Software as a Service or SaaS Business Model is here to stay. With an increasing number SaaS Email Marketing Tips of companies serving over 15+ billion customers globally, the SaaS sector is booming. Email is a crucial sales and marketing channel for SaaS brands.
From sales prospecting to customer support, lead nurturing to onboarding and more, SaaS email marketing is a powerful lever for growth. Smart businesses are using the latest email techniques to grow their businesses quickly.
This guide will give you seven SaaS email marketing tips you can leverage to drive growth.
1. Open and read your emails.
No matter what industry you serve, your email marketing strategy won’t produce results if people don’t open and read your emails.
SaaS is no different.
Headlines are the first port of call when your emails land in people’s inboxes. To get subscribers to open your emails, make sure your headline is:
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- Clear, not clever: It’s tempting to dazzle people with clever wordplay. Don’t do this because they’ll get confused and not click on your title. Instead, people understand a clear title immediately and are more likely to click on it.
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- Specific, not generic: People ignore generic stuff because they find it irrelevant. But a specific headline tells them exactly what to expect. Because they know what to expect, they’ll click through to get it.
- Benefit-driven, not feature-centric: SaaS brands love to show off their product features in marketing materials. But their headline isn’t the right place for it. The better option is to discuss how these features will benefit people. People respond better to hot benefits than dry traits.
Here’s a simple yet effective subject line example from Monday.com.
The message is simple: resume your free trial registration.
After the subject line, work on the body. Here are some best practices for writing tight email copy:
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- Hook readers with a strong opening.
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- Use a simple conversational style.
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- Adopt short sentences and paragraphs.
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- Include a call to action to drive action.
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- Lead with the most important information.
- Keep your message brief.
2. Segment users for personalized content.
People consume and respond to relevant messages.
That’s why segmenting users is one of the best things you can do to make your emails highly relevant.
The result?
You will have engaged subscribers who will click on your offers and generate more revenue for your SaaS business. Below are four typical segments you can use to maximize revenue.
- Free trial users.
Free trials are the gateway to a profitable SaaS business. More free trials mean more chances of converting testers into paying users. Grouping people who are trying out your software allows you to send targeted emails to persuade them to upgrade to a paid subscription.
- New users
SaaS tools can be complex and a bit overwhelming. That’s why it’s vital to pay special attention to new users and help them get familiar with your software quickly. Once new users feel comfortable navigating a tool, they remain satisfied, paying customers.
- Loyal users
Another important group of users to target are loyal customers. These are customers who have stuck with your brand for years and give you money month after month. SaaS customer loyalty programs ensure that this important group is rewarded and stays motivated to continue supporting the brand. Additionally, loyal and satisfied customers become brand ambassadors and introduce your brand to more people.
- Inactive users
Churn is an inevitable part of SaaS. No matter how brilliant your tool and customer support are, some users stop using your software. A smart SaaS email strategy triggers a series of emails aimed at winning back inactive users. Offering them incentives goes a long way in making them fall in love with your tool again.
3. Include smart user onboarding email sequences.
In SaaS, the more customers you keep, the more money you make.
Customer churn rate is a vital metric in the software industry.
A smart way to keep your sales up is to craft a solid onboarding email sequence.
Here are some tips on how to nail down your SaaS email onboarding sequence to keep customers happy and keep them coming back or upgrading to higher plans.
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- Confirmation Email: Start with a confirmation email to ensure your subscribers are real people with real emails.
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- Welcome Email: Roll out the red carpet for users with a welcome email to make them feel like they are part of something bigger, not just customers.
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- New Features Email: Promptly inform users about new features and provide step-by-step guidance on how to use them.
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- Account Details Email: Please include username and login details for easy access and safekeeping.
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- Tool Usage Email: Give users detailed guidance on how to use your software to get the most out of it.
- Support Email: Let users know where, how, and when they can contact you for support when they need help with specific issues.
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Not all of these should be a separate email sequence. They are relevant topics that you should address when onboarding new users. So you can combine some of them.
Remember to personalize your email sequences. For example, you might have one sequence for those who didn’t complete a free trial signup and another for unengaged users.
A great example of an effective welcome email is the one below from Postmark.
The welcome email addresses all the key issues that a new user might be concerned about:
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- Warm welcome.
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- Registration details.
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- Account Terms.
- Customer service.
