Try answering this question: What’s SaaS messaging?

1. positioning
2. copywriting
3. marketing
4. all three
5. something else

SaaS professionals often confuse messaging with positioning (a strategy) or think it’s just copywriting (an execution method). They may also limit it to marketing, which is a function of a team. But in most cases, people miss the bigger picture.

Associating SaaS messaging with positioning, copywriting, or marketing is not entirely wrong. But it’s also far from the truth. It’s as if saying that Formula 1 is about cars, overlooking the logistics, strategy, and teamwork.

SaaS messaging fuels all interactions a company has with its external stakeholders. And by ‘all,’ I literally mean all. Yes, positioning, copywriting, and marketing are part of it. But that’s just a tiny fraction of what messaging truly represents.

What’s SaaS messaging then?

SaaS messaging is how public-facing teams use assets to communicate with target audiences to get them to act.

Let’s break down this definition to understand the real complexity of SaaS messaging:

Public-facing teams

• ‍‍marketing
• sales
• customer support (CS)
• customer success (CX)
• design, product
• founders, executives

Assets or messaging components

• marketing: website copy, campaigns, social media posts, webinars, content
• sales: product demos, sales decks, outreach emails
• CS: onboarding materials, knowledge base entries, tutorial videos
• CX: learning paths, certifications, user community content
• design and product: microcopy, onboarding flows, in-app messages, roadmap, changelog
• founders and executives: pitch decks, thought leadership content, social media posts

Target audiences

• marketing engages with website visitors, leads, partners
• sales communicates with qualified leads, prospects, decision-makers, procurement reps
• CS interacts with new users, at-risk users, paying customers
• CX engages with active users, paying customers, renewal accounts
• design & product interact with trial users, free users, paying users
• founders & executives communicate with industry peers, investors, talent

To act

• marketing: get people to visit the page, explore, book a demo, contact sales, try free plan
• sales: get people to schedule in-depth calls and purchase the product
• CS:  get people to learn the platform, self-serve, share feedback; upsell & cross-sell
• CX: get people use the software, publish positive reviews, expand usage, be active
• product: get people try new features, participate in beta, report bugs, fill out surveys
• founders & executives: get people to know the brand, engage, invest, join the team

Moreover, this entire algorithm is based on team communication.

SaaS teams must be always in touch with each other and avoid any information gaps. That’s the only way to maintain messaging consistency across all touchpoints.

Where do positioning and copywriting fit, you may ask?

These are foundational elements, integral to the HOW companies turn value into messaging. However, they’re not structural. The positioning and copywriting may change, but the structure stays the same.

SaaS messaging is an algorithm. An algorithm that aligns teams in their communication with different external audiences. Not an easy task if you ask me.