How I'd Market a SaaS Product (90-Day Playbook)

SaaS marketing is different.

You're not selling a one-time purchase. You're selling a subscription. A relationship. A tool people need to use every day.

That changes everything.

I've worked with tech companies across Singapore, Dubai, and Melbourne. Different products.

Different markets. But the fundamentals? Always the same.

Here's exactly what I'd do in the first 90 days if I joined a SaaS company tomorrow as their marketing person.

No fluff. No theory. Just the playbook.

The Reality Check (Days 1-7)

Before I touch anything, I need to understand what's actually happening.

Most SaaS companies think they have a marketing problem. Usually, it's something else.

Day 1-3: Audit Everything

Customer data:

• Who's actually using the product? (not who you think)

• What features do they use most?

• Where did they come from? (organic, paid, referral)

• How long before they converted from trial to paid?

• What's the average customer lifetime value (LTV)?

• What's the churn rate?

Current marketing:

• What channels are active?

• What's the cost per acquisition (CPA) by channel?

• What's working? What's dying?

• Where's the budget going?

• What assets exist? (blog posts, case studies, videos, templates)

The product itself:

• I need to actually use it. For real. Not a demo. Use it like a customer would.

• What problem does it actually solve?

• What's the "aha moment" when users get value?

• What are the main objections in sales calls?

Day 4-5: Talk to Customers

This is non-negotiable.

I'd interview 5-10 customers. Not a survey. Real conversations.

Questions I'd ask:

• What problem were you trying to solve when you found us?

• What other solutions did you consider?

• Why did you choose us?

• What almost made you not sign up?

• What feature do you use most?

• If you had to explain our product to a friend, how would you describe it?

Their language becomes your marketing copy.

Day 6-7: Competitive Analysis

Not to copy. To differentiate.

What I'd research:

• Top 3-5 competitors' messaging

• Their pricing strategy

• What keywords they're targeting

• What their customers complain about (check G2, Capterra reviews)

• Where they're advertising

• What their onboarding looks like

The goal: Find the gap. What are they not saying? What pain point are they ignoring?

That's your angle.

The Foundation (Days 8-30)

Now I know what's working, what's broken, and where the opportunity is.

Time to build the foundation.

Week 2: Positioning & Messaging

Everything flows from this.

If your positioning is wrong, your ads won't work.

Your emails won't convert. Your content won't resonate.

I'd create:

1. Core positioning statement: "For [specific target customer], [product name] is the [category] that [unique benefit] unlike [competitors who do this instead]."

Example: "For marketing teams drowning in tools, Acme is the campaign management platform that connects every channel in one place, unlike competitors who force you to juggle 5 different dashboards."

2. Value proposition by audience: SaaS often has multiple personas (end user, manager, executive). Each needs different messaging.

• End user: Focuses on ease of use, time saved, daily benefits

• Manager: Focuses on team productivity, reporting, integration

• Executive: Focuses on ROI, scalability, security

3. Key message pillars (3-5 maximum): These are your main talking points. Everything you create should ladder up to one of these.

Example pillars:

• "10x faster campaign execution"

• "One platform, zero context switching"

• "Built for marketers, not engineers"

Week 3: Website Overhaul

Your website is your 24/7 sales rep.

Most SaaS websites fail because they talk about features, not outcomes.

Homepage structure I'd use:

Above the fold:

• Clear headline (outcome, not feature)

• Subheadline (who it's for + main benefit)

• Primary CTA (usually "Start free trial" or "Book demo")

• Social proof (logos, review rating, user count)

Section 2: Problem/Solution

• Show you understand their pain (use their language from interviews)

• Show your solution (with visual)

Section 3: How it works

• 3-step process (keep it simple)

• Visuals for each step

Section 4: Features (grouped by benefit)

• Not a list of 47 features

• 3-4 key features, each with benefit-focused headline

Section 5: Social proof

• Customer testimonials (specific results, not "it's great!")

• Case studies with numbers

• Review site badges (G2, Capterra)

Section 6: Pricing (or CTA if pricing is custom)

• Clear, simple

• Highlight most popular plan

• Remove friction (free trial, no credit card required)

Section 7: Final CTA

• Same as above the fold

• Add urgency if authentic

Critical pages I'd create/fix:

• Pricing page (clear, comparable)

• Use cases page (by industry or job role)

• Integrations page (if you have them)

• Resources/blog

• About/Team (people buy from people)

Week 4: Content Foundation

Content for SaaS isn't blog posts about industry trends.

It's content that moves people through the funnel.

Three types of content I'd create first:

1. Bottom-of-funnel (BOFU) content: These target people ready to buy. High intent.

Examples:

• "[Your Product] vs [Competitor]" comparison pages

• "Best [category] software for [specific use case]"

• "[Problem] calculator or assessment tool"

• Case studies with real numbers

These get less traffic but convert at 5-10x higher rates.

