Since the SaaS industry has grown significantly in the past decade, there has been a rising increase in the number of companies and immense competition in the field. SaaS is also known as web-based software, rentware, or hosted software. SaaS is a software delivery method that allows users to access it through their internet browser or a web-based app. Hubspot, Slack, Google Apps, and MailChimp are some of the biggest SaaS companies on the market at the moment, with many others following in their footsteps. Since there’s a lot of competition in this market, SaaS providers have to be creative if they want to stand out
SaaS companies operate on a unique business model. While they might offer products and services that other people need, they still need to develop a beneficial PR strategy. With a good strategy, they can keep potential and current clients aware of industry news and updates to drive success.
As practical and beneficial as SaaS products may be, it can be pretty challenging to do PR and marketing for SaaS businesses. This is because an effective SaaS PR strategy needs to take a different approach than traditional PR and marketing to reach the core audience and effectively engage with customers. In the past, an effective PR strategy relied heavily on capturing consumer interest at the top of a company’s sales funnel and captivating them to purchase a product while also maximizing return on investment (ROI) . These days, SaaS companies need to find the perfect balance between innovation and utility to set them apart from the competition.
The technology landscape is becoming increasingly competitive. SaaS PR is a must-have for cloud-based solution providers looking to break into the current software-as-a-service market.
The benefits of PR for SaaS businesses
Doing PR for your SaaS does not have to be difficult or complicated. With the right plan and approach, you can earn valuable media mentions on the appropriate channels, boosting your business significantly. According to a study by the Content Marketing Institute, B2B companies are about 20-25% more likely to achieve success with their content marketing if they use PR. This can include reaching out to traditional news outlets, offline or online publications, influencer feeds, and blogs. Either way, PR is a successful tool for boosting publicity for your brand.
If done right, PR can help you earn media mentions for your SaaS. It can also help with building brand awareness and generating high-quality leads. PR can also help build high-quality links to your website and improve your search engine optimization efforts. With the right PR strategies, you can convince media outlets to mention your brand in their stories. Additionally, mentioning your website in your marketing and sales material helps build credibility and increase social proof.
The problem with current SaaS PR
In the early days of the SaaS industry, it was assumed that subscription-based software was only meant for startups and small businesses and not viable for enterprise businesses. The SaaS business model has existed since the 1960s. Even so, it wasn’t until 1999, when Salesforce launched its customer relationship management (CRM) platform, that SaaS became more mainstream. Today, the exponential growth of SaaS and the continued improvements to its functionality has made it a valid option for businesses of various sizes.
SaaS solutions continue to enable customers to lease hosted software via web clients rather than buying and operating licensed software on their own IT infrastructure. However, the novelty that made it newsworthy has worn off as cloud technology has become quite common. The reason why a lot of SaaS businesses are not reaching their true potential anymore is that many companies are still pitching the same old ideas. Brands continue to boast that SaaS has a faster implementation, lower IT procurement costs, lower IT maintenance costs, and faster access to new technology, functionality, and upgrades. These are all things that media professionals have heard before and are now bored of hearing about. This is why, more than ever, current SaaS PR needs to use new approaches and strategies to raise the visibility of cloud-based solution clients.
Tips for more effective SaaS PR
In order for your SaaS brand to be successful and stand out in the market, you need to develop new and creative PR strategies to attract your audience. You can either do this with an in-house PR expert or outsource the work to external experts.
Public relations agencies like Pressfarm help startups and companies of various sizes create newsworthy content from email pitches to press releases, guest posts and press kits. Beyond creating this quality content, Pressfarm can help you to put it in front of your desired audiences. By distributing your content to respected media outlets, we can help you capture media attention. Additionally, we submit your startup to well-known startup directories and online networks to boost your online visibility. With a curated media list built by an account executive, we help you to keep doing media outreach for your brand long after we’re done working on your campaign at Pressfarm. With our content creation and distribution strategy, we can help your brand to feature in relevant search results across different search engines.
Although strategies vary based on client objectives, there are several ways in which you can improve the impact of your SaaS PR campaigns.
1) Know your product
Since not all SaaS offerings are created equal, the SaaS PR strategy can vary depending on the form of SaaS software being promoted. This means that you should be aware of the different products available in the SaaS market (SaaS CRM solutions, SaaS financial solutions, SaaS efficiency solutions, and so on) and adjust your strategy accordingly.
2) Focus on customer adoption and impact
The transition to a cloud-based technology platform has been a source of anxiety for many potential SaaS customers. Instead of focusing on benefits, effective SaaS PR should address issues such as consumer acceptance and effects. Most consumers already know what a company’s product can do for them. Instead of highlighting that, you should demonstrate how simple it would be to transition to it.
