Contents
Introduction
Have you ever heard of Haruki Murakami? Well, he’s the inspo for this blog. Not him exactly, but his book about running, which is inspired by Raymond Carver’s book about love. The book about running from Murakami is the only book I have bought twice. Read it more than twice… And of course, I read the one from Carver after, but long story short, this is not about running and love, it is about marketing, my love for it, and the step-by-step process to finish the marathon called marketing… well saying it like this – it is about love and running. Cause that’s Marketing to me.
Are there more good or bad SaaS companies out there?
How do I get the initial idea this time to write about this? I was going through some lists with SaaS start-ups the other week, and exploring their websites. Guess what? 80% of them are AI, AI, AI and, oh, did I mention AI? But that’s not all! Their slogans? This is the first platform in the world for, the only platform in the world for … the only AI tool, the first, the only, the first, the only … and all of them almost the same? Wait… can you agree between yourself which platform/tool was the first, and how is it the only one? Cuz it’s funny.
The conclusion of this? It’s easier than ever to be a founder of a SaaS company now. Everyone with an idea is creating something. And we all know there are good ideas, bad ideas, ideas without knowledge, ideas without experience, ideas without previous exploration. And the companies that arise from all those ideas are recognizable!
The growing SaaS market
The number of SaaS companies in the world in 2024 is about 30,800, according to a Statista report on SaaS organizations by country. SaaS is currently responsible for around 70% of company software use. This figure is forecast to rise to 85% by 2025.By the end of 2024, there will be anywhere around 72,000 SaaS companies in operation. Additionally, the SaaS market is predicted to reach a valuation of $307 B by 2026. However, this estimate doesn’t account for companies specializing in artificial intelligence, which could increase the number to 175,000.
Wow, wow, wow… right? Interested in more? Read the full report here.
But the real question is – do we need that many SaaS companies? Is it just to be a founder, no matter if the company sucks?
I am sorry! I forgot it’s about the LinkedIn Profile…
Oh, the times when LinkedIn was a platform for showcasing recent achievements and releases, discussing leadership with industry professionals, and building a network with like-minded experts. And now with all of these founders, well hold my beer because LinkedIn is turning into: experts with badges, pretentious selfies not describing the post story, and random videos that make you feel like you’re scrolling through IG Reels.
Okay. Okay. Enough for the founders.
Back to Marketing and what they need to understand to get better.
Will investing in Marketing guarantee the SaaS Startup will grow?
There’s good and bad marketing. Just like everything else.
Bad marketing can make great products fail.
Great marketing can make bad products succeed.
And then there’s bad marketing making bad products fail. No one’s hurt there.
But what happens when great marketing meets great products? Can it still fail?
Second question: Will investing in marketing guarantee the startup will grow? No. But not investing guarantees it definitely won’t.
A while ago, I read on Linkedin: “Marketing is the most difficult profession that looks ‘easy’.” So true! Because Marketing is easy to have an opinion on, but difficult to execute the details well.
Its complexity comes from its location at the meeting point of art, science, and emotions. Effective marketing requires an in-depth knowledge of human behavior, a talent for creativity, and the ability to analyze massive amounts of data to make decisions based on facts.
Marketers spend years refining all of the skills needed for successful marketing campaigns. Skills like:
- Conversion Rate Optimization
- Crafting Value Propositions
- Strategic Positioning & Messaging
- Persona Creation
- Behavioral Insights Analysis
- Demand Creation
- Campaign Planning
- Creative Leadership
- Customer Journey Mapping
- Content
- Consumer Psychology
- Visuals
- Effective Copywriting Narratives
- Brand Development
- Social Media
- Etc.
Recognizing user psychology, creating visual systems, improving copywriting skills, and understanding branding and storytelling are equally important!
Does it still look easy and simple?
Cause It looks like a marathon to me …
All around us is Marketing!
Marketing is everywhere, whether we’re consciously aware of it or not. From the moment we wake up until we go to bed, digital marketing influences our decisions and interactions in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. In the morning, as you check social media or apps, you see ads tailored to your interests based on your past activity. During your day, digital marketing follows you with emails, chatbots, and ads that pop up on websites and apps. In the evening, TV shows and streaming content often feature product placements and ads. Even before bed, you might get reminders about abandoned shopping carts or personalized offers.
The fascinating part? Marketing has always been there, it’s just changing its form through the years. The first evidence of marketing practice is almost as old as the earliest forms of written language.
