How To Create A Powerful SaaS Remarketing Strategy

Did you know that more than 96% of website visitors leave the site without purchasing anything? No matter how much traffic your website is getting, the reality is that you don’t catch your target audience in one go.

That’s why most of your potential customers need to have multiple touchpoints with your brand for them even to consider buying your SaaS product.

But how can you be certain that they would still encounter your brand after their first visit?

One word: remarketing.

In this article, we will talk about how you can create an effective SaaS remarketing strategy that would win you more customers.

But first, let’s see what remarketing is and how it works.

What Is SaaS Remarketing?

Have you ever experienced browsing a particular product on an online store then seeing an ad for that exact same product on other websites afterward?

That’s the work of remarketing.

Remarketing, also known as retargeting, is the process of targeting your ads to people who have already visited your website or used your app.

It allows you to show relevant and personalized ads to potential customers as they browse the web or use other apps.

This keeps your SaaS product top-of-mind, eventually leading them back to your website or app and converting them into paying customers.

How Does SaaS Remarketing Work?

Remarketing works by placing a small piece of code called a tracking pixel on your website. This pixel drops a small file called a cookie into the visitor’s hard drive.

If the user agrees to receive the cookie, it can track the visitors’ activity on the internet. Based on this activity data, your remarketing platform can set up highly targeted ads for those users.

Let’s have an example to see this more clearly. Let’s say you’re using Facebook as a retargeting platform. That means you would use Facebook’s tracking pixel on every page on your website.

So now, let’s say a person named Bob browses your website and stays on a particular page. With his permission, the tracking pixel drops a cookie into his hard drive and starts tracking his online activity.

The next time Bob browses Facebook, it will detect that cookie. When it does, it will show a corresponding ad that features the exact same SaaS product that Bob viewed on your website.

That’s the gist of how remarketing works. There are more technicalities that actually happen in the backend. But that’s the short story.

SaaS Remarketing Use Cases

There are many SaaS remarketing use cases that can apply to any SaaS business. Here are some of the most common ones:

Recapturing Leads Who Didn’t Convert

The most common use case for SaaS remarketing is to recapture leads who didn’t convert.

Remember that 96% of visitors leave without converting. SaaS remarketing can help you get those people back.

Still, even this use case is a bit broad. There are leads who just visited your website once or twice. There are also those who already clicked the buy button but didn’t finish the purchasing process.

You can target a specific audience among those leads or you may choose to target them all. Needless to say, the latter would require more tracking pixels and a wider variety of retargeting ads.

But what’s important is that SaaS remarketing can help you bring those leads back to your website or app.

Converting Free Trial Users Into Paying Customers

If you offer a free trial for your SaaS product, SaaS remarketing can also help you convert those free trial users into paying customers.

The reality is that not all people who sign up for a free trial would actually go through with it. Some would just forget about it while others may find the SaaS product unworthy of their time and money.

But with SaaS remarketing, you can keep your SaaS product top-of-mind for those people who haven’t converted yet. You can show them ads related to your SaaS product or content that would remind them to use your app.

This way, you increase the chances of converting those free trial users into customers.

Educating Your Current Users

This one may not be as common but SaaS remarketing can also help you educate your existing users.

There are customers who only use a fraction of your SaaS product’s features. They’re not fully maximizing their potential, which leads to them not getting the full value they paid for.

With SaaS remarketing, you can show those customers educational content that would teach them how to use your SaaS product more effectively.

You can also use it to promote new features or updates to your SaaS product. This way, you can keep your customers updated and engaged, leading to higher customer retention rates.

Upselling And Cross-Selling To Your Existing Customers

Another SaaS remarketing use case is upselling to your existing customers.

This is pretty self-explanatory.

If you have a customer who’s already using your SaaS product, you can show them ads for the higher subscription plans and how they can benefit them.

For example, let’s say you have a lot of customers who currently subscribe to your Basic plan. 

Based on your usage metrics, you see that more than 80% are approaching the limits of the plan and may be ready for a more advanced one. Your remarketing process can show them ads that feature a higher plan.

This can also apply to SaaS cross-selling. 

For example, let’s say you’re selling a SaaS product that helps people with their email marketing. Your remarketing process can feature another SaaS product of yours that helps with social media marketing.

The key here is to make sure that the product or service you’re trying to upsell is relevant to your customer’s needs. Otherwise, they might just ignore your ads altogether.

Reducing SaaS Churn Rate

Another SaaS remarketing use case is to reduce your customer churn rate. Your customer churn rate is the percentage of users who stop using your SaaS product over a period of time.

There are many reasons why people stop using a SaaS solution.

It could be because they don’t find it useful anymore or they no longer need it. It could also be because they’re dissatisfied with the customer service or they found a better alternative.

Whatever the reason may be, SaaS businesses should do something to reduce their churn rate. And one way to do that is through SaaS remarketing.

With SaaS remarketing, you can keep in touch with your current customers, especially the ones who show signs of churning.

