Quick Marketing Advice From A SaaS CEO
By Peter Jackson, CEO, Bluescape Software
Peter Jackson, CEO of content collaboration software company Bluescape, is an experienced executive with a successful track record of founding and rapidly growing innovative SaaS companies into industry leaders. He founded and grew two companies, leading one to a successful acquisition and the other to an IPO. Throughout his career, Jackson has shown a keen understand for marketing’s role in scaling and growing tech companies. Jackson sat down with ISVinsights.com to shed light on marketing tactics that work.
Measuring Marketing Success
In my mind, the big metrics relate to measurable synergies between marketing and sales. Too many companies measure energy and output, rather than results. Foundation Capital's Ashu Garg wrote an interesting paper called “The Decade of the CMO” that, in part, explores the changing relationship between sales and marketing. Fragmentation in media, channels, consumer behavior, and more are fundamentally changing the way brands need to market and sell today. More and more, it’s actually marketing that is doing the selling as sales become the order takers. With this in mind, one of the most important things is having a concise message that resonates with the market at the right time when they actually need the product—the right message in the right places at the right time. If you can manage the messaging, you will see results. You can’t just throw money at it, you have to measure how and on what you spend marketing on, the value customers gain from the investment, and how the company benefits from the spend.
Millennials Impacting On Software Marketing
Millennials’ use of technology is second nature; they are digital natives with an intuitive grasp of technology for productivity. What I think is most interesting about millennials is that they’ve taken visualization to the next level. They have isolated themselves against digital advertising, it’s like they don’t even see it. But they also have this amazing ability to quickly read messaging through images, photo, video, or content that is contextual, be it sarcasm or seriousness, etc. This has a profound impact for marketers and the sales process.
I think businesses that target a VERY specific base, like millennials and Gen Z, tend to be overhyped. Millennials, in particular, can be very fickle customers. One day they love Snapchat, the next day they don’t. You have to be building a business for the long haul, and for a large enough market that is ready to use your product. Lots of great technologies ultimately lose because they were too early to market. The products get a lot of hype but don’t end up with long-term, sustained adoption.
Humor: My Best Marketing Secret
Outside of being in the right place at the right time with the right product, I think humor is one of marketing’s most effective weapons. Good marketing is ultimately an experience and feeling-driven, and humor can be a good way to capture the imagination, whether you are making fun of yourself or the old way of doing things. Good marketing taps into humor, identifies with feelings, and makes you want the product, service, or experience.
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Peter Jackson is an experienced chief executive with a successful track record of founding and rapidly growing innovative SaaS companies into industry leaders. As the CEO of Bluescape, Peter is responsible for all facets of the business from strategic direction to execution. Prior to joining Bluescape, Jackson was CEO and co-founder of Ziploop, a leading smart wallet for mobile receipts and rewards. Early on in his career, he founded and grew two companies, Granite Systems and Intraware, leading them successfully through acquisition and IPO, respectively. He went on to found and lead several other companies to successful exits. Jackson also serves the industry as an advisor and board member for many successful technology companies, including Eventbrite, DocuSign, and Kanjoya