In this digital world, SAAS companies base their growth on digital marketing – from outreach and traffic to ABM (account based marketing) and retargeting. The channels and strategies for B2B digital marketing for SAAS enterprises are quite different. While a part of focus is on Google Ads and Meta Ads, most of the focus shifts to SEO, LinkedIn Ads, Email, Affiliate marketing, Content Syndication, and retargeting or funnel nurturing via GDN, Newsletters, and YouTube.

Furthermore, in my experience, B2B digital marketing is slightly less volatile or dynamic than B2C digital marketing. You may ask how? For B2B, you don’t need to push so many different ads for each event or festival, you also don’t need to make changes as often as you need to for B2C. Some of the reasons behind this are the long sales cycles in B2B and the lesser number of offers that need to be advertised. The negotiation on pricing happens during the sales funnel phase. Many channels and campaigns such as Affiliates and content syndication have longer runtimes and shelf life.

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Understanding B2B Digital Marketing for SAAS Companies

Now while all that makes management of B2B digital marketing campaigns relatively easier, there is another side to this coin. The data analysis and optimization depends on channel, website as well as funnel tracking which is very different than just placing tags or pixels on a website to track from clicks to RoAS in the platform itself. Then, on the analysis side, you need to look into both in-period and cohort data due to the monthly nature of sales and lengthy sales cycles. And don’t forget about the ABM part of B2B digital marketing – which we will discuss in detail later.

The CPCs for B2B campaigns are much higher compared to B2C campaigns. While a B2C campaign click costs between $2-5, a B2B campaign click costs between $10-20. That is 10x.

The conversion rates are a mix of platform CVR for leads and funnel CVR for deals. The revenue is not just a one time sale but a recurring revenue over years. The overall LTV and ACV (annual contract value) is much more important while making decisions on which platforms to choose and which campaigns to scale.

I will be discussing all this in detail in this blog based on my own experience of working with two global multi-billion dollar B2B SAAS enterprises. Having spent over $30 million in B2B campaigns in the past 3 years, I now have some pretty good insights into these campaigns – both performance and management. I will also be sharing the names of multiple vendors which can help you scale your affiliate & content syndication programs as well as webinars. So Stay tuned!

How does B2B Digital Marketing differ from B2C?

Now let’s go through some further details on the digital marketing activities necessary for medical and healthcare professionals.

1. In most cases this is Lead Generation. In some cases it is online sign up and payment.
2. The channels in B2B vary a lot from B2C – more focus on LinkedIn, Affiliate, Newsletters and Listicles/Review Sites
3. ABM (Account based marketing) while targeting TALs (Target account lists) is something unique to B2B digital marketing. This is done on multiple channels including Meta, LinkedIn, and Affiliates, sometimes using specialized SAAS tools such as 6Sense, Demandbase, Metadata and more.
4. The CPCs are comparatively much higher – $10-20 for B2B vs $2-5 for B2C
5. Sales Funnel – The leads go through a rigorous nurture and sales process before finally converting
6. This results in a high CAC (Cost of Acquisition) as it includes cost of sales team
7. The CVR is also much lower in case of Click>Lead>Sales Funnel>Deal funnel in B2B vs Click>Purchase in B2C
8. RoAS is not based on just a one time purchase but is based on customer LTV

B2B Digital Marketing Channels & Traffic Sources

Sources	Platforms Included	Importance	Retargeting?
Paid Search	Google Ads, Bing Ads	High and specific intent	Yes
Paid Display	Google Display Network, Programmatic, Tabula, Criteo, Outbrain, and many more	Low cost per impression, multiple placement opportunities	Yes
SEO	Google and Bing Search Engines	High intent and low cost
AI SEO	Google, ChatGPT	High intent, low cost and low competition
Paid Social	Meta/Facebook/Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Tiktok, Twitter(X), SnapChat	Low cost per impression, multiple placement opportunities	Yes
Organic Social Media	Meta/Facebook/Instagram/Threads, LinkedIn, YouTube, Tiktok, Twitter(X), SnapChat	Low cost, build communities and following, WoM
Social Influencers	Meta/Facebook/Instagram/Threads, YouTube, Tiktok	Low cost, WoM
Affiliates	Email Partners, SMS Partners, App Partners	Pinpoint targeting based on demographics and firmographics
Content Syndication	Publishers, Listicles, Review Sites	Mid level intent and low CPC
Paid Communities	Reddit, Quora, Pinterest	High interest, more ad content to engage	Yes
Organic Communities	Reddit, Quora, Pinterest	High interest, build communities and following
Messaging	WhatsApp, Email, SMS	Highly targeted	Yes

Now each traffic source has multiple channels with each channel having its own uniqueness in terms of intent, targeting, visibility and cost. I always suggest B2B practices use multiple channels and split their budget based on performance of each channel.

