5 Growth Marketing Strategies for SaaS Companies

5 Growth Marketing Strategies for SaaS Companies

Want to grow your SaaS business? Start here. This guide covers 5 proven strategies to help SaaS companies tackle high acquisition costs, low retention, and scaling challenges. Here's what you'll learn:

• Optimize Pricing Models: Use value-based pricing, tiered plans, and A/B testing to align pricing with customer needs.


• Improve User Onboarding: Tailor experiences, track activation metrics, and guide users to success with in-app tips.


• Leverage A/B Testing: Test landing pages, sign-up flows, and feature bundles to boost conversions and retention.


• Expand Referral Marketing: Build referral programs with attractive rewards and encourage user advocacy.


• Focus on Retention: Use proactive customer success, upsell opportunities, and churn-reduction campaigns.

These strategies work together to maximize customer value, reduce churn, and drive sustainable growth. The key? Constantly refine your approach using data and feedback. Let’s dive in.

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1. Improve Your Pricing Model




Your pricing model plays a huge role in driving revenue and attracting customers. Nailing it means understanding both what your product offers and what your customers care about most.

Focus on Value-Based Pricing




With value-based pricing, you set your price based on the benefits your product provides. To do this, you need to dig into customer research - figure out how much they're willing to pay and which features they care about most.

For instance, if your SaaS platform automates tasks and saves enterprise customers 20 hours a week, price it based on how much those saved hours are worth to them.

Offer Tiered Pricing Options




Many SaaS businesses use tiered pricing, often with three levels . This approach helps you appeal to a range of customers while encouraging upgrades over time.

Here’s a simple breakdown of how companies structure their tiers:

Tier Level




Target Audience




Key Features

Free/Basic




Individuals & small teams




Core features, limited access

Professional




Growing businesses




Advanced tools, moderate usage

Enterprise




Large organizations




Custom features, premium support

Dropbox is a great example. They offer "Personal", "Professional", and "Teams" plans, each with more storage and features tailored to different needs .

Use A/B Testing to Refine Pricing




Making smart pricing decisions requires testing. A/B testing lets you try out different pricing strategies to see what works best. For example, you can test free trial lengths (14 days vs. 30 days), monthly versus annual billing, or which features go into each tier.

Did you know? About 44% of SaaS companies use free trials . When experimenting, change only one variable at a time and gather enough data to make clear decisions.

Keep an eye on conversion rates, customer feedback, and competitor pricing trends. A well-tuned pricing model sets the stage for success - next, focus on making sure users see your product’s value during onboarding.

2. Improve User Onboarding and Activation




A strong onboarding process can boost user activation by 25%, leading to a 34% increase in MRR annually . Here's how to design an onboarding experience that sets users up for success.

Build Tailored Onboarding Experiences




Not all users have the same goals. Instead of offering a generic onboarding process, customize it based on user personas. Start by identifying what success looks like for each group.

Here’s an example of how SaaS companies structure tailored onboarding:

User Type




Initial Questions




First Action




Success Milestone

Individual Users




User role and goal




Demo core feature




First task completion

Small Teams




Team size and workflow




Team setup wizard




Team collaboration

Enterprise




Integration needs




Custom setup call




Department adoption

Monitor Key Activation Metrics




Certain actions show whether a user is beginning to see value in your product. These activation events help you measure onboarding success and pinpoint areas for improvement .

Track these critical metrics:

• Time to first value: How quickly users achieve their first meaningful outcome.


• Feature adoption rates: The percentage of users engaging with key features.


• Setup completion rates: How many users finish critical onboarding steps.


• Early engagement patterns: User activity during the first 14 days.

Use In-App Guides and Tooltips




Help users navigate your product with in-app guidance. This reduces confusion and encourages them to explore important features.

When adding guidance:

• Place tooltips near complex features to clarify their purpose.


• Use interactive walkthroughs to simplify common workflows.


• Add progress indicators to show users how far they’ve come in the setup process.

"Guide users to quick wins to build confidence and drive long-term engagement."

Leverage product analytics to test these strategies, identify friction points, and fine-tune your guidance .

With a solid onboarding process in place, the next step is to enhance the user experience through data-driven experimentation.

3. Use Data-Driven A/B Testing




A/B testing helps you fine-tune your product and marketing strategies by comparing different versions to see what works best. This approach ensures your SaaS product meets user expectations, boosting both acquisition and retention.

Focus on High-Impact Areas




Concentrate your A/B testing on areas that directly affect user behavior and conversions. Here are some key examples:

• Landing Pages: Experiment with CTAs, value propositions, and where you place social proof. These changes can lead to a 20-30% improvement in conversion rates.


• Sign-up Flow: Test form length, the sequence of steps, and progress indicators. This can increase completion rates by 15-25%.


• Feature Bundling: Try different combinations of features or limited-time discounts to see how they influence conversions.


• Post-Onboarding Engagement: Adjust feature placement and user flows to encourage long-term usage.

Use your user behavior data to pinpoint problem areas and prioritize what to test first.

Analyze and Improve Based on Results




Run your tests until you gather enough data - at least 500 users per variant - to ensure reliable results. Keep an eye on both primary and secondary metrics like:

• Conversion rates


• Average revenue per user


• Trial-to-paid conversion rates


• Long-term retention

Real-world success stories back this up. For instance, Slack increased its conversion rate by 25% by refining its sign-up process, while Dropbox boosted revenue by 10% by experimenting with pricing plans .

To get the most out of your tests:

• Test one change at a time so you can clearly see its impact.


• Document your hypotheses and results to guide future experiments.


• Set clear success metrics before starting any test.

A/B testing is an ongoing process. Use what you learn from each test to improve your product and keep optimizing.

Once you've nailed down this strategy, you're ready to turn your users into advocates through referral marketing.

