Inbound Marketing to Ensure Customers Find Your SaaS Business (Part 2)

As the developer of a Software as a Service company, you obviously have put a great deal of thought into your product or products. Even before development began, you thought about what kind of service you could provide, what kinds of companies you could serve, why your product(s) is best for those potential customers.

Now, you need to figure out how you can best reach those potential customers and convince them your SaaS company is the best solution to their needs.

That's where the services of an inbound marketing company can come to your assistance. This is the second part of a two-part blog on how inbound marketing can ensure customers find you in the burgeoning SaaS business. In the first blog, we offered you a primer on inbound marketing that you can find here. In the second part, we will explain how all that hard work you did in development can lead directly to a successful inbound marketing program for your SaaS company.

Who Are Your Potential Customers?

As we explained in the primer, inbound marketing targets potential customers who turn to the Internet looking for your service, generally to solve a need or problem they are encountering in their lives or business. In the marketing field, we refer to this as their "pain point" and address how your product can ease their pain.

The first step in identifying these potential customers is to develop a "persona" so you can target the communication to the appropriate level.

Do you have an accounting software package you'd like to sell to Fortune 500 companies? Or do you have an accounting package you'd like to sell to a mom and pop retail store? Or maybe it's an accounting package you'd like to sell to farmers who spend their days in giant tractors, tilling thousands of acres. Each of these "personas" will respond to different forms and levels of communication.

What if your SaaS idea is something completely different? Maybe you've developed a program that can point avid readers to authors who write similar works and you get a share from each book you recommend through an online bookseller. Or maybe it's obscure documentary films. Or Japanese anime. Again, you are targeting very different "personas" so you need your language to appeal to each of these targets as they search for answers.

The more you know about your potential customer, the better your inbound marketing effort can succeed.

What Are Their Pain Points?

Before you ever developed your software, you had a vision for what it could do and why it could appeal to your customers. You already were thinking about how you could relieve their pain points, whether you thought of it that way or not.

Putting that thought into language that will attract potential customers is the next step to a successful inbound marketing effort. Knowing the language of your potential customers is vital to successfully meeting the ever-changing demands of Internet search engines.

If you're promoting that accounting software to Fortune 500 companies, their CFO is not going to search for "accounting software". She is more likely to search for "ASC 606 compliance" to deal with her latest pain point. Understanding how your best potential customers will speak and search boosts your chances of reaching them in the first place.

Drawing Your Customers into the Funnel

If you remember from the primer, we talked about how inbound marketing casts a wide net through search engine optimization to ensure your company appears highly in search results. The next step is to make those searches pay off into customers who enter your funnel and become paying customers.

Research now is pointing to the absolute necessity to feature video on your website and in any marketing effort. HubSpot reports that 59 percent of executives would rather watch video than read text; while individual consumers are four times as likely to watch a video as read text about a product, Small Business Trends reports.

The same report from Small Business Trends notes that 50 percent of executives are likely to seek more information about a product or service after watching a video. The same research found 65 percent will visit a marketer's site and 39 percent will call a vendor after seeing a product or service video.

As you can see, you've already done much of the hard work necessary to launch an inbound marketing effort for your SaaS company in identifying your potential customers and their pain points. Contact us to learn how to take the next step in developing a marketing program that will make your company stand out in the crowded field of cloud computing.

by Clay Chaszeyka

Should You Post Video on Social Media?

As we have mentioned in the past, by 2020 around 80% of Internet traffic will consist of video views. So, when this question arises, it is a little surprising. Wistia broke this query down very nicely with a graphic:

WISTIA

Wistia, in their usual awesome way, goes on to explain that even small businesses with a single (or no) marketing team should be thinking about social video. They discuss which channels work best for a given situation. We usually recommend to our clients that they use an omnichannel approach to video marketing. Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, Linkedin, Snapchat (sometimes, depending on the brand), and Wistia for hosting videos on the client's site.

Why Wistia? The answer is relatively straightforward: Wistia is a subscription platform that doesn't rely on ad revenue as its business model. So what does that matter? Well consider that Youtube is interested in serving you ads and keeping you on Youtube. That is how they make money. That's why they continue to suggest additional videos to you, so you keep watching cat videos for as long as possible. The longer you stay, the more ads they can serve.