While SEO is highly dependent on your website content and optimizations, your organic social media is dependent on your post quality and posting frequency. However, the scale of both is limited as the search volume for B2B KWs is much lower compared to B2C KWs and the engagement on B2B content on social media is also much lower compared to B2C content.

On the other hand, paid advertising channels have their own set of characteristics and complexities such as how to structure the campaigns, whom to target, how to target and how much to bid.

We will now discuss the nuances of each of these B2B digital marketing channels for the SAAS industry in detail. We will also discuss the best digital marketing strategies and tips for each of these channels.

I am also going to ask you to skip many of these channels based on my experience of managing digital marketing for 250+ clients in the US, Canada Australia, UK, and Mexico.

Digital Marketing Channels for SAAS Enterprises – Channel Strategies and Tips

Platforms	Dimensions	Metrics	Audiences	Importance	Set Up	Optimization Tips	Budgeting & Bidding	Tech Integrations	Geo Targeting
Google Search Ads	Campaign, Ad Group, Ads, Keywords	CPC, CTR, CPL/CPA, CVR, RoAS, Impr Share, Quality Score	Attach existing customer list for better targeting	High intent audience targeted by KWs for diseases, ailments & symptomsUse Phrase match for best results	Brand, Competitor, Generic campaign structure Skip Search Partners and Search on Display options	Regularly exclude queries using Search Term reportUse tRoAS bidding strategy	Cascade budget – Brand is most important, followed by Competitor, and then Generic. Split Generic KWs into multiple campaigns	Use GTM to place tags on appointment engines Integrate GSC and GBP	Targeted Markets (Country based)
Bing Ads	Campaign, Ad Group, Ads, Keywords	CPC, CTR, CPL/CPA, CVR, RoAS, Impr Share, Quality Score	Use intent targeting	Use Phrase match for best results	Brand, Competitor, Generic campaign structureSkip Search Partners and Search on Display options	Regularly exclude queries using Search Term report Use tRoAS bidding strategy	Cascade budget – Brand is most important, followed by Competitor, and then Generic. Split Generic KWs into multiple campaigns	Use GTM to place tags on booking engines Integrate GSC and GBP	Targeted Markets (Country based)
GDN	Campaign, Ad Group, Ads, Audiences, Publishers	CPM, CPC, CTR, CPL/CPA, CVR	Use Lookalike, Custom Intent, inmarket and Affinity Audiences	Cheaper and wider outreach	Split ad sets based on audiences and creative themes	Regularly exclude publishers with extremely high or low CTR or CPC or based on industry	Minimal budget and low bidding compared to Search Ads	Use GTM to place tags on booking engines	Targeted Markets (Country based)
Programmatic	Skip these
PMax	Skip these
Google Search	Brand, Generic KWs	Imprs, CTR, Ranking, CVR		High Intent free traffic and customers	Use Entity Search and Schema			GA4, GSC and GBP Integration
Google Business Profile	NAP, Categories, Service Area, Schedule, Reviews	Ratings, Directions, Calls, Website Visits		Not so important for SAAS companies	NAP – Name, Address, Phone NumberAlso fill up all the other fields available	Maintain Rating of 4+Get good reviews regularly Post pictures regularly
Bing Search	Brand, Generic KWs	Imprs, CTR, Ranking, CVR		High Intent free traffic and customers	Use Entity Search and Schema			GA4, GSC and GBP Integration
ChatGPT	Brand, Generic KWs	Imprs, CTR, Ranking, CVR		High Intent free traffic and customers	Use Entity Search and Schema			GA4, GSC and GBP Integration
Influencer PR		CPM, Engagement Rate, Clicks, CPC, CPA			Reach out to travel influencers via their social media pages to negotiate a deal with them for each story and post promotion
Meta Ads	Campaign, Ad Set, Ads, Creatives	CPM, CPC, CTR, CPL/CPA, CVR	Use default option for travel audience at Ad Set levelUse 2% lookalike audience or Advantage+ audience		Separate campaigns to focus on indoor/outdoor/services/places to visit/events	Use multiple creatives in a single ad	Low Budget and low bidding	Integrate Pixel and implement events via GTM	Targeted Markets (Country based)
Facebook		Followers, Likes, Engagement Rate		Organic engagement and outreach	Add all links into your profile	Share how to videos, features, stories and testimonials
Instagram		Followers, Likes, Engagement Rate		Organic engagement and outreach	Add all links into your profile	Share how to videos, features, stories and testimonials
Threads		Followers, Likes, Engagement Rate		Organic engagement and outreach	Add all links into your profile	Share how to videos, features, stories and testimonials
LinkedIn		Followers, Likes, Engagement Rate		Organic engagement and outreach	Add all links into your profile	Be a thought leader on LinkedInShare client testimonials and case studies
LinkedIn Ads	Campaign, Ad Set, Ads, Creatives, TALs	CPM, CPC, CTR, CPL/CPA, CVR	TAL targeting for ABM is only available on LinkedIn – Use it!Integrate with tools such as Demandbase and Metadata to target account based audiences with high accuracy	LinkedIn is where you find professionals in your targeted industry who are the decision makers in their organizations	Separate campaigns to focus on indoor/outdoor/services/places to visit/events	Use multiple creatives in a single ad	Medium budget, High CPM, CPC and CPL	Integrate Pixel and implement events via GTM	Targeted Markets (Country based)
YouTube		Followers, Likes, Engagement Rate		Organic engagement and outreach	Add all links into your profile	Share features, stories and testimonials
Youtube Ads	Skip					Share how to videos
Tiktok		Followers, Likes, Engagement Rate		Organic engagement and outreach	Add all links into your profile	Regularly post about events, discounts and how to travel
Tiktok Ads	Skip
Snapchat	Skip
Twitter(X)	Skip
Twitter(X) Ads	Skip
Aggregators	Skip
Quora	List a free profile to answer specific questions			Some users may ask very specific questions		Answer questions related to ailments and symptoms questions by other users
Quora Ads	Try if you have extra budget	same as other social platforms
Reddit	List a free profile to answer specific questions			Some users may ask very specific questions		Be a thought leader on Reddit Share client testimonials and case studies
Reddit Ads	Try if you have extra budget	same as other social platforms
Pinterest	Skip
WhatsApp		Delivered and Read Rates	Existing Patients	Use this as a retargeting channel to reach and remind existing patients about upcoming tests and appointments	Integrate with your CRM for automation	Share offers & benefits Share client testimonials and case studies		CRM integration
Email/ Newsletters		Delivered and Read Rates	Existing Patients	Use this as a retargeting channel to reach and remind existing patients about upcoming tests and appointments	Integrate with your CRM for automation	Be a thought leader Share playbooks Share client testimonials and case studies		CRM integration
SMS		Delivered and Read Rates	Existing Patients	Use this as a retargeting channel to reach and remind existing patients about upcoming tests and appointments	Integrate with your CRM for automation			CRM integration
Affiliates	List or Subscribers Count	Sent, Opens, Clicks, Leads, Deals, ACV, RoAS	One of the best to target ABM TAL and upmarket	Firmographics, ABM and TAL based Marketing, Upmarket Audiences, BANT leads	Make a deal with an affiliate vendor – Greenleads, itechSeries, SpiceWorks, PMG360, First Connect Digital, User Gems, ROKT and many more	Use best performing newsletter Double Touch leads are much better in quality BANT leads are even better			Targeted Markets (Country based)
Publishers	Websites Owned, Articles, Clicks	CPC, CVR, Leads, Deals, RoAS			Revleads, Morning Brew, Thirddoor Media SEJ, Neil Patel (not recommended due to poor CRM)	Customize headlines and short descriptions	Pay $10-15 for Rank 1 in US		Option not available
Listicles	Websites Owned, Articles, Clicks	CPC, CVR, Leads, Deals, RoAS			Capterra, SoftwareAdvice, Plain English Healthcare, Deep View	Customize headlines and short descriptions	Pay $10-15 for Rank 1 in US		Option not available
Review Sites	Websites Owned, Articles, Clicks	CPC, CVR, Leads, Deals, RoAS			b2breviews, SEJ, SAAS Advisor	Customize headlines and short descriptions	Pay $10-15 for Rank 1 in US		Option not available
Webinars	Websites Owned, Articles, Clicks	Registrations, Attendees, CPL, Deals, CPA, RoAS			Martech, Third door Media, WM America, Product School, CMP Team, Madison Logic				Targeted Markets (Country based)

