Table of Contents
Introduction
It won’t be an exaggeration to say that we witness a boom in the number of software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies in a variety of industries. Businesses across the globe eagerly adopt all kinds of SaaS tools, from marketing and sales to customer service and project management software. However, with new SaaS tools popping up like mushrooms, the market becomes increasingly competitive.
To maintain current customers and acquire new users, SaaS companies need to increase their marketing capabilities to compete efficiently with new players. This can be achieved thanks to a modern marketing stack, and a SaaS marketing automation tool is an absolute necessity.
What is SaaS Marketing Automation?
In marketing, there are a plethora of tasks that can be automated. But when one is talking about marketing automation, it usually means a specific kind of software suite with a wide range of features combined into a single product.
In short, these tools boost marketing teams’ productivity and effectiveness by providing the possibility of creating workflows, funnels, and automated campaigns executed with pre-established rules.
Marketing Automation for SaaS Businesses: Why it’s Important and How to Choose One?
Of course, the options available in a marketing automation software depend on the audience or industry it is targeting. Many vendors choose to narrow their specialization instead of trying to serve everyone.
There are a lot of marketing automation solutions dedicated to e-commerces, B2C or B2B companies, etc. But how to find a marketing automation software that is suitable for a SaaS business?
First, you need to be aware of the crucial areas in SaaS marketing that can be streamlined with automation:
- Content distribution in a variety of channels: email, social media, mobile push, paid ads.
- Lead generation, including outbound (contacting prospects) and inbound (lead magnets).
- Lead nurturing: educating prospects and customers.
- Messaging adapted to the user lifecycle triggered by specific conditions: welcome and onboarding emails, instructions, etc. that prevent users from churning.
- Personalized communications: customized offers, cross-selling, up-selling messages based on behavior or interaction history.
- Massive communication like newsletters.
- Analytics module that enables tracking key SaaS-specific metrics.
- CRM with extensive segmentation capabilities to divide the client base into comprehensive segments.
Apart from these features, you should take into account whether it’s possible to integrate the marketing automation software with other tools used in your company (let’s say, a CRM or social media platforms).
Best SaaS Marketing Automation Tools
Inbound Marketing
Hubspot
The marketing landscape wouldn’t be the same without Hubspot, the company that brought the concept of inbound marketing to life. This approach lies at the very heart of Hubspot’s platform that includes marketing, sales, service, CRM, and content management modules.
Basically, it’s a complete hub for small and medium enterprises that want to have a strong online presence. Therefore, also SaaS companies will find in Hubspot all the necessary features for attracting leads, closing deals, and retaining clients.
SaaS companies using Hubspot: Atlassian, Zonka Feedback, SurveyMonkey, Trello, monday.com
Marketo
This complex platform, part of Adobe Experience Cloud, is the leading solution for account-based marketing and lead generation. With Marketo, businesses can finally close the gap between sales and marketing, and therefore, ensure frictionless customer experience across every stage of the buyer journey in all channels.
SaaS companies using Marketo: Blackbaud, HotSchedules, Leadspace, InsightSquared
Autopilot
Ever dreamed of putting the most repetitive and routine tasks on autopilot? I think it’s the case of every marketer, and thanks to automation features in Autopilot, it’s not mission impossible anymore.
This platform makes automation more accessible than ever due to its visual approach with no coding required. Designing customer journeys is as easy as drawing on a whiteboard, and with the drag-and-drop editor, creating pixel-perfect personalized emails is a child’s play.
SaaS companies using Autopilot: Lessonly, LiveChat, Typeform, Instapage
Conversational Marketing
Intercom
Intercom is a web-based messaging platform that lets you connect with your clients in multiple channels to educate them, nurture, onboard, or engage.
SaaS companies using Intercom: Expensify, Moz, Baremetrics, Unity
Drift
This AI-fueled conversational marketing platform allows you to automate conversations with customers—the crucial part of every SaaS operations, having an invaluable impact on customer experience, engagement, and conversion.
SaaS companies using Drift: Outreach, Invision, GitHub, Brandwatch
Outbound Marketing
Outreach.io
This tool will make your marketing, sales, and customer success efforts better, more efficient, and less time-consuming. If you want to grow your client base and revenue but it seems like a huge amount of work is required, try Outreach.io.
SaaS companies using Outreach: Adobe, DocuSign, Pendo, Showpad
Act-On
Act-On marketing automation platform has all the capabilities required to enhance customer interactions. Easy-to-use tools allow SaaS marketers to build landing pages and websites, automate prospecting, messaging campaigns, analytics, and reporting.
SaaS companies using Act-On: Insidesales.com, SimScale, Find Your Influence
Conclusion
There are around 7,000 marketing and sales products available on the market, so the possibilities are immense. However, when making a buying decision, always pay attention to the specific features of the software to determine whether it fulfills the needs of a SaaS marketing team and will allow you to achieve your specific goals.
A well-planned and flawlessly executed marketing strategy is a key to success in the SaaS industry. If you want to grow your business even further and are looking for a tech partner for your SaaS app, don’t hesitate to contact us at https://datatornado.com.