You can show them ads that would remind them to use your SaaS product. You can also offer them discounts or other incentives to keep using your SaaS solution.

This way, you can reduce the likelihood of your customers canceling their subscriptions.

Recovering Churned Customers

Last but not least, SaaS remarketing can also help you recover churned customers.

There are times when people cancel their subscription to a SaaS product but there’s a chance they might come back. Maybe they just needed a break or they found a better alternative.

But whatever the reason may be, there’s always a chance that they might come back. It’s not too late.

And with SaaS remarketing, you can reach out to those people and try to win them back. You can show them ads that would let them know about recent improvements and updates you’ve added to your SaaS solution.

You can also offer them discounts or other incentives to encourage them to subscribe again.

SaaS Remarketing Platforms

Now that you know the different SaaS remarketing use cases, it’s time to look at the different SaaS remarketing platforms.

There are many SaaS remarketing platforms out there but the most popular ones are Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and Amazon Ads.

Google Ads

This is one of the most common retargeting ad platforms being used today.

Google Ads is a paid advertising platform that allows you to show ads on Google’s search engine and other websites that are part of the Google Display Network. 

You can use Google Ads to show text ads, image ads, and video ads on these websites. As for the search engine ads, you can use them to get your web pages at the top of the search engine results pages (SERPs).

Google Ads is a very effective SaaS remarketing platform because it has a vast reach. It’s estimated that there are almost 2 billion active Google accounts in the world. That’s a lot of potential customers you can reach with your retargeting ads.

Another reason why Google Ads is so effective is that it allows you to target your ads very specifically. For example, you can target people who have visited your website but didn’t subscribe to your SaaS product.

You can also target people who have subscribed to your SaaS product but haven’t used it in a while.

This way, you’re not wasting your time and money showing your ads to people who are not interested in what you’re selling.

Facebook Ads

Another great SaaS remarketing platform is Facebook Ads.

Facebook Ads is a paid advertising platform that allows you to show ads on Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger. You can use Facebook Ads to show carousel ads, image ads, and video ads on these platforms.

Facebook Ads is a very effective SaaS remarketing platform because it has a large audience.

Facebook has over 2.9 billion active users and Instagram has more than 1 billion. That’s a lot of potential customers you can reach with your SaaS retargeting ads.

Another reason why Facebook Ads is so effective is that it allows you to target your ads very specifically. For example, you can target people within a specific location, age group, and/or other demographic factors.

But when it comes to remarketing, you just need to have the Facebook pixel on your web pages. Then you can just sit back and watch your website visitors see your ads the next time they browse Facebook.

Amazon Ads

Another SaaS remarketing platform that’s gaining popularity is Amazon Ads.

Amazon Ads is a paid advertising platform that allows you to show ads on Amazon.com and other websites that use the Amazon Demand Side Platform (DSP).

Like the other remarketing platforms we mentioned, you can use Amazon Ads to show text ads, image ads, and video ads on the websites in this network.

The reason why Amazon Ads is becoming a popular SaaS remarketing platform is that the potential audience in it is growing. Amazon.com is the world’s largest online retailer and it’s estimated that there are over 300 million active Amazon accounts.

So if your SaaS product has something to do with Amazon or e-commerce in general, then this is a great platform to reach out to your potential customers.

How To Create A Remarketing Process

Now that you know the different SaaS remarketing use cases, platforms, and strategies, it’s time to learn how to create a SaaS remarketing process that wins more customers.

Here are the steps you need to follow:

1) Have A Robust First-Touch Marketing Strategy

The first step to creating a SaaS remarketing process is to have a robust first-touch marketing strategy.

This means that you need to have a plan for how you’re going to generate leads in the first place.

There are many ways to generate leads. But the most common ones for SaaS marketing are content marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), email marketing, and social media marketing.

2) Choose The Right Retargeting Ad Platforms

The second step is to choose the right SaaS remarketing platforms.

As we mentioned before, there are many SaaS remarketing platforms to choose from. But not all of them are created equal.

Some platforms are better suited for certain SaaS products than others.

For example, if your SaaS product has something to do with Amazon, then Amazon Ads would be a better platform for you than Google Ads.

But if not, then Google Ads or Facebook Ads may be better options.

3) Choose Your Target Audience

Like any form of marketing, knowing your target audience is of paramount importance in building your SaaS remarketing strategy. You need to know who you’re targeting with your SaaS remarketing ads.

Are you targeting people who have visited your website but didn’t subscribe to your SaaS product? Or are you targeting people who have subscribed to your SaaS product but haven’t used it in a while?

This is important because it will determine the type of ads you’re going to show, the platforms you’re going to use, and the overall strategy you’re going to follow.

4) Set Up Tracking Pixels On Your Web Pages

In order to track the people who visit your SaaS product’s website, you need to set up tracking pixels on your web pages. And you can do this based on your target audience.

For example, let’s say you’re targeting leads that you want to convert into customers. You can set up pixels on your pricing page, features page, FAQ, or in your blog pages.

Visitors who pass through these pages may later on encounter ads generally showing your SaaS product.