3) Tie pitches into large news stories
There’s nothing wrong with using SaaS messaging to “newsjack” stories in the media. In reality, some of the most effective SaaS PR pitches leverage newsworthy stories to connect cloud technology to relatable events taking place elsewhere in the technology industry.
4) Pitch customer survey results
Often, media professionals prefer having data from your customers over hearing an executive speak about your SaaS solutions. Surveys are a fantastic way to get input from consumers, but they can also be helpful for SaaS public relations. For this reason, you should consider conducting a consumer survey and pitching the findings to reporters at specific media outlets.
Bootstrap PR ideas for your SaaS in 2023
Let us now look at some additional PR ideas that can increase visibility for your SaaS business.
1) Attend or host webinars
While webinars and other virtual event tools may seem like a tool of the past, the reality is that by participating in or hosting a webinar, you create a great platform that helps position you as an authority in the field. Over 85% of companies are currently using webinars and other virtual events to educate their existing and potential clients about their products or services. This helps build brand awareness and establish a good standing in the market.
What sets webinars apart from written content is that they allow customers to engage directly with your brand as well as other authorities in the industry. To set yourself apart from the competition, you should:
- Offer helpful information that your rivals aren’t willing to provide, which will make your webinars a must-attend event.
- Keep your topics as evergreen as possible so that customers always have reason to review your webinar. Customers who are interested in the content will most likely share it with their network, generating more leads for your company.
- Follow up with their webinar participants afterward. This is a good way to establish relationships.
2) Take part in new opportunities
If you want to win the game of SaaS PR, you must stay updated on trends and new ideas. The emergence of new social media sites opens up new ways to improve your online presence and reach a wider audience.
Currently, one social media platform that seems to work well for SaaS companies is Clubhouse, a social media app based on audio communication. The app provides the same benefits as a conventional conference but gives people easy access from their own homes. Using Clubhouse or other similar tools can help you boost your authority and build authentic relationships with your customers. You can also create mutually beneficial collaborations with existing influencers in your field and get opportunities to do some guest posting or host a combined event.
3) Be active in social media groups
It’s not enough to post a message on social media and hope that somebody somewhere will see it and get excited about it. The right social media outreach strategy is all about developing a plan for using a site (such as Facebook, Linkedin, Discord, and others) to improve user experience. Social media platforms are valuable assets for brands like yours because they are almost inexpensive and easy to use.
Regardless of whether you want to raise awareness for a future product launch or try to get more people to interact with your content, social media can help you reach the people you’re interested in. With the right strategy, you can build genuine relationships with your customers. You can also identify any PR threats and reach out to relevant media professionals and influencers.
4) Host your own podcast
Podcasting is another effective SaaS PR technique because it allows companies to gain exposure to highly engaged leads. When people like the content you share on your podcast, they are more likely to press the “subscribe” button and make it a habit to listen to it regularly.
However, before you start your podcast, you should build visibility for yourself by making a guest appearance on other podcasts. Before you do so, you need to identify how your content can be of value to the podcast you’re eyeing.
Of course, if you were to start a podcast, you could greatly boost your brand awareness. Besides helping build brand awareness, a podcast can also establish your company as an authority in the field while also providing an excellent platform for you to promote your products and services.
5) Share industry reports, studies & eBooks
Another excellent SaaS PR strategy is to create and distribute original content in form of market research. Original content is more likely to pique the interest of both potential clients and the media, resulting in backlinks and publicity. Furthermore, launching a SaaS PR campaign centered on original content will put a SaaS company in front of enthusiastic marketers and analysts looking for consumer insights and trends. It will also help companies rank higher in SERPs because Google and other search engines view original content as a sign of trustworthiness.
Another way to win media coverage is through eBooks. This is because they are visually pleasing while also being easily readable, shareable, and proven B2B lead generators. eBooks help you appeal to your target audience and educate them about what the company has to offer. Additionally, they can be a unique resource to share during the onboarding process.
7) Create and share content regularly
Finally, sending out newsworthy content regularly is a strategy that companies should include in their SaaS PR efforts. However, you should also keep an eye on how often you do this. The key is to keep the business on consumers’ minds while avoiding sending out content to announce news that is irrelevant to your audience.
Conclusion
There is no right or wrong way to conduct a SaaS PR strategy. Even so, you must examine the potential benefits that different strategies offer to identify which one makes the most sense for your brand. There will always be an element of trial and error in optimizing a SaaS strategy to keep your business going. Nevertheless, with a bit of patience and guidance, you can meet your SaaS PR objectives.