This blog post is an attempt at presenting the techy side of SaaS marketing through the eyes of user (Jon Snow) and what happens behind the scenes. In this example, we took a client that has a b2b SaaS application. We are presenting the most important tools that are used in marketing.
We divided the journey into two parts. One that is visible to the client (customer facing platforms) and the other business side where things are tied together.
Jon is unaware.
| The Emotions |  |
| The Story | Jon, a small business owner, is constantly experiencing the same issue in his business process. It’s costing him money, but he has never done it differently. Jon is unaware of the solutions. |
| The Actions | At this point only pure chance can save Jon. |
| Customer facing platforms | / |
| Business facing platforms | / |
Jon becomes aware about his problem.
| The Emotions |  |
| The Story | His team is growing in size and experience. The processes are getting optimized. The issue is becoming more and more obvious. He becomes aware of his problem. |
| The Actions | He starts being more susceptible to topic related content. Jon watches our video on the topic. He reads our blog. |
| Customer facing platforms |   |
| Business facing platforms |  Tracks customer actions and routes the data to the correct ‘data bins’.
Records visitor sessions and actions.
Gets the traffic data aggregated and analyzed |
Jon is becoming solution aware.
| The Emotions |  |
| The Story | He starts looking for a solution. Jon is just curious at first, but gets more and more systematic in his search. He is gathering information about what can be done. Jon is becoming solution aware. |
| The Actions | Jon visits our website often. He is targeted by our Facebook ads. He subscribes to our newsletter. |
| Customer facing platforms |   |
| Business facing platforms | All platforms from previous step and
A user is created in our CRM and collects all of the communication here. |
Jon is product aware.
| The Emotions |  |
| The Story | Jon finds out there are actual services helping businesses overcome the exact problem he is trying to solve. He lists the products he is considering. Jon is product aware. |
| The Actions | Jon visits our pricing page. Jon does more research and often sees our SEO articles and Google Ads. He starts a chat with support. |
| Customer facing platforms |    |
| Business facing platforms | All platforms from previous steps. |
Jon starts testing the products.
| The Emotions |  |
| The Story | Jon is optimistic and determined. He can see a bright future and will certainly make a purchase. He starts testing the products. |
| The Actions | Jon opt-in for a free trial. Jon arranges an onboarding call with sales. He chats with support during the trial. |
| Customer facing platforms |   |
| Business facing platforms | All platforms from previous steps.
Used to observe the key actions of the user and trigger communication flows in other apps. |
Jon is considering between competitors.
| The Emotions |  |
| The Story | But, there are so many options … He is considering between competitors by comparing the features, getting a feel for the brands, and quality of the service. |
| The Actions | Jon completes the onboarding flows. He starts receiving email messages with content adapted to the phase of his onboarding. |
| Customer facing platforms |  |
| Business facing platforms | All platforms from previous steps. |
Jon has made the decision.
| The Emotions |  |
| The Story | Jon has made a decision. He has picked us as his winner. |
| The Actions | Jon makes a purchase. He chooses a monthly plan. |
| Customer facing platforms |  |
| Business facing platforms | All platforms from previous steps. |
Jon becomes your evangelist.
| The Emotions |  |
| The Story | What would it take for him to start making referrals? |
| The Actions | Emails, educational content, referral programs, … |
| Customer facing platforms | |
| Business facing platforms | All platforms from previous steps. |
Techy side of SaaS Marketing – Binding it all together.
Honestly, for most SMEs marketing stack IS NOT mission-critical. This means there are probably multiple solutions that fit your needs. So choose the ones you master and move faster.
Test of time. The digital environment is constantly changing. New trends & tools are sent out daily. Technology can be an advantage, but it can also be a millstone around your neck if you hop on every “new thing.” So choose your battles wisely.
Single source of truth.. There are simply too many tools, and getting the data from them in one place costs too much. However, having solid web analytics and product analytics can still get you very far. Even if you don’t get the data from all other platforms, just make sure you pick the right Northstar.
Also, analysis and design costs should stay small since the advertising budget is small (for an idea, experiment). Use open-source tools & spreadsheets instead of fancy visualizations or dashboards (unless you need to impress your VC).
| The Emotions | The Story | The Actions | Customer facing platforms | Business facing platforms |
| Jon, a small business owner, is constantly experiencing the same issue in his business process. It’s costing him money, but he has never done it differently. Jon is unaware of the solutions. | At this point only pure chance can save Jon. | ||
| His team is growing in size and experience. The processes are getting optimized. The issue is becoming more and more obvious. He becomes aware of his problem. | He starts being more susceptible to topic related content. Jon watches our video on the topic. He reads our blog. |
|   |
| He starts looking for a solution. Jon is just curious at first, but gets more and more systematic in his search. He is gathering information about what can be done. Jon is becoming solution aware. | Jon visits our website often. He is targeted by our Facebook ads. He subscribes to our newsletter. | | All platforms from previous steps. |
| Jon finds out there are actual services helping businesses overcome the exact problem he is trying to solve. He lists the products he is considering. Jon is product aware. | Jon visits our pricing page. Jon does more research and often sees our SEO articles and Google Ads. He starts a chat with support. |
| All platforms from previous steps. |
| Jon is optimistic and determined. He can see a bright future and will certainly make a purchase. He starts testing the products. | Jon opt-in for a free trial. Jon arranges an onboarding call with sales. He chats with support during the trial. | | All platforms from previous steps.
|
| But, there are so many options … He is considering between competitors by comparing the features, getting a feel for the brands, and quality of the service. | Jon completes the onboarding flows. He starts receiving email messages with content adapted to the phase of his onboarding. | | All platforms from previous steps. |
| Jon has made a decision. He has picked us as his winner. | Jon makes a purchase. He chooses a monthly plan. | | All platforms from previous steps. |
| What would it take for him to start making referrals? | Emails, educational content, referral programs, … | | All platforms from previous steps. |
It’s Time to Build Your Customer Journey Map and Develop a Killing Marketing Strategy Tailored to Your Needs.
Develop and test impactful marketing campaigns. Monitor their performance, make real time adjustments, measure your KPIs and make informed, data-driven decisions.
