Imagine gaining 100 new SaaS customers overnight. Now multiply that by 10. That’s a very realistic outcome when you run a cross promotion with another SaaS company who shares the exact same target market as your SaaS. So how do you find those strategic partners, how do you connect with them, and lastly what are some cross marketing and promotion ideas that really work?
Before we get to the ideas, let’s briefly discuss how to connect with the right strategic partner. Well, back in the day, and up until recently, I personally did it the old fashioned way. Myself or a member of my team would just do research on who the right companies were, and then we’d start cold emailing, using a few cold email cross promotion templates we came up with. I recently uploaded my cross-marketing cold-email templates for free if you’re interested.
That worked! Almost everyone was interested because they had nothing to lose. We weren’t selling anything. We just wanted to grow their customer base overnight, if they did the same for us.
The hard part was the actual time it took to do the research, find the right company and contact info, and eventually send the cold emails. But that’s why I created PromoMeet. I wanted to eliminate all the hard work and get straight to the fun stuff, running the cross promotions and winning waves of new customers.
Cross Marketing and Promotion Ideas for SaaS Companies
Let’s first set the scene. You’ve just found the perfect strategic partner. You share the same target market, you don’t compete, and some of your customers already love using both of your software products.
1. Cross Market and Co-Host Webinars
Let’s say a very high number of your SaaS customers integrate with a very popular CRM. Well, reach out to that CRM and co-host a webinar together. They can invite their trials and customers, you can invite yours, and at the end both of you can thank all of the the attendees with amazing offers for your SaaS products. Overnight, every single week, or whenever you co-host your webinar, you can both grow your customers in waves.
2. Cross Market a White Paper
Maybe one of your co-founders is a well-known SEO expert, and maybe your strategic partner has a ton of valuable data that’s critical to the SEO community, which is also both of your customers. Have the well-known SEO expert create the white-paper using the partner’s data. Both of you but your brands on it and both of you share it with the world.
3. Co-Author Ebook
Similar to the above white-paper example, find a strategic partner to co-write and ebook with you and share with your customers and with the world.
4. Videos, Help Video, Viral Videos
Similar to co-hosting a webinar, you can also co-host a help video that teaches your customers how to use your products together. If both of you agree stick that video in support section or FAQs for thousands of potential customers to see.
5. Exchange In-App Discounts
Talk to your strategic partner about using a tool like Hotjar or intercom to provide a discount to your partner’s customers while they are using the software. Of course, i recommend doing your homework, and making sure a good amount of your partner’s customers already love using your product as well.
6. Email Blast Co-Promotional Offers
This is easy and hardly worth explaining, but there’s some things you should remember. Don’t give your email list away. You blast your customers and your strategic partners can blast their customers. Each of you should give a little blurb about your partner’s amazing promotional offer, then link to the landing page your partner provides. Let them sell their product. They are way better at it.
7. Co-Write and Cross Market a Guest Blog Post
Another no-brainer. You’ve done this before. Just be smart, review your partner’s work, and set some rules. Most importantly agree to a publishing date that both of you must abide by. Nothing too far in the future. Keep your momentum high by doing it as quickly as possible.
8. Co-Branded Ads and Split the Cost
Why pay for ads by yourself. Set a budget and split the bill. In the ad show product a working amazingly with product b. It’s a win win.
9. Create Social Media Posts for Each Other’s Social Media Pages
Your strategic partner might have 57,000 Twitter followers who would love to use your product. Swap a few Tweets for an email blast. Get creative. it’s up to you.
10. Co-Event Sponsorships
Offer to sponsor a seminar or event that invites your exact target market. Again, be creative so no money has to exchange hands. You both have the same target market. Invite your customers in-exchange for a mention or sponsorship at the event.
11-20
I saved the best for last. They are totally free to download but you just need to sign up and download them from our free resource section. We won’t spam you or sell your email address. We’re just looking to build relationships with all of our visitors.
Click here to sign up and the then click “Free Resources” to download all 20 cross market ideas.
Conclusion
The only limitation to cross-promotions and co-marketing is your imagination. Learn to mix and match, and try to be flexible. If you have 25,000 emails and your partner only has 20,000, who cares. Don’t get nit picky. Do the cross-promo and grow together.
Thanks for taking the time to read my article. Best of luck!