If you want to survive as a software-as-a-service business, keeping your customers engaged should be very high on your priority list. SaaS companies have unique challenges when it comes to customer acquisition, due to the nature of running a service-based business.
As a SaaS business, you’re relying on long-term customers. They probably have annual or monthly contracts, and you need to keep those people engaged and using your service if they’re going to want to continue to incur this cost.
For some businesses, attracting a steady flow of new customers works just fine. But in this world, it’s simply not enough. You need to keep the customers you have, and you do that by keeping them engaged with your brand and your service. When people start to stray, you need to find a way to re-engage or that customer will be lost.
Here are some proven strategies to help you engage, and re-engage, with your SaaS customers.
TLDR; Contents
Offer video tutorials
What features are your customers most interested in using? What features are underutilized because no one seems to know about them? Use this opportunity to educate your customers in an engaging way. Blog posts and PDF’s are great, but videos give a much more engaging experience. The more your customers know about everything your app can do, the more likely they are to continue using it.
Actively collect customer feedback
Use customer surveys, questionnaires, and interviews to find out where the gaps are. Are there features your customers wish your app had? Are they satisfied with your level of customer service? You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Collect the feedback, and make sure you use it to improve both your service and software.
Use every opportunity to personalize
Personalized marketing is essential if you want to make an emotional connection with your customers. Use their names whenever possible and show people blog posts and other items that are based on their individual search habits and usage.
Start email marketing
Use email marketing to build relationships and keep your business top of mind for customers. This isn’t a place to be sales-y, but an opportunity to provide value, educate, and connect on a meaningful level. It’s also a great way to collect feedback, and encourage people to connect with you on social media.
Create a benefits or loyalty program
Rewarding your loyal customers for sticking around is a fantastic way to keep them engaged. There are countless ways you can do this – just be sure you’re in tune with what your customers want from you, and remember to keep it personal. It doesn’t need to be expensive, either. You can easily reward people for usage with perks, discounts or gamification, rather than offer cash rewards or other costly incentives.
Engage on social media
Last, but certainly not least, comes the pink elephant in the room. If you want to engage with your customers on a regular basis outside of your app, you need to be where they are. And where are they? That’s obvious. They’re on Facebook, Instagram, or some other social platform of choice. But don’t be there for the sake of being there, or to try and use this as another sales channel. As with email marketing, this is a space to add value. What type of content are your customers interested in absorbing? How can you help them? This is also a great space to offer customer service, conduct surveys, and more.
Those are 6 proven strategies to help engage, and re-engage, with your SaaS customers.