Software-as-a-Service (SaaS): How It Is Transforming Digital Marketing

When it comes to digital marketing and advertising, having the right tools for the job will give your business a significant advantage. But, software isn’t always affordable or accessible, especially when you’re starting a business or need a solution for a rapidly expanding advertising team. Software-as-a-service not only offers the tools and capabilities that can improve the effectiveness of your marketing, but it does so while being more friendly to your budget and personnel.

Understanding Software-as-a-Service

Software-as-a-service, or SaaS, is a cloud-based delivery model that gives you access to software without having to install and manage software on your computer. SaaS is highly versatile, convenient, and rapidly growing in popularity. Chances are you’re already using SaaS in many ways, even if you’re not aware of it: Netflix, Slack, Dropbox, Zoom and Realize are all examples of highly popular SaaS products.

How Does the SaaS Model Differ From Traditional Software Licensing?

With traditional software licensing, when you buy a product, you need to download and install it on your computer. With the SaaS model, you buy a subscription to access software online. There’s no need to download it to your computer, so you can usually easily access the software from multiple computers.

What Are the Key Characteristics of SaaS?

The SaaS model is subscription-based, meaning you’ll need to periodically pay to retain access to the software. Subscriptions are often available monthly, though you can often save money by purchasing annual or longer subscriptions. Tiered subscription plans are also common, where you can pay more for a higher-tier plan to access more features or storage capabilities.

SaaS is also cloud-based. There is no physical download to manage, and you’ll access the software using an internet browser. Since you don’t have to download and install the software, you can often easily and quickly start using SaaS.

What Are the Benefits of SaaS for Businesses and Users?

SaaS offers many benefits for businesses and users. Since it’s subscription-based, you may be able to save money by only subscribing during the times when you need the software, rather than having to make a large, expensive purchase to perpetually own software that you won’t use all that often.

The subscription model is advantageous to businesses because the software is scalable. Say you have a small marketing team at the moment: You can buy a SaaS subscription for one or two seats then, as your business grows over the years, you can purchase additional seat subscriptions as you need them.

SaaS also tends to be easy to use. Features like automatic updates mean you don’t have to worry about maintaining or updating the software yourself.

SaaS in the Context of Digital Advertising: Benefit For Performance Marketers

The right tools can make all the difference for digital advertisers, streamlining processes, enhancing the quality of their work, and providing more accurate and powerful analytics and reporting. SaaS platforms are highly appealing because they offer many benefits to digital advertisers, solving some common challenges like the expense and scalability limitations that often come with traditional software.

What Types of SaaS Tools Are Commonly Used by Digital Advertisers?

Many digital advertisers use SaaS tools to create and manage digital ads. These tools can help advertisers research and target their audiences, create graphics and copy, optimize campaigns, and analyze campaign results. Some common SaaS digital advertising tools include Canva, Adobe Creative Cloud, Facebook Ads Manager, Google Ads, and Realize.

How Does SaaS Provide Cost Savings Compared to Traditional Software?

SaaS platforms are much more affordable than traditional software. Since you can buy SaaS subscriptions for periods as short as a month, you can save significantly compared to the cost of purchasing traditional software outright. Many SaaS platforms even offer free plan tiers that you can use to get started and try out the platform, while upgrading to more expensive tiers will give you access to additional features.

The pay-as-you-go model offers excellent flexibility and cost savings. You can add on and remove subscriptions for team members as your team size fluctuates, so you’re never overpaying for software that you don’t need.

How Does SaaS Advertising Tools Provide Efficient Campaign Management?

SaaS platforms are powerful campaign-management tools that can streamline your processes. These platforms function as a central place to store and analyze campaign data, improving efficiency and organization. You can use them to store lead data, for example, then segment the data, A/B test campaign components and messaging, and leverage these analytics to optimize your campaigns.

How Do Automatic Updates and Maintenance Benefit Advertisers?

The automation features available from SaaS tools can also enhance campaign management and save time. These tools are capable of automating repetitive tasks including lead generation, creating landing pages and forms, sending out email sequences to nurture leads, and onboarding new users. By automating time-consuming tasks, your team can focus on the tasks that require a personal touch.

Since the platform developer is responsible for the updates and maintenance, your IT department can focus on other needs. When you’re using a platform that is well-maintained, you’ll have the assurance of knowing that its security features and functionality are always monitored and updated, meaning the platform is likely to experience minimal downtime and to offer strong data protection.

How Does It Offer Scalability to Handle Growing Advertising Needs?

Since SaaS platforms are subscription-based, you can quickly scale them as your advertising team grows, and getting new team members started on the platforms is quick and easy. These platforms are also scalable in terms of their features and functionality: Many offer the ability to upgrade your subscription if you want more storage, and some offer advanced features available with higher-tier plans. A smaller business might not need those features initially, but the option to upgrade a subscription makes SaaS platforms highly scalable, so they can be long-lasting solutions for digital advertisers.

How Does It Facilitate Collaboration and Accessibility for Advertising Teams?

Since your team members can access SaaS on their own computers without having to worry about downloading and installing software, SaaS platforms are highly accessible. The ability to purchase subscriptions, rather than buying software outright, makes these platforms accessible even to smaller advertising teams working for startups.

