Drawing on best practices from HubSpot and our own B2B SaaS experience, this guide will walk you through each essential component—with custom infographics to reinforce each step.
Why a SaaS-Specific Plan Matters 🧩
SaaS isn’t a one-time purchase—it’s a subscription model. That means your plan must emphasize not just acquisition, but also retention, referral, and recurring revenue .
Key Differences from Traditional Marketing:
- Emphasis on lifetime value (LTV) over one-time transactional conversions
- Integration between product, marketing, and customer success
- Metrics like MRR, churn, and Net Revenue Retention matter more
1. Define Your Buyer Personas
Infographic: Persona Profile Layout
Before executing any campaign, know who you’re targeting:
- Title, industry, company size, buying roles (end user, influencer, approver)
- Key pain points and desired outcomes
- Common buying triggers and objections
HubSpot calls personas “semi‑fictional representations” of ideal customers .
2. Conduct Competitive Research
Analyze how your competitors position themselves: features, pricing, messaging—spot gaps you can exploit. Use SWOT frameworks to identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities .
3. Set SMART Goals & KPIs
Infographic: KPI Dashboard Example
Define outcomes such as:
- MQLs → SQLs → Paid conversions
- Trial activation rates
- Churn reduction by X%
- Referral-driven user growth
HubSpot recommends SMART goals—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time‑bound .
4. Choose Your Channels & Tactics
Infographic: Marketing Funnel with Tactic Mapping
Map channels to funnel stages:
- Awareness: SEO, content, paid ads, social
- Consideration: Case studies, webinars, comparison guides
- Decision: Demos, free trials, live chat
- Retention & Referral: Email nurture, referral programs, upsell campaigns
Align channel choices to your personas and goals.
5. Budget & Resource Allocation
Decide how much to invest per channel and what internal vs external resources you’ll need. Factor in costs for content production, ad spend, tools, and headcount.
6. Content Strategy & Production
Infographic: Content Types vs Funnel Stages
Plan content that educates and converts:
- Top: blog posts, thought pieces, SEO-optimized content
- Middle: whitepapers, demos, product webinars
- Bottom: ROI calculators, case studies, proposal templates
7. Launch, Measure & Iterate
Infographic: Agile Cycle (Plan‑Execute‑Analyze‑Repeat)
Implement campaigns and track metrics in real-time. Use A/B testing and regular performance reviews to optimize messaging, channels, and spend. Adopt agile sprints—hypothesize, test, validate, scale .
8. Ensure Retention & Referral
SaaS success requires happy customers who stick around and recommend you. Include initiatives like:
- Onboarding series
- Upsell/cross-sell email sequences
- Formal referral campaigns and satisfaction surveys
9. Compile the Plan Document
Bring together:
- Executive summary
- Personas
- Market & competitor analysis
- SMART goals & KPIs
- Tactics & production calendar
- Budget
- Measurement & iteration roadmap
- Retention/Referral strategy
This forms the blueprint for aligned execution—and provides leadership a clear snapshot.
Why OSLO HQ’s Take Works
We’re not theorizing—we’ve implemented this exact framework for SaaS clients across manufacturing, HR tech, logistics, and enterprise IT. The result?
- 2–3× faster MQL → SQL conversion
- 20–30% higher trial-to-paid conversion
- Significantly lower churn by embedding success-driven nurturing
This isn’t marketing playbook fluff—it’s proven, B2B-SaaS marketing that scales.
Get Started with OSLO HQ
Ready to build or upgrade your SaaS marketing plan? Our strategy workshops, backed by data and SaaS experience, can accelerate your path to growth.
