Inbound Marketing Sales Funnel in SaaS: An Ultimate Guide

Are you looking to create a sales funnel for your SaaS business? Inbound marketing is a great way to attract new customers and convert them into paying customers. This guide will walk you through the different stages of the inbound marketing sales funnel and show you how to create a funnel that works for your business. We’ll also cover some tips on how to optimize your funnel and increase conversions. Let’s get started!

What Is Inbound Marketing?

In a world where nearly everyone is bombarded with marketing messages, it can be difficult to break through the noise and get your target audience’s attention.

Traditional outbound marketing techniques, such as buying advertising space or interruptive pop-ups, are becoming less and less effective as consumers become savvier and media channels become more crowded.

Inbound marketing is a new approach that focuses on creating and distributing content that is relevant and useful to your target audience, in order to attract them to your brand and convert them into customers.

By aligning your marketing campaigns with your target customers’ needs and interests, you can create a connection with them that goes beyond a one-time purchase.

With inbound marketing, you can build a long-term relationship with your customers that will continue to grow over time. Studies found that inbound marketing is 10x more effective than outbound strategies in generating leads.

Inbound marketing is a type of marketing in which businesses focus on attracting customers through online content, rather than traditional advertising techniques.

Inbound marketing content typically includes blog posts, e-books, infographics, and webinars. The goal of inbound marketing is to attract potential customers to the business’s website and then convert them into leads or customers.

In contrast to outbound marketing, in which businesses attempt to reach potential customers through cold calls and traditional advertising, inbound marketing relies on creating compelling content that will draw customers to the business’s website.

Once on the website, inbound marketing campaigns aim to convert website visitors into leads or customers through the use of forms, calls-to-action, and other conversion strategies.

Inbound marketing can be an effective way to generate leads and grow a business, without the high costs associated with traditional marketing techniques. Recent data show it costs $14 less than traditional marketing for every new customer.

Inbound marketing is particularly effective in the SaaS industry because it allows SaaS businesses to target their ideal customers with relevant, personalized content that speaks to their specific needs. In the early stages of the inbound marketing sales funnel, SaaS businesses can use blog posts and other types of content to attract potential customers to their website.

Once potential customers are on the website, businesses can use forms and calls-to-action to convert them into leads. In the later stages of the funnel, businesses can use webinars and other types of content to nurture leads and move them further down the funnel towards conversion.

What is an Inbound Marketing Sales Funnel?

In inbound marketing, the sales funnel is the process that takes a lead from being a stranger to becoming a customer. There are four stages in the SaaS inbound marketing sales funnel: attract, engage, convert, and delight.

Stage 1: Attract

The first stage, attract, is all about getting strangers to become aware of your SaaS brand. This is commonly done through SEO, content marketing, and social media marketing. In SaaS, the goal of the “attracting stage” is to get potential customers to your website so that they can learn more about your SaaS product.

Stage 2: Engage

The second stage, engage, is about turning those strangers into leads by getting them to subscribe to your email list or download a piece of content like an eBook or white paper. If you are a B2B SaaS business, this is also the stage where you would try to get them to schedule a demo of your software.

Stage 3: Convert

The third stage, convert, is about taking those leads and turning them into paying customers.  This is done through lead nurturing efforts and lead conversion processes like contact forms and sales calls.

In the SaaS world, this usually happens through a free trial or a subscription purchase. You want to make it as easy as possible for your leads to convert into customers.

Stage 4: Delight

The final stage, delight, is about making your customers so happy that they become advocates for your product and tell all their friends about it. In SaaS, this can happen through things like customer success programs, referral programs, and creating a community of users. Retention strategies and referral programs can also help ensure your customers are happy and intend to continue using your software.

The inbound marketing sales funnel is a powerful tool for taking strangers and turning them into loyal customers who will sing your praises to everyone they know.

Building Your SaaS Inbound Marketing Sales Funnel

Now that you know what the inbound marketing sales funnel is and why it’s important for SaaS businesses, let’s take a look at how you can build your own.

Top of Funnel

The top of the funnel is all about getting strangers to become aware of your brand. In SaaS, the best way to do this is through SEO, content marketing, and social media.