YOUTUBE

However, Youtube has its place in your video marketing mix. Consider Youtube as a top-of-the-funnel channel. You can utilize it for educating your market and reaching new viewers. By answering questions that your future customers are asking through educational and entertaining video, you are likely to gain trust while building authority in their perception of your brand. You then have an opportunity to drive that viewer to your site and continue the relationship through lead generation tools.

FACEBOOK

Facebook is similar in being ad supported. Facebook has become the ever-present social network in most of our lives. Video views make up more than half of Facebook use, so it is a no-brainer to publish your videos there. Similar to Youtube, you may consider Facebook a top-of-the-funnel channel. However, Facebook is unique in that once you gain a follower, you can continue to nurture that relationship through social interaction. So the social network can work throughout the sales funnel, but you should always focus on driving traffic to your site. Your goal is to own the interactions and move prospects through your funnel with videos that target viewers at each stage of their buyer's journey.

If you have questions about how to use video at each stage of your sales process, please drop us a line. We are happy to help!

by Clay Chaszeyka

16 Video Marketing Production Statistics for 2016

Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Inc. have made it clear and the fact is undeniable - Video has changed the way we interact with the world and market our businesses. We share links across social media and upload 6 billion hours of video to Youtube every month. That number doubles each year as we consume more and more video.

So what does that mean to you as a business owner, salesperson, or marketer? Let’s take a look: e video marketing statistics for 2016:

Video Marketing Statistics For 2016:

Forrester, an authority on marketing data, published a report that states that video marketing has been proven to increase click-through rates in email by 300%
Including video on your landing page will increase conversions by as much as 80%
YouTube has reported that viewership has doubled every year
The top 100 YouTube channels increased views by 110% in the past year reaching 14.7bn views in January alone
Do you sell products online? 90% of customers find that video is a key factor in their decision process
Do you focus on b2b marketing? 75% of c-suite execs watch work-related videos weekly
92% of video viewers share videos on mobile
The Online Publishers Association has shown that 46% of viewers take an action after watching video - compare that with your current conversion rates
500 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute
YouTube has over a billion users, ⅓ of people on the Internet
The average YouTube viewing session on mobile is over 40 minutes
More than 50% of video views come from mobile devices
The first video uploaded (watch video below) to YouTube was Me At the Zoo, garnering 33,456,515 views as of this post
ReelSEO reports that 76% of b2b marketers report a positive ROI on video
Forbes states that 50% of execs seek more information after learning about a product or service through video
Looking to increase time on site? Visitors that watch video spend twice as much time each session onsite

Video marketing production can be a difficult task because it requires technical skills and expensive equipment, but by creating a strategy and through concerted effort, many businesses have managed to create successful videos in-house. If you are interested in creating your own videos, check out our Video Marketing Roadmap.

HARNESS offers a unique approach to video marketing services and analytics. From video ads on social to unique videos for each stage of your sales funnel, we create a custom strategy, produce results-driven videos based on your target verticals and goals. It does not stop there as it does with many video production companies. We also optimize and manage content distribution with deep analytics to guide your decision-making process.

by Christabelle Kolafa

Video Marketing and Marketing Automation

Making sense of marketing: focus on the basics of communication.

When companies begin to consider the process of creating and nurturing new business relationships, they are often bombarded with endless offerings from various software providers, agencies, and other outlets that throw around jargon such as CRM, automation, CPA, CAC - the list goes on and on. The truth is, however, business remains relatively simple when you remember one basic thing - people still buy from people even in our technology-driven culture.

People buy from people.

Whether you are focused on a digital campaign or outside sales, there are individual humans at each company that are making the decisions about which products and services will best solve their problems. You simply need to figure out the best way to reach those individuals and let them get to know you as a fellow human. What makes you special and how should you communicate that in the most efficient and effective manner?

If you are marketing to a large list of prospects, it can be daunting to consider how to go about developing and nurturing relationships with each person at the end of each email address. However, there are tools that allow you to do that in a way that is still very human with one-to-one communication. Which tools you ask? The answer: marketing automation combined with video.

