SaaS firms may not have the cash flow to spend on advertising. They must sell their software, and engage their customers with frequent updates. If they spend money on advertising, the returns are usually low unless they hire a team of knowledgeable, experienced marketers.
LinkedIn(r), on the other hand can be used by SaaS companies to market their products. This is one of the most effective social media platforms available for companies that want to sell their products to other businesses.
LinkedIn(r), which can help SaaS businesses sell directly to customers, will not be enough to maximize your sales efforts. You’ll also need a solid strategy.
LinkedIn: The Best SaaS Option
SaaS is primarily sold to businesses. CRM, ERP, and ecommerce software is rarely used by people who don’t sell goods or services.
Although project management software and accounting programs are used by some non-business clients, they’re most useful to enterprises who manage multiple accounts and projects.
It’s obvious that businesses are the ideal customers for SaaS companies, as they’re likely to use their services more and to subscribe longer. LinkedIn is a great place for B2B companies, and this includes SaaS. In fact, 86% of B2B marketing relies on it.
Why does SaaS B2B rely on LinkedIn for their business?
- Context LinkedIn’s users are used to being sold to. A cold email will not cause a reaction or a quick unfollow. Your SaaS ads will be displayed alongside industry news, workplace discussion, and career advice when you create LinkedIn ads.
- Precise targeting: Targeted LinkedIn campaign allows you to select targets based upon company size, job functions and seniority of members, age, industry, etc. Each ad also comes with valuable data.
- Account-Targeting: By uploading company names into LinkedIn’s account-targeting feature, the AI finds similar matches on 30 million pages. Lookalike Audience does the same thing, but with current customers or potential purchasers.
- Lead generation: You can use lead-generation tools in a variety of ways. You can target ads by setting objectives like video views or website visits. You can also use different formats like InMail to reach a larger audience.
- Employees Your employees can be your greatest asset and spokesperson by using property optimized profiles. SaaS companies can create, share and post unique advertising content to promote their products. This is backed up by social proof.
LinkedIn is a social media platform that promotes professionals looking to connect with others who share similar business interests. Simply by being on LinkedIn you can increase your sales power, reach and visibility within your industry.
Lead generation: How to set the foundation
LinkedIn is an excellent platform for lead generation. However, you will not be able learn from your campaigns without the correct tools. You must use these tools and software if you are serious about lead generation.
- Automation Tool: Lead Generation is hard work. But automation tools make it easy. ‘s LinkedIn automation software, for example, can help you create an unlimited number follow-up messages or connection requests.
- LinkedIn’s Showcase: A separate page to your business page can showcase products and services aimed at a different audience.
- Landing Page: To sell your product, you need a great landing page. Landbot(r), a software that lets you create conversational landing page in a style guide of “choose-your-own adventure”, is incredibly useful. It will encourage more people to view your services as genuine.
- Video, A/B Testing: A/B testing and video creation is made easy with Shakr (r), an online video creator. Anyone can create beautiful videos, run A/B tests and develop campaigns to support their business.
- Google Analytics Although LinkedIn’s analytics software is excellent in its own rights, Google(r), Analytics gives companies the opportunity to check analytics which affect your page’s SEO. Google still ranks social profiles, so you should pay attention to SEO.
Set goals before setting up your tool. These can be based on a higher conversion rate, LinkedIn-specific achievements such as a bigger network, or boosting profits.
Lead generation with LinkedIn SaaS: 7 ideas
Now that you’ve mastered the basics, it’s time to use them. You now need to put your LinkedIn knowledge to work to sell on this platform. These SaaS lead-generation strategies work well on LinkedIn as well as other platforms.
1. Connect with as many people as possible
LinkedIn won’t penalize you if you add too many people to the network. So don’t hold back. The quality of your LinkedIn network is not as important as its quantity. Add business leaders on LinkedIn even if you don’t sell to them.
LinkedIn is a platform that encourages users to build connections. You can use the list of contacts to find new people to sell. This strategy works well because it is automated. The software will find potential customers by targeting the people you want to reach.
2. Send cold inbox messages (but do it intelligently)
Cold inbox messages require tact and professionalism. You can’t just send someone a message and expect them to buy your SaaS. You can still use these tips to create the perfect LinkedIn outreach message.
- Be Personable – Address the prospect by name but don’t act as if you know them. It’s great to add a human touch, but don’t be too friendly.
- The Short and Sweet: It’s best to keep it short. Limit yourself to one paragraph or five sentences.
- Connect first: You will have limited Inmail credits if you don’t have a LinkedIn Premium. Send an Inmail first, and then connect to make sure it is read.
- Common ground: Check the profile of the person before you message them to find out if there is something in common. Mention this in your message if you want to personalize it.
- Call to Action: An action-oriented call-to-action will encourage your contacts to take action, especially if the time limit is short. To set expectations, ask if the person wants to go on a virtual coffee date.
Cold inbox messages, when done correctly, can lead to many sales. Automation can be used to send automated responses or filter messages.
3. Share comparison content from your website
Many businesses spend hours comparing SaaS to find the best match. Compare two different brands to make the process easier for your customers. If your content is displayed in the search results for X vs. Y, you will attract more leads.
This will help you to share your blog posts on LinkedIn. This strategy will increase traffic to both your website and LinkedIn profile.
4. Offer a free trial or a gift with purchase
SaaS experts know that free trials can increase conversion rates. The reliability of a product is evident when customers can test it. You can still use the email even if they didn’t purchase your product.
SaaS companies often convert leads successfully after the free-trial stage, because they offer exclusive coupons and discounts to their previous customers.
5. Showcase Customer Reviews and Use Them to Your Advantage
97% of customers claim that reviews influence their purchasing decisions. This means there is a direct correlation between good reviews and increased sales. Your business should have at least 10 reviews that customers can read. You need to request reviews from your customers if you don’t have any.
Use your reviews wherever you can: on your site, your social media pages and your ads. You’ll get more sales if you have more reviews.
6. Use targeted ads and multi-channel techniques
LinkedIn’s platform for targeted advertising can help you reach more people. When creating targeted ads be aware of:
- Location
- Companies
- Age and Gender
- Education
- Job Experience
- Interests
You can make your targeted ads more effective by using multi-channel marketing methods, such as creating content specific to your target audience and running A/B tests to determine which ads are most effective. Adopt only 2-3 targeting aspects to your campaign in order to not limit who can see your ads.
7. Join or Create a SaaS LinkedIn Group
LinkedIn Groups are one of the least-used SaaS marketing channels. Groups are full of potential leads that need to find answers to questions about the industry and want valuable content. If you want to create your group, be sure that it is named after a SaaS product.
You can build your authority whether you join a group that already exists or create your own by engaging with the group members, sharing content relevant to your group, and adding new members to your network.
Get Results by Implementing these Tactics
LinkedIn can assist SaaS businesses in utilizing the latest marketing techniques to increase sales.
SaaS providers can improve their conversion rates by selling directly to businesses.
Visit the SmartBiz Learning Center to read our guides and learn more about selling to your customers.
Author
Jess was born to become a growth hacker. She helps SaaS businesses grow their inbound lead through lean marketing by focusing on advertising and content marketing. This is the perfect job for her because it allows her to combine two of her favorite things – writing and growth!
