Hi there,
Thanks for reaching out! I'm happy to give you some initial thoughts and guidance on your accounting SaaS tool and how to approach the marketing side of things, especially pre-launch. It's definitely a common challenge for solo founders who are more comfortable with the tech than the marketing.
We'll need to look at problems...
The "find your niche" advice is thrown around a lot, and it's valid, but the most important thing before you even think about niching down too far, is understanding the problems your potential customers face. I mean *really* understanding them. You need to get beyond surface-level assumptions.
Think about it this way: if you build an accounting tool and assume all small businesses need X, Y, and Z, you might be wrong. Maybe they only care about X and desperately need A, B, and C, which you haven't even considered. Or perhaps they are using specific software that they love or hate and your tool needs to offer integration or improve the compatibility.
The best way to find out what they actually need is to talk to them. Proper conversations. Not just sending out a generic survey. Schedule some chats with small business owners, especially those who are currently using other accounting solutions. Ask them:
-> What are the biggest headaches with their current system?
-> What features do they wish they had?
-> What tasks take up the most time?
-> What integrations would make their life easier?
-> How much time are they spending on manual processes?
These conversations will give you invaluable insights into their pain points and will help you to refine your MVP to address those specific issues. Don't be afraid to ask them about their current budget and how they might decide to switch from an old tool to a new one.
I'd say you should focus on the problems...
Once you have a solid grasp of the problems, *then* you can start to think about whether a specific niche makes sense. For pre-launch, I wouldn't get too granular. General accounting software for small businesses is fine. But your marketing needs to be laser-focused on how you solve those specific problems you uncovered in your conversations.
Let's say you find out that a lot of small businesses struggle with invoicing and chasing payments. Your marketing message could then focus on how your tool makes invoicing faster, easier, and more likely to get paid on time. Think about highlighting features like automated payment reminders, recurring invoices, and easy integration with payment gateways.
One campaign we worked on a while back was for a SaaS product that targetted freelancers. The company found that many freelancers struggled with tracking their expenses properly and they would usually lose receipts which meant they would miss out on tax deductions. So the campaign focus was on the app's ability to automatically track expenses and categorise them which made tax season much easier. They ended up getting around 3000+ signups at a cost of around $2 per signup which was really good.
You probably should avoid getting bogged down...
I know it's tempting to try and niche down immediately to stand out from the competition, but you don't want to limit yourself unnecessarily before you even know what the market truly needs. The market will usually tell you which target customer segment to focus on.
I remember one client who launched a similar SaaS product aimed at law firms. They spent ages trying to nail down the specific niche they would target. Their initial launch was focused on firms with 10-20 employees, but they soon realised that it was the 1-5 employee firms that got the most value from the product. They ended up pivoting their marketing to focus on this smaller segment, and it made a huge difference.
The key takeaway here is to be flexible and adaptable. Don't be afraid to change your target audience or your marketing message based on the feedback you receive from potential customers. Once you've got some initial data after your MVP launch, refine, refine, refine.
You'll need to test and refine...
As a solo founder, it's understandable that you're worried about wasting money on marketing that doesn't work. That's why it's so important to start small and test different approaches. Here's a few things you can consider:
-> Create a simple landing page that highlights the key benefits of your MVP and collect email addresses. That's one thing we're currently doing for a client who's looking to launch a SaaS tool for dentists.
-> Run some targeted ads on social media or Google Ads to drive traffic to your landing page. Start with a small budget and experiment with different ad copy and targeting options.
-> Reach out to potential customers directly and offer them a free trial of your MVP in exchange for their feedback.
-> List your product on directories to drive some organic traffic.
Pay close attention to the results of your marketing efforts and make adjustments as needed. If something isn't working, don't be afraid to try something different. The key is to be persistent and to keep learning from your mistakes. One of our software clients saw really good results with UGC (user generated content) videos as these felt more authentic and less salesy.
I've detailed my main recommendations for you below:
| Recommendation | Action |
|---|---|
| Problem Understanding | Conduct in-depth conversations with potential customers, focusing on their pain points and unmet needs. |
| Targeted MVP | Build your MVP to directly address the specific problems uncovered in your customer conversations. |
| Laser-Focused Marketing | Craft your marketing message to highlight how your tool solves those specific problems. |
| Test and Refine | Start small, test different marketing approaches, and adapt based on the feedback you receive. |
Marketing a pre-launch SaaS tool can be tricky, but it's definitely possible with the right approach. By focusing on the problems your potential customers face and building your MVP to solve those problems, you'll be well on your way to acquiring your first users.
I hope these initial thoughts are helpful. It's a lot to take in, and sometimes it's easier to have someone with experience guide you through the process. If you'd like to book in a free consultation to discuss your specific needs in more detail, just let me know!
Regards,
Team @ Lukas Holschuh
