Getting your first customers is always the most difficult step for any entrepreneur in the SaaS industry as it requires a lot of effort and dedication. These first clients will be the foundation that your success is built on. This is why it is so important to keep the first customers loyal to you long after they've purchased your product.
Here are some of the most effective ways how you can get the first clients for your SaaS startup.
1. Launch Your Marketing Campaign Early
The best way to make the most out of your marketing campaign is to start it early. Time is money, so the earlier you start, the more money you can make. Launch your marketing campaign before your project is even ready. Consequently, this will provide you with a boost that will help you to get yourself off your feet once your startup is ready.
Many marketers believe that the marketing stage comes only after the product is ready, but you can and should start promoting your product much earlier. The main aim, in this case, is getting the word about your product out into the world and making people talk about it creating hype.
You can do this by creating a landing page on your website that clearly explains your SaaS product. Then, get people to visit this page by using the different techniques outlined below.
2. Make Use of Content Marketing Strategies
One of the biggest benefits of content marketing is that it can give you three times more leads than usual paid advertising. This means that the ROI of content marketing is much higher. Moreover, this type of marketing is by far the cheapest of all and can even be completely free in some cases.
By using content marketing, you will be able to achieve a variety of different aims:
- Improved Brand Awareness: More people will know about your brand and your SaaS startup.
- More Traffic: Your SaaS product landing page will get more traffic if you link to it in different articles.
- Higher Conversion Rate: Readers are more likely to convert when content marketing is done right.
- More Trust: More Internet users will trust you and you will be able to find first customers way faster.
3. Join Communities Relevant To Your Product
Communities and groups on social media and forums are some of the best places that you can find customers hanging out in. If you select the right groups, you will be able to offer them your SaaS product that they will never decline because of its relevance to them. As long as you are friendly and not pushing it, people will accept your offer one way or the other.
The most active communities are usually those on Facebook and Reddit. You can always find communities for your specific topics as there are millions of users on those platforms and somebody will definitely fit your target audience.
Make sure that you know who you are looking for though. If you target the wrong people, your efforts will be pointless. Likewise, ask the community administrators about their advertising policies in order not to get in trouble.
4. Internationalize Your Campaign to Reach More People
Instead of only looking for English-speaking customers, think wider. You have probably considered going global at some point, so why not do it now? After all, you started your marketing before the product was ready, so spreading to the foreign markets can also be done faster.
To make your content and ads accessible and understandable for foreigners, simply translate them with the help of an online translation service such as The Word Point. Think of which countries or regions you would like to work with and then decide on the languages you will translate your content into. It is crucial to remember that some regions have the same languages while others are more densely populated which means more potential customers.
5. Offer Free Trials and Referral Programs
Sometimes people are simply afraid of trying a product that hasn't established itself on the market yet. This is why offering a demo version and free trials is perfect for luring in your first customers. If your product is really as great as you think it is, people will love it and will sign up for a paid version.
After your customers become long-term clients, provide them with an opportunity to join a referral program. If they are passionate about your project, they will want to spread the word about it. In this case, both of you and them will benefit as they get gifts while you get new customers and improve the loyalty of current ones.
On the other hand, even if someone just purchased your SaaS product, they may want to opt in for the referral program right away. Make sure that there are no restrictions for such enthusiasts as they may get easily discouraged even by the very first challenges they encounter.
6. Reach Out To the People You Already Know
You probably have a LinkedIn account with dozens of connections from your past and current relationships. Why not use this network? Reach out to your past colleagues and see if they would like to test your product. Maybe you know someone who writes reviews and could make one about your SaaS startup.
If you are lucky enough, you may even find potential investors in your contacts who will gladly invest in your current or future projects. You never know what life has got for you, so it's always great to have a backup plan.
How to Keep Your First Customers
Once you do get your first customers, how do you make them stay? Unless your project is something extremely unique and truly incredible, you will be like most entrepreneurs. Your goal will be to persuade your customers that your product is worth it and they have to stay.
Make sure they understand what your product is for and what problems it solves. During the signup process, don't ask for too much information. Shorten the distance between your customer and your product. They want to try it as fast as possible and unnecessary verification steps and whatnot will only be an obstacle on their way.
Your aim is to impress permanently. Show that your project is valuable by making it valuable. The harsh truth is that if your product is not useful, nobody will want to continue using it. Logically, if any problems arise, you must look at the core idea of your SaaS product and find out what went wrong at the very start. Your project is only as good as you make it be.
Final Thoughts
All in all, getting clients for your SaaS startup is not an easy task, but it is very much achievable. Follow the advice in this article to get the best results out of the time and energy you invest in promoting your SaaS startup.