The SaaS Growth Blog

After commenting on a post by SaaSMetrics, I realized how much confusion and mixed definitions there are on the difference between ACV (Annual Contract Value) and ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue), which prompted me to think -- "I need to research this a bit more". I want to breakdown my explanation and findings, and define where confusion currently exits.

The buyer’s journey has been around quite some time and comes in many forms. The purpose, however, remains the same. The buyer’s journey is the process buyers go through to become aware of, evaluate, and purchase a new product or service. By mapping out this journey one can create clear messaging and content more specifically to the discovery stage that potential customers are searching within and ultimately drive and convert more qualified leads.

In the perpetual quest to effectively market your product, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut. But if you just keep doing the same thing, you’re not going to get different results. Too many marketing professionals think the solution to every marketing dilemma is to continually throw money at a problem.

Every lead is a potential customer. Every customer is a potential brand advocate. And every potential brand advocate has the power to keep your business afloat when times get tough. But most leads are lost before they have a chance to turn into anything at all.

As the owner or marketer of a SaaS product, you have to stay on top of the latest marketing trends to make sure you are prepared to beat competitors and get a decent sliver of that B2B exposure.

So let’s discuss what SaaS companies need for marketing in 2017.

It’s hard to ignore the fact that Apple products look great, whether you are a fan of them or not. Their prices are much higher than the competition, but their design, and simplistic perfection, is something that is hard to ignore.

On top of that, their packaging and presentation is keen on detail just the same. When you open a new Macbook or iPhone, feelings of excitement like those of your first Christmas as a kid come out from hiding for just a moment as you take apart and examine each new part.

Just based on the packaging alone, it adds to the excitement of turning the device on the first time. These feelings you have in relation to the product are something the design and packaging are achieving even before you have started using the product.

Don’t worry about software cluttering your computer anymore. We’re just going to have it floating up in a cloud until you want to use it. Yes, that’s right. In a cloud. Just say the word when you need access and we will jump on our magic carpet and go grab it for you. No, but really.

Regardless of what business you may be in, the increasingly crowded marketplace means that it’s more invaluable than ever before to find ways to distinguish your company from your competition. Thanks to modern technology, consumers are savvier than in the past and are prone to conducting detailed research regarding their purchase options.

When a person initially visits a website, they're not sure whether or not they are going to find what they’re looking for. Obviously, you want to provide it for them. So how are you to know exactly what it is they desire? The easy thing to do is throw a bunch of options at them and hope they choose one, but this will only overwhelm them.

 It doesn’t matter how great your product is, or how much effort you put into marketing it with excellent content. Proper SaaS marketing content distribution is a non-negotiable component of every successful campaign. If your marketing efforts aren’t in front of the right audience, you might as well be lighting money on fire.

Don’t spend your time curating excellent content only to let it go to waste. These three steps can help your marketing efforts land in front of eager customers.