Marketing Automation Basics

Marketing automation basics for SaaS

Outside of explaining what Marketing Automation is for SaaS and why you need it, this chapter covers the things most SaaS businesses absolutely must have. The things that get you started and enable you to start analyzing data, iterating, and growing.

The Customer Journey

A customer goes from awareness to advocacy in the steps listed below. As we start looking at ways to give SaaS customers the right information, we need to start by understanding where they are along this path.

1. Unawareness

• Do they know they have a problem?

• If not, why not? This is a critical question for you!

2. Awareness

They know they have a problem and are starting to look for solutions.

3. Consideration

• The potential customer finds your solution among many possible solutions.

• They educate themselves, review, read reviews and more.

4. Purchase

They are ready to make a purchase and decide to do so.

5. Retention

They are ready to make a purchase and decide to do so.

6. Advocacy

• You did a great job and nurturing this customer. Now they have become an advocate for your product!

• They become your most powerful sales tool and spread the word of your greatness!

In order to know what to send to someone, you need to understand where they are in this journey as well as who they are as noted in the chapter on Appraisement. Once you know those things, then you can build the right messaging for your soon-to-be raving fans and loyal customers.

Let’s play a quick mental game to see why this is important.

Let’s say someone comes to your website and gives you their email address to get the e-book on how to scope a SaaS project. You then send them a series of educational emails showing them how your system helps them scope SaaS projects. As they get these emails there are triggers in each one that help you decide who these people are. Depending on what they click on, you mark them as interested in one feature set over another, and slowing move them into one of your customer personas.

Further down the journey, you have an avid customer that uses your system daily. Now you are sending them tips and tricks on how to use advanced features, templates you know apply to their needs, phone calls asking them how they would like to see the product improved, and an invite to the conference your company is putting on. All the while, the design of the emails they are getting and landing pages they get to are designed specifically for their persona, so they connect perfectly with it. They’re probably going to stay a loyal customer.

Now, flip the communications. That doesn’t make sense, does it? Clearly, you need to know who is who and what their interests are in order to send them the right things.