How to Create a Killer SaaS
Brand Strategy: The Complete Guide
If you’re a SaaS business founder, you know that branding is key to success. According to Edelman, 81% of consumers are more likely to buy from a brand they recognize. But what exactly goes into a killer SaaS brand strategy?
In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know to boost your brand awareness. From defining your target market to creating a positioning statement, we’ll show you how to build a brand that resonates with customers and helps your business stand out from the competition. So read on and get started!
Understanding SaaS Branding
To create a killer SaaS brand strategy, you first need to understand what it means to be in a SaaS business.
It’s not enough to just sell software-you have to embrace the mindset and culture of your industry. A great example is Salesforce, which has become one of the biggest names in SaaS by doing so. Salesforce isn’t just another CRM provider; it’s an entirely different experience that customers value highly because of its engaging community and user-friendly design.
If you want your product or service to stand out from the competition, you’ll need something more than just marketing copy: You need a story! A good brand will make people feel something when they hear or see it-it could be happiness or excitement, but it should never be boring or mundane because then why would anyone care?
The Role of Brand Strategy in B2B SaaS Marketing
SaaS marketing is a complex beast. You have to answer a ton of questions in order to develop the right messaging, content, and pricing for your target audience. Branding is just one piece of the puzzle, but it’s an important one. According to the Marketing Blender, 39% of B2B tech buyers say that brand has a significant impact on their purchase decisions.
A strong brand will give your business an edge in a competitive market. It will also make it easier to attract and retain customers because they’ll positively associate with your B2B SaaS company.
If you haven’t thought about how you can use branding as part of your B2B SaaS marketing strategy before now, then it might be time for some soul-searching. Your brand is an asset that can help drive revenue growth by increasing customer retention and acquisition rates-but only if you put in the work to create a strong brand strategy first!
What a Great SaaS Brand Strategy Looks Like
By now, you understand the importance of a killer SaaS brand strategy. Now it’s time to learn how to create one for yourself.
The best way to start is by thinking about your target audience and their needs. Ask yourself: What do I want my customers’ first impressions of me to be?
Then, take that big idea and break it down into specific points that will help guide all aspects of your business-from marketing copy to sales calls and beyond. This might seem obvious, but often, we don’t stop long enough at the beginning of projects like this one in order to build our foundation properly!
While there are endless ways in which we can define success as an entrepreneur or business owner (money earned, new clients signed up), consistency and uniqueness should be at the top of every list because they’re what make people remember us when they’re making purchasing decisions later on down the road (especially if no other competitors offer similar solutions).
Some of the key components to a great brand strategy include:
- A unique value proposition that sets you apart from the competition
- A well-defined target market
- A positioning statement that articulates what you do and who you do it for
- Core values that guide everything you do
- A distinct visual identity that reflects your personality
If you can nail down these key components, you’ll be well on your way to creating a strong SaaS brand strategy that will help your customer acquisition and retention efforts.
SaaS Branding Mistakes to Avoid
It’s tempting to rush into a brand strategy without taking your time and understanding the basics. But if you want to create a killer SaaS brand strategy, there are some things that you’ll want to avoid doing.
Rushing your brand strategy
Seriously, take your time and think it through before creating one. You don’t want to create something that doesn’t reflect your company or customers accurately-and rushing will result in exactly that! So take as much time as needed and make sure every aspect of your business is represented in an honest way before moving forward.
Creating a brand strategy without understanding your customers first.
You can have all the best intentions in the world when it comes to designing how people will perceive your business or SaaS product. Still, if those intentions aren’t based on an understanding of what makes them tick, then they probably won’t be reflected well at all (or they’ll miss the mark entirely). Understanding who these people are will help guide everything from what tone should be used throughout any branding materials (e-books? Videos?) down through specific lines read during recorded phone conversations with support staff-it really does go everywhere!
Focusing too much on features and not enough on benefits.
Your potential customers don’t care about your SaaS product nearly as much as they care about what it can do for them. Hence, make sure that your brand strategy focuses on how you’re uniquely solving their specific problem.
Investing too little in marketing and branding efforts.
As we’ve already established, your brand is one of your most valuable assets-so why would you skimp on the resources necessary to make it the best it can be? Investing early and often in marketing and branding will pay dividends down the road as your business grows.
Trying to be all things to all people
It’s tempting to want to be everything to everyone, but it’s just not possible (and not necessary!). Trying to attract too broad of an audience will result in a brand identity that’s so watered down and generic that it won’t be appealing to anyone. Be clear about who your target market is and focus your efforts on attracting them.
