If you're a marketing manager with an SaaS company, you know how important inbound lead generation is to the future success of the entire organization.  But do you know how to go about implementing a robust inbound marketing system that will convert leads into sales in the SaaS industry? 

Every industry is different and has different requirements that make it successful.  A SaaS company usually has armies of telesales representatives, product demonstrators and direct sales people to sell their products.  Therefore, you need to provide personalized advice to each prospective client if you want to show them the potential your SaaS solution has and how it can help them individually. 

This is why it's extremely important that you have a strong inbound marketing system in place.  And, that all your employees are on board and that each one knows how to skillfully work that marketing system to its fullest potential. 

You're probably thinking, "Ok, that's all well and good, but exactly how do we go about doing that?"  Am I right?  Well, not to worry because we are going to cover that in detail throughout this article.  We'll start with the basics and work up from there.  How does that sound?  Great!  Let's get started.

Why Inbound Marketing is Perfect for the SaaS Industry

The online nature of a SaaS company is the perfect lead-in for a robust inbound lead generation system because you're likely to be found as a result of someone's initial online research.  Usually, by way of an organic search, viral social media happenstance or through some form of paid advertising. 

The challenge is how to brand your company as the authority so that you're the one who gets seen and you're the one who converts the prospective client into a sale. 

Being an SaaS company, the level of information that's required for a client to make an educated decision is a bit different than if you were selling let's say cookies, where the information a client needs to make an informed decision is common knowledge.  Therein lies the challenge, but the rules for aligning marketing and sales are the same as in any other B2B technology environment. 

The Goals Of A Successful Inbound Marketing System

• Increase traffic to the website and increase your volume of leads
• Skillfully nurture and manage those leads as they progress through your sales funnel
• Provide your company with more qualified leads that can be converted without sales intervention or supply the sales team with  stronger leads that have a better chance of converting
• Help reduce the overall cost of the sale
• To encourage buyer behavior so that a greater percentage of the purchase process is conducted online
• To assist the sales process so your company is more helpful to prospective clients than your competitors

You may or may not already be familiar with this process.  So let's move on and discuss how to put it all together and make it work.

The Three Building Blocks Of A Skillfully Crafted Inbound Marketing System

1.   Build brand awareness.  Building brand awareness is usually done using offsite methods such as social media and producing quality content that can be distributed to other websites and can then be linked back to your site.  If you're using interesting, engaging high quality content, then chances are it will be shared and you'll receive the benefits of it going viral. 

The number of quality backlinks you have pointing back to your site could result in higher search engine rankings and greater exposure for your company.  Using this strategy will help your company come across as an authority in your industry. 

2.  Immediately offer a viable solution.  Don't make your clients wait to learn how your company can help them overcome their challenges.  You can do this by offering valuable information upfront and by using an aggressive call to action.  Your call to action could be something as simple as a trial offer.  This will allow your client to test the usability of your product for overcoming their particular challenges.  Additionally, this offers them proof that your solution is the best solution without having to risk losing any money.

3.  Effectively nurture and manager your inbound marketing leads.  You will need to continue offering helpful solutions, usable advice and quality content that your client can put into action immediately.  Your company needs to make themselves available to answer questions and offer assistance at all times.  Not all businesses work normal business hours, especially in the technology industry.

Why SaaS Companies Need To Have A Robust Inbound Marketing Program

Inbound lead generation is a long-term investment.  When done correctly, the benefits accrue over time.  The longer you keep up an inbound marketing program, the faster your results snowball, as opposed to traditional advertising campaigns that stop providing benefit the minute you quit pumping money into them. 

What An SaaS Company Should Avoid

Your company should never lose focus.  This will take careful planning when it comes to providing continual, valuable, quality information that can effectively handle a client's business challenges. 

This means you only have a small window of opportunity to present your client with an immediate solution and do it in a way that's different from what your competitors are offering.  You can do this by tailoring your inbound content to meet the needs of a variety of buyers who are researching your program as a viable solution to their needs. 

Outdated Marketing Techniques You Should Avoid

Many companies are still using outdated marketing techniques which are costing them loads of money and their reputations. 

• Interruption marketing - anything that stops the clients flow of activity just to get their attention
• Search spam
• Paid or rented email lists
• Pop-ups or pop-unders
• Most social media advertising
• Banner or display ads
• Paid app reviews

Best Practices For Your Inbound Marketing Campaigns

By only using the marketing techniques for today's online marketplace, you'll not only build your brand but you'll also be more well-respected as an authority figure in your industry. 

• Inbound marketing - earning attention organically without interrupting the client's path
• SEO and PPC
• Opt-in email lists
• Authoring books and print media
• Supporting and / or sponsoring events
• Good press and public relations
• Community building
• Influencer outreach
• Blogging
• Public speaking
• Earned social media
• Word of mouth / viral marketing
• Quality content creation
• Producing quality video content