SaaS Email Marketing: Building Campaigns that Work

Learn what SaaS Email Marketing is and turn every email into a growth opportunity! From lead nurturing to customer retention, discover strategies that drive engagement and boost ROI effortlessly.
SaaS Email Marketing
SaaS Email Marketing
SaaS Email Marketing: Building Campaigns that Work
Learn what SaaS Email Marketing is and turn every email into a growth opportunity! From lead nurturing to customer retention, discover strategies that drive engagement and boost ROI effortlessly.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
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Did you know that email marketing yields one of the highest Return On Investment (ROI) for SaaS Companies?

SaaS Email Marketing is an extremely effective strategy for growth because of its ability to nurture leads, onboard users and retain clients. 

So, let’s look at how to create campaigns that work and really connect with your target demographic.

What is SaaS Email Marketing?

By definition, SaaS Email Marketing refers to using email campaigns to engage, educate and convert potential prospects of SaaS products.

In contrast to traditional email marketing, it centers on activation, retention and upselling of the user.

It leverages data-driven insights to address specific needs of the customer at every stage of their journey.

The key features of SaaS Email Marketing includes,

  • It uses content that is user-centric which targets specific pain points.
  • The workflows are automated to increase productivity.
  • It pays close attention to metrics like customer lifetime value and churn rate.

SaaS Email Marketing Funnel

The SaaS Email Marketing Funnel is the secret to turn the leads into committed consumers.

It guides users through every stage of their journey from Awareness to Retention and maximizes conversions.

Let’s see what stages are involved in the SaaS Email Marketing funnel and what to do at each stage.

SaaS Email Marketing Funnel

1.Awareness

Everything starts with awareness. In this stage the ultimate goal is to attract the potential customers and encourage them to subscribe to your email list.

The potential user needs to feel like meeting a new friend who is genuinely excited to help.

When they sign up to your website or take any specific actions, as a next step they should receive a warm welcome email introducing your product and its benefits.

  • Offer them useful lead magnets like free tools, eBooks or guides.
  • Introduce your brand and set expectations with welcome emails.
  • Optimize the landing pages on your website and make interesting sign-up forms.

For example – Send a welcome email like, 

“Welcome to [Your SaaS Tool]! Here’s a Quick Guide to Get Started” 

It should have links to helpful resources or a free trial offer.

2.Consideration

Followed by, next comes the consideration stage. In this stage, you need to build trust and educate your users about the benefits of your products.

You should show them how your product solves their problems. So that they will get closer with each mail which answers their questions.

  • Divide up your audience into groups according to their lifecycle stage, interests or activities.
  • Then, share them with educational content like case studies, webinars and tutorials.
  • Point out specific success stories and use cases.

A sample email will be “5 Ways [Your SaaS Tool] Can Save You Time”. It needs to include a step-by-step guide and video tutorials.

3.Decision

Now they reach the decision point. Here you need to convert the leads into paying customers and maintain them engaged.

A time-limited deal or a success story of another user persuades them to take action. They will upgrade to a paid plan and you can rejoice over a new client!

  • Personalize trial-ending reminders and offer exclusive discounts.
  • Automate the onboarding process to help users set up the product.
  • Ask for feedback and send out newsletters with feature updates.

As an example, send an email with a clear call to action to sign up for a subscription plan, 

“Your Trial Ends Tomorrow – Upgrade Now and Get 20% Off!”

4.Retention

The journey doesn’t stop here. As a final step, you need to make sure the users remain engaged using retention emails.

Announcements of product updates, tips and occasional “We appreciate you” notes foster trust and loyalty. It will turn your existing customers into brand ambassadors for your brand.

SaaS Email Marketing: Where to Begin?

Now it is evident that SaaS Email Marketing is about creating connections. 

It will convert the leads into subscribers and subscribers into committed users.

Logically, your next question will be how to craft an email campaign that stands out in the crowded inboxes.

Here is the breakdown of the steps to build email strategies that drive real results.