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For B2B companies, it is essential to have a great marketing agency at their disposal handling different strategies and several activities across multiple channels and campaigns. Not every agency can handle B2B digital marketing – I can say this as I have worked with a few and they didn’t have a clue as to how to optimize or even analyze B2B digital marketing performance. Thus, choose an agency which has worked with global SAAS enterprises and bring the experience and findings from there to analyze and optimize your digital campaigns.

Mindless is one such agency where the digital marketing specialists have worked with multiple SAAS companies. They help B2B companies manage all aspects of digital marketing including paid media, SEO, LinkedIn, ABM, Affiliates and others. Specialists at Mindless have worked with 250+ clients including multiple global B2B corporations and scaled the online presence of several businesses while increasing their clientele, revenue and performance..

If your business is facing the challenge in optimizing website SEO or other paid media channels, then book a free consulting session with our experts and find out how we can help your business achieve new heights.

You can also mail us on sales@mindless.digital for any queries.

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About the author:

Pragun Jain is a seasoned digital marketer who has worked with over 500+ businesses ranging from billion dollar SAAS enterprises to 5-star hotel chains, doctors, politicians, SAAS companies, restaurants and retail stores. He has managed over USD 75M in paid media spend across Google Ads, Meta Ads, LinkedIn Ads and other digital marketing channels.

You can visit his LinkedIn profile here.

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