Before targeting a vertical audience, a group of customers or prospects that have a need for your product and are homogeneous in ways that let you target them well, you should build the following four campaigns first.
Nurture
The first campaign you need caters to your existing customers. If someone signs up for your product, free or paid, you should be constantly nurturing them. Communicate with them. Offer new ideas and new content. They have given you their email address and their trust. Treat that with respect and attention. By handing over their information, these people are telling you they want to be kept in touch. Update them on what you do, on new things about your product, and on how to get the most out of it.
Refer
The second most important campaign is a referral programme. Make it easy for existing customers to share their excitement with friends, family and peers. Get happy customers to spread the news and help sign up more people. A structured programme, even a simple one, beats waiting for word of mouth to happen on its own.
Retain
The third priority is a campaign that onboards and retains customers. Educate them on how to use your product properly and get the most out of it. Make sure they are satisfied and are not about to leave. Retention beats acquisition on cost every time.
Post-churn
It happens. Someone decides to leave, cancels the service or stops using the product. Have a campaign that aims to bring them back without being obnoxious and while respecting their choice. Service them in a way that is interesting and caring: "Why did you leave? Can we learn something so we help the next customer better?" Be attentive. If you bring them back, or even just learn why they left, that is a huge win. Returned customers can become your biggest fans.
Only after these four basic campaigns should you start thinking about a specific vertical, tribe, customer segment or community. Know how to talk to them, listen to them and understand their needs, and you will build a vertical campaign that gets your audience excited, engaged and on the path to becoming your best customers.
Your to-do list
Set up a nurturing campaign and update it regularly with new information. Sign up for a referral programme service. Create how-to videos, write an FAQ for your website and publish white papers so customers can educate themselves. Develop a survey or questionnaire for churned customers so you can understand what made them leave. And point all your visitors to dedicated landing pages so it is easier to analyse behaviour.
Frequently asked questions
What are the four essential B2B SaaS campaigns?
Nurture, refer, retain and post-churn. Build these before running vertical-specific campaigns.
Why start with existing customers?
Because retention and referral compound. Winning back a lost customer or getting a referral is cheaper and more effective than acquiring a cold prospect.