Not having a plan for change
Things will inevitably change as your business grows, so make sure that you have a plan in place for how your brand will adapt along to those changes. Trying to change on the fly without a plan will almost always result in a messy, inconsistent, and ultimately less effective brand.
Not getting feedback from customers
As your brand strategy begins to take shape, don’t forget to get feedback from the people who matter most: your customers! Show them early drafts of any materials and get their opinions on what’s working and what isn’t. After all, they’re the ones you’re trying to reach-so their input is invaluable.
Relying too heavily on marketing buzzwords
Marketing jargon is designed to appeal to the widest possible audience by using terms that everyone can understand-which is why you should avoid it like the plague! Not only will it make your brand strategy seem inauthentic, but it will also alienate any potential customers who don’t happen to be marketing experts.
Failing to align your team
Your brand strategy isn’t going to be worth the paper it’s written on if your team isn’t on board with it. Make sure that everyone in your organization is aware of what your brand stands for and how they can help to promote it.
Not having a plan for measuring success
Finally, don’t forget to put a plan in place for how you’ll measure the success of your brand strategy. Without hard data to back up your efforts, it will be difficult to know whether or not your strategy is working as intended-and make necessary adjustments along the way.
Creating a brand strategy is no easy feat, but it’s worth taking the time to do it right. Avoid these common pitfalls, and you’ll be well on your way to developing a strategy that will help your business succeed for years to come.
How to Create a Killer SaaS Brand Strategy
Your brand is what people think you are. Branding is about creating an identity for your business and communicating it through every touchpoint with customers, prospects, and influencers.
When you think about it, your brand is the foundation of everything you do in B2B marketing: from copywriting to website design to social media content creation. A great SaaS brand strategy will help guide these decisions by helping teams define their ideal buyer persona and use cases while aligning the entire organization around a shared vision for future growth. This way everyone knows where they’re going with their digital marketing efforts so they can hit the mark every single time.
Some key things to consider when creating a SaaS brand strategy:
Determine your target market
This will help you focus your messaging and SaaS content marketing strategy to attract the right customers. Start by creating customer personas that represent your ideal customer. You can do this by surveying your current customer base or using market research data.
When identifying your target market, also consider what use cases they have for your SaaS product. This will help you determine the right messaging and positioning for your brand.
Define your value proposition
This is the unique selling proposition (USP) that tells prospects why they should care about your product. It’s important to have a clear USP that differentiates you from the competition. This will be the foundation of your brand messaging.
To get started, make a list of all the features and benefits of your product. Then, consider how each one solves a specific problem for your target market. This will help you focus your USP and brand messaging on the things that matter most to your customers.
Develop key messages
What do you want people to know about your brand? This will help you craft your tagline, website copy, and social media posts. Keep it simple and focus on the benefits of your product.
You may also want to seek feedback from customers and employees. They’ll be able to tell you what they think your brand’s key messages should be.
Create a visual identity
Your visual identity is how you represent your brand through design. Hence, it should be unique and recognizable. It includes your logo, color scheme, typography, and imagery. All of these elements should be used consistently across all touchpoints, from your website to social media to email marketing.
Make sure your visual identity is on point before creating any marketing materials. Once you have a strong foundation, you can start thinking about how to take your brand to the next level.
Remember that first impressions matter
Keep in mind that potential customers will likely come across your brand long before they’re actually ready to make a purchase. According to a study by Forbes, 90% of people say they research a company online before doing business with them.
This means you need to make sure all interactions they have-whether it’s viewing a banner ad, reading a blog post, or seeing your product for the first time in their Facebook feed-give off the right impression and make them want to learn more about what you have to offer!
Align your entire organization around your brand
Your brand is more than just a marketing tool-it’s the foundation of your business. That’s why it’s so important to get buy-in from every team in your organization, from sales to customer success.
When everyone is on the same page, it’s much easier to create a cohesive brand experience that resonates with customers. Plus, you’ll be able to avoid any potential conflicts that could arise from having different teams working towards different goals.
Create a compelling brand strategy for your SaaS
Your brand is more than just the logo, website, and marketing collateral you create. It’s how your audience perceives your SaaS company-and it goes beyond the products and services you sell.
Creating a strong brand strategy will help you build a consistent image of who you are as an organization, what value you provide to current customers and prospects, where you fit in the market compared to competitors, and how much influence (or not) you have over the buying decisions of a potential customer.
Don’t forget to read our blog for more SaaS marketing tips for your SaaS business.
