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Welcome to Volume 107!
We’re nearing the end of October, and things are definitely getting spooky in the SaaS industry.
Marketers are worried about the increasing number of layoffs; leadership is grappling with phenomena like Quiet Quitting. As we approach the end of 2022, everyone is concerned about meeting those annual goals.
It’s enough to make anyone do this:
But it isn’t all scary.
For starters, people are going to hand out candy for free on Monday.
Plus, the uncertainty in the tech space means marketing departments have more opportunities than ever to set themselves apart from the competition and cement their position as a key resource for coming out on top during the recession.
Today we’ve got some tricks and treats in store that you can use to make sure the last few months of 2022 aren’t as scary as the industry might have you believe:
- Omnichannel marketing is the secret to success in a digital world
- How ServiceTitan Uses Trust-Building to Build Business
- Neuroscience turns its attention to social media — turns out most marketers are doing it wrong
Omnichannel Marketing is the Secret to SaaS Success
Omnichannel marketing has taken the B2C world by storm, thanks in part to major success across the retail industry.
Of the 3000+ consumers Twilio surveyed in their 2022 State of Personalization Report, 49% say they are likely to repeat with a business after receiving a tailored purchase experience.
It’s pretty well set in stone — personalized marketing, and sales experiences drive ROI in B2C.
Of course, that’s when it’s done right.
In that same report, Twilio found that 65% of businesses still aren’t deploying a successful omnichannel strategy, and it’s easy to see why.
Having multiple marketing channels operating simultaneously does not equate to an omnichannel strategy. And it certainly doesn’t guarantee the same level of ROI for marketing departments.
Why?
Because many companies still focus on and prioritize channel performance over the customer experience. Whether it’s a conscious thought process or not, it still holds down the bottom line. Viral posts, email responses, and newsletter signups are great, but are they steps in a larger journey from lead to customer? Or are they treated as their own end?
This is how omnichannel helps you win — by refocusing your efforts on the single most important goal.
While the approach hasn’t received the same level of attention in tech (at least not publicly), there are SaaS niches well-positioned to take advantage of omnichannel marketing.
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How ServiceTitan Uses Trust-Building to Build Business
Right or wrong, developers are often viewed as the most difficult customer base in SaaS. They’re skeptical, stubborn, and certainly don’t tolerate any B.S. (At least, that’s the word on the street 👀).
Well, ServiceTitan’s ICP might just give them a run for their money.
Their SaaS development platform is designed to help business owners, contractors, and skilled-trades pros get through their day-to-day life more efficiently and cost-effectively.
Also, like developers, these professionals are often overlooked for the vital role they play in the normal functioning of society. It’s also more difficult for them to find expertise from people knowledgeable in their field, such as website design for contractors.
Part of ServiceTitan’s journey as a private SaaS brand with $1.1B in funding involved building trust with their overlooked consumer base. A strategy encapsulated perfectly by taglines like this:
“ServiceTitan is equipping tradespeople with the technology they need to keep the world running.”
Of course, that’s easier said than done when your target audience isn’t spending 8 hours a day in front of a keyboard. But ServiceTitan built out their marketing strategy to build trust with the “blue collar worker” and turn them into a viable SaaS customer base.
Clearly, it’s working:
In our latest Labs case study, the Foundation team dissects the steps ServiceTitan has taken to build trust with their customers, including:
- Building their YouTube brand around a charismatic, relatable character named “The Blue Collar Nerd”
- Building a backlink profile with 1.2M links from the websites of professional associations and popular trade-specific companies
- Tailoring their web and mobile site design and copy, so it provides immediate value to their audience
- Creating a resource hub complete with blogs, podcasts, guides, and webinars to provide their audience with high-quality educational content
Neuroscience Weighs In On Social Media — Turns Out Marketers Are Doing It Wrong
I’m a sucker for neuroscience articles. So anytime I come across a business site mentioning my favorite pet subject, I feel obligated to share.
Thankfully, in this case, it’s got some important implications for marketers too!
Marketing strategist, author, and American Marketing Association instructor Aaron Templer recently wrote a piece for Inc. outlining where the neuroscience community stands on social media marketing. The implications are interesting, to say the least.
Marketers (myself very much included) have a habit of running with the major bullet points of research on human behavior and then passing it out as gospel. But this just simply isn’t the case, especially when applied to technology like social media that develops in the blink of an eye, evolutionarily speaking.
In Aaron’s article, he explains how the empirical data on the efficacy of social-media marketing points to a practice that’s nowhere near as effective as we often make it out to be.
Part of the issue is that marketing as a practice is still getting up to speed on how to properly interpret and apply the mass amounts of data we generate from social accounts.
Aaron also has two main takeaways for ways marketers can immediately improve their social media efforts:
- Stop viewing all activity on social through the lens of your marketing expertise
- Don’t treat your followers like consumers. Make them part of your social in-group
I know it seems counterintuitive and downright unnatural, but it’s exactly the type of paradigm shift that marketing needs.
NEWS OF THE WEEK:
- Operational efficiencies sited as digital health unicorn Cerebral lays off 20% of their staff
- Amazon promises innovation in the health sciences space with their machine learning technology
- 37Signals Co-Owner, and CTO David Heinemeier Hanson outlines decision to take Basecamp off the cloud
- Merge, the HR API integration startup, raises a $55 million series B
- How Acorn’s CEO used behavioral economics to bring 11 million users to their micro-investment platform
BRAIN FOOD OF THE WEEK:
This week’s Brain Food is all about choosing the right food for your brain.
“You are what you eat” may not be true in the strictly literal sense, but it definitely is when it comes to mental performance. It’s something we don’t often think about, especially when things get busy, but it can make a big difference.
I’m someone who either forgoes breakfast for a cup (or pot) of coffee, a breakfast sandwich, or some scrambled eggs and home fries. Obviously, not the healthiest way to start the day, but I never thought about how it impacted my mental abilities.
And it turns out it can make quite the difference.
The morning meal literally breaks your fast, meaning the food you eat then has a much greater impact on everything from your energy levels to your ability to concentrate.
If you’re looking to switch up your daily routine to increase the amount of “brain food” you consume, check out this page from Healthline!
OTHER NEWS OF THE WEEK:
- Cloud microassembly app development platform Fermyon raises $20 million in a Series A funding round
- Cooling job market may spell bad news for workers who want to stay remote
- Big Tech, and Venture capital are looking to cash in on the booming pool of talent in Africa
TWITTER THREAD OF THE WEEK:
10 ideas for building a strong culture for your remote team by Nathan Barry
INTERESTING FINDS ACROSS THE INTERNET:
- Computer science researchers discover thousands of GitHub repositories with hidden malware
- Scientists create a new state of matter by using a quantum computer, laser pulses, and a Fibonacci sequence
- Apple reveals that they will be placing more ads in their App Store as privacy concerns continue to mount
IN CASE YOU MISSED SOME OF OUR GREATEST HITS:
- The Ultimate Guide To B2B Marketing On LinkedIn
- Why LinkedIn Acquired Oribi For Over $80 Million And Why It Matters To SaaS
🎧 WHAT WE’RE WIRED INTO THIS WEEK 🎧:
This week’s round-up is brought to you by Ethan Crump — Jessica is back next week for our regularly scheduled programming!
