What makes a good SaaS funnel?
I often get asked about how to increase conversions for a SaaS funnel. These are some pointers I share with my clients:
Audience Targeting
Think who is most likely to find your service valuable? Consider their job functions, roles at work and issues that you solve.
Simple marketing
Now get in their shoes and articulate the message that will hook them to your service.
Incentive to Use
Remember, there has to be an inherent reason for people to use your service. You can dangle a carrot (e.g. win a free iPad). But the real motivation must be obvious at first glance.
Less Clicks
Don’t just keep the message simple, but also the interface. The less the number of clicks/keystrokes the better.
Easiest Signup
Reduce number of steps to a bare minimum. Do you really need email acknowledgement?
Try before you buy
This is the norm for SaaS tools, but I’ve seen a lot of services still ask for credit card numbers. Are you serious? Let your visitor see what you’ve spent months creating… why give them a reason to close the browser?
Simple tour
Once they are in, make sure you give them enough pointers to actually use your web app. About 80% of your signups are just one timers. So this is your only chance to show.
Deliver Value
Think of how to deliver the most value to your visitor. Once they get that, you’ll get better conversions, sign ups and retention rates.
Trackback from your site.
BaseCampBuddy
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Your saas tool must also look cool. Don’t make it look like a web app from 2006! This is a good post from last year about how to choose a SaaS tool. But turn the table around and use that to highlight your tool’s secret sauce.
http://www.billingworld.com/blogs/insider/2010/12/how-to-recognize-a-good-saas-from-an-ugly-one.aspx
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Zaki Usman
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Very good link, thanks for the post! The main point is to treat your customers with the golden rule…. show them value, in the same way you look for value in other tools.
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Perez
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Don’t forget – price of the product also effects people. If the initial price is set too high, they wouldn’t bother even doing a free trial.
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Fazan Shah
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The website look has a lot to do with a software as a service conversion rates. Imagine, a registration or a signup is a soft sale. Why would anyone buy something from you if your site doesnt give them confidence or inspiration. So its very important to work on the design elements of your site. Its your brochure to the world.
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