SaaS marketers face unique challenges. For example, you might have an amazing software product, but you also want to highlight the unmatched support you offer to customers. Or maybe you have a sophisticated product and are faced with the hurdle of crafting simple, effective marketing messages your target audience will easily understand.
If you’re looking to get your SaaS product in front of the right people, connect with them, and persuade them that you’re the right choice for them, video marketing is key. Over 42% of online users watch seven or more hours of video per week, according to a study by Statista. That’s a lot of time to get eyes on your software!
In this article, we’ll take a look at five types of videos that can strengthen your SaaS marketing strategy in 2022 by creating exceptional customer experiences, educating people about your product, building awareness, and engaging with your market. Read on for actionable advice you can use right away.
Because your homepage is the first thing a person sees when they land on your website, it’s your best chance to make a solid impression and hold people’s interest. Lead here with a video rather than a wall of text! 69% of consumers said they’d prefer to learn about a brand’s product through a short video rather than a text-based article, according to research by Wyzowl.
“69% of consumers said they’d prefer to learn about a brand’s product through a short video rather than a text-based article, according to research by Wyzowl.”
Remember this may be someone’s first interaction with your company. Your homepage video should make it easy for prospects to quickly understand what your software is and what it’s used for. Introduce your brand and give a quick overview of your product’s unique benefits. Show your audience that you understand them by addressing common pain points they might experience — and how these are resolved by your product.
Take a look at HubSpot’s homepage video. When you visit the HubSpot marketing tool homepage, you’re met with a video that succinctly explains why HubSpot is the best marketing software for your company.
This homepage video is a great introduction to the marketing tool and offers solutions to problems HubSpot viewers are likely having: how to immediately increase traffic and convert leads. This is probably a relief to marketers who have landed on this page looking to target this exact issue.
A video can give your homepage some serious curb appeal, and it’s also an opportunity to engage with your audience right away. You only get one first impression, and video can help you make the most of it.
Now that you’ve got your potential customer’s attention, bring them in further with a product video. While your homepage video gives prospects a high-level taste of who you are and what you do, a product video digs deeper into how your product works and what the benefits are.
A product video should get prospects excited about, well, your product! You want to convey your value proposition and show your product in action with, you know, all its bells bell-ing and its whistles whistling.
An easy way to do that is with a demo or step-by-step tutorial. Try creating a screencast with a voiceover, or have an expert explain your product on camera using footage of your software as b-roll. Voiceovers and people talking directly into the camera can make the video feel more personal and conversational.
Descript, a video editing software, relies on a unique and visually pleasing way to demonstrate its product.
What makes this product video so effective is that it completely centers the customer, focuses on relatable pain points, and shows how Descript offers a ton of value to folks who aren’t traditional video editors (and professionals, too!). The theme of the video is: editing is hard, but Descript makes it easy. In the video, you can see everyday people using Descript to seamlessly edit the transcription and adjust the audio in their videos. Prospects can see themselves in the video — as well as their problems getting solved.
As a SaaS brand, you’re likely offering innovative solutions to tough problems. Your product videos are an opportunity to show potential customers exactly how your product can improve their daily lives.
Next up: webinars — virtual conferences that can be recorded live and saved for on-demand viewing. These have exploded in popularity recently. In 2020, viewers watched “three times more webinar content than in 2019,” according to research by ON24, a popular San Francisco-based webinar and virtual event hosting website.
To create buzz for your brand, host compelling webinars on topics that your prospects and industry leaders are talking about. Consider inviting thought leaders or highlighting ones within your company to attract more people. A valuable webinar is one that offers attendees actionable takeaways or new data they can act on or implement.
You can use your webinar to market your software and detail how it relates to the topic at hand. Trello, a web-based SaaS company specializing in project management and organization, excels at this.
Trello hosts regular webinars. Each one covers topics related to Trello’s product, like project management and how people can stay productive while working remotely. Webinars help the company stay top-of-mind for its audience, and they can help you do the same.
You should host webinars regularly — establish a cadence your audience can look forward to, even if it’s only once per quarter. This will keep you on people’s radars and also allow you to build credibility (and a sweet on-demand library of content).
In-person events have taken a hit during the pandemic, and live streamed events have largely taken their place. According to Market Research Future, about 47% of consumers increased their live stream viewing since 2019.
“According to Market Research Future, about 47% of consumers increased their live stream viewing since 2019.”
Take advantage of this trend and plan some virtual events. A live streamed event is a great time to introduce a new product or a major product update. Host breakout sessions to teach people how to use your software or allow them to talk directly with leaders in your industry. The options are endless!
To plan your event, start by brainstorming event ideas. Remember that you’ll be live and in the moment with potential customers and industry leaders. Think about the topics you’re interested in and consider how you can foster interactivity and engagement. Some ideas: Use a live poll to ask a relevant question, play a guessing game to get folks engaged, or host a Q&A at the end to give your audience a chance to join the conversation with you.
Next, start planning your events well in advance. LAI Live lays out a “live event planning roadmap” that takes about 15 weeks. This roadmap starts with research and design in the first several weeks and ends with quality assurance and rehearsing in weeks 13–15. Using a template like this — or creating your own schedule — can be super helpful as you start to plan your own live event.
Salesforce used LinkedIn Live to produce an 11-episode live virtual version of their annual event, Dreamforce. “We find that live streaming is really a wonderful way for us to engage our audience in real time, take questions, and interact with them in a very meaningful way,” says Marissa Kraines, Senior Director of Social & Content Marketing for Salesforce.
And the results speak for themselves: Dreamforce drew in over 60,000 organic views and had a 3% engagement rate for Salesforce. It’s clear that Salesforce has been able to pivot from a traditionally in-person event to a virtual one that still adds a ton of value for attendees.
Live streaming won’t be going anywhere this year. Think about ways you can use this medium to engage your target market and interact with them in real time, and let’s get some live virtual events on the calendar!
SaaS is a competitive market. There are tons of SaaS based companies in the world, and it’s a challenge to get your product in front of the right people and hold their interest. Use video as a tool in your marketing strategy to better demonstrate to prospects why they should choose your company.
Start with a project that’s a bit of a lighter lift, like a product demo or homepage video. These videos are the easiest to do with tools you likely already have on hand. Write a script or make a storyboard ahead of time, so you know exactly what you want to cover in the video — and don’t worry about getting it exactly right as you’re starting out. You’ll continue to learn and improve over time.
Once you start to create a library of videos, use Wistia to house them all in one place and customize them to your brand. With Wistia, you can get actionable insights into how your videos are performing, which will allow you to iterate as you promote your SaaS product in the future.
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