers about your SaaS products and services, and build brand awareness and loyalty.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO): More than 80% of buyers, including B2B and B2C, go to a search engine and visit a company’s website before making a buying decision. That’s why SEO is essential to optimize your SaaS firm’s website and content to rank higher in SERPs. You should use relevant keywords and create high-quality content that attracts prospects, drive web traffic, and turn your site visitors into loyal customers.
5. Build Plans to Nurture Your Leads
As explained earlier, B2B marketing typically involves longer sales cycles due to consultative sales processes. As a B2B marketer, you have to spend your time finding different ways to keep your leads interested. Although targeting prospects is equally important, SaaS companies cannot afford to disengage with the leads that might force them to look elsewhere for solutions.
Therefore, build innovative plans to nurture your leads by upgrading your SaaS applications and offering tailored solutions to meet your client’s ever-evolving needs. Besides, organize personalized sessions with key executives and stakeholders from your target organizations frequently. Likewise, always deliver more than promised to build long-lasting relationships and stay competitive.
Additionally, you can also run re-engagement campaigns to target disengaged customers and bring them back to your subscribers’ list. You can also offer special discounts and giveaways to rebuild their interest in your software and convince them to make a buying decision.
Wrapping Up
SaaS companies usually target B2B customers which typically involve executives and key decision-makers from different organizations. Converting these leads into loyal customers is quite difficult as they need to be educated, nurtured, and valued to get your desired results.
Considering all these factors, we have presented 5 sales-driven strategies a B2B marketing agency should consider while working on a SaaS agency’s growth plans. These strategies include understanding customers, determining brand positioning, personalizing support, using different marketing channels, and nurturing leads.
By implementing these strategies, you can build brand awareness, generate leads, and drive growth for your SaaS company.