{"id":3669,"date":"2016-03-24T14:10:54","date_gmt":"2016-03-24T13:10:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chartmogul.com\/blog\/?p=3669"},"modified":"2023-08-09T21:02:24","modified_gmt":"2023-08-09T19:02:24","slug":"saas-qa-customer-acquisition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chartmogul.com\/blog\/saas-qa-customer-acquisition\/","title":{"rendered":"SaaS Q&A: How can a B2B SaaS startup acquire customers from day one?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here is a quick list of some activities and strategies any B2B SaaS startup can employ to kickstart their customer acquisition from the very beginning \u2014 from introducing your product to the online community, to gaining exposure and elevating your brand, to old-fashioned, in-person networking.<\/p>\n

Launch your Beta product on BetaList<\/h1>\n

Submit your startup on BetaList<\/a>, a platform for entrepreneurs\u00a0and creators to find early adopters of their products. In turn these\u00a0early customers can give you valuable\u00a0feedback.<\/p>\n

\"betaList\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Launch your full product on Product Hunt<\/h1>\n

Dubbed “Tech’s new tastemaker<\/a>“, Product Hunt<\/a> is an online community\u00a0of tech fans and product fiends. It’s built so that members can easily discover new products.<\/p>\n

\"Product<\/a><\/p>\n

Create a “Show HN” thread on Hacker News<\/h1>\n

Within the overall community discussion on Hacker News,<\/a> there’s a specific place for people to share things they have made. Submit your full\u00a0product here, and let the HN users check it out, provide feedback, and ask questions in the thread.<\/p>\n

\"HackerNews\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Stake out a presence at customer industry events<\/h1>\n

Find the best conferences and events that are super relevant to your businesses. You want to find the ones where there’s literally a hall full of your potential customers. It’s worth spending some money here on sponsorship, or a stall \u2014 if you acquire some new accounts, you’ll quickly compensate for the cost. Only focus on the highly relevant events.<\/em><\/p>\n

Invest in content marketing<\/h1>\n

Start to build an audience, with high-quality, long-life, relevant content marketing. This is sometimes called \u201cevergreen content\u201d. Publish thought-leading and insightful content on your topic, including useful resources that your readers can get value from. Publish this content in as many (relevant) channels as possible, any place online where your potential customers might be discussing their business or the industry. Essentially, get in on the conversation \u2013 position yourself as\u00a0a trusted voice in the space and your product will be recognized.<\/p>\n

Seek outbound leads and act on them<\/h1>\n

Scour sites such as AngelList<\/a> and\u00a0Crunchbase<\/a> to gather some outbound leads. Set up an outbound funnel for reaching out to the decision makers who would consider your product. Optimize this funnel.<\/p>\n

Get out there in your local tech community<\/h1>\n

Present at events, connect with fellow startups, go to meetups<\/a> focused on relevant topics. This will also help you when it comes to recruiting and hiring.<\/p>\n

Turn to investors<\/h1>\n

Utilize your investors, and their networks, to get your product recognized across their space.<\/p>\n\n

\n\n

This answer was originally answered by Ed Shelley and published on Quora. View the original thread here:<\/p>\n

What are some customer acquisition strategies that a B2B SaaS startup can try from day 1?<\/a><\/p>\n

Share and follow!<\/h1>\n
\n

NEW: #SaaS<\/a> Q&A: How can a #B2B<\/a> SaaS startup acquire customers from day one? https:\/\/t.co\/nCAmIyy4J6<\/a> #growthhacks<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/hkwpyYdsOr<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 ChartMogul (@ChartMogul) March 24, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n