The importance of results-driven video

Video marketing has an immeasurable impact on marketing initiatives. In fact, Forbes named it #1 of the Top 7 Online Marketing Trends that Will Dominate 2016. A few of the numerous major benefits of video are:of

SEO - Having unique video on your site makes it 50x more likely to appear on top of Google search results
Email Marketing - Click-through rates increased as much as 300%
Conversions - Prospects that watch video on your site are 64% more likely to make a purchase

If you are not already convinced that the critical nature of video playing a key role in your marketing efforts, be sure to watch the video above.

What is marketing automation?

The power of marketing automation is rooted in an ability to tailor a specific solution for a business based on the business’s unique sales model, marketing funnel, products and/or services sold and the unique behaviors of each lead. Automation allows companies to optimize and grow their business through nurturing leads from initial awareness through all stages of the sales funnel at substantially reduced marketing costs. According to Forrester Research, companies that utilize this technology are able to generate 50% more qualified leads at a 33% reduced cost - that is certainly worth noting.

As we have mentioned in other articles such as Email Marketing Refined, email is still a very viable marketing channel if utilized properly. This is important to realize because email plays a vital role in marketing automation especially when combined with video. By utilizing results-driven videos, we have seen our clients increase their click-through rates in email marketing by as much as 300%! We try to use video in nearly every email campaign - it just works.

Where do you start? At the finish Line!

So now that you have decided to utilize marketing automation with video, where do you begin? The answer: start at your goal and work your way back. Are you hoping to generate new leads, increase traffic to your site, or increase conversions on your e-commerce platform? Once you identify your ideal result, you can establish the metrics needed to reach that target.

One simple example of these metrics would be to use video analytics such as engagement rate or rewatches in order to score your leads and segment your list. In doing so, you can send subsequent touch points to each list based on their engagement levels. For instance, if a person watched 100% of the video, then they are exhibiting deeper interest than a person who bounced after 30 seconds. These individuals should receive different marketing materials to nurture the respective relationships.

We like to use video heat maps to see areas where individuals watch, rewind, fast-forward, and rewatch to segment our targets. If a person rewatches an area of the video that is focused on a particular product or service, we can automatically send them subsequent emails that focus on that service.

An example: one of our clients manufactures a men's luxury clothing line. We sent out a video promoting a new Autumn clothing collection. We created a follow-up touch points around each of the products highlighted in the video in advance of sending the first video campaign. That way, if a user watched or rewatched a section of the video that highlighted a type of pants, we had an automated workflow to send follow up emails illustrating additional features, advantages, and benefits of those products.

Using video to create new leads

Video can also be used to create new leads by utilizing a signup form inside the video player to capture email addresses of viewers. If users are interested and want to keep in contact, they can provide contact info, which is then synced with our customer relationship management software as a new account. From there, we are able to cultivate the relationship over time with appropriate materials.

Nurturing with video: awareness, consideration, & decision stages

How do you nurture that new relationship with video? We build our video marketing campaigns over time to cater to each step of the funnel as the individual continues to search for a solution to his or her problem or need. From broad awareness style videos to more precise videos highlighting an individual value proposition, we walk buyers through the sales funnel from awareness to decision and then later with after-sale service videos.

Further, our automation software will allow us to place the individual accounts into a visual funnel so we know precisely where each buyer is in that process. Most leads fall into the awareness or consideration stage, and may stay there for a short time or longer depending on your particular sales cycle. The important part is knowing where they are on that journey so that you can send them timely, relevant information to assist them in making the best decision possible.

Awareness

In the awareness stage, we send our leads more broad educational content about the features advantages and benefits of our services. Who we are, what we do, how we do it, and what makes us so special compared to others. Those are the basics to build that awareness and establish credibility.

Consideration

Once a buyer moves into the consideration stage, we work to build a deeper relationship with them. Let them get to know you a bit. This still stays high-level, but gives them more depth into how we can help them solve their problem by answering questions they have about our solutions.