4. Craft hot, cold emails that prospects can’t say no to.
Love them or hate them, cold emails work.
For early-stage SaaS startups, they’re a must-have, helping a completely unknown brand land its crucial first customers. But with 80% of SaaS emails getting ignored, you’ll have to work twice as hard to get yours noticed and opened. We’ve already covered how to define your subject line in point 1.
Also, personalize your cold emails . The key to personalization is to deeply understand your target audience. Create a data-driven buyer persona so that your cold emails instantly resonate with users and elicit a positive response.
Beyond superficial data like demographics, dig deeper into psychographics. Uncover deeper issues like:
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- Pain Points: What are your biggest struggles that need relief?
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- Motivations: What drives them to do the things they do?
- Aspirations: Where do you want to end up? What are your biggest dreams?
If you wrap your cold email message around singapore email list deep psychological factors, your message will get through. When you connect with people on such a deep level, they find it hard to say no to anything you ask them to do. Your yeses skyrocket.
5. Elicit a response from subscribers.
Every email you write should have a goal.
Your email’s call to action (CTA) embodies that goal.
Why is it vital for your campaigns to have a goal for each email you write?
The answer is simple.
Also produce laser-focused messages that drive action. All message content ties in very well with your actionable goal. This significantly improves conversions.
To get the best results from your CTA, set your overall goal. Do you want users to:
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- Schedule a call to discuss key product features?
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- Click to access a specific landing page?
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- Sign up for a 15-minute demo of your software?
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- Read a pillar page. Does that highlight your unique positioning?
- Buy your tool right away?
After you identify your intent, create the CTA that inspires subscribers to take action. First, be clear. Say what you want people to do clearly. Ambiguity confuses users and kills conversions. Clarity enlightens and engages them, which increases conversions.
Next, make your CTA actionable. Use language based on direct verbs. It’s more compelling than indirect, third-person speech. Also, repeat your CTA, but say it differently each time so it doesn’t sound monotonous.
Finally, your call to action needs to be prominent. Whether you use a call now button or CTA hyperlink, make sure it’s noticeable. More people click on an unmissable CTA than one they have to search for. MacPaw used a CTA button excellently in their email campaign.
6. Take advantage of your free trial offer.
Free trials are a vital aspect of SaaS Marketing Strategy .
In your emails, maximize the selling power of free trials to drive signups and, eventually, paid subscriptions.
First, offer an interesting free trial offer on your topic to tease readers. This will attract more people to open your email. Here is a good example from Pluto TV.
The subject line works because it is clear and short. Importantly, it emphasizes that users can start watching TV for free on their smartphones.
In the body of your email, stack up the how do companies sell their products? benefits of trying your software product. Don’t just provide a basic list of features. Show users how they’ll benefit from your tool. Include typical use cases so users can see themselves in your copy.
Once they identify with your message, it will be easier for them to accept your free trial offer.
7. Address your potential customers’ pain points.
Whenever they have to make a decision, the first question they ask is: What’s in it for me? or WIIFM for short. Not only that. People cannot bear pain and will do everything in their power to escape it and move from pain to delight.
So if you show them how your tool will scratch their persistent itch, they’ll be eating out of the palm of your hand. From the subject line to the preheader, from the first few lines to the main image, from the body bullets to the conclusion, hit their weak spots.
Describe their pain to show them that you twd directory understand their struggles. Then, give them your software as an answer to their pain. Convince them that your SaaS product will take them out of the unbearable hell and transport them to the delicious heaven.
Below are some proven copywriting formulas you can use to probe your users’ pain points so they take action and purchase your tool.
SaaS Email Marketing: Reap the rewards
Without a doubt, email is an indispensable part of high-growth SaaS brands.
That’s why you should craft every email you send with extreme care.
Whether you’re an early-stage SaaS startup looking for your first customers or a mature company looking to reduce churn, email is your friend. Use these proven email strategies to attract and retain customers.
Send email marketing proposals today with Prospero and win more clients and sales!
Author Bio
Qhubekani Nyathi aka The Click Guy is an irresistibly handsome (unsubstantiated claims by his wife) pillar content strategist and writer for SaaS, marketing, and eCommerce brands. He helps B2B brands generate measurable ROI through actionable pillar posts that build authority, drive traffic, increase leads and signups, and boost sales. He has been featured on major sites like Search Engine Watch, Crazy Egg, Get Response, and The Drum.