  • As a first step, decide clearly what you hope to accomplish. Ask yourself, whether your goal is lead generation, onboarding customers, customer retention or upselling.
  • Once you have identified your goal, then segment your audience. This means, divide up your email list based on factors like subscription plan, lifecycle stage or user behavior. This will help you to proceed with individualized communication.
  • The next step is to create content that is engaging. Compose emails that are clear and value-driven with strong subject lines. It should also include a concise copy and a compelling Call-To-Actions (CTAs).
  • Followed by, make use of tools to automate campaigns that are triggered by user actions, welcome emails and onboarding sequences.
  • For an idea of success and optimize campaigns accordingly, keep an eye on open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates and unsubscribes.
  • To increase engagement and conversions, A/B test subject lines, email layouts and call to actions.
  • Finally, put emphasis on retention. To maintain client satisfaction and lower churn, send out re-engagement emails, product updates and tutorials.

Types of SaaS Email Campaigns

To reach users at different points in their journey, SaaS Email Marketing necessitates a planned approach. 

The main email formats that SaaS organizations use are broken down here:

Examples of Successful SaaS Email Marketing Campaigns

1.Welcome Emails

The purpose of these emails is to introduce new users to the SaaS product. It will guide them through the onboarding process.

The ultimate goal of this email is to increase engagement, reduce churn and boost product adoption.

The content types of welcome emails include,

  • Tips on getting started with
  • Key Features of the SaaS Product
  • Account Setup and
  • Tutorials
SaaS Email Marketing Campaign 1 - Welcome Email

                                                     Image Source – Shopify

2.Nurture and Engagement Mails

The engagement mails are to keep the existing customers engaged. These emails provide value to the customers through educational content, use case examples and tips.

The aim of sending this email is to keep the users engaged, build trust and establish thought leadership.

The types of content used in this mail are,

  • Case Studies, 
  • Best practices relevant to the SaaS Product
  • Industry insights and 
  • Tutorials
SaaS Email Marketing Campaign 2 - Lead Nurturing Email

                                                          Image Source – Litmus

3.Educational and Content Emails

The ultimate aim of this email is to share valuable content. It demonstrates expertise and adds value to the experience of the users.

The aim of educational and content email is to position your brand as a thought leader and provide ongoing value.

The type of content used in this mail are,

  • Blog Posts,
  • Case Studies,
  • Webinars and
  • E-Books that are relevant to the SaaS industry and product.
SaaS Email Marketing Campaign 3 Educational Emails

                                               Image Source – Hootsuite

4.Renewal and Retention Emails

The goal of this Email is to retain clients who are approaching the end of their subscription or to promote renewals.

The ultimate objective is to retain the existing customers and reduce churn rate.

The content types employed in this emails are,

  • Exclusive Offers,
  • Loyalty Incentives and 
  • Subscription renewal remainders.
SaaS Email Marketing Campaign 4 - Renewal Emails

                                              Image Source – Grammarly

5.Feedback and Survey Emails

The goal is to improve the product or service by gathering user input.

It boosts user satisfaction, strengthens product development and improves customer experience.

  • Customer satisfaction surveys,
  • Requests for suggestions on upcoming features and 
  • Forms for product feedback are the types of content used here.
SaaS Email Marketing Campaign 5 - Feedback Email

                                                           Image Source – Pipeline

6.Promotional Emails

Promoting special offers, discounts or time-limited deals is the goal of this email type.

The intent of this email type is to drive conversions, increase trials and boost product adoption.

The content type used are,

  • Time-sensitive calls to action, 
  • Discounts,
  • Bundled offers and 
  • Limited-time promotions.
SaaS Email Marketing Campaign 6 - Promotional Email

                                                          Image Source – Litmus

7.Customer Success and Onboarding Series Emails

This email type helps users succeed over time and make sure they get the most out of the SaaS product.

It fosters long-term customer loyalty and ensures users achieve their goals.

The content used here are,

  • Progress tracking, 
  • personalized tips and 
  • milestones to celebrate.
SaaS Email Marketing Campaign 7 - Onboarding Email

                                                     Image Source – Softr

8.Abandoned Cart and Trial Expiry Emails

Converting trial users into paying clients is the aim of this email type. It recovers users who have expressed interest but did not finish sign-ups or trials.

