On board 🏄 Hot Summer Strategy for a Successful SaaS Onboarding

When it comes to Marketingspeak, one of my favorite SaaS marketing terms is definitely ‘Onboarding’. Onboarding is the way companies welcome a new customer after Handoff. Onboarding is like your official First Date (And yes, you’re paying). Courting a SaaS customer isn’t easy. But a first date—man, that can be even harder. Here are 5 successful SaaS Onboarding strategies along with specific tools to implement them effectively.

All the things we need to do to ensure a long lasting SaaS customer relationship 😘

SaaS Onboarding Definition

Why we need a SaaS Onboarding Strategy?

I think Dua Lipa sums it up perfectly.

Oh, baby, come on, let me get to know you
Just another chance so that I can show
That I won’t let you down and run
No, I won’t let you down and run
‘Cause I could be the one
I could be the one

Dua Lipa

5 Successful SaaS Onboarding Strategies

1. You’ve Got a Welcome eMail
2. Onboarding Checklist
3. Tutorials (All kinds)
4. ABM Account-Based Marketing
5. Espresso

Strategy 1 for a Successful SaaS Onboarding: You’ve Got a Welcome eMail

The first couple of emails to your new SaaS customer should be short and awesome.

Good practices Welcome Email:

• Keep it brief—2-5 sentences (not a formal German letter).
• Include contact details for support (chat, phone, representative).
• Focus on relevant information only.
• Outline the procedure, including the remaining phases and what to expect next.

Bad practices Welcome Email:

• A lengthy thank you paragraph; keep it genuine. The customer knows you’re glad they joined.
• Too many links and references.
• A series of Welcome Emails.

Keep in mind:

The customer doesn’t work for you. They shouldn’t have to bang their heads trying to understand what you mean or how to find relevant information.

Strategy 2 for a Successful SaaS Onboarding: SaaS Onboarding Checklist Process

It depends on the SaaS product, of course, as setting up an account can take longer than expected. An Onboarding checklist will help your customer start using your product more easily.

What must be included in a SaaS Onboarding Checklist process?

1. Account and Profile Setup: Steps for creating and configuring the user account.
2. Selecting a preferred tour guide and tutorials for learning about the SaaS product, such as video tutorials, webinars, documentation, and white papers (mention the duration for each selection).
3. Integration Steps and Data import: Instructions for connecting with other digital tools (CRM, DAM, etc.) as needed.
4. Billing information.
5. A completed onboarding message: process completed and feedback option.

Strategy 3 for a Successful SaaS Onboarding: Tutorials (All kinds)

Explain it Like I’m Five years Old

Tutorials such as video tutorials, webinars, documentation, and white papers are essential for a successful onboarding strategy. If your tutorials are long, boring, or even have text that’s too small, customers may feel annoyed and frustrated. They should be simple and engaging. Your main goal is to ensure that your new customers can use your product as quickly and easily as possible—no muss, no fuss. If they don’t need further assistance, you’ve got yourself a successful onboarding.”

2 Great Digital tool for creating great tutorials for SaaS companies

Building a SaaS tutorial Tool 1: iorad

iorad, a US-based company founded in 2007, iorad helps its users create Interactive tutorials in seconds.

Key Features:

• Everything you need to start building standard tutorials.
• Control your privacy settings.
• mask sensitive on-screen data.
• Integration with digital tools such as Hubspot and Slack.
• Automated text-to-speech.
• Video Annotation.
• Branding.
• Premium Audio.
• Price starts at $200 a month.

Building a SaaS Video tutorial Tool 2:

ispring, a US-based company founded in 2001, iSpring focused on providing professional eLearning authoring tools like video tutorials.

Key Features:

• eLearning Authoring
• 24/7 Technical Support
• Text-To-Speech
• SCORM courses
• Video lectures
• Quizzes and role-plays
• Character builder
• AI assistant
• Price starts at $770 a year.

Strategy 4 for a Successful SaaS Onboarding: ABM

In Marketingspeak, We have something called “nurture,” which we use to describe the support and guidance provided to a customer as part of the 1-to-1 marketing strategy that focused on building customer relationships. Gen X marketers might remember the famous book titled The One to One Future, which started the whole concept of personalization in marketing. With technology booming at the end of the ’90s and onward, CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software began to pop up, and they were mega expensive (Salesforce is just one example). Now, with the cloud-based model like SaaS, even Salesforce’s starting price is $25 per month.

After a quick reminiscence of the ’90s, ABM (Account-Based Marketing) is kinda the same thing but with a high-tech flair to it. Replace the word “customer” with the word “account,” and Voilà! Instead of creating generic onboarding activities, ABM tailors messages, content, and campaigns specifically for each targeted account. It’s the perfect way to achieve your company’s onboarding goals by ensuring a long-lasting SaaS customer relationship.

Strategy 5 for a Successful SaaS Onboarding: Espresso

In the end, if you want your SaaS product to be the ONE, you should work hard to achieve an easy onboarding strategy, which means creating a seamless and user-friendly experience for new users. However, your vibe should match the branding style of the song ‘Espresso’ by Sabrina Carpenter: not obsessing, investing in branding, and making them come to you.

Now he’s thinkin’ ’bout me every night, oh
Is it that sweet? I guess so

Sabrina Carpenter

Topics covered in this post include: SaaS Onboarding Strategy, SaaS Onboarding checklist, Welcome Email Onboarding

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