Rethink: B2B SaaS Marketing Principles

The SaaS market is in quite a conundrum. The old playbooks aren’t working, and while it can be chalked up to the amount of content in the market, it is more than that.

The industry is facing a brand-new problem: the oversaturation of data points and an overreliance on that data. While the B2B SaaS train chugs on, is it time to rethink the marketing principles?

The SaaS marketing playbook is outdated.

Jon Miller, the co-founder of Marketo, was a pioneer in the SaaS field. Most of the common principles that the marketing world takes for granted today were perfected by him if not outright created. And he says something known for quite some time: the old playbooks and methods of SaaS marketing will not work.

If that’s a surprise to anyone, it’s time to take note of it. But what’s not working about the old playbooks? It’s the over-reliance on measurable and linear tactics. Many in marketing believe that what is working today will continue to work tomorrow.

But, historically, that hasn’t been true. From the days of Salesforce, SaaS marketing has been a disruptor. Humans crave novel experiences that help them reinforce something about themselves.

It is a very personal endeavor that speaks to our tribality. Marketing is evolving—or rather, it’s returning to its original form: forming communities around solutions and identifying markers of trust.

The marketing principles should be based on today’s culture.

Tribes and Communities

Brand building is a form of identification. But why is this brand-building necessary in the first place? First, it is to distinguish and differentiate. Apple is not Samsung. Trello is not Asana.

Second, it is to build trust. Asana has something Trello doesn’t, and vice versa. But why would someone choose one over the other? That begins by identifying with the mission and what that mission brings to the table.

Think of your own experiences. Maybe it’s a finance or marketing solution that solved your pain point—you will defend that solution. You will tell people why this solution is the best because it makes you feel heard and improves your life.

When it comes to SaaS, this identification is vital—it will keep the buyer asking for more. Anecdotally, many marketing teams have preferences for what tools they use. Maybe it’s Slack for communication (amazing community-building by them, by the way), Notion for brainstorming and writing, or even the Pomodoro timer for getting into the zone. And they swear by it.

It is in our nature to defend the things that help us—if nothing else, for the ease of it all.

Marketing teams must understand that while generating MQLs is a priority, marketing is evolving into a more organic way of communication between two parties: the customer and the vendor.

Problem-Solving

Problem-solving is something all marketers have done and continue to do daily:

1. Addressing their ICP’s pain points
2. Creating a campaign
3. Working around the budget
4. Brainstorming unique ways of reaching the audience
5. Crafting subject lines for emails
6. Writing unique content for blogs
7. Composing copy that speaks to the buyer
8. Directing the journey
9. And so on

The foremost marketing principle is realizing that every marketer, at their core, is a strategic problem solver. And while neither strategy nor problem-solving is measurable, their impact can be. The process requires deep reflection and thinking in novel ways.

This comes from experimentation and patience—two abstract concepts that might be drifting further away in our “always-on” world.

The Attention Economy

In this “always-on” world, attention is a resource that cannot be overlooked. But that doesn’t mean bombarding prospects with indefinite messages.

Attention can be gained through creativity.

But that may not seem actionable enough to some. What does being creative mean? While it involves thinking in novel ways, many creatives start by connecting two different ideas.

Think of handwritten notes and the B2B SaaS industry. Wouldn’t that get your attention? Of course, which is why there’s a B2B company that does it: https://www.scribeless.co/.

B2C industries have it easier—human connection and impulse buying are at the forefront, and a more casual approach often works. However, gaining the attention of the SaaS buying committee can sound daunting. Every decision they make has to lead somewhere. The cost must justify what it does.

Luckily, in the workplace, leaders and even employees are looking for solutions that can ease their work. From the boom in AI-powered virtual assistants, it is evident that we want tools that save time. The challenge lies in finding the correct channels and identifying stakeholders for attention-grabbing ABM campaigns.

The marketing principle viable for the modern B2B buyer’s journey

Customer-centricity will drive the future. With an increase in automation, the need for thoughtful messages will keep increasing.

Content, marketing experiences, and everything in between serve two purposes:

1. To build trust
2. And eventually turn prospects into paying customers

But the buyer’s journey has evolved. Its non-linearity and long buying cycles point to the problem of having too many solutions in the market. Your competitors have the same tech stacks and the same information as you.

So, what can you do when everything else seems stacked against you?

Well, there are two ways:

1. CMOs must lean heavily into storytelling and create an identity for the SaaS product.
2. Get to know the buyer like you would your closest friend, and reach them in empathetic ways.

Trust your SaaS product and articulate what it does. The buyer is no longer someone who doesn’t understand the implications of tech. Tell them what it does, and do it consistently. Promise them a frictionless life and deliver on that promise.

Once you do that, you’ll realize every marketing principle says: connect, attract, and retain.