How To Find The Right SaaS Marketing Consultants For Your Business

The SaaS market is something that is consistently and rapidly growing. And with the pandemic still going on, businesses are taking their operations online. As a result, the demand for SaaS solutions is also skyrocketing.

But as the demand grows, so does the supply. SaaS companies are springing out left and right, trying to “catch the wave” that is this increasing demand for SaaS products.

Even with the growing demand, the SaaS market is more saturated than ever.

So how do you come out on top in an oversaturated market?

One of the most pivotal factors to a SaaS company’s success is its marketing strategy. Your target audience has to be aware of your brand. You need to communicate your value proposition. Most of the time, you even have to deliver your product’s value even before selling it.

And sometimes, in a highly competitive market, your in-house marketing team isn’t enough. You might not have the resources to face the well-established giants among your competitors. This happens, especially for SaaS startups and small businesses.

That’s where SaaS marketing consultants come in.

What Is A SaaS Marketing Consultant?

A SaaS marketing consultant is someone who helps SaaS businesses and startups by providing them with valuable insights, evaluation, and solutions with regards to their marketing efforts. They can help with anything from developing a SaaS marketing strategy to executing that strategy.

Additionally, they can also help with things like website design, SEO, and other technicalities of digital marketing.

While marketing has always been an integral part of every business, the way it’s done varies from industry to industry. And that includes SaaS.

Traditional Marketing VS SaaS Marketing

SaaS products are not like the usual products that we buy for our everyday needs.

When you’re marketing everyday products, it involves a lot of advertising. You utilize every marketing channel you can use to reach consumers.

And when they finally buy your product, that’s it. They have reached the end of their buyer’s journey.

But SaaS works a lot differently than consumer products. Here are some notable characteristics of SaaS that makes its marketing needs stand out:

Continuous Relationship With Customers

For starters, SaaS products are not tangible. And when you buy the product, the relationship doesn’t end there. You continue paying for as long as you are using the software.

Unless, of course, you got a SaaS lifetime deal. In that case, it is a one-time payment.

Having a continuous relationship with your customers also means continuing to build trust with them. You have to keep winning them over.

SaaS marketing is not just about gaining new customers. It also plays an important role in keeping your existing customers and lowering your churn.

It’s a collaborative effort between your marketing, customer success, and product development teams.

Speaking of product development…

Product Updates

Don’t forget the fact that SaaS products undergo a lot of feature updates and sometimes, even rebranding. At these times, your marketing team needs to double down on convincing your current users to stay.

Of course, the quality of the product after the updates still plays the biggest role in customer retention. But it’s your marketing team who is responsible for communicating the improvements and updates that you have made.

The Complexity of SaaS Products

SaaS solutions are very technical and complex products. Potential customers want to know the nitty-gritty details of how your product works.

For that reason, simple product pitches aren’t going to cut it. You need detailed materials that will educate potential customers not just about your product, but about your niche. That’s why content marketing is one of the most effective SaaS marketing strategies today.

B2C VS B2B SaaS Marketing

The SaaS market is so comprehensive that you can divide it into two: B2C and B2B.

Business-to-consumer (B2C) more closely resembles the traditional type of marketing.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s still very different. But it’s similar when it comes to the marketing channels and the target audience.

B2C marketing, as the term suggests, targets consumers. It focuses on brand-building and reaching a wide audience, usually through social media. B2C content typically takes an informal tone to attract everyday consumers.

Business-to-consumer (B2B) marketing, on the other hand, targets other businesses. Rather than brand awareness, it focuses on lead generation and nurturing. Its target buyer personas are usually the decision-makers and executives in a company.

Because B2B marketing targets professionals and entrepreneurs, its content are more practical, technical, and in-depth.

But it doesn’t hurt to put in some witty remarks every once in a while, amirite?

Email is the most common B2B marketing channel. Social media still works, especially if you’re targeting small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). But if you’re after an enterprise market or moving upmarket, you’re probably going to use LinkedIn or Medium more than Facebook or Twitter.

4 Benefits Of Having A SaaS Marketing Consultant

Given the complexities of marketing a SaaS product, you need all the help you can get.

For SaaS startups or even just SaaS businesses that don’t have the budget for a world-class marketing team, outsourcing may be a good way to do it.

One way to do this is fractional marketing. You outsource parts of your digital marketing operations to professionals outside of your business. But you don’t give them a full-time role. You can even do this with fractional chief marketing officers (CMO).

Another way to do this is by hiring SaaS marketing consultants. That’s what we’re going to focus on today.

Here are some benefits of getting a SaaS marketing consultant:

1. Save Money

Hiring a SaaS marketing consultant can be more cost-effective than hiring a full-time marketer.

That’s because you only pay them for as long as you need them. You don’t have to pay for their benefits, insurance, or vacation days. And if you find the right one, they can deliver top-notch SaaS marketing services at a reasonable price.

2. Fresh Eyes On Your Marketing Efforts

A SaaS marketing consultant can give your business a fresh perspective on your marketing efforts.

They can help you identify areas that need improvement and suggest new strategies that you may not have considered before. What’s more, they can also help you execute these strategies more effectively.

And since we’re talking about improving your marketing strategy…

3. (Brutally) Honest Feedback

Sometimes, SaaS companies can feel so good about their marketing strategy that they don’t feel the need to consult with others.

