Not long ago, hardware was everything.
Without a CD-ROM and the ability to download applications directly to your hard drive, you only had access to the software that came preloaded on your computer.
Times have changed, and now licensing is the new norm, specifically when it comes to software as a service (SaaS) solutions.
Many prominent business applications are now available through SaaS. Some increasingly popular B2B services can only be accessed through this delivery method.
Whether your company sells point of service (POS) solutions, communications technology or even physical media, you may be wondering how you can start selling B2B SaaS products.
Here’s what you need to know.
What Are the Most Common Categories of B2B SaaS?
First of all, let’s take a look at the B2B SaaS landscape.
Synergy Research Group, a market intelligence and analytics firm, regularly releases new findings about the state of SaaS products available to businesses and consumers.
The organization’s Cloud SaaS Services program recognizes five market segments for SaaS enterprise applications:
- Customer relationship management (CRM).
- Enterprise resource planning (ERP).
- Collaboration.
- HR and human capital management (HCM).
- Other.
According to the group’s January 2020 report, the leading segments were collaboration, CRM and HCM, with ERP lagging behind in terms of SaaS deployments.
So we might say that CRM software, collaboration tools and HCM solutions are some of the most common categories of B2B SaaS.
You’ll notice that B2B SaaS solutions seem to permeate the entire back-office world for many companies, with some businesses using a different SaaS company to meet each of their needs.
For instance, they may use Salesforce for their CRM, Google for internal collaboration and Workday for HR functions. Each provider has many positive attributes, but navigating so many different systems, each of which provides its own kind of customer support, can prove challenging for end users.
leo vegas free spins Storing critical information in siloed applications also makes it difficult to derive useful insights from business intelligence.
Is Content Marketing for SaaS B2B and B2C Different or the Same?
Marketing strategies are inherently different for B2B and B2C products. Why is this? Principally, it’s because the products are often so different.
According to Synergy’s market segments for SaaS, while there are five categories for enterprise products — which is roughly equivalent to B2B for our purposes — there are only three categories for B2C: collaboration, gaming and “other.”
While collaboration tools are important in both the B2B and B2C sectors of SaaS, it’s safe to say that the kinds of tasks being accomplished are not the same. A B2B example might be a detailed multi-table spreadsheet for an entire accounts payable department. On the other hand, a B2C use case might be a shared household grocery list.
For both the B2B and B2C sectors, content still needs to fulfill the lead generation component of a larger inbound marketing strategy. That said, companies in these two sectors are marketing to distinct audiences that have special needs. B2B prospects will expect large-scale use cases, more in-depth knowledge and a greater understanding of enterprise application needs.
How Do I Offer B2B SaaS to My Customers?
If you’re not a SaaS business, you may be wondering how you can offer these kinds of solutions to your partners in order to help drive customer success. You know that adding value is a surefire way to increase your brand reputation in the eyes of your customers.
It’s important to keep in mind, as tech author Neil Patel pointed out, that sales cycles in the SaaS world are pretty short, especially compared to other B2B solutions. Your sales team might not be accustomed to the speed at which these deals move. Considering the diverse needs of your customers, it also might be difficult to decide which single product might add the most value.
For these reasons, one of the best ways to provide B2B SaaS for your customers might be through a customizable marketplace available on a unified business dashboard. Your customers will be able to pick and choose from multiple SaaS solutions for different needs and instantly access the software they need from one easy-to-access portal.
How Can I Use B2B SaaS To Increase Sales?
The first step toward using B2B SaaS to increase sales is to define and segment your buyer personas to help you identify the needs of existing and potential customers. If you can zero in on those needs, you’ll have a leg up on the SaaS sales process.
Leveraging value-add services to encourage new customer acquisition is just one way you can use B2B SaaS to increase sales.
In addition, you can use your B2B SaaS marketplace as a way to provide enhanced customer service, helping you retain customers, which could lead to greater sales over the duration of the relationship.
Through your partnership with the marketplace and SaaS vendors, you can also engage in revenue sharing, increasing the value of each account by providing extra services.
Over the long run, providing B2B SaaS solutions can help you better understand your customers’ concerns and needs while demonstrating that you’re a committed business partner, dedicated to helping them succeed.
If you’re looking for a convenient, cost-effective B2B SaaS platform, find out how the Company.com Dashboard can help you increase sales while generating critical market insights.
