How to Use Customer Research to Build a Winning SaaS Marketing Strategy

I've never been a big fan of AirPods, though I can't deny their sleek design and how well they sync with other Apple products. But, I've been wondering: did they really change the way I enjoy music? Not exactly.

Whether I liked them or not is irrelevant. Their target audience loved them, and AirPods have become a symbol of status and innovation within the Apple community, with a staggering 391 million units sold by 2022.

If Apple had focused on the opinions of people outside their target audience, like me, they wouldn’t have achieved such phenomenal sales.

This shows the importance of knowing and satisfying your customers. As marketers, we have to make sure customers feel like we get them, understand what they're going through, and help them solve their problems.

But how can we do that for a SaaS business? Let me explain it to you step by step. In this article, you'll learn how to identify your ideal customer and leverage their challenges to formulate a growth strategy.

Identifying Your Ideal Customer Profile

To market your product effectively, you first need to identify your ideal customer profile.

An Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is a detailed description of the type of customer who gets the most value from your product and provides the most value to your business.

Figure out their roles, pain points, and values so you can engage them with targeted content that speaks to their specific needs and challenges.

For example, PureSquare successfully markets one of its products by recognizing that its ideal customers include streaming enthusiasts who want to access international content. By catering specifically to these needs, PureVPN has positioned itself as a top player in the industry, enabling users to access content from streaming platforms across the globe.

Segmenting Your ICPs

Segmenting your ICPs refers to the process of dividing an Ideal Customer Profile into more defined groups based on their demographics, job roles, or needs. To effectively target your customers, identify the segment that aligns best with your product.?

In B2B, you'll interact with a team of various stakeholders such as managers, IT staff, and executives. Unlike B2C cycles, which are typically shorter, B2B sales involve multiple decision-makers and a longer sales cycle.

When more stakeholders are involved in the decision-making process, it naturally extends the sales cycle, requiring multiple touchpoints before a conversion happens.

Each touchpoint is an opportunity to provide customized content that addresses the specific needs of each stakeholder.

For instance, consider "Asana," a project management SaaS product. To convert any lead, you need to address the distinct concerns of each stakeholder involved, ensuring a successful adoption of the tool.

Consider the following examples with stakeholders and their concerns:

• The IT Director may inquire about seamless integration with existing tools and systems.
• The CFO might be interested in how it aligns with the current budget and financial planning.
• The HR Manager may want to know if it helps in tracking employee performance and workload management.
• The Project Manager could be focused on its potential to enhance team productivity and project tracking.
• Individual team members may be curious about how easily they can track their tasks and deadlines.

By addressing these specific concerns of each stakeholder, Asana can facilitate a smoother adoption process.

As a marketer, you need to strategically prioritize the segments of your ICPs that are most critical to your business goals and tailor your content strategy accordingly.

Mapping the Buyer’s Journey of Your ICPs

The next step is to map out your buyer's journey. This is the path a potential customer follows from recognizing a problem or need to explore options and finally making a purchase decision.

You need to outline the buying journey and create suitable content for each stage. This might include anything from an "introduction to the problem" to "comparison pages" that showcase how your features stack up against the competition.

Implementing JTBD framework

Using the JTBD framework, you can figure out the main and related jobs your customer is trying to achieve.

In practice, the JTBD framework might involve interviews with your existing customers, customer-facing internal teams, and surveys to gather deep insights into the customer’s motivations and experiences.

Now let's use Canva here as an example to illustrate its main and related jobs:

Its main job is to make graphic design and create content easily. It also helps teams work together on designs and keeps brand styles consistent with customizable templates.

So, Canva isn't just for making designs – it's also great for teamwork and keeping your brand's look consistent.

Understanding these jobs helps Canva to market its features and services easily to meet specific user needs more effectively.

Customer interviews are a powerful tool, as emphasized by Bilal Naiyer, Assistant Manager of Customer Support Operations at PureSquare. They offer invaluable insights across various aspects of business operations.

“Customer interviews and feedback are essential as they uncover specific issues, guide product improvements, and enhance customer satisfaction. They provide valuable insights into competitive positioning and foster customer loyalty. Additionally, they help tailor services to meet customer needs effectively, ensuring resources are invested wisely.”

-Bilal Naiyer, Customer Support Operations at PureSquare

Translate Pain Points Into Actionable Keywords

Once you have a clear understanding of a customer's pain points, the next step is to translate these into actionable user queries. Think about how customers describe their problems and brainstorm relevant keywords.?

Focus on middle and bottom funnel queries that motivate prospects to make a purchase, without relying on search volume metrics.

When I say don’t rely on keyword volumes, I mean it. Although keyword volumes can be informative, they shouldn't be your sole focus in keyword research. While keyword research tools offer insights into traffic potential, they're not always necessary.

Here are some alternative strategies that I use for effective SaaS keyword research that goes beyond traditional SEO tools.

Insights from Customer Success Team: Engage with your customer success team, as they interact directly with customers and have a deep understanding of their challenges. Their frontline experience offers valuable perspectives that can inspire keyword ideas and help in your growth strategy.

Competitors Review: Analyze competitor reviews on sites like TrustPilot, G2, and other similar platforms to find useful keywords for your SaaS product. When you check out competitor reviews,? you can gain insights into the language and terminology used by potential customers, and use them to improve your own strategy.

Explore Reddit’s Goldmine: Reddit is an incredible source for finding good keyword ideas. Explore relevant subreddits where discussions align with the issues and problems your product addresses. By engaging with these communities, you can uncover specific keywords and phrases that resonate with your target audience.

Act Like a User: Put yourself in the end-user's shoes to identify roadblocks they may encounter while using your product. During this process, brainstorm keywords and phrases they might use. This approach helps in understanding user challenges and optimizing your content strategy with relevant keywords.

Concluding Thoughts

In conclusion, effective customer research is the cornerstone of successful SaaS marketing growth. By truly understanding and addressing your customers' needs, you can drive significant growth and build lasting customer loyalty.

About the Author

Arsalan Rashid is a Marketing Team Lead at PureSquare.

He is a T-shaped marketer specializing in organic marketing, with extensive knowledge across multiple marketing domains, including affiliates, and paid advertising. Renowned for driving sustainable growth through SEO, and content marketing tactics, he seamlessly integrates his organic growth strategies into all types of SMBs and enterprises.

You can connect with Arsalan on LinkedIn.?

Moreover, if you want to learn more about PureVPN and its offerings, please make sure to check out its website.