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🚨 This is the first issue after rebranding!

This may seem confusing, I Know!

I am testing a new format, so from now on, the posts will have the following structure:

• Introduction

• Top articles

• Original content

• SaaS growth Tip

• Products of the week

• Conclusion

Let me know what you think of the new format in the comments below 👇👇.
And since we’re talking about branding, let’s dive deeper into it.

🌟 Introduction

So you found your “only good idea”, you validated it, you found your product/ market fit and you got your first paying customers. Now what? You want to make it big in the world of SaaS, huh?

This is important because if you want your business to thrive, you need a strong business identity. What’s that, you ask?

• Your message to your target audience…

• Values and beliefs…

• The way of showcasing your product…

• Your commitment to your customer’s value and experience…

• The emotions that you evoke from people interacting with your business…

It’s basically the personality of your business.

Manel Ayed @Manellayed

I'd like to think of branding as a superhero costume. It’s the thing that makes you stand out from the crowd and lets everyone know who you are.

11:46 AM ∙ Apr 5, 2023

Today we’ll discuss the magical world of branding and how you can use it to conquer the market, the key elements of building a strong brand identity for SaaS makers, offering tips and advice, and featuring resources to help you stand out in a crowded marketplace.

📰 Top Articles

To kick off our guide, I've curated a list of articles and resources from around the web that offer valuable insights on building a strong brand identity for SaaS businesses. These articles are handpicked by our team and will provide unique perspectives and inspiration for our readers.

• How to develop a unique & Memorable Brand in 2023 by HubSpot

• Telling a story with your brand by Tylor Scionti

• Build a SaaS brand strategy that is more than a logo by Kalungi

• Why SaaS businesses need to get branding and content right by Marketing Insider Group

🏋️‍♀️ Key elements of building a strong identity

There are three things that you should focus on:

Your unique value proposition (UVP):

The very first thing you need to do is defining your UVP. It's like telling people why they should choose your SaaS business over all the other options. Start by figuring out:

• who your target audience is

• what their problems are,

• how your product can help them solve those problems.

Then write a clear statement that clearly communicates your value proposition and sets your SaaS business apart from competitors, and voila! Your brand identity is complete.

A Memorable Visual Identity:

You know what they say: a picture is worth a thousand words, so make sure your look is on point! Design a memorable logo and images, choose a color palette and a typography that reflects your brand's personality, and select typography that screams, "This is us!" Make sure your visual identity is consistent across all platforms, from your website to your social media, to create a consistent brand experience for your customers.

A Compelling Brand Story:

Let's craft a compelling brand story. This is where you can showcase your personality and values to create an emotional connection with your customers. Start by defining your brand's mission, values and personality. Then use storytelling techniques to convey your brand's message and make your audience feel like they're part of something bigger than just a product.

Here is an example, meet “Sassie”, my dear and close Friend of SaaS. He is a SaaS enthusiast who worked in several startups in Germany and acquired capital before making two successful exits. Along the way, however, he experienced numerous challenges, failures and triumphs. He decided to share his extensive knowledge of the SaaS world and his insights to help other founders and indie makers make informed decisions and succeed. You’ve seen him in previous posts, and you’ll be seeing him in future posts too. Through his passion for helping others, he will continue to inspire and support the next generation of SaaS leaders.

📊 SaaS branding case studies

• Slack used a technique called “category design” and this is how they did it: Slack created a new marketing category, a new niche, where they have a massive chance of dominating it. So Slack named this category “team communication” and presented itself as a platform that could replace traditional email and other forms of workspace communication.

• Zoom used “brand promise” as a technique to stand out in a crowded market. This involved making a promise to customers to deliver the best possible video-conferencing experience, with a focus on ease of use, reliability, and security. This brand promise became the foundation of its marketing strategy and was communicated and delivered consistently, which attracted customers who were looking for a reliable and easy-to-use video conferencing solution

• Calendly used a technique called “brand positioning” to stand out. The brand positioned itself as the leading scheduling platform that simplifies the process of scheduling meetings and events. By focusing on its core value proposition around the concept of “effortless scheduling”, which was to save users time and streamline their scheduling process, it attracted customers looking for a solution to their scheduling problems.

