SaaS or Software-as-a-Service is a cloud-based software that is getting all the attention now. It distributes and delivers services and hosts applications over the internet. These SaaS applications are running on the SaaS provider’s servers which then manages the access to the application, security, performance, etc.
Although the idea is not new at all, years ago, SaaS is not taken too seriously but since the start of the 21st century, this type of service has been growing rapidly and in fact, way faster than other technology to date.
Why choose SaaS?
Being cloud-based software makes it very accessible by a lot of people. Data is readily available whatever operating system you are using, whatever computer specifications you have, or whatever internet provider and internet speed you have, it’s a breakthrough and a convenience to all.
Additionally, SaaS applications are created to be mobile friendly thus giving them another point in terms of accessibility. As long as you have an internet browser, you can basically access any service or data. Even without the internet, some SaaS software already has offline options where you can access the data that you need.
Another very interesting and selling point of SaaS applications and software is that as a user, you don’t need to be running in a high-end specification in your gadgets. You don’t need a specific processor, a bigger RAM, or even the latest update of the operating system at all. It boils down to the fact that you don’t need too much initial investment to access the service and to keep it running.
In connection to being able to run the service without too many hardware requirements, it also saves you a lot of storage and won’t cause you big data loss during a hardware disaster. Since all your data is routinely saved in the cloud, users can easily switch devices and still be able to access the data.
What could be more convenient in gathering the demographics and analytics than SaaS? Because it’s running on a SaaS server that all pertinent usage data are being used to contribute to bigger user analytics.
Moreover, SaaS owners and providers will be able to adjust and adapt their service and database for a better experience for the users. And talking of updates, being run basically on the internet and the cloud, providers can update it without heavily affecting the user’s experience.
All these, among other benefits and advantages of SaaS, are making everyone switch to SaaS software and applications either on the user side of the business or service provider side of the story. But despite these many advantages we can name, these are basically the reasons how most SaaS marketing is having challenges.
The same things that give you joy, give you pain too.
Zooming in the SaaS, almost all the things that make SaaS perfect, makes the marketing chaotic as well. Here are some points that make it chaotic and a few tips that you can do to loosen the mess it makes:
- Making the limelight work for you
Because of the rapid growth of SaaS, competitors are everywhere offering almost the same services and offering better deals. Let’s be honest, almost all are offering the same, the only part where one is way better than the other is by an exponent or so. But as for the question of why one is getting more sales and subscriptions than the other, it falls down to marketing and how they market and sell their supposed niche and edge among others.
For example, there have been a lot of CRM SaaS software offering almost the same experience and services. Some have tools that are better than others. Some have a better user interface than others. But what makes some more successful than others are their marketing strategies and making a name for themselves especially on social media platforms.
- Updates
Updates are easier to impose in SaaS software to all their users because it’s cloud-based. But because of the ease of developing updates and incorporating them into the database and server, some users prefer less to no updates that are bugging their overall user experience.
A great solution for this is to cut down the updates into small and quick updates. Updates that run in just a quick internet browser restart are a good move to keep the customers in the hype of using your service and not getting pissed off.
- Customer Loyalty
As easy as accessing these services offered by SaaS, data migration is too. When a customer finds something that makes your SaaS a headache instead of a solution, they are most likely going to find another one that could make their life easier. That’s how customers are and will be.
Aside from attracting new customers in subscribing to your service, you should add in your marketing priorities how to retain your current customers and make them renew their subscription and not leave you at the doorstep.
Build a good customer support team and service in which current customers can easily contact and engage to improve their experience and maybe help with troubleshooting their problems.
- User experience in general
Creating and developing a good user experience will also reap the benefits of customer retention and customer acquisition. Being run by a SaaS server provider, and running in a centralized system, some users will always encounter problems that can be unique to others or maybe only a few have been experiencing it.
This calls for a very user-friendly and very adaptable user interface that can work in all devices that your wide array of users are using. One way to develop this is to identify SEO traffic potential and invest in good SEO strategies such as making your page speed faster than before.
SaaS in a wrap…
It’s an amazing type of service provider indeed. There are a lot of advantages that could very much attract customers and sales. Although the marketing side is very chaotic itself, it’s very easy to solve and get a remedy.
You should always stop and ask yourself if your SaaS marketing is helping you move in the right direction and away from the chaos. But first, you have to ask yourself, what makes your SaaS software chaotic.
