📕 What B2B SaaS can learn from NFTs; No-code no-joke; Why Google is seeing more “0 click searches”...
There’s still time for others to catch up, but our early leader for the 2021 SaaS buzzword of the year is no/low code. Jokes aside we are totally on board with the hype, tools that enable non-engineers to build play a huge role in the democratization of software development, opening up the door for almost anyone with a computer to become a creator. The linked post from Pietro Invernizzi (Stride VC) categorizes no/low code tools into the primary categories we see today, and rightfully shares the love with some of the smaller players out there not named Zapier.
👟 What can B2B SaaS learn from the world of NFTs and sneakers? More than you think. Product drops where creators announce they will offer a limited amount of products at a specific time can build crazy hype. NBA Top Shot announced they were doing a new drop in a few hours and literally had to push the time because of the overflow of traffic to their site. Contests and raffles are another go to for NFTs and sneakers that are worth looking at – ask users to complete a few actions such as liking a post or referring a friend and gain a chance to win big. These tactics might feel outside of the standard software playbook, but one of the best ways to stand out in B2B SaaS is to not be boring!
0️⃣ There’s a counterintuitive trend occurring in Google search as we’re seeing an increase in the number of searches along with a decrease in total clicks. More specifically, Sparktoro highlighted that 65% of Google searches in 2020 didn’t result in a click at all! There are a couple prime suspects. One: Google’s improving answer box could be using top results to address questions pre-click (good for users, bad for all brands who aren’t the #1 result). Two: the pandemic pushed more users from desktop to mobile, which is 30% more likely to produce no click searches. Flighty, short attention mobile users makes sense to us, and puts more power in Google’s hands as top of the page placements become the only worthwhile spots on SERPs.
🥶 Many marketers feared their budgets, and even their jobs, were at risk during the thick of the pandemic, as it’s no secret that companies often look to cut marketing expenses first. And while it’s true that budgets were chopped significantly (44% of CMOs lessened spend), ⅔ of markets felt that the importance of their role actually increased during these spending freezes. With less money to play with, ensuring that your businesses’ dollars go further was critical, and marketers were undoubtedly the best equipped to make that happen. As tough as times as they were, we think it actually aided in changing the narrative around marketing as a somewhat less important department.
👍 On Patrick O'Shaughnessy's Invest Like the Best, former AmpPush CEO Jesse Pujji dropped in to give a high level explainer on performance marketing and where most companies get it wrong. Making big Facebook or Google ad buys without an understanding of your funnel is the most common culprit of wasted dollars, but he also points to CEOs deferring marketing activities towards others as a key mistake. There’s really no one who can explain why their product is a winner better than the CEO, so as a rule of thumb, Pujii suggests CEOs spend half as much time on product as they do on developing unique marketing strategy. A lack of patience can also be the killer – it should take 90 days with more than 50% of a CEO’s time and focus to really get a channel nailed down, a big commitment which is worth the effort.