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4. Use Referral Marketing




Referral marketing is a cost-effective way for SaaS companies to grow by turning happy customers into a source of new users. It’s about letting your satisfied users do the talking - and the referring - for you.

Create a Referral Program




A great referral program should be easy to use and offer rewards that people actually want.

• Offer attractive rewards: Companies like Dropbox, Airtable, and LiveChat have grown their user base by rewarding referrals with perks like extra storage, credits, or even cash. These incentives motivate users to spread the word.


• Simplify sharing: Provide tools like pre-written messages, personalized referral links, and automated reward systems. The easier it is to share, the more likely users are to participate.

Encourage User Advocacy




Happy customers can be your best marketers. According to McKinsey, referrals can increase conversion rates by up to 50 times compared to other channels.

• Recognize your top users: Programs like Salesforce’s MVP initiative show how rewarding your most engaged users with exclusive benefits can turn them into vocal advocates.


• Use social proof: Encourage users to share their experiences through testimonials, case studies, or social media posts. Evernote’s referral system, which gamifies the process by offering points redeemable for Premium features, is a great example of how to keep users engaged while driving referrals.

Referred customers tend to stick around longer and spend more - studies show they have a 16% higher lifetime value compared to others . By focusing on building true advocates, not just referrers, you can create a long-term growth strategy for your SaaS business. Once your referral program is in place, it’s time to shift focus to retaining and expanding your customer base.

5. Focus on Customer Retention and Growth




Keeping customers around is key to growing any SaaS business. Even a small 5% boost in retention can increase profits by 25-95%. This makes retention a top priority, not just for reducing churn but for getting the most out of your acquisition and onboarding efforts.

Proactive Customer Success Strategies




Staying ahead of customer issues can make all the difference. Many SaaS companies now focus on proactive, rather than reactive, customer support. For example, Slack monitors customer health by tracking key metrics:

Metric




Warning Signs

Feature Adoption




Using fewer than 3 core features

User Activity




A 20% drop in monthly active users

Support Tickets




A rise in critical ticket volume

Payment History




Late or failed payments

By keeping an eye on these indicators, you can step in before minor issues turn into major problems.

Spotting Upsell and Cross-Sell Opportunities




Upselling and cross-selling are great ways to grow revenue from existing customers. HubSpot excels at this by analyzing how customers use their product. They suggest upgrades when users hit plan limits or start using advanced features. This strategy has helped them achieve an impressive 100% net revenue retention.

Targeted Campaigns to Reduce Churn




Churn can be tackled head-on with personalized outreach. For example, Intercom cut their churn rate by 15% through campaigns that re-engaged inactive users. They sent tailored emails highlighting useful features and even offered one-on-one success calls.

"Predictive analytics and machine learning algorithms have become essential tools for identifying patterns in customer behavior that indicate a high risk of churn. Companies can use data on customer engagement and usage patterns to predict which customers are likely to churn and intervene early with targeted support" .

Regularly reviewing customer health scores, engagement data, and churn trends can help fine-tune your strategy. By focusing on retention and finding ways to grow with your existing customers, SaaS businesses can build stronger relationships and boost lifetime value.

Conclusion




The SaaS market is on track to reach $819.23 billion by 2030, making it more important than ever for companies to adopt effective growth strategies. Success in this space depends on approaches like optimizing pricing models, improving user onboarding, running data-driven tests, building referral programs, and prioritizing customer retention.

When implemented correctly, these strategies work together to drive measurable results. For instance, better onboarding naturally leads to stronger retention, and high retention rates make referral programs more impactful. The key is to treat these strategies as interconnected pieces of a larger system rather than isolated efforts.

Tracking and analyzing key performance metrics is essential for refining these strategies:

Key Metric




Benchmark




Why It Matters

LTV:CAC Ratio




3:1




Indicates sustainable growth

Churn Rate




5-7% annually




Reflects customer satisfaction

Trial Conversion




25-30%




Signals product-market fit

By closely monitoring these numbers, companies can adjust their tactics and ensure they’re on the right track. This data-driven approach has been a cornerstone of success for industry leaders who view these strategies as part of a cohesive plan.

As the SaaS landscape evolves, balancing tried-and-true methods with fresh ideas is crucial. A well-rounded growth framework not only helps companies tackle challenges but also positions them to thrive in an increasingly competitive market. The ultimate goal? Deliver consistent value to customers while maintaining metrics that support long-term growth.

FAQs




What is the SaaS onboarding strategy?




A SaaS onboarding strategy helps new users easily understand and start benefiting from your product by walking them through its key features in a way that matches their specific needs.

An effective onboarding process typically includes three main components:

Component




Purpose




Example

Personalization




Customizes the experience for users




Role-specific workflows

Feature Introduction




Simplifies learning the product




Step-by-step tutorials

Success Tracking




Evaluates the impact of onboarding




Metrics like time-to-value

Even small tweaks, like changing a button label from "Subscribe" to "Free Trial", can increase click-through rates by 68% .

Key metrics to track onboarding success include:

• Time to first value


• Feature adoption rates


• User engagement


• Early churn rates

It's important not to overwhelm users with too many features at once or ignore their feedback. Instead, focus on a smooth, gradual introduction to your product that aligns with their goals and highlights its value as early as possible.

A strong onboarding process doesn’t just help new users get started - it also provides insights for improvements through A/B testing and helps reduce churn. When done right, it sets the stage for better retention and long-term growth, tying into the other strategies discussed in this guide.

Related reading

• 7 Customer Activation Metrics Every SaaS Must Track


• How to Build a SaaS Pricing Strategy That Converts


• Freemium vs Premium: Choosing the Right SaaS Model


• How to do conversion rate optimization for ecommerce


• How to hire a growth marketing expert

Useful tools & services

• All Services