Decision

In the decision stage, we like to leverage the selling power of our current clients by letting them speak for us. We like to use testimonials and case studies to really paint a picture for our prospects and allow them to see how our relationship will take shape if they work with us.

Scoring leads

Another important aspect is lead scoring, which is another way for us to identify the quality of the lead and their position in the buyer’s journey. A quick example - we assign 20 points to a lead that fills out the form on our site to receive our emails. We give 50 points to someone that watches our first video in our video marketing series. We assign 50 points for each subsequent video they watch in the series. If someone completes all of the videos, we consider them to be in the decision stage and market to them differently than we would a brand new subscriber.

Bring it all together

Marketing automation has been around for a few years. As mentioned above, it can have a profound impact on generating and building relationships. Internet video has been around for several years as well and has become critical for any successful marketing campaign. By combining these two technologies, we are able to help our clients build substantially deeper relationships that allow us to anticipate needs and create recurring revenue from repeat buyers.

by Clay Chaszeyka

Outdoor Retailer: Video Marketing

You don’t have to look very hard these days to find marketing professionals and academics puzzling over the millennial consumer market. According to Outside magazine, outdoor retailers are especially struggling to get a foothold on the millennial money mountain. As Outside and most current wisdom suggest inbound and video marketing is the way to go when it comes to reaching prospective outdoor recreation customers, under the age of 35.Read more

by Christabelle Kolafa

Building Relationships with Video Marketing

The key point to why video marketing is successful is the familiarity principle. The familiarity principle is when people are repeatedly exposed to certain stimuli, and then those people develop a preference for that product.

An issue that marketers are coming across is overexposure. In 2016, we are constantly exposed to images of the goods and advertisements. Now it’s important to do things that will stand out. There are two ways to keep in mind when brainstorming ideas that will set you apart from all of the noise:

1. Build a personal connection with video marketing

There are some ways that your company can make a connection with your consumers. Choose the best way your product is going to connect with your audience. For example, General Mills takes advantage of placing cereal at the height of their target demographic, which are children. The reason for putting their product at a child’s height is for their target demographic to ask their parents to buy them cereal.

Another helpful tip to keep in mind for building a personal connection is that eye contact improves the chances of making a connection. Creating eye contact cuts through all of the other exposure your target audience experiences and encourages them to focus on your product.

2. Scale the personal connection with video marketing

While sending out thank you notes or calling to check up on consumers are nice, it’s not easy to continue this over time. Video allows consumers to feel and see human emotions and allows the opportunity to explain things in detail. With video, you can see whether or not a customer is intrigued with your product by tracking minutes watched, where viewers stopped and where they click through. It will help you to comprehend what you’re doing right and wrong.

Keep in mind that video marketing is a successful way to keep your target audience connected to your business and brand. It keeps your viewers feeling connected, and benefits you as well because you can track how often your audience is viewing your material. Video marketing creates human connections, which will help both you and your audience.

Read a more in-depth discussion here: http://wistia.com/blog/video-familiarity

by Clay Chaszeyka

Video Marketing for Restaurants

Video Marketing - Can they find your restaurant?

Your restaurant offers mouth-watering food, a warm, inviting atmosphere, and top-notch customer service, but how will you build awareness and reach new customers? Is your restaurant using the latest methods to bring customers in?

Kous Kous Moroccan Bistro is a Moroccan restaurant whose owner and executive chef, Moumen Nouri, themed after his hometown, Marrakech, Morocco. Initially, the restaurant’s marketing strategy was focused on the restaurant itself. While Kous Kous is an amazing oasis where guests can step out of San Diego and into a home in Marrakech, with an inspired decor, delicious food, and a staff that makes guests feel like family, the restaurant had not reached its full potential according to Chef Moumen. When he approached Harness to initiate a marketing campaign, he described his vision for the future and we established shared goals for our work together.

Harness Consulting introduced video marketing to Kous Kous as part of a larger integrated marketing campaign, which led to dramatically increased sales in just 2 months.

"I am trying to share the experience of growing up in Morocco and bring that to our guests."
- Chef Moumen Nouri

by Clay Chaszeyka