SEO

Search engine optimization is the process of optimizing your website for Google so that it shows up higher in search results. In SaaS, this is important because it helps you get found by potential customers who are searching for software like yours. The higher your website ranks in search results, the more traffic you will get to your website. Some of the SEO strategies you can use for your SaaS business include:

• Targeting long-tail keywords: Long-tail keywords are specific, niche phrases that potential customers are searching for. They usually have low search volume but they are also low competition, which means they are easier to rank for.
• Creating informative blog posts: In order to rank higher in search results, you need to have high-quality content on your website. One of the best ways to do this is by creating informative blog posts that answer potential customers’ questions.
• Optimizing your website for mobile: In 2018, Google started using mobile-first indexing, which means they now prioritize websites that are optimized for mobile devices over those that are not. This is important for SaaS businesses because a large portion of their traffic will come from mobile devices.

Content Marketing

Content marketing is the process of creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience. In SaaS, content marketing can be used to attract potential customers to your website through blog posts, eBooks, white papers, and other types of content. Once they’re on your website, you can use forms and calls-to-action to convert them into leads.

Some of the best content marketing practices for SaaS businesses include:

• Creating buyer personas: Buyer personas are fictional representations of your ideal customer. They help you understand your target audience so that you can create content that appeals to them.
• Conducting strategic keyword research: Keyword research helps you understand what potential customers are searching for so that you can create content that ranks high in search results.
• Creating a content calendar: A content calendar helps you plan and organize your content so that you can make sure you’re consistently publishing new, relevant, and valuable content.

Social Media

Social media is a great way to get strangers to become aware of your brand. In SaaS, social media can be used to share your content, drive traffic to your website, and generate leads. Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are all great social media platforms for SaaS businesses.  Data show a typical SaaS company that creates top-notch content for social media platforms will get 246 median shares across all websites.

Some of the best practices you can  use for social media are:

• Creating engaging content: In order to get people to share your content, you need to create content that is interesting, informative, and engaging.
• Posting at the right time: Timing is everything when it comes to social media. You need to make sure you’re posting when your target audience is most active. Experts recommend posting on LinkedIn during the week and on Facebook and Twitter on the weekends. This is because people are more likely to be on social media when they’re not working.
• Using hashtags: Hashtags help you reach a wider audience on social media. When you use relevant hashtags, your content will show up in the timeline of people who are searching for that hashtag

Middle of Funnel

The middle of the funnel is about increasing brand engagement with leads so that they move further down the funnel towards conversion. In SaaS, this is done through lead nurturing and lead conversion processes like contact forms and sales calls.

Lead Nurturing

Lead nurturing is the process of developing relationships with prospects over time so that they eventually become paying customers. In SaaS, lead nurturing can be done through email marketing, content marketing, and social media. By providing valuable, relevant content to your leads on a regular basis, you can build trust and credibility with them so that they are more likely to eventually do business with you.

Some lead nurturing tips for SaaS businesses include:

• Creating a lead nurturing campaign: A lead nurturing campaign is a series of emails, blog posts, or other pieces of content that are designed to nurture leads over time.
• Drip emailing your leads: Drip emailing is a method of sending emails to leads on a regular basis, usually at set intervals. This is a great way to stay in touch with leads and keep them engaged with your brand.
• Creating a lead magnet: A lead magnet is a piece of content, like an eBook or white paper, that is offered for free in exchange for contact information. Lead magnets are a great way to generate leads.

Lead Conversion

Lead conversion is the process of turning leads into paying customers. In SaaS, lead conversion is done through contact forms, free trials and sales calls. By using contact forms, you can capture leads’ information so that you can follow up with them and attempt to sell them your software. Sales calls are also a great way to close deals with leads who are ready to buy

Some tips for converting leads into customers:

• Use pop-ups on your website: Pop-ups are a great way to get people’s attention and get them to fill out your contact form.
• Use a free trial: Offering a free trial is a great way to get people to try out your software and see if it’s a good fit for them.
• Make sales calls: Sales calls are a great way to close deals with leads who are ready to buy.

Bottom of Funnel

The bottom of the sales funnel is all about turning customers into advocates for your brand. In SaaS, this is done through customer success, retention strategies, and referral programs. This is the stage where you want to ensure that your customers are happy and continue using your software. According to Groove, the probability of closing a deal is 14 times higher among existing happy customers than a new one.

