How to develop SaaS products | SaaS development

How to develop SaaS products

SaaS, for its abbreviation in English Software as a Service, is a business model where software or program is used over the internet, not being necessary to install any program on users' computers and thus facilitating access to software or information from any device. So in this article, I will guide you on how to develop SaaS products.

When creating SaaS products, it is essential to take into account that the product is not only what is offered to the user through the web or mobile app, but it is the complete experience of interrelation with your brand or with what it offers. your business.

With this in mind, there are a series of recommendations that every Product Manager of SaaS products must take into account when developing products of this type.

• Optimize public pages

Every SaaS product must be an integral part of a joint strategy for search engines and social networks that allows you to reach your product to a wider audience. It's not just that the software works, it's also attractive to potential buyers.

Create content that is original, useful, and optimized for both users and search engines. Or better yet, can your clients create pages in which to share their experience and that are automatically optimized for other users or search engines? LinkedIn is the best example of how to take advantage of the pages created by the users themselves to position the service.

• Offer a free trial

One of the best ways to market SaaS products is product testing, either over a period of time or for a certain limited version of the product.

Product testing has been shown to shorten the sales cycle, making it easier to trade and sell the product.

• Make online shopping easier

Including the possibility of buying electronically is not only integrating a payment gateway on the web but also facilitating the acquisition of products and services online, avoiding any offline process that delays or hinders the sale of the product.

• Little by little

You do not want to give a very complex product in a first launch, do it little by little. Launch a product that meets the basic need and, regularly, with each iteration of the software increase the number of functionalities

When you offer a lot of options all at once, the user ends up not using any.

If you give him functionality and when he already knows it you offer him the following one, his learning experience will be much better. In addition, it will be easier to offer you the upselling of new features than having to force you to contract the entire package of services from the beginning.

• Offer other products or utilities through cross-selling

Integrate the sale of other products or services in those places or pages where the user is browsing to make them work. Of course, do not interrupt in a bad way what he is doing, rather you can offer him other products or functionalities once he has finished performing the tasks for which he had come to the page.

• The value of its contents and its information.

The greatest value that a SaaS tool has is not what you as a company can offer, but the use that the client can make with that software that you give it. Let him upload his information, his content, personalize it however he wants. That you connect with other people or users, that you synchronize your list of contacts. This creates linkage, which will be a barrier when using another similar tool but without the possibility of customization.

• Talk to users

Users have to be the center of decisions when conceptualizing a product. Before starting any development, carry out an investigation, call several of the users to find out what they would need the functionality you are proposing to have and how they would like it to be. You should always put yourself in the user's shoes, but to put yourself in their shoes, it is best to meet them first.

It is not enough just to ask them whenever you want, you have to be prepared to always listen to them, have all communication channels open with them: email, chat, telephone, social networks. Let them feel and know that behind each product and each page there are people willing to help them.

• Measure

The only way to monitor the success or failure of your product is by periodically measuring your business-critical KPIs. They can be internal company indicators such as sales made or a number of licenses. However, if the platform aims to retain users, tools such as Google Analytics could be used where indicators such as the number of visits, user retention, etc. are used.

At Informa D&B we have a team of specialists in product development, we have been in the market for 25 years, we were the first company in the sector to offer its products over the Internet and, today, we are leaders in Commercial Information, offering samples products over the Internet. And what is your case? What elements would you say are important to offer your product or service? 

I hope you understand the topic of how to develop SaaS products if you have any questions about this topic let me know in the comments section.