B2B Lead Gen for SaaS Companies in the Age of COVID-19

Lead generation for any startup can be tricky, nobody knows that better than companies like ours. The recent series of events transpiring around the globe due to COVID-19 have caused a wave of uncertainty for many businesses. Whether you are a small restaurant or a large multinational, the effects of the global pandemic have been felt throughout the fabrics of society and the economy. This is why Martal felt it necessary to share our advice for B2B SaaS companies trying to adjust their lead generation strategy to reflect the urgency of the situation. During the last few weeks of outbound campaigning, our team has spent their time sharpening our messaging during the pandemic. Below you will find a list of key points that have helped us retain prospects while keeping the safety and security of everyone involved in mind.

1. Communicate with Relevancy: Acknowledging the unprecedented situation is the first step to being able to relate to your potential leads. This requires your sales reps to make some changes to the messaging of your lead generation campaigns to reflect the current circumstances:

• Make sure your campaign material carries a concise message that’s not overly urgent, meaning avoid any language that can be considered alarmist while properly recognizing that you are reaching out during uncertain times.
• Alert your ongoing leads to any shifts in your operations, thereby asserting your commitment to them while prompting them to mention any changes on their end.
• It’s important to stay mindful of your current and future leads, communicating with sensitivity to avoid adding to their mental load.

Ultimately, your goal when crafting your campaigns should be to express your commitment to winning your prospects business, standing by the quality of your brand, while expressing solidarity with them and their efforts to stay afloat.  

2. Show Empathy:  The spread of COVID-19 has made impacts on almost every single working person in the world. It is entirely likely that your campaigns will be sent to people who are experiencing insecurity about their personal or financial wellbeing or know someone who is. It’s essential that your new messaging will show that you are mindful of the prospect’s wellbeing and safety. Staying informal about your concern would also help your cause, because it shows an acknowledgement of their humanity. Something as simple as “Hope you and your loved ones are staying safe” would add to your credibility and honest intentions of your lead generation campaign. Keeping in mind nobody enjoys being solicited, especially during times like these, is also an important reminder to keep your message concise and brief. In other words, stay empathetic to the diverse situations your prospects may be experiencing, while conveying the added value of your SaaS product to their business even during this difficult situation.

3. Manage Expectations: The workplace has become a completely different environment for office-based businesses. As most people have been relocated to their homes to work remotely, there have been a lot of changes to the day-to-day routines and procedures. These changes to operations will affect the way leads prioritize their time. In order to ensure that you are transparent with your existing leads, make sure to alert them to any changes in your operations that might affect your relationship with them. While doing this, you should also assert that these changes will not affect the quality of your services in any way. Since SaaS services are particularly harder to maintain on the technical support front, contingency measures should be taken to make sure that operations still run smoothly while switching to a remote work environment. Keep your leads in the loop about all the measures you are taking to ensure their service will stay uninterrupted.

            The way in which this pandemic affects your B2B SaaS business might vary in severity, but one thing is certain- now is the right time to show your leads that you are able to stand the test of COVID-19. Using all the strategies we mentioned above will help your sales department use a human approach when either keeping your existing leads engaged or qualifying new leads for your business. While it’s most likely that you will see a drop in total leads generated, the customers you gain during this period will show more loyalty to your business and are more likely to stay with you for the long-haul. To maximize the number of committed customers you attract you must be empathetic with your messaging, relevant with your information, and proactive about your communication with existing leads. We hope you have found this advice to be helpful and wish your team the best of luck during these difficult times.