So far today, I’ve interacted with more than a dozen SaaS tools. From Asana to Canva, Hubspot to Wistia, my work day, and yours too, is SaaSy. We’re developing and launching powerful, specialized, and easy-to-use software like never before. And, every tool I’ve picked up over the past few months has been product-led; I’m on a free-forever plan or had a free trial to see the value before paying a cent. This is an incredible time to be a creator or user of SaaS tools. But, with entry-barriers virtually eliminated, the SaaS world has gotten crowded. And this crowd is polluting the market. Our Marketing teams, BDRs, Sales Execs, and Customer Success teams are casting pollution - masquerading as content - into the market; whitepapers, podcasts, and webinars. So. Much. Noise. Good luck, prospects, wading through all of the pollution.
The Triple Whammy of SaaS Content Pollution
These polluted efforts are failing and costly. The Content Marketing Institute found that only 53% of content marketing shows a positive result. And, according to KeyBanc, SaaS CAC payback has crossed 2 years (up 26% YoY). And the rotten cherry on top? Companies will churn 30% of their SaaS apps this year (per Blissfully).
Irrelevant marketing efforts: check.
Poor CAC payback: check.
Increased Churn: check.
Triple-whammy. Oof.
But there is hope. We can put our data to work and create valued content through benchmark insights. These benchmarks give us the chance to share what we know.
And SaaS leaders are turning to benchmark data to light the way:
Salesforce features the Shopping Index for brands and retailers to know what’s happening across ecommerce. Hubspot shares the key opportunity and marketing metrics across B2B CRM. Mailchimp highlights email marketing KPIs
The common thread is turning data into benchmark insights leveraging the rich and relevant aggregate performance data that we are already collecting. Introducing, Leading Lights The lights are on. Leading Lights is here to help SaaS companies shine the light on what they know, by developing benchmarks to create advantage across the organization. We’re here to serve ... ... marketers to attract more leads. ... sales to unlock the boardroom. ... customer success to guide customer growth. Why turn to benchmarks? It’s not enough to say what you think. It’s time to show what you know. What does knowing look like? The Salesforce Shopping Index is a fantastic resource for ecommerce metrics. The Zaius Customer Lifecycle Benchmark is the customer-centric battery of benchmarks for marketers to find their path to growth. YOTTAA's Site Speed Standard quantifies the value of performance. Each benchmark turns data into insights, and provides directional guidance to its respective audience.
Find more benchmarks here.
But, Where to Start? Some are overwhelmed by the thought of starting a benchmarking program or practice. Maybe it is that teeming mountain of data. Maybe you aren’t sure how to sustain the initiative. Or, maybe you don’t know where benchmarks should live in your organization. Leading Lights has the unique experience of bringing benchmarks to life for the past 12 years, helping marketing, eCommerce, and customer service companies launch and maintain the practice. Ready to shine your light? Let’s begin: rick@leadinglights.io === Rick is Managing Director of Leading Lights. Prior to Leading Lights, he’s built benchmarks at Demandware, Salesforce, Mirakl, YOTTAA, and Zaius.
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