  • Notifications that the trial is about to finish, 
  • emphasizing the benefits of the product and 
  • providing incentives like longer trials or discounts are the messages utilized here.
SaaS Email Marketing Campaign 8 - Trial Expiry Email

                                                         Image Source – Zapier

9.Re-Engagement Emails

Re-engagement emails are sent to win back inactive customers. These users haven’t used the product for a long time

So the goal is to reactivate consumers, lower churn and entice them to utilize the product again.

The type of content used in this emails are,

  • Tailored messages that offer incentives like discounts, exclusive deals or feature reminders, 
  • reminding users of the value they previously got.
SaaS Email Marketing Campaign 9 Re engagement Email

                                              Image Source – Squarespace

10.Product Update and Feature Announcement Emails

This mail is to make the customers informed about updates, enhancements or new product features.

The idea behind this campaign is to make users emphasize the benefits of the product and promote feature uptake.

The Content includes, 

  • Call To Action(CTAs) to explore the new features, 
  • Detailed descriptions of these features and
  • How they improve the user experience and more.
SaaS Email Marketing Campaign 10 Product Update Email

                                                           Image Source – Scribe

Strategies for SaaS Email Marketing

With the right strategies, SaaS Email Marketing will be your powerful tool for customer engagement and growth.

So, let’s look at how to make each email count.

1.Segment the Audience

Effective Email Marketing is based on Audience Segmentation. It is the key element of successful B2B SaaS Marketing. As a first and foremost step, you need to group your subscribers into different categories.

Based on these categories the email messages are crafted to meet their specific needs.

But, depending on what they can be segmented. Below are some factors,

  • Behavior-based Segmentation – Use this segmentation to separate users according to the actions they have done like downloading a free trial, going to a webinar or buying a plan.
  • Lifecycle Segmentation – With this, make segments for trial users, active clients, churned users, and new leads.
  • Demographic Segmentation – Segment subscribers based on their industry, job role, or organization size using demographics.

Consider for example, provide free trial users a feature tutorial while promoting upgrades to premium customers.

2.Create Content that is Value-driven

Your readers should always get something of value from your emails. It can be either through inspiration, education or entertainment.

Provide your subscribers with,

  • Educational Content – Share with them tips, best practices and how-to-guides of your SaaS product.
  • Exclusive Deals – Give away free resources, early access to features and discounts.
  • Case Studies and Testimonials – To build trust and credibility, highlight success stories.

Example – Share a blog titled “Top 5 Productivity Hacks Using [Your SaaS Tool].”

To create an emotional connection with your audience, make use of storytelling.

3.Optimize for Mobile

A large percentage of email opens take place on mobile devices. Therefore mobile optimization for SaaS Email Marketing is crucial.

If not, the emails will appear cluttered with broken images or tiny text. This will leave the users frustrated and clicking away.

A mobile-optimized email will turn the casual scrolling into meaningful engagement. It will be the trick to grab their attention and motivate them to act even in the busy moment.

It offers a smooth experience with clear visuals, easy-to-tap buttons and concise copy.

  • Make use of email templates that are responsive, meaning they adapt to various screen widths.
  • Use subject lines that are short and concise.
  • The Call To Actions (CTAs) should be simple to tap and direct users to landing pages optimized for mobile devices.

4.Make Use of Drip Campaigns

Automated sequences called drip campaigns are used to educate consumers and nurture leads over time.

It allows you to nurture them like telling a story that develops over time. 

But it should not overwhelm your audience and should keep your brand top of mind.

For a better understanding, consider this:

A potential audience signs up for your SaaS free trial. But they didn’t explore all of its features.

You send them a drip campaign which is a sequence of tailored and well-timed emails, instead of bombarding them with information. 

They are welcomed in with the first email, the feature is highlighted in the second and a user success story from a comparable user is shared in the third. 

Thus you have led them gradually from curiosity to comprehension and ultimately to conversion. So,

  • To move the leads through the SaaS sales funnel, offer them valuable content.
  • To deepen the user engagement, share webinars, tutorials and tips.
  • Use exclusive deals and new feature updates to entice inactive users back.
  • To customize the drip campaign to specific users, employ behavioral triggers.