2. Middle-of-funnel (MOFU) content: These target people researching solutions.

Examples:

• "How to [solve problem] in [timeframe]"

• "[Process] framework or template"

• "Ultimate guide to [topic related to your product]"

Include your product naturally, but make the content valuable even if they don't buy.

3. Top-of-funnel (TOFU) content: These build awareness and authority.

Examples:

• Industry insights

• Trend analysis

• Research reports

• Tools and calculators

My priority: BOFU first. Always. It converts fastest.

The Growth Engine (Days 31-60)

Foundation is set. Now we scale.

Week 5-6: Paid Acquisition Setup

Organic takes time. Paid gets you data fast.

Channel priority (in order):

1. Google Search Ads

Start here if you have budget.

Why: People are searching for solutions. High intent.

What I'd target:

• Competitor keywords ("[competitor name] alternative")

• Problem keywords ("how to [solve problem]")

• Category keywords ("[product category] software")

Budget allocation:

• 60% to competitor terms (highest intent)

• 30% to problem/solution terms

• 10% to brand defense

Landing pages: Each ad group gets a specific landing page. No generic homepage sends.

2. LinkedIn Ads (if B2B) Expensive but powerful for B2B SaaS.

What I'd run:

• Sponsored content to target job titles

• Message ads (sparingly) for high-value leads

• Retargeting to website visitors

Targeting strategy: Narrow is better. Target specific job titles at specific company sizes in specific industries.

Example: "Marketing Managers at 50-200 employee tech companies in Melbourne"

3. Meta Ads (if B2C or SMB-focused)

Good for awareness and retargeting.

Campaign structure:

• Awareness campaigns (video content showing product)

• Consideration campaigns (lead magnets, webinars)

• Conversion campaigns (free trial, demo booking)

4. Retargeting (across all platforms)

Essential. Most people don't convert on first visit.

Segments I'd create:

• Visited pricing page but didn't start trial

• Started trial but didn't activate

• Engaged with content but never visited product pages

• Visited competitor comparison pages

Budget breakdown if I had $10k/month:

• Google: $5,000 (50%)

• LinkedIn: $2,500 (25%)

• Meta: $1,500 (15%)

• Retargeting: $1,000 (10%)

Week 7-8: Email Marketing Infrastructure

Email is the highest ROI channel for SaaS. Period.

Sequences I'd build immediately:

1. Welcome sequence (5 emails over 10 days) We covered this in my last post. Same structure applies.

2. Free trial nurture sequence

Day 1: Welcome, show them quick win

Day 2: How to [achieve specific outcome]

Day 4: Feature deep-dive (most valuable feature)

Day 6: Case study showing success

Day 8: Objection handler + upgrade prompt

Day 12: Final push (trial ending soon)

3. Onboarding sequence (for paying customers)

Week 1: Getting started guide

Week 2: Advanced features

Week 3: Integration options

Week 4: Check-in + upsell to higher tier

4. Re-engagement sequence (for inactive users)

Day 1: "We noticed you haven't logged in..."

Day 5: "Here's what you're missing"

Day 10: Survey (why aren't you using it?)

Day 15: Win-back offer (if applicable)

5. Upgrade sequence (free to paid, or tier up)

Triggered based on usage thresholds

Example: When they hit 80% of plan limit

Email best practices for SaaS:

• Plain text performs better than heavy design

• Send from a person, not "noreply@company.com"

• Use behavior triggers, not just time-based

• Always track: open rate, click rate, conversion rate

The Conversion Optimization (Days 61-90)

You've got traffic coming in. Now make it convert better.

Week 9: Trial-to-Paid Optimization

This is where money is made or lost.

Metrics I'd track obsessively:

• Trial signup rate

• Trial activation rate (did they actually use it?)

• Trial-to-paid conversion rate

• Time to first value (how fast do they get the "aha moment"?)

Improvements I'd test:

1. Onboarding flow Most SaaS products lose users in onboarding.

What I'd optimize:

• Reduce steps to first value

• Add progress indicators

• Include tooltips and guided tours

• Send email nudges if they get stuck

2. In-app messaging When users hit certain triggers:

• "You're almost at your plan limit. Upgrade to continue."

• "Try [advanced feature] to save even more time."

• "Your trial ends in 3 days. Here's what happens next."

3. Value demonstration Show them their progress:

• "You've saved 12 hours this week"

• "You've completed 47 tasks"

• "Your team's productivity is up 23%"

People renew when they see value. Make it visible.

Week 10: Landing Page CRO

Now we optimize what's already working.

