As a SaaS company, word of mouth can be a powerful tool for driving new customers and retention. But how do you create word of mouth strategy for SaaS, in an industry where word spreads quickly online?
There are six main pillars to consider when creating a word-of-mouth strategy for your SaaS company:
What is a word of mouth strategy for SaaS?
Short answer: it is the deliberate work of giving customers something worth repeating and then making it easy for them to repeat it. Word of mouth is not luck and it is not a by-product of a good product alone. It starts with a product people would miss, and it is carried by content, events, community, evangelists and the occasional voice with an audience.
Six ways word of mouth actually travels, and what each one needs
| Channel | What it needs from you | What it gives back |
|---|---|---|
| A product people would miss | Saying no to the wrong customers | The only durable source |
| Content worth forwarding | A point of view, not a feature list | Reach without spend |
| Events | Time and a real room | Depth per person |
| Community | Moderation, every week | Conversations you do not have to start |
| Customer evangelists | Access and early information | Credibility you cannot buy |
| Influencers | Fit over follower count | Borrowed trust, short term |
Here is each one in detail.
1. Creating a product that your customers will love and finding ways to help them succeed with your product
Obviously, step one is to have customers that fit well with your product and love it so much they want to tell others about it. This is something most companies are aware of and understand the importance of. But it’s not just about having a good product, it’s also about finding ways to support and assist your customers in succeeding with it. This could be through excellent customer service, providing helpful resources or training, or offering customizable features that meet their specific needs.
2. Informative and compelling content are the gate door to creating word of mouth strategy for SaaS
Even though content sharing is a powerful form of marketing, few companies know how to effectively utilize it. Having great content isn’t enough–you also need a solid distribution strategy that reaches your target audience in channels with high organic reach. Finally, you need to be consistent in your execution over time. Most companies miss one or more of these key components.
3. Events
Design experiences that people will want to tell their friends about. Getting “leads” is the common goal for most companies planning events, but if they simply shifted their focus to providing a great experience, they would produce vastly different results.
It’s not only about hosting events – it’s also about HOW you host them. Don’t just stick to the traditional format, think outside the box and create unique events that offer an exceptional experience for attendees.
4. Community is where the word of mouth strategy lives
Engaging in active communities, whether or not you own them, can help your business succeed components. If you’re focused on the long-term goals for your company, though, it’s always more advantageous to OWN the community rather than just participate in other ones. partaking
To authentically engage with buyers and create a lasting relationship designed to help people solve real-time problems, Shift focus from impersonal metrics that often conflict with the required behaviors for developing a thriving community atmosphere. Companies will many times find themselves struggling with this because their current methods do not incentivize nor attribute success
Few companies who jump on this opportunity with the right mindset and vision reap maximum rewards..
5. Exclusive Customer Evangelist Program
Find your number one fans who enjoy using and talking about your product, then create an amazing VIP program for them as a thank-you. This could include anything from paying for their travel expenses to allowing access to beta features of upcoming products. You could also give out limited edition merchandise or allow participation in content creation or events. There are many options available, so consider what those people want and make it happen! Evangelist Program needs to have a place in any word of mouth strategy for SaaS.
6. Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing has been around for decades. In the 1930s, tobacco companies sponsored movie stars. In 1985, Nike sponsored Michael Jordan. And in today’s world, Instagram influencers with millions of followers are paid to promote beauty and fashion products.
But it’s not just about finding the biggest names with the largest following – it’s also important to find those who have a genuine interest in your product and align well with your brand values. Partnering with micro-influencers or industry experts can often be more effective, as their audience trusts their opinion and is more likely to engage with them.
Implementing these six pillars into your word of mouth strategy for SaaS will help you drive new customers and retention through word of mouth marketing.
To increase brand awareness and encourage word-of-mouth marketing, try taking an authentic approach.
Even if you’re looking at these tactics and thinking “we do all of these,” consider HOW we do them. Many companies hold events, but few do it consistently. Lots of businesses use content marketing, yet fewer do it in a way that gets talked about. So it’s not only the WHAT that matters, but also the HOW.
So.. What the answer to the main question? How do you create word of mouth strategy for SaaS?
Focus on providing exceptional experiences and authentic engagement with your customers, and word of mouth will naturally follow.
FAQ: word of mouth in SaaS
Can word of mouth actually be engineered?
The conversation cannot, the conditions can. You cannot make someone recommend you, but you can make the recommendation easy: a clear sentence about what you do, a result worth mentioning, and a moment where asking for the referral is natural rather than awkward.
How do you measure word of mouth?
Ask every new customer how they heard about you and write down the answer verbatim. Self-reported attribution is imperfect but it catches what analytics cannot: the conversation that happened somewhere you have no tracking. Watch direct traffic and branded search alongside it.
Is word of mouth enough to grow on?
It is the best pipeline you will ever have and the one you control least. Companies that live only on referrals grow at the speed of other people’s conversations, which is fine until the quarter you need a different number. Treat it as the base, not the whole plan.
How long does it take to build?
Longer than paid, shorter than most people fear. The first signals, someone mentioning you in a thread you are not in, usually show up two to three quarters after you start publishing something with an actual opinion in it.
Related reading: The best customers for B2B SaaS, Relationship-centric marketing, B2B SaaS metrics that matter.
This article is from the Funky Marketing blog archive. The work continues at Funky Enterprises: positioning, demand generation and commercial systems for B2B companies.
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