5.Upsell and Cross-Sell Campaigns

Through targeted emails, upsell and cross-sell campaigns gently introduce more services and higher-tier plans to the users.

Once the users are comfortable with your SaaS product, encourage them to upgrade to a higher-tier plan and explore additional features.

You establish a logical progression by demonstrating how these choices improve their current experience.

It’s similar to assisting them in writing the subsequent chapter of their SaaS journey.

  • Upsell campaigns emphasize the advantages of enhanced features or premium subscriptions.
  • Cross-Sell Campaigns highlight complementary products or services that work well with yours.

6.Personalize your Emails

Personalization makes SaaS Email Marketing more relevant and engaging. It significantly boost your SaaS demand generation outcomes by targeting specific customer needs.

Customers’ names, past activity and preferences will be used to create emails that are tailored to their journey.

Personalizing the emails for users resembles one-to-one conversations. It demonstrates your understanding of users’ demands and providing them with just what they want. 

It fosters confidence and raises the likelihood that recipients will act.

  • To insert names, business names or specific actions taken by users, use dynamic fields.
  • Trigger emails based on user activities like reminders for incomplete profiles or welcome emails upon sign-up.
  • Based on past usage patterns, offer feature recommendations.
  • To foresee user demands and provide proactive solutions, combine personalization with predictive analytics.

Example: “Hi [Name], we noticed you’ve been exploring [Feature X]. Here’s how it can help you solve [Pain Point Y].”

7.Write subject lines that is engaging

A strong subject line entices readers to click, much like the opening line of a compelling story. 

Your subject line for SaaS email marketing should emphasize a value, establish urgency and clearly state how your email will address an issue. 

You will attract users and make sure your message isn’t lost in the sea of other emails by creating captivating subject lines.

These lines significantly impact open rates. It should be concise, clear and intriguing.

  • To find the one that your audience responds to the most, use A/B testing.
  • Encourage quick action by creating a sense of urgency. Example – “Last Chance to Save 30% on Your Plan!”.
  • Ask Questions or Provide Solutions: “Struggling with Time Management? We Can Help.”
  • To make subject lines stand out without overpowering the content, use emojis wisely.

8.Create an Onboarding Sequence

A new user signs up for your SaaS tool. They are excited to learn but not sure how to get started. 

Like a helpful tour of your platform, an onboarding sequence walks them through each step. 

To make sure consumers get the most out of your product, each email includes important pointers, feature highlights and prompts.

If you break down the process, they will discover the value immediately and more easily embrace your product. 

A seamless onboarding process boosts users’ trust and raises the likelihood that they will stick around and become loyal customers.

  • Send out a friendly welcome email outlining the main aspects of your product first.
  • To encourage people to recognize the potential of your product, highlight customer success stories.
  • Offer detailed instructions or videos that walk users through the use of key functionalities.
  • To progressively convey the benefits of your product, structure your onboarding process into five to seven emails.
  • To keep consumers interested throughout onboarding, incorporate interactive features like surveys or quizzes.

9.Encourage User Feedback

Your user thinks your SaaS product is great. But they have some ideas to improve it.

So, send them follow-up emails and gently ask them for their feedback.

Example: “How are we doing? Share your thoughts and help us improve.”

These emails let clients know their thoughts are valued and give you insightful information for future developments.

  • In exchange for feedback, offer them incentives like discounts or exclusive content.
  • To gauge client loyalty, send NPS (Net Promoter Score) emails.
  • To get feedback on product functionality and user satisfaction, use questionnaires.

Hence, using email to gather feedback allows you to improve your offering, transform the users concepts into significant advancements and convert satisfied clients into your strongest supporters.

How to evaluate the effectiveness of SaaS Email Marketing?

You have done everything with your SaaS Email Marketing Campaigns. But whether your emails are engaging your customers or simply sitting unopened in their inboxes?

So, let’s take action to determine whether your efforts are paying off..

The key SaaS Metrics for Email Marketing helps you to fine tune your campaigns, boost conversions and drive growth.