Now let’s say you also want to target those who have already clicked the sign-up button but stopped before they could finish the sign-up process.

Your tracking pixel for that sign-up page could have a few extra lines of code specifying the product that the visitor viewed. Down the road, visitors could encounter ads that specifically feature the product or plan that they were about to sign up for.

5) Create Your SaaS Remarketing Ads

The next step is to create your SaaS remarketing ads. And this will depend on the platforms you’re using as well as your target audience.

If you’re using Google Ads, then you can create text ads, image ads, or video ads.

And if you’re using Facebook Ads, then you can create single image ads, carousel ads, or video ads.

But no matter what platform you’re using, make sure that your SaaS remarketing ads are relevant and targeted to your target audience.

6) Test, Measure, And Optimize Your SaaS Remarketing Process

Finally, once you have your SaaS remarketing process up and running, it’s important to test, measure, and optimize it.

This means constantly testing different ad copy, images, videos, target audiences, platforms, and strategies. And then measuring the results to see what’s working and what’s not.

Only then can you start to optimize your SaaS remarketing process to get the best results possible.

SaaS Remarketing Tips

Now that you know how to create a SaaS remarketing process, here are a few SaaS remarketing tips to help you get started:

Start Small And Test The Waters

When starting out with SaaS remarketing, it’s important to start small and test the waters. Don’t try to go all-in from the start.

Start with a small budget and gradually increase it as you see results. This will help you minimize your risks and maximize your chances of success.

Provide A Variety Of Retargeting Content

When creating your SaaS remarketing ads, make sure to provide a variety of content.

Don’t just create one ad and show it to everyone. Create different ads for different segments of your target audience. And make sure to test different ad types as well.

For example, you can create an image ad for people who have visited your website but didn’t sign up. Then you can create a tutorial video ad for people who have signed up but haven’t used your SaaS product yet.

The key is to provide value and be creative with your SaaS remarketing content.

Focus On The Customer Journey

When creating your SaaS remarketing strategy, it’s important to focus on the customer journey. Think about the different stages of the customer journey and what you can do to remarket to people at each stage.

For example, you can target people who have visited your pricing page but didn’t sign up with a discount offer. Or you can target people who have signed up but haven’t used your SaaS product in a while with a how-to guide.

The key is to focus on providing value at each stage of the customer journey.

Having An Ethical SaaS Remarketing Strategy

Retargeting ads doesn’t only benefit you as a SaaS provider. It also benefits the customer in a lot of ways.

For one, SaaS remarketing ads help customers become more aware of your SaaS product. They also help customers remember your SaaS product and keep it top-of-mind, in case they forget how much it can help them with their pain points.

However, it doesn’t come without its controversies.

One of the most pressing ethical issues when it comes to remarketing is data privacy issues.

It’s understandable, given that tracking pixels and cookies are built to track website visitors’ online activity.

That’s why you should always be transparent with your SaaS remarketing efforts. Here are some ways you can do that:

Let Your Visitors Know About The Cookies

One thing you can do is to keep your visitors in the loop about your cookies.

When they enter your site, the first thing they should see is a message telling them that your site uses cookies. You can also assure them that these cookies only track activity, not personal data.

Tell Them The Benefits Of Receiving Cookies

You may also inform your website visitors about what’s in it for them. You can say that it is to personalize their browsing experience in the future or something to that effect.

What’s more, you can also educate them about having cookies if your site has a cart. This way, they don’t have to worry about losing their items when they come back to your site.

Give Them A Choice Whether To Proceed Or Not

When you have told them about your cookies and their potential benefits, make sure you give them a choice whether to proceed or not. That option is important.

You can do this using a pop-up with two choices: to accept the cookies or decline.

If they accept, the pop-up goes away and they may proceed to your webpage. If not, you can have them redirected to a “goodbye” page or something similar.

Be Transparent In Your Retargeting Ads

You can also be more transparent in your SaaS remarketing ads. For example, you can include a message saying that they’re seeing this ad because they visited your site before.

This way, you’re not only being upfront about your use of cookies but also providing them with an explanation as to why they’re seeing your ad. That might reduce some “creepiness” factors in your remarketing efforts.

And when it comes to the actual ads, make sure they’re relevant and useful. No one likes feeling spied on or being sold to without their consent. So, show them that you’re not out to get their money but to help them solve their problem.

Being this transparent may even build rapport with your potential customer.

By being upfront and honest about your SaaS remarketing strategy, you can build trust with your target audience and show them that you respect their privacy.

Final Thoughts About SaaS Remarketing

SaaS remarketing is a powerful marketing tool that can help SaaS providers win back lost customers and increase customer lifetime value.

When done right, SaaS remarketing can help SaaS businesses boost their revenue, close more deals, and grow their business.

However, SaaS remarketing can also be a controversial marketing practice. That’s why it’s important to be ethical and transparent in your SaaS remarketing strategy.

If you want more guides and strategies to help you grow your SaaS business, visit our blog here.