4 Undeniable Benefits of Offering a SaaS Free Trial

The SaaS market is expected to reach $133 billion by 2020. No, that’s not a typo – there is a “b” in billion. Of course, every player in this market wants as big a share of it as possible. But in order to get there, you need a top-notch marketing strategy. And this always starts with a SaaS free trial.

I emphasize the importance of the marketing strategy because SaaS companies don’t wait for the “big fish”. They sell constantly to as many people as possible and they get their money by charging a lot of users small fees.

For a SaaS company to get $1 of revenue, they have to spend $1.18 on marketing. It doesn’t sound like the best deal in the world at first. But if you factor in the fact that SaaS businesses play the long game, you understand why it’s worth it.

This is why SaaS lead generation is the most important thing on a marketer’s mind. Despite the size of this continuously increasing market, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine and it’s never easy to get quality leads. Not by far.

This Is Where Your SaaS Free Trial Comes into Play

You’ve heard of demos and free samples, right? These are the equivalent of SaaS free trials in other industries.

During a free SaaS trial, the user gets a chance to try out your service and decide whether they want to keep paying for it or look elsewhere. Yes, the latter is possible, too. There are plenty of reasons why people won’t buy your SaaS – you can see some of them here.

But I digress.

Let’s take a look at why it’s important to let people try out your service:

4 Undeniable Benefits of Offering a SaaS Free Trial

1. You Give Clients a Glimpse into What They’re about to Buy

Just think about how much time you spend crafting the perfect landing page or the perfect blog post that gets people curious about your SaaS? Part of your copywriting strategy is always coming up with great ways to describe the amazing benefits your SaaS has to offer.

Well, a SaaS free trial lets people experience that on their own. You don’t need to tell them how much your solution will help them or how much time it will save them. They can figure it out on their own.

And, aside from getting new leads and clients, you will also get honest feedback to help you constantly improve your software. So you don’t even have to think about a SaaS free trial as giving something away. You will get a lot in return, especially if you play your cards right.

2. You Improve Your Conversion Rates

SaaS free trial conversion rates are some of the best across industries. GoToWebinar, for instance, reports a conversion rate of about 40%. Other SaaS companies have mastered the free trial game so well that they get conversion rates of up to 60%.

You can never get such conversion rates out of a landing page or a white paper, no matter how good they are!

As a content marketer, it pains me to say this, but I have to: the written word is no match for a SaaS free trial. Granted, you still need content marketing and a bunch of other marketing collaterals to get people to try your SaaS free trial and then turn into paying customers. But the bulk of the converting work is always done by your free trial.

3. A SaaS Free Trial Takes Very Little Time to Set Up

I’m a marketer and even I can tell that the coding behind a free SaaS trial is a breeze. All you have to do is give people access and then take it away from them at the right time (when the trial expires).

Of course, that’s just the coding.

You also need to create a bunch of welcome emails and support your free trial with a killer SaaS social media marketing strategy. But you were already doing most of these, weren’t you?

I find it hard to pinpoint an easier and less costly way to address the biggest problem in the industry: SaaS lead generation.

4. Free Trials Are the Best Way to Get Qualified Leads

Speaking of lead generation, what better way to increase your database than to give prospects a change to “touch” the merchandise?

You know, like you do when you go shopping for apples. You can see them, smell them, touch them. In a word, a supermarket offers you the opportunity to make a thorough evaluation before sliding your credit card in the POS.

Why shouldn’t we be able to so the same for software? I know which type of software I want, but I’m not sure if yours is up to par. So I’d like to “feel” it a bit.

You know what’s great about letting people “feel” your software? They are not just any people. They are marketers’ favorite kind of people: qualified leads.

Since they already signed up for your free trial, you know they have an interest in what you have to offer. You don’t have to educate them on the benefits your solution brings to the table, so you don’t need to create extra content or start from scratch with them.

They are informed people (or they wouldn’t waste time on your SaaS free trial – no, not even because it’s free). Sure, you still have a few obstacles to overcome: matching their expectation and their budget, as well as beating the competition spring to mind. But those are always part of the job, no matter what industry you’re in.

SaaS Free Trials Are the Best Way to Boost Sales

Offering a SaaS free trial doesn’t mean that users will flock to your virtual door waving their credit cards at you. It just means they will step in sheepishly and evaluate your merchandise.

But, as with any other shop, the hardest thing is getting people in through the door. As soon as you’ve got their attention, you can pitch them as many time as necessary.

Need help putting the spotlight on your SaaS free trial? Let us help you: