Less Than Half of US Companies Providing SaaS Use Marketing Automation

Many US companies offering software as a service (SaaS) may be missing out when it comes to how they market their software. That's according to just-published findings from sales intelligence platform Vainu.

Using its expansive database, Vainu analyzed more than 20,000 U.S. companies that provide a SaaS offering to determine how these companies market and sell their services online. Through its platform that uses machine learning and collects data from more than 100 million companies worldwide, Vainu created a snapshot of tactics SaaS companies use to acquire business. The findings reveal that most companies — 90 percent — include social channels as part of their sales strategy but many are not taking advantage of marketing automation tools like HubSpot and Marketo to create a more seamless sales approach.

"Our data shows that while SaaS companies may be extremely innovative on the product development side, not everyone is taking advantage of the tools available to them to find and lead prospects through the sales cycle," said Vainu co-founder, Mikko Honkanen. "For example, just one out of every 10 SaaS companies have a chat tool installed on their main page. Real-time interaction with prospects is something that more and more companies are taking advantage of — chat tools provide prospective customers quick, relevant answers to some of their basic questions about a product or service. That timing can mean everything."

Vainu also found that a good amount of SaaS companies — 43 percent — discuss pricing on their website. More than three out of every four offer a trial version, while just 37 percent mention an opportunity to sign up for a walk-through demo. Only a small fraction of SaaS offerings include a "guarantee."

The findings also indicate a trend in how SaaS companies tend to frame their offerings. They are three times more likely to talk about their offering as a "solution" versus a "product."

Percentage of websites promoting a SaaS offering that:
Include social channels: 90%
Offer a trial version: 76%
Have newsletter sign ups: 56%
Use marketing automation: 45%
Discuss pricing : 43%
Promote a live demo: 37%
Have a chat tool installed on main page: 12%
Include a guarantee: 4%
Frame their offering as a:
-- "Solution": 48%
-- "Product": 19%
-- "Feature": 28%

Vainu's mission is to collect, read and understand all the information ever written about every company in the world, and then through their software make this information available and comprehensible for everyone. The software provides key insights on more than 100 million companies and helps sales professionals find the right time and method to contact them. Used by companies like FedEx, UPS, Manpower, Dell and Microsoft, business development leaders in countless industries capitalize on the ever-increasing amount of big data insights and sales triggers Vainu offers.