EPISODE SUMMARY
Digital marketing for SaaS is different from every other type of marketing. Every step requires critical strategizing, and the process gets time-intensive.
In this episode, SaaS-Story in the Making host Matt Wolach interviews Jackie Hermes, the founder, and CEO of Accelity. Running a digital marketing company that serves a variety of B2B SaaS businesses. Jackie walks us through the dos and don’ts of marketing your B2B SaaS company.
PODCAST-AT-A-GLANCE
Podcast: SaaS-Story in the Making
Episode: Episode No 176., The Dos and Don’t of SaaS Marketing
Host: Matt Wolach, a B2B SaaS sales coach, Entrepreneur, and Investor
Guest: Jackie Hermes, Founder & CEO of Accelity
TOP TIPS FROM THIS EPISODE
Do: Hire a Team of Experts
Since SaaS marketing requires a broad spectrum of skill sets, Jackie says it’s ideal to hire a team of experts to do the job rather than hiring one person who can do various tasks like SEO, copy, design, and website management.
“I would say the team that you have is everything,” she says. “I think hiring a jack of all trades but a master of none is a mistake. I see a lot of companies doing that upfront.”
While many SaaS companies opt out of hiring a team because agencies can be expensive to work with, Jackie says it’s better to hire people who can do pieces of the tasks that need to be built. A team should do the entire strategy, execution, and analysis.
“Each of those is almost a full-time job,” Matt agrees, adding that hiring one person to do many jobs is tough to execute in the real world. Moreover, consistency in one’s field is crucial for growth. When looking to grow your SaaS company, give it to the pros who can focus on every task that needs to be done, and you’ll get more value and results.
Don’t: Settle for a ‘Crappy’ Website
When asked about some of the mistakes SaaS founders and leaders should avoid in marketing, Jackie answers, “One is, I see a lot of crappy websites. And most companies don’t think they’re crappy.”
“They may look nice, but they’re full of jargon,” she notes. She does a technique to identify whether a website is optimized correctly or not by skimming through the site. If she can figure out what to do next after giving it a quick look, then that’s a good indicator.
Another thing that Jackie pointed out is that the website should make sense to clients. Make sure that your website has a user-friendly interface and it’s easy to navigate.
Aside from the website, Jackie also mentions that it’s good to have a presence on social media, manage your community, and build your personal branding.
Do: Know Your Goal
Jackie says it ultimately depends on the goal of deciding on a marketing strategy for a specific SaaS business. If you’re a new company, the strategy would include awareness activities.
Running LinkedIn ads can also be effective. This entails converting people from those ads onto a webinar. If strategies are expensive for a client, Jackie and her team will choose another method that fits the budget.
“We look at every single one of their goals and then say, how might we able to get there.”
Don’t: Rush the Process
Generating leads takes time. Part of this time-intensive process is the planning, strategizing, and executing tactics. Jackie says many SaaS founders rush to get to the result right away without going through the process, which is, while possible, usually won’t reap effective results. “It takes months to do that upfront planning,” she points out.
Suppose clients insist on getting to the bottom of the funnel without waiting for a long time to execute the tactics. In that case, Jackie says her team finds a way to meet in the middle, coming up with a process that is not rushed but still carefully planned accordingly.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHT
Digital Marketing from a SaaS Perspective
Digital marketing for SaaS companies, or simply SaaS marketing, differs from any other type of marketing. It’s challenging and could get experimental at times, Jackie says. Her team runs social media ads for some of her clients, which SaaS founders don’t always think of at first.
Digital marketing, in a general sense, is any strategy that could be done on the internet, Jackie continues. It could be banner ads, Google AdWords, inbound marketing, or publishing content.
For SaaS, digital marketing is all about generating leads by planning and executing strategies to sell SaaS products or services.
In this aspect, Jackie notes that it’s all about working backward from a SaaS founder’s goals and identifying the right approach to get to that goal.
TOP QUOTES
Jackie Hermes
[15:00] “Good or bad, my entire leadership team looks at everything we do with a critical eye.”
[18:38] “You have to be consistent. You have to be willing to dedicate the time you have to get in there.”
[19:25] “I think hiring a jack of all trades, but a master of none is a mistake. And I see a lot of companies doing that upfront.”
Matt Wolach
[12:40] “You have to understand that there’s a tactic; there are strategies at each step.”
[17:45] “I completely believe in the whole personal brand. And I mean, you look at some of the stuff that’s already out there, Tesla has 9 million followers on Twitter, but Elon Musk has 60 million.”
LEARN MORE
To learn more about Jackie Hermes and Accelity, visit https://accelitymarketing.com/.
You can also find Jackie Hermes on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thejackiehermes/.
For more about how host Matt Wolach helps software companies achieve maximum growth, visit https://mattwolach.com/.