SaaS platforms are cloud-based, and most allow for real-time collaboration between your advertising teams. Features like the ability to edit documents in the cloud, make comments, and chat with team members in real time further promote collaboration. And, since the platforms can host documents in the cloud, your team members will always be working on the most recent document.

Key Considerations for SaaS Adoption in Advertising

Many SaaS platforms are well suited for adoption in advertising, but it’s always important to choose a platform that’s right for your team’s specific needs. SaaS platforms share several benefits, but by selectively choosing a platform with the capabilities that are most valuable to your team, you’ll enjoy the full benefits of SaaS in advertising.

What Factors Should Advertisers Consider When Choosing a SaaS Platform?

• Features: Start by making a list of the features and capabilities that are most important to your team. Consider factors like design and content creation tools, collaboration and commenting features, integrations with the platforms you’re already using, and available analytics and reporting features.
• Ease of use: Consider the platform’s ease of use, too. The member of your team with the least technology experience should be able to easily learn to use the platform. Find out the type of customer support available, and think about whether the support is available during the hours when your team will be working.
• Scalability: Make sure that the platform can scale as your business grows, and consider whether subscriptions for more users will reach a point where they’re cost-prohibitive.
• Security: Data security is paramount when choosing a SaaS platform. Look for a platform with comprehensive security measures, and verify that the security measures are frequently updated and adhere to regulatory standards.

What Are the Implications of Data Security and Privacy When Using SaaS?

When you use SaaS, your data is stored in the cloud. This means you’ll have less control over your data than you would if it were stored on your company’s servers, so the risk of data breaches and cyber threats is heightened.

When you collect data, you must meet applicable regulatory standards, like GDPR, the European standard protecting personal data, and CCPA, which protects business and individual privacy in California. Any SaaS that you use for advertising needs to also adhere to these regulations when you’re going to be uploading or collecting lead data.

To prioritize data security and privacy, look for SaaS platforms that openly discuss their security and privacy measures. Seek out platforms that actively monitor and log their security operations, and that continuously work to improve and update their security measures.

Challenges and Trends in SaaS for Advertising

The use of SaaS in advertising is rapidly expanding and evolving, and its proliferation brings exciting potential to the industry. As SaaS becomes a go-to for advertisers, several challenges and trends are emerging.

What Are Some Potential Challenges Associated With Using Multiple SaaS Platforms?

While SaaS platforms offer many benefits to advertising teams, using multiple platforms can also pose several challenges. Platforms don’t always integrate fully with each other, and some features may be redundant across multiple platforms, so your team might not get the best value out of them.

You’ll also need to consider the practicality of using several different platforms. Your team will need to learn to use the different platforms, and switching back and forth can cause confusion. Keeping multiple platforms open all day long can get tedious for team members, and you’ll lose some of the streamlined, time-saving advantages that you would enjoy when using a single platform.

How Is the SaaS Landscape for Advertising Evolving?

SaaS has already had a tremendous impact on the advertising industry, and we’ll only see its use and influence increase over the coming years. Today, SaaS platforms are viewed as essential for advertising teams, and their increased versatility makes them practical choices for small startups as well as for large corporations.

SaaS platforms have impacted everything from data analytics to precise audience targeting, and the continuous development of new technology means these tools are more powerful now than ever. The platforms are keeping pace with new trends in advertising, including artificial intelligence (AI) integration, and we’ll likely see them continue to shape and support advertising efforts in the coming decade.

What Are Some Emerging Trends in SaaS for Marketing and Advertising?

As smaller teams and startups with limited budgets and resources have discovered the value of SaaS platforms, the platforms are evolving to meet their needs. For example, platforms like Jotform are increasingly offering no-code or low-code tools that allow smaller teams without coding experts on staff to create their own forms and websites.

The use of AI is also a major trend that should continue to evolve as the technology advances. SaaS platforms feature AI tools that can provide detailed analytics, generate content, streamline workflows, engage with leads, automate follow-up processes, and more.

Key Takeaways

SaaS not only offers many benefits to digital advertising teams, but it’s transforming the way the teams work. These platforms can streamline workflows while helping teams to enhance the quality and accuracy of their work. Most importantly, these platforms are affordable and accessible to any digital advertising team, empowering teams to maximize their advertising capabilities and effectiveness.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What are some popular SaaS platforms for digital advertising?

There are many popular SaaS platforms for digital advertising, including Buffer, Canva, Adobe, Hootsuite, and Realize.

How do I ensure the security of my data when using SaaS?

To ensure your data is secure, look for a SaaS platform that clearly explains its privacy and security features. Make sure the platform’s security is regularly updated, too, and that it complies with any applicable data privacy regulations.

What should I look for in a SaaS agreement?

Thoroughly read any agreement before signing up for a SaaS platform. Look for information about the pricing, renewal, and termination clauses. Carefully review details about how the platform protects your data, including whether it is compliant with GDPR or CCPA regulations. Verify that you retain ownership of any data and intellectual material that you upload.

How does the pricing of SaaS typically work?

SaaS pricing is typically subscription-based. You’ll usually have an option to subscribe monthly, but can often save if you choose an annual or longer subscription. Some SaaS subscriptions also offer a brief free trial.