Ad Strategies for SaaS Startups

SaaS (Software as a Service) is a long game. You pay to acquire a customer today, but you don't profit until month 4 or 5. This changes the ad dynamic fundamentally.

The Payback Period

Your CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) depends on your LTV (Lifetime Value). If your LTV is $2,000, you can afford to spend $500 to get a customer. If your LTV is $200, you can only spend $50.

Strategy: The Direct-to-Trial vs. The Demo

Low Ticket (<$100/mo): Drive traffic to "Free Trial." Minimize friction. The product must sell itself (Product-Led Growth). High Ticket (>$500/mo): Drive traffic to "Book a Demo." You need a human sales rep to close.

Creative Angles

1. The "Before and After": Show the messy spreadsheet (Before) and the clean dashboard (After).
2. The "Feature Callout": Zoom in on one specific feature that saves time.
3. The Competitor Comparison: "Why we are better than Salesforce." (High intent, risky).

Retargeting

SaaS buying cycles are long. You need to stay top of mind. Retarget trial users with "Case Studies" to convince them to upgrade to Paid. Retarget churned users 6 months later with "We've changed, come back" offers.