Working with a SaaS lead generation agency can provide numerous benefits for your business. These external providers have the know-how and advanced software that will help you generate interest in your products in a few short months. Most importantly, specialized SaaS providers know how to create a custom strategy that will maximize the campaign’s impact.
In this article, we’ll talk about the benefits of partnering with these agencies. We’ll also talk about marketing providers’ most common workflow and ways they generate interest for their clients.
How Do We Use Lead Generation?
As the name implies, lead generation is a process of creating leads for a software business. To get the most out of this promotional tactic, you shouldn’t be too pushy during your campaigns. Instead, it is much better to organically attract users to your brand so they think it is their decision to approach you.
By leveraging inbound marketing, SaaS lead generation agencies can attract users to the client company’s web pages and social media accounts. At the heart of this process lies effective content, which entices prospects to visit previously mentioned platforms.
As such, there’s a clear connection between lead generation, inbound marketing methodology, and funneling. That being said, here’s what an average buyer’s journey looks like:
- Attract: During the earliest phase of the buyer’s journey, prospects are complete strangers and have no affiliation with the brand. The marketing team uses blogs and social media posts to establish the initial connection with these prospects
- Convert: After the Attract phase, users become website or social account visitors. At this point, you’re slowly introducing them to your offer by using CTAs, forms, and effective landing pages. By the end of the Convert phase, you can classify visitors as leads
- Close: Now, your sales team can pitch the leads by sending direct messages. If everything’s done the right way, they will become customers by the end of this phase
- Delight: The lead generation process doesn’t stop with sales. In the subsequent phases, you’re looking to squeeze as much value as possible from your client base by turning them into promoters with well-placed surveys and social monitoring
The most important thing about the lead generation process is that it’s very structured. Each phase is well-defined and serves a specific feature, which is why SaaS agencies convert at such a high rate.
SaaS Lead Generation Tactics and Formats
SaaS lead generation agencies use all sorts of tactics and channels to promote clients’ content. Basically, every content format or methodology is a fair game as long as it serves as a part of your funnel. For example, it doesn’t matter whether you established the first contact with social posts or articles as long as you catch the user’s attention.
Before a SaaS lead generation agency starts the process, it needs to assess company’s resources. Ideally, they should try to repurpose as much content as possible to gain increased visibility across the board. With that in mind, here are the best formats and tactics providers use to generate leads for clients’ software businesses.
Blog Posts
Blog posts are most commonly used by SEO teams. Marketers use them to grab a hold of top spots in Google search engine, which would result in a massive influx of organic traffic toward the client’s SaaS website.
Blog posts are a fantastic way for clients to get introduced to a brand. After arriving at the website, they can learn more about the software as well as the company behind it. But for this tactic to bear fruit, you need to write good copies and have a responsive website.
Social Media Posts
Social posts are an alternative to blog posts. Unlike articles, they target users who frequent platforms such as Meta, X, and Instagram. The best thing about them is that they’re unobtrusive, and prospects will notice them while organically browsing their favorite network.
Similar to articles, you need to implement the best SEO practices when a user finally arrives to your site. The website needs to be responsive and fast, ensuring that any users can open the page regardless of their device. Ideally, your social media posts should drive traffic toward product pages and other landing pages.
Emails
Emails can be used during different stages of the buyer’s journey. You can use them for cold outreach to connect with prospects who know little about your offer. Alternatively, you can use them for qualified leads who have shown interest in your SaaS.
Emails are much more personal, and they speak to a person. By customizing your messages, you can increase open rates and conversion, which makes it a great medium for marketing teams that aren’t afraid to put in extra hours.
Ads
Paid ads are a simple and straightforward method for generating leads for your business. They are rather short, limiting advertisers in the number of characters they can use. You pay each time someone clicks on the message, a cost that can quickly ramp up over time.
Like with other content formats, ads are just a part of a bigger funnel. We use them during the first stages of the buyer’s journey to introduce the brand to prospects.
Events
Although events aren’t a digital marketing tactic, they’re still incredibly effective. They are ideal for B2B clients who need more information about your product before investing in it. The best thing about this marketing tactic is that it allows you to explain the software’s features and potential benefits without sounding too aggressive.
Product Trials
We commonly use trials during the Convert phase of the funnel. By checking the SaaS features and functionality, users can determine if this solution is optimal for them. Trials have become commonplace in this industry as they allow users to “test the goods,” thus alleviating any financial risk.
How Can a Lead Generation Agency Help You?
So, how does hiring an expert lead generation agency differ from doing things in-house?
- A veteran SaaS lead generation agency can start providing results immediately. You don’t need to go through the long process of picking the staff and creating a methodology. Instead, an external provider can start generating traffic in just a few short weeks of working with your company
- While in-house teams are generally cheaper, they provide little value at the very start. You’ll likely have to wait more than a year for an internal team to become cost-efficient, which is a big ask for a SaaS business that can’t spare any money
- Even if you have an internal team that has been together for a while, there’s still a chance that an external provider will generate better results. You need to remember that some of these lead-generation businesses work with numerous clients and, thus, might have more contacts, more experience, and a proven workflow
- Having an external provider reduces micromanagement for the software company. Having one fewer team in the office will be noticed, both in terms of utility and office supplies costs, but also how much time you need to spend assigning tasks
By hiring a veteran agency, you can jumpstart your lead generation process. As long as the provider has been around for a while, they can provide an above-average service that will merit their contract.
How to Hire a SaaS Lead Generation Agency?
Your level of satisfaction with a SaaS lead generation agency will vary based on your hiring process. In other words, you need to find a quality provider that will properly represent your interests. Here’s what the process should look like:
- Start by determining your needs. Do you need a complex lead generation strategy that involves several channels or just to maximize one promotional tactic?
- Ask friends for recommendations. That way, you can reduce lots of inherent risks that come with outsourcing
- If you can’t get any good recommendations, browse Google for available providers. Read user feedback, but also visit popular directories and read review articles
- Perform the initial interview. Ask the provider about their track record and methodology. If you know enough about marketing, the interview can be a good method of disqualifying some of the companies
- Learn more about their availability and commitment to the project. Some agencies have numerous clients and can barely spare extra time for you. That being said, it’s better to ride with a slightly worse provider than to hire someone who can’t dedicate themselves to the campaign
- Ideally, you should be looking for a SaaS lead generation agency that isn’t too expensive or too cheap
By following these tricks, you can find an optimal provider for your marketing!
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