There’s nothing wrong with being confident about your own marketing strategy. But overconfidence may give you blind spots that prevent you from seeing the flaws in your marketing campaigns.

And here’s the thing: SaaS marketing consultants won’t have those blind spots. And they won’t sugarcoat their feedback like some employees would.

What they will do is give you an objective take on what you’re doing right and wrong in your SaaS marketing efforts.

4. Access To Industry Knowledge And Experience

Consultants usually have a lot of experience in SaaS businesses of all sizes.

As such, they can provide you with valuable insights on SaaS marketing strategies and tactics that worked for them in the past. They can also predict how trends are going to affect the SaaS market in the future.

As a result, they can give you an edge to get ahead of your competitors. After all, they are battle-hardened veterans in the world of SaaS marketing.

Assuming that you hire an experienced consultant, that is.

4 Different Types Of SaaS Marketing Consultants

Yes, there are different types of SaaS marketing consultants. In fact, to find the right consultant for your business, you need to know what kind of consultants best fit your needs.

1. The All-around Consultants

These SaaS marketing consultants can provide a wide range of SaaS marketing services. They’ll be able to help you strategize, execute, and measure different aspects of your SaaS marketing efforts from start to finish.

This kind of consultant would be best if you’re looking to support all parts of your marketing operations.

A possible downside, however, is that they could be jacks of all trades. While they can cover a wide range of marketing tasks, their skills and services might not be as in-depth as specialists’.

2. The Specialists

These SaaS marketing consultants focus on a specific area of SaaS marketing. For example, they may be an expert in content marketing or behavioral marketing.

Or they could be specialists in terms of your niche. They could be experts in the field of sales automation, or AI, or whatever niche it is that your SaaS solution is working in.

If you’re looking for help in a specific niche or area of SaaS marketing, then this is the consultant for you.

But remember that you are paying them for their in-depth expertise. You need to make sure that you get someone who has proven experience in their field.

3. The Strategy Consultants

These SaaS marketing consultants provide high-level strategic services. They usually work with you during the early phases of your planning for your SaaS marketing strategy.

They don’t get involved in the day-to-day operations of your SaaS business. But they help you come up with a plan that will achieve your business goals. Additionally, they can provide advice on how to allocate your resources most effectively.

If you have a decent SaaS marketing team, a strategic SaaS marketing consultant can help take them to the next level.

4. The Execution Consultants

This SaaS marketing consultant is responsible for helping you execute your marketing plan.

They work with you to put your plan into action and make sure that everything goes according to schedule. They also make sure that all the necessary resources are in place so that the plan can be executed properly.

If you need someone to help you get your SaaS marketing plan off the ground, then this is the consultant for you.

Pricing Rates For SaaS Marketing Consultants

Another big consideration in finding the right SaaS marketing consultant is pricing.

The pricing rates of SaaS marketing consultants will vary from one another. It depends on the level of expertise and experience that they have.

Usually, SaaS marketing consulting services can be categorized as being on a per-hour, per-project, or monthly retainer rate.

On-Call Hourly Rate

In this arrangement, you pay SaaS marketing consultants on a per-hour basis. This is useful if you need SaaS marketing support only for emergencies or occasional advice. They will be there to help you with very specific matters and not on the overall marketing operations.

This type of consultant is best for small businesses, startups, or those that don’t have a marketing team yet.

Hourly rates can range from $150 to $700 per hour, depending on the consultant’s responsibilities and level of expertise.

I know. That’s a lot. But remember that this type of pricing is recommended for occasional consulting sessions only.

If your marketing needs require more than a few short sessions, this isn’t going to be sustainable. Instead, you may want to go for the other pricing arrangements.

Per-Project Basis

Under this pricing model, SaaS marketing consultants will charge you a fixed fee for completing a specific project.

This could be useful if you need help with a one-time task such as creating a new marketing campaign or designing a new website. It can also be helpful if you need help setting up your marketing automation tools.

However, you need to make sure that the SaaS marketing consultant you’re hiring is capable of completing the project within the set timeframe and budget.

If they go over budget or take too long to finish the project, it could end up costing you more than it would have if you had hired someone on retainer.

This type of pricing can range from $2,000 to $10,000 per project. Or maybe even more, depending on the scope of your project.

Monthly Retainer

SaaS marketing consultants can also charge their clients a monthly fee called a retainer. This is beneficial for SaaS businesses that need ongoing marketing support.

Under the monthly retainer, SaaS consultants work with the client to come up with an actionable plan.

But they don’t stop there.

They continue monitoring progress. If and when it’s necessary, they can also make course corrections for your marketing efforts.

Pricing for this type of package can range from $2,000 to $10,000 per month. It varies depending mostly on how your SaaS business is doing and on the consultant’s level of experience.

Again, this is a more expensive option, but it can be worth it if you need continuous SaaS marketing support.

Finding The Right SaaS Marketing Consultant

To find the right SaaS marketing consultant, you first need to know exactly what kind of marketing assistance you need. Second, you need to know the budget you’re willing to shell out for it and what payment type would work best.

So if you know what type of services your business needs, then there are plenty of SaaS marketing consultants out there that can help out.

And since most SaaS marketers work remotely these days, it’s easy to hire someone even if they don’t live near your location.

Of course, some SaaS consultants will be better than others depending on their experience and expertise with SaaS businesses like yours. And that’s why it’s important to do your research before hiring someone.

For more SaaS marketing strategies, visit our blog here.