If you ever visit the marketing museum, launched in 2021, you’ll explore the fascinating Milestones in Marketing history. The world’s first international museum dedicated to marketing showcases over 40,000 years of marketing practices, from ancient trade methods and the rise of marketing theories in the late 19th century to the latest innovations in marketing science, technology, and practices.
And nowadays? What are people talking about Marketing?
Current Marketing Trends
According to Semrush, these are top 8 Digital Marketing Trends for 2024:
- Marketers Are Embracing AI
- Brands Are Adopting Expert-Led Content
- Short-Form Videos Have Become Dominant
- More Teams Are Using Programmatic SEO
- B2B Influencer Marketing Is Growing
- Brands Are Engaging Audiences with Native Advertising
- Marketers Are Preparing for Third-Party Cookies’ Farewell
- Brands Will Start to See Social Media as a Search Engine
And as I’m talking about trends and strategies, I recommend you trying out some low-cost and out-of-the-bos tactics that can skyrocket your startup.
Inbound & Outbound Marketing
So if you’re a founder (or wanna-be), you must make marketing investments in addition to maintaining your level of knowledge. Things are changing in the digital world overnight, what works for others doesn’t mean it’ll work for you. But you gotta test it!
Your everyday to-do list? Explore your audience, connect with it, talk to experts, learn from their stories, read a lot, listen to podcasts, and make smart marketing investments! It’s also important to know the difference between inbound and outbound marketing.
Inbound marketing is a strategy where potential customers find you when they’re actively looking for solutions, rather than you reaching out to them through cold calls or emails. With inbound marketing, you attract leads through valuable content and engaging activities like SEO-optimized blog posts, organic social media updates, targeted search ads, informative eBooks, entertaining YouTube videos, and insightful webinars or podcasts with industry experts.
The main advantage of inbound marketing is that leads who come to you are usually more interested and higher quality compared to cold leads. It’s a less intrusive way of generating leads, focusing on educating and engaging potential customers. However, inbound marketing does come with its own set of challenges. It requires ongoing content creation and maintenance, a significant time investment, and sometimes the use of various technologies to support your efforts.
Whenever I talk to Marketers and ask them about ways of finding new leads, the answer is: Outbound marketing
Outbound marketing is a traditional approach where sales reps initiate contact with potential customers through tactics like cold calling or cold emailing, but it’s evolving with digital tools. For example, targeted outbound emails are becoming more effective thanks to detailed customer personas and enriched data, leading to better engagement and ROI. Real-time tracking and sales automation also help teams respond quickly to warm leads. However, outbound marketing faces challenges like email and call blocking, high costs with lower returns, and difficulties in tracking effectiveness compared to inbound methods.
Lately, you can read a lot on Linkedin that Outbound is dead, but asking me, those who say outbound is dead just don’t know how to use it right. Shotgun approach doesn’t work—personalization needs to go beyond generic lines like “Hey NAME, I see you’re the CEO of COMPANY”. To make outbound work, you need to meet people where they are, use a multi-channel approach, and truly show you understand their needs. Address their pain points and stay relevant, constantly iterating to perfect your approach for your ICP.
Wanna know what’s better between inbound and outbound? Combining both of them!
Three takeouts from this blog
1. Be patient!
2. Hire an agency like Solveo to help you launch smarter and grow faster! That way you’ll have expert guidance and tailored strategies to help you turn your idea into a startup.
3. Launch with AI – If hiring an agency isn’t in your budget, invest time in learning how to Master the art of product launch with our comprehensive program created by growth experts with a proven track record of working with 500+ startups.
Conclusion
Let’s circle back to the start with a quote from Murakami’s running book:
“For me, running is both exercise and a metaphor. Running day after day, piling up the races, bit by bit I raise the bar, and by clearing each level I elevate myself. At least that’s why I’ve put in the effort day after day: to raise my own level. I’m no great runner, by any means. I’m at an ordinary – or perhaps more like mediocre – level. But that’s not the point. The point is whether or not I improved over yesterday. In long-distance running the only opponent you have to beat is yourself, the way you used to be.”
― Haruki Murakami, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
And Marketing is nothing different than running to me. It all comes down to continuous improvement and self-betterment, refining your strategies, learning from each step, and wanting to do better than you did before. For SaaS startup founders, understanding this process is crucial, especially the meaning of marketing and its constant changes, as it can be the key to moving from being stuck to achieving amazing growth.
And you? What you talk about when you talk about Marketing for Startups?