• Trello focused on its “visual branding”, and developed a unique visual identity, which is reflected in the company's website, marketing materials, and product design to attract customers who appreciated its user-friendly and visually appealing platform.

• Canva used the “emotional branding” technique. The emotional branding was built around their tagline “empowering the world to design”. This involved tapping into the emotional benefits of its product, such as creativity, inspiration, and self-expression. By emphasizing these emotional benefits, Canva was able to attract customers who were looking for a creative outlet.

• Intercom used a technique called “brand voice” to differentiate itself from the competition. This included developing a unique tone of voice and personality for the brand. the company’s brand language was conversational, friendly, and helpful, designed to make customers feel like they were having a conversation with a friend. It was reflected in all marketing and communications materials, to attract customers who appreciated its approachable and entertaining style.

These are only some practical techniques for building a strong brand identity for SaaS businesses. Other strategies may include:

• Storytelling (The use of compelling narratives and characters to create an emotional connection between a brand and its audience)

• Purpose-driven branding (The use of the brand's values, mission and impact to create a deeper emotional connection with customers)

• Value branding (Leverage a brand's unique value proposition, features, benefits and pricing to differentiate the brand)

• Value-based pricing strategy (The use of a pricing strategy in which prices are set based on the perceived value that a product or service provides to customers, rather than the cost of producing or providing the product or service.)

• Thought leadership…

Choose your technique and keep your focus on the key elements mentioned earlier, and you’ll have a brand identity so strong it could lift a truck (figuratively speaking, of course). Good luck!

🚫 Branding mistakes

• Rushing your brand strategy. This can result in a poor reflection of your business or customers

• Develop a brand strategy without understanding your customers.

• Focusing too much on features and not enough on benefits.

• Investing too little in marketing and branding.

• Trying to be all things to all people. This will result in a generic brand identity that appeals to no one

• Not having a plan to adapt to changes.

• Not soliciting feedback from customers.

• Relying too much on marketing buzzwords. This will make your brand seem inauthentic.

💡 SaaS Marketing Tip

If you want to build a brand that people trust and admire, you have to be a thought leader! This involves positioning yourself as a leader and sharing your expertise and valuable insights with your target audience through content marketing, guest blogging, and social media. You need to get your words out there and show the world what you know. And so, you can build credibility and trust with potential customers and establish your brand as a thought leader in your industry.

This is exactly what HubSpot did to attract customers, who were looking for a trusted partner to help them grow their businesses

🛍️ Products of the Week

To help SaaS makers build a strong brand, here are some tools that you can use for branding

• Canva: a graphic design tool that makes it easy to create professional-looking visual content.

• Brandsynth: automatically creates a complete brand identity ready for print & online.

• Piktochart: An infographic maker that can help you create engaging visuals to communicate your brand message.

• Wynter: B2B message platform to test your messaging and learn how it is resonating with your target customers.

• Jitter: Fast, simple and friendly animation tool to easily design stunning animated content and interfaces.

• Hotjar: a product experience insights tool to better understand user behavior and see if there are any issues.

📑 Conclusion

Let's cut to the chase! Building a strong brand identity is a must if you want to make waves in the marketplace with your SaaS company. Remember, you need to be consistent and authentic to build a strong brand that resonates with customers. Don’t lose yourself in the process.

If you end up liking my work and have your own publication, a writer recommendation is always appreciated! I subscribe to all publications that recommend me and after a while, if I enjoy the content, I am happy to return the favor

Ask me questions! Don’t be shy, I am willing to answer and chat, maybe grab some coffee if you are around. Just reply to this email with “Hi ! I am (your name)” and I’ll share with you one of the latest articles, podcasts or videos that I read, heard or watched.

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