I’ve just recently started to read SaaS University, a site dedicated to SaaS business info, and today saw the results of the Softletter 2009 SaaS Marketing Survey. The survey covers the highest to lowest budgeted marketing programs at SaaS companies. Since I am a marketing guy at a SaaS company, these numbers were very interesting to me. So here goes.
Projected Marketing Budget Increases
Webinars took the top slot, as survey respondants also said they were the most effective marketing program. PPC campaigns took the second spot even though PPC efforts were rated last in effectiveness. SEO came in third, which makes sense as it has a high association with PPC campaigns.
Projected Decreases
Hmmm. I wonder why customer concern surveys are getting the axe. Are they just not producing results, or are they just easy to cut since they’re seen as a cost rather than a marketing tool. I’m really curious as to how many SaaS companies out there are really spending money on podcasts. Sure I’ve seen a few out there but not that many, and what are the costs? Additionally, what’s the cost of an official business blog? Unless these companies are associating a dollar figure with time spent by those producing the content, I’d be curious to see what they’re spending on.