  • Open Rate – The number of receivers who open your emails is measured by open rate.
  • Bounce Rate -It tracks the emails that are not delivered.
  • Unsubscribe Rate – It tracks the number of recipients who opt out of your Emails.
  • Click Through Rate (CTR) – It measures how many people click on links or Call to Actions.
  • Conversion Rate – The percentage of email receivers who do desired actions is measured by the SaaS conversion rate.
  • Customer Retention Rate –  It measures how effectively emails retain current consumers.
  • Revenue Per Mail – It calculates each email campaign’s Return On Investment (ROI).

Pros and Cons of SaaS Email Marketing

Having an understanding of pros and cons of SaaS Email Marketing helps you to proceed with a more strategic and effective approach for your SaaS Business.

Pros of SaaS Email Marketing

  • The SaaS Email Marketing is cost effective. When compared to other marketing channels, it offers a high ROI with minimal investment.
  • It provides scalable automation. The SaaS companies effortlessly engage with users with tools like triggered emails and drip campaigns.
  • Based on user behavior, preferences and lifecycle stage, it makes possible highly personalized messaging.
  • It gives data-driven insights for continuous improvement. The measurable SaaS metrics include open rates, click-through rates and more.
  • It boosts retention. Through educational and value-added content, it helps you to nurture relationships with existing customers.

Cons of SaaS Email Marketing

Though SaaS Email Marketing offers many valuable benefits, it also comes with the following drawbacks,

  • The first and foremost drawback is the risks of spam. Emails that are poorly targeted and irrelevant will result in spam complaints and reputational harm.
  • The next thing to consider is an overcrowded inbox. Your message will be less likely to stand out if it is competing with a large number of emails.
  • It’s a challenge to manage the email list. It demands consistent effort to keep an up-to-date and segmented email list.
  • The next is its compliance requirements. The SaaS companies must adhere to GDPR, CAN-SPAM and other regulations to avoid penalties. 
  • It offers limited engagement without optimization. Low open and click-through rates will result from poorly written subject lines and calls to actions.

Conclusion

In conclusion, successful SaaS Email Marketing converts leads into loyal customers.

With the right strategies like automation, personalization and data driven insights, you will be able to boost engagement, drive conversions and scale your SaaS growth.

Hence, start using email now and you will see a change in your results.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to write SaaS Emails?

To write effective SaaS marketing emails,

  • Make sure your subject line is engaging and clear.
  • Adapt the content to the recipient’s requirements or behavior.
  • Add a single and clear call to action (CTA).
  • Maintain a clean and mobile-friendly design.
  • Highlight the advantages and solutions that your SaaS provides.
  • Perform performance tests and optimizations.
How to improve Email open rates for SaaS Business?

In-order to increase Email open rates in SaaS businesses,

  • Create attention-grabbing subject lines.
  • Make sending times as efficient as possible.
  • Do not use spammy language.
  • Make sure your designs are mobile-friendly.
  • Customize emails according to user information.
What tools are best for SaaS Email Marketing?

The most commonly used SaaS Email Marketing tools are Mailchimp, HubSpot, ActiveCampaign, ConvertKit and Intercom.

Automation, segmentation and analytics specific to SaaS requirements are supported by these platforms.

Founder of 7 Eagles, Growth Marketer & SEO Expert

Ashkar Gomez is the Founder of 7 Eagles (a Growth Marketing & SEO Company). Ashkar started his career as a Sales Rep in 2013 and later shifted his career to SEO in 2014. He is one of the leading SEO experts in the industry with 8+ years of experience. He has worked on 200+ projects across 20+ industries in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, UAE, Australia, South Africa, and India. Besides SEO and Digital Marketing, he is passionate about Data Analytics, Personal Financial Planning, and Content Writing.
Discover How 7 Eagles Help Your Business

Founder of 7Eagles, Growth Marketer & SEO Expert

Ashkar Gomez is the Founder of 7 Eagles (a Growth Marketing & SEO Company). Ashkar started his career as a Sales Rep in 2013 and later shifted his career to SEO in 2014. He is one of the leading SEO experts in the industry with 8+ years of experience. He has worked on 200+ projects across 20+ industries in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, UAE, Australia, South Africa, and India. Besides SEO and Digital Marketing, he is passionate about Data Analytics, Personal Financial Planning, and Content Writing.
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