Pages to test first:

1. Homepage (biggest traffic)

2. Pricing page (highest intent)

3. Free trial signup (biggest drop-off)

What I'd test:

Homepage tests:

• Headline variations (outcome-focused vs feature-focused)

• CTA copy ("Start free trial" vs "Try it free" vs "Get started")

• Social proof placement (above fold vs below)

• Video explainer vs static images

Pricing page tests:

• Annual vs monthly pricing display

• Feature comparison clarity

• CTA urgency ("Start trial" vs "Start 14-day free trial")

• Testimonials specific to each plan tier

Signup form tests:

• Number of form fields (less is usually better)

• Social signup options (Google, Microsoft)

• "No credit card required" messaging placement

• Progress indicators on multi-step forms

Testing framework:

• One test at a time (unless massive traffic)

• Run for minimum 2 weeks or 100 conversions

• Statistical significance matters (use a calculator)

• Document everything

Week 11-12: Content Distribution

You've created content. Now amplify it.

Distribution channels:

1. LinkedIn (personal + company)

• Share blog posts with your take (not just "new blog post!")

• Turn blog insights into LinkedIn posts

• Engage in relevant comments/discussions

• Message relevant people (not spam)

  
  

2. Reddit/Communities

• Find subreddits where your audience hangs out

• Don't spam. Add value. Link when relevant.

• Answer questions genuinely

  
  

3. Quora/Answer sites

• Search for questions related to your product

• Write detailed, helpful answers

• Link to your content naturally

  
  

4. Guest posting

• Pitch relevant blogs in your industry

• Include backlinks to your content

• Builds authority and SEO

  
  

5. Partnerships

• Co-marketing with complementary tools

• Integration partner promotions

• Webinar collaborations

  
  

6. Paid promotion

• Boost best-performing content

• Target people who visited but didn't convert

• Use content to warm up cold audiences

  
  

The Metrics That Actually Matter

Vanity metrics are dangerous in SaaS.

Traffic is great. But traffic that doesn't convert is expensive.

Dashboard I'd build:

Acquisition metrics:

• Website traffic (by source)

• Cost per click (CPC)

• Cost per lead (CPL)

• Cost per trial signup

• Cost per customer (CAC)

Activation metrics:

• Trial signup rate

• Trial activation rate (% who complete key action)

• Time to first value

• Feature adoption rates

Revenue metrics:

• Trial-to-paid conversion rate

• Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)

• Average Revenue Per User (ARPU)

• Customer Lifetime Value (LTV)

• LTV:CAC ratio (should be 3:1 minimum)

Retention metrics:

• Churn rate (monthly and annual)

• Net Revenue Retention (are existing customers expanding?)

• Customer health score

The North Star: For most SaaS: MRR growth

But dig deeper:

• Is it from new customers or expansions?

• Is churn eating your growth?

• Is CAC sustainable?

What I'd Avoid

Things that waste time in SaaS marketing:

1. Building for virality Unless your product is inherently social (like Slack or Notion), virality is a bonus, not a strategy.

2. Content for content's sake 10 mediocre blog posts won't beat 1 killer bottom-funnel piece.

3. Too many channels at once Better to dominate 2 channels than be mediocre on 6.

4. Ignoring churn while chasing new customers Plugging the leak is easier than filling the bucket.

5. Complex attribution modeling (at first) You don't need a $50k attribution tool on Day 1. Start with last-click. Get sophisticated later.

6. Over-engineering Perfect is the enemy of launched. Ship fast. Iterate faster.

The Reality: It Takes Time

This playbook works. But it's not magic.

Realistic timeline:

Month 1: You're still figuring things out. Don't expect massive growth.

Month 2: You'll see traction. Paid channels start converting. Content gets published.

Month 3: Data comes in. You know what works. Now you can scale.

Month 6: If you've executed well, you should see consistent MRR growth and positive unit economics.

Month 12: You've built a predictable growth engine.

SaaS marketing is a marathon, not a sprint.

My Approach to Different SaaS Types

B2B Enterprise:

• Longer sales cycles (6-12 months)

• Focus on demos, not free trials

• Content needs to address multiple stakeholders

• LinkedIn and Google are your best channels

• Case studies are critical

B2B SMB:

• Shorter sales cycles (1-4 weeks)

• Free trial or freemium model

• Self-serve needs to be smooth

• Mix of content and paid ads

• Email automation is essential

B2C SaaS:

• Even shorter cycles (days)

• Product needs to sell itself

• Mobile experience matters

• Social ads + retargeting work well

• In-app virality helps

Vertical SaaS (industry-specific):

• Niche targeting is everything

• Industry events and partnerships matter

• Content needs deep industry expertise

• Word of mouth is powerful

• Case studies from the industry are gold

The Bottom Line

If I joined a SaaS company tomorrow, this is exactly what I'd do.

Days 1-7: Understand the reality

Days 8-30: Build the foundation

Days 31-60: Launch the growth engine

Days 61-90: Optimize what's working

No shortcuts. No hacks. Just disciplined execution.

The SaaS companies that win aren't the ones with the best product. They're the ones that understand their customers, communicate value clearly, and optimize relentlessly.

That's the playbook.

Working in SaaS marketing? I'd love to hear what you'd add or change about this approach.

Hit me up: thezhanakhmetalim@gmail.com or LinkedIn.

Looking to hire a SaaS marketer? This is exactly how I think about growth. Let's talk.