Customer Success

Customer success is the process of ensuring that customers achieve their desired outcomes with your product. In SaaS, customer success is important because it helps you keep your customers happy and ensure that they continue using your product. By helping customers achieve their desired outcomes, you can turn them into advocates who will spread the word about your brand. Recent data also show, customers with great customer experience are 89% more likely to purchase again.

Some of the best ways to ensure customer success are:

• Onboarding: Onboarding is the process of helping new customers get started with your product. By providing an onboarding experience that is both informative and enjoyable, you can help new customers get the most out of your product and increase the likelihood that they will continue using it.
• Customer support: Customer support is important for ensuring that customers are able to get help when they need it. By providing excellent customer support, you can help keep your customers happy and ensure that they continue using your product.
• Training: Providing training on how to use your product can help ensure that customers are able to get the most out of it. By offering training, you can help customers learn how to use your product and increase the likelihood that they will stick with it.

Retention Strategies

Retention strategies are methods for keeping customers from canceling their subscriptions or stop using your product.

In SaaS, retention strategies can include:

• Offering discounts: Offering discounts is a great way to keep customers from canceling their subscriptions. By offering a discount, you can help customers save money and keep them from switching to a competitor’s product.
• Providing excellent customer support: As mentioned before, customer support is important for ensuring that customers are able to get help when they need it. By providing excellent customer support, you can help keep your customers happy and ensure that they stick with your product.
• Sending out regular communications: Regular communications can help keep your customers up-to-date on new features and updates. By sending out regular communications, you can keep your customers informed and engaged with your product. As a rule of thumb, you should aim to send out one email per week.

By keeping your customers happy and engaged, you can reduce churn and increase loyalty.

Referral Programs

Referral programs are a great way to get customers to promote your brand to their friends and family. In SaaS, referral programs can be used to generate leads and increase brand awareness. By offering incentives for customers to refer others to your brand, you can encourage them to spread the word about your product. Data show customers referred by other customers have a 37% higher customer retention rate.

To make your referral programs effective:

• Keep it simple: The simpler your referral program is, the more likely it is to be successful. Customers should be able to understand how the referral program works and what they need to do in order to participate.
• Offer an incentive: In order to encourage customers to refer others to your brand, you need to offer them an incentive. This could be a discount, free access to premium features or add-ons, or anything else that would be valuable to them.
• Make it easy to share: Make it easy for customers to share your referral program with their friends and family. The easier it is for them to share, the more likely they are to do so.

By offering referral programs, you can generate leads, increase brand awareness, and keep your customers happy.

How to Convert Leads With an Inbound Sales Funnel

The first step in converting leads is to ensure that they are qualified. In order to qualify a lead, you need to determine whether or not they are interested in your software and whether or not they are likely to buy it.

There are a few ways to do this:

• Look at their behavior: Look at how the lead has been interacting with your product. If they have been using it frequently, they are more likely to be interested in buying it.
• Ask them questions: Ask the lead questions about their needs and pain points. By doing this, you can determine whether or not your product is a good fit for them.
• Look at their budget: In order to determine whether or not a lead can afford your product, you need to look at their budget. If they have the budget for your product, they are more likely to be interested in buying it.

Once you have qualified a lead, you need to start working on closing the deal. In order to close the deal, you need to build a relationship with the lead and establish trust

There are a few ways to do this:

• Be responsive: When a lead contacts you, be sure to respond as quickly as possible. By being responsive, you can show them that you care about their needs and that you’re interested in helping them.
• Be personal: In your interactions with the lead, be sure to be personal. Use their name and tailored messages to show that you’re interested in them as an individual.
• Build trust: In order for a lead to buy your product, they need to trust you. You can build trust by being honest and transparent in your interactions with them.

By following these steps, you can increase your chances of converting leads into customers. In SaaS, inbound marketing is a great way to generate leads and close deals. By using an inbound sales funnel, you can qualify and convert leads into customers.

Final Thoughts About Inbound Marketing Sales Funnel in SaaS

Your inbound marketing sales funnel doesn’t have to be complex. By following the steps we laid out in this guide, you can create a simple but effective strategy that will help you attract and convert more leads into customers.

And if you want more tips and resources on growing your SaaS business, be sure to visit our blog. We update it regularly with new posts on a variety of topics related to inbound marketing and sales.