10 Startup Growth Hacks To Generate Leads For SaaS Businesses

Generating first customers for your SaaS startup requires a lot of time. Time in the early days of any is scarce. There’s so much work to be done that you don’t know what to work on first. But in order to stay afloat, you need a steady flow of customers.

Woodpecker got its first customers through cold emailing. Yet, there are other ways that can support the lead generation process in your company.

In today’s article, Deepti Jain from Aeroleads will tell you a bit about those other ways of generating leads for your startup.

10 Startup Growth Hacks

How many startups actually succeed in getting customers? You’ll be surprised to know that not many of them find success. In fact, a Harvard Business School study shows that approximately 75 percent of startups with venture funding eventually fail.

The primary reason is the inability to generate leads. No matter what your business model is, lead generation is imperative. Having said that, generating leads takes commitment and when you are just finding your foot in the industry, you need to work really hard to get customers.

Growth – fast growth – is what every budding company aims for. To achieve this fast growth- you need to follow some strategies coupled with hard work.

Hack #1: Tell your story in a compelling video

Think of it this way – you are introducing your brand, or a product, or service that you offer to your niche that doesn’t know anything about you. Try making a video in which you describe what your mission is and how you are going to help your prospects.

Before you ask yourself, “Would a prospect even care to watch a video?” Let me tell you that 72% of B2B buyers watch videos throughout their entire path to purchase! Crazy, right?

Here’s how you can amplify your chances of lead generation by leveraging an introductory video:

Figure out what you want to tell

If you make a video without a plan, then it is highly unlikely that anyone will even watch it till the end. Plan how you’re going to tell your story. And that is easily done by building an interesting plot that will compel the audience to research a bit more about your product.

Call to Action

We are done with the hardest part. Whew! But there’s still a lot to do. Like adding something that will compel your audience into taking action.

Say, for example, John was so enthralled by your video that he watched it to the end and he wants to give your product a chance, but wait… he doesn’t know what to do in order to buy your product. Don’t make this drastic mistake.

Place a relevant Call to Action that will direct your audience into doing what you want them to do – what to do next? Where to go next? How to buy it? And so on…

Video testimonials

Your introductory video is staged – there’s no doubt about it.

But think of a spontaneous video where your customer is talking about your product. Such a video will make you more trustworthy in the eyes of a website visitor.

If you are not sure of how to go about making an introductory video, then the best way is to hire a professional.

Hack #2: Leverage social media platforms for your content marketing strategies

When your SaaS is at the starting stage, you can never have enough tools in your arsenal. And Social Media marketing is one effective tool. And the best part is it costs little to no money and may attract new users at a low cost. Channels like Facebook and Twitter can be a great lead generation power tool, especially if you use Facebook automation tools.

Why is social media marketing important for generating leads?

• Social media marketing is an amazing way of getting some exposure and traffic.
• It develops loyal customers.
• It establishes you as a thought leader among the crowd.
• You can tap into a large audience via social media channels.
• You can build credibility and authority.

As you see, the benefits are bountiful. But how to go about using social media in B2B? Here are some tips.

Choose your social media channel wisely

With the overabundance of options, social media marketing might end up overwhelming you. But who said anything about using multiple channels? The key is to determine what channel(s) is the best option for your business, and where you can find the most active users.

Offer relevant and valuable content

It’s the most talked-about tip… except it’s not really a tip. Isn’t it rather obvious that people are going to show interest in your product only if they find the content relevant and helpful? You can easily establish yourself as a thought leader by regularly updating your networks with valuable in-depth information related to your business domain.

Don’t go overboard with the promotional content

One survey shows that 46 percent of social media users will unfollow a brand for posting too many promotional messages. Simply because people are following you to find something helpful, not to see how great your product is. The best way to analyze if you are doing too much promotion is by using the 80/20 Pareto Principle. Your organic content should have a percentage of 80 percent while you can include 20 percent of promotional content to your page. Besides organic content, you can think of trying out user generated content as well.

Hack #3: Generate leads with content marketing

Content marketing may be indispensable for your b2b startup.

Why is Content Marketing emerging as a necessity?

• It is the most inexpensive way to support your SEO efforts and to boost your Google rankings.
• Helps in building a lasting relationship with your customers.
• Create thought leadership among the niche audience.
• Boost your brand recognition by integrating social shares with your content.
• Increase your brand’s visibility in the industry.

That being said, don’t expect quick results from the Content Marketing strategy. It takes time and patience before people actually start noticing your content and your brand.

Host webinars

A webinar is the best way to interact with your prospects and wow them into going further down the sales funnel. Make landing pages, calls to action and blog posts about your webinars to attract viewers.

Check how to build a webinar sales funnel and boost your webinar ROI with follow-ups:How to Create a Webinar Sales Funnel and Boost Webinar ROI? >>

Hack #4: Cold emailing

Despite being touted as an outdated option by some, email is still at the forefront of generating massive leads and handsome ROI (Return on investment).

You can boost your leads by crafting a crisp, informative template – but is it enough? Not really!

Here are some tips on creating a successful email campaign to generate leads:

• Make your subject line quirky, engaging and customer-oriented.

