Brand Building 101 for SaaS Startups: A Comprehensive Guide

As the business world pivots from desktop programs to mobile apps and always-online, full-fledged platforms accessible inside a browser, Software as a Service (SaaS) is becoming increasingly instrumental. Unsurprisingly, startups are capitalizing on the trend.

However, SaaS startups have become common, and they constantly have to walk a thin line between simply imitating the competition and being so far out there that no one is willing to give them a shot. Such startups need to stand out in a crowded marketplace, and developing a recognizable brand that can stand the test of time is how they can do it. Are you part of an exciting new SaaS startup and need precious advice on how to bring your brand to life? Then, this article will be right up your alley. 

Define Whom You’re Catering To

While it’s natural to want to capture a broad audience in hopes of rapid growth, pandering to the lowest common denominator may hurt your chances. Since the SaaS market is saturated in most fields, prospects won't want to entertain switching to your brand unless you offer solutions to problems others don’t.

Figuring out your target audience is a fundamental step that will define the rest of your branding journey. You'll have to do some legwork, but it will pay off tremendously. Contact customers and prospects. Interview them. Most people will happily point out what they like about a product and express pain points that irk them. This information will not only inform your branding strategy, but it may also help you improve your offerings and make them more appealing.

By the end of audience research, you should have a clear idea of your buyer personas and be able to start considering the most effective approaches to reaching each segment.

Define Your Brand’s Value 

Knowing what challenges people who use your product and ones like it face lets you create a strong narrative that can become a successful core brand principle.

On the one hand, you’ll want to develop a value proposition in which you establish your brand’s unique selling points. While innovation is desirable, you don’t necessarily have to be the Apple of your industry to capture part of the market. Maybe you can offer your services more cheaply, create a better user experience, or synergize with a greater variety of third-party services than the competition.

On the other hand, you have to start thinking about communicating your advantages to your audience. This will be the attention-grabbing part of your identity that visitors to your website should be able to internalize almost instantly upon arrival.

Forging a Brand Identity

Once you define your audience and the unique value your SaaS company brings, it’s time to shape the brand the world will associate with you and, hopefully, develop strong positive feelings for. Because, in essence, that’s what a brand is — the feeling that instantly springs to mind when you hear a name or glimpse a particular color scheme.

Your startup may still be small and unproven, but that's no reason not to plan for the future in your branding efforts. For example, you'll want to pay close attention to your brand name. It should be concise, easy to memorize, and reflect your industry or problem-solving philosophy. Rather than allude to your current status, your brand name should sound equally suitable for a startup and an industry-leading company you hope to become.

Maintain Brand Voice Uniformity

Apply this guideline to your entire branding identity. Design a logo, pick a color scheme, choose fonts, etc., that will survive your expansion and even transition to a more upscale clientele. The fewer alterations you have to make as circumstances change, the more you’ll exude a sense of trustworthiness and consistency. 

Speaking of consistency, it’s essential to standardize your brand identity across all channels. That means anyone who finds you on X or LinkedIn and then visits your website should expect the same colors, tone of voice, etc.

The benefits are many. You’re reinforcing your brand’s story and mission, reducing the chances of misunderstandings, and ensuring that your brand image remains unified as you branch out into new markets.

Make Social Proof Work for You

The confidence (or lack thereof) real customers have in your brand is a decisive factor affecting your growth potential. Win the people over by offering an excellent product, providing genuinely helpful content beyond selling it, and nailing customer service. Then capitalize on your social clout.

If you’re a B2B SaaS startup, feature client logos on your website. Capitalize on UGC and feature videos where real, satisfied customers tell their stories. Incorporate other testimonials and reviews to make a compelling argument few can ignore.

Integrate and Advertise Strong Cybersecurity Measures

Your entire business model hinges on providing always-online access to your services, which comes with unique risks. The cloud services you use, your APIs, and your internal databases containing heaps of sensitive customer information are all tempting cyberattack targets.

Turn this potential weakness into a strength and a selling point. Start by assessing your existing cyber defenses and improving them if necessary. For example, you may need to set up a dependable business password manager to safeguard account access and establish additional account security with multi-factor authentication. 

When selecting a password manager, look for extra features. Some, like NordPass, help you create strong, unique passwords for your accounts. They may also offer secure password sharing for teams.

Next-generation firewalls, VPNs that provide secure encrypted access for remote employees, security audits, and disaster recovery plans are essential, too.

Once all these measures are in place, shout it from the rooftops! SaaS customers are more likely to be concerned about data safety and pay attention to the never-ending string of increasingly serious data breaches plaguing the digital world. Demonstrating you're conscious of the threats and have measures to counter them goes a long way toward establishing trust and credibility.

Research, Refine, Reiterate 

While perhaps less tangible than marketing campaigns and earnings projections, brand management can benefit from a data-driven approach. You can track various metrics throughout your brand's development, from customer segmentation and retention rates through A/B testing of your marketing copy to competitor monitoring, sentiment analysis, and social listening.

The invaluable data gleaned through all of this will help you identify market gaps, capitalize on trends, or make timely turns if your current approach to branding isn’t working out.

Conclusion

Steve Forbes famously remarked how your brand is the most important investment you can make in your business. It has the power to draw attention to the ordinary and make diehard supporters out of hardcore skeptics. Capitalize on what you’ve learned here and make your brand a resounding success!