A great subject line is your first impression, so it needs to capture attention immediately. Use words that spark curiosity and make your prospect want to learn more. In early stage startups, standing out in a crowded inbox is key, so your subject should feel personal and relevant to the recipient’s needs. Don’t be afraid to get creative and playful while keeping it aligned with your growth hacking strategies.

• Write in a simple, crisp and persuasive language without being overtly salesy.

Clarity is king. Avoid jargon or overly complex sentences. You want to communicate your value proposition quickly and concisely so your existing customers or prospects can easily grasp it. When marketing strategies are too pushy, it often turns people away, so focus on solving a problem rather than just selling a product.

• Use attractive sub-headings and bullets to break up the text.

Nobody wants to read a wall of text, especially in an email. Structure your content with blog post-style elements like sub-headings and bullet points to make it skimmable. This keeps the reader engaged and helps them understand the key points faster, which is essential in early stage startups trying to get attention.

• Make sure that the emails are mobile-friendly.

A lot of prospects read emails on their phones, so your layout should be clean and responsive. Use free tools to preview how your email looks on different devices and ensure everything—from images to buttons—is easy to tap.

• Clearly articulate how your product and services will be helpful to the prospect.

Hack #5: Find influencers

Influencers have considerable authority over the decisions of their followers. And the best part is, outsiders have a better chance of persuading your customer base as they are normal and low-key, therefore, somewhat relatable to the audience.

And that can prove to be remarkably empowering for your SaaS startup.

Check these tips on How to Pick and Reach out to Influencers With Email? >>

Hack #6: Build a Partner Program

Partner Program is a proven way to accelerate the growth of your SaaS. Partners are both your product’s resellers and brand advocates. Not only do they acquire new customers for your business, but they also spread the word about your product and make it get noticed.

Are you considering getting started with your SaaS Partner Program? Find out more on How to Find and Pitch to Partners >>

Hack #7: Drive traffic to your SaaS website with Google Ads

Pay-per-click (PPC) marketing or Google Ads is a way to place your ads all over the search engine so as to bring visitors to your website. No one can really ignore them so it is a sure way of generating leads and drive traffic to your website.

But, such campaigns might exhaust your budget pretty quickly. Thus, make sure to engineer your Google AdWords properly to acquire maximum profit in the minimum amount of time.

Hack #8: Affiliate marketing

You probably don’t even know but chances are you click on multiple affiliate marketing links each week. Same way, you can use affiliate marketing to generate leads for your website.

Here’s how you do Affiliate Marketing: First, you recruit an affiliate who will integrate affiliate links- directing to your product- into their blog posts. You have to pay them some commission whether according to the sales they generate or on a flat fee per product basis.

Hack #9: Use integrations as a growth strategy

Integrations not only supercharge your app with extra functionalities but also expose your SaaS to a wider customer base. The customers of your integration partners are likely to become your own clients too when they notice the value your tool may bring to their workflow. It’s a chance to kill two birds with one stone.

Read more about how to find and connect with possible integration partners for your SaaS >>

Hack #10: Increase your brand exposure

Yeah, but how to do that on a bootstrapped startup budget? – you may ask yourself. Well, actually to spread the word about your brand you don’t need to have a huge budget to spend on a PR Agency at all.

You can do it all by yourself. The only thing you need is the right strategy. First find a topic to write a press release about, then build a database of journalists and editors who might be interested in publishing it and get in touch with them. To make the process more efficient it’s best to contact them via email, which is easy to scale and personalize on a high level at the same time.

Read more on How Email Automation Can Help You Scale PR in Your SaaS Startup >>

Summing up

Thank you for the article, Deepti. I think those 7 growth tactics are something every start-up marketer and salesperson should know about.

If any of you, readers, would love to know more about AeroLeads, we reviewed the tool in our list building tools series. Read it here: Prospect List Building Tools Vol. 7: Aeroleads >>

FAQ on growth hacking strategies

Check out the answers.

How to growth hack a startup?

To growth hack a startup, focus on growth hacking strategies that leverage low-cost, high-impact tactics. Implement creative growth hacking ideas to scale rapidly by optimizing your internal process, engaging your existing customers, and using data-driven insights from your growth team.

How can I make my startup grow faster?

Accelerate growth by adopting a growth hacking strategy that includes experimenting with unconventional marketing techniques, building a dedicated growth team, and refining your product based on user feedback. Use a mix of traditional marketing and innovative approaches to achieve faster results.

How to get 1 million users?

To acquire 1 million users, focus on scalable growth hacking ideas like viral loops, referrals, and leveraging social proof. Consistent blog content can also help—each blog post increases your visibility and draws in potential users, converting them into existing customers.

What makes a startup high growth?

A high-growth startup is driven by agile growth hacking and a strong focus on rapid experimentation. It relies on a growth hacker who constantly tests new marketing techniques, scales successful tactics, and streamlines the internal process for sustainable expansion.

What is the role of a growth hacker in a startup?

A growth hacker focuses on innovative growth hacking strategies to rapidly scale a startup. They bypass traditional marketing methods, finding new ways to optimize the user experience, improve the internal process, and convert users into existing customers effectively.