The sheer number of SaaS applications available now for free trials may seem absurd. However, it’s a component of a new business model that organizations that were formerly sales-driven are now utilizing to achieve rapid growth and improved customer satisfaction ratings at a reduced cost of customer acquisition. Product-led growth is the term for it. The secret is to make users aware of a product’s continued value as soon as possible. This is accomplished by postponing the purchase procedure, which frequently results in considerable conflict. Product-led growth enables customers to try out a product for free before upgrading to a premium plan.
And fundamental economics states that more people will try something when it is free. Genius!
It is always “Day 1” at Amazon, according to Jeff Bezos, the company’s CEO, who has said this numerous times. Day 2 is immobility, followed by irrelevance, followed by excruciating, painful decline; he said in one of the AMAs when someone asked him what “Day 2” looks like or why there isn’t one. Death came next. It is always Day 1 because of this. It takes time for this kind of decline to occur, especially in large organizations where it would be difficult to hold onto the vigor and force of the Day 1 ideology.
Many businesses still struggle to retain the momentum of their Day 1 ethos. As they develop, dogma is produced by the process, which drags the business down with it. But, in a world that changes rapidly every single day, maybe it is this one day at a time mentality that every business needs. This is exactly what product-led growth (PLG) helps in. Lets us learn more about it.
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What is Product-Led Growth?
The acquisition, activation, conversion, and retention of customers are all fueled by the product itself under the popular go-to-market strategy known as “product-led growth.” Customers don’t need to schedule demos, get whitepapers, or talk to sales representatives. They can merely get a free trial of the item. It is much simpler for people to determine whether to upgrade to a paid plan once they have seen the value of the product through a free trial or freemium model.
Self-service SaaS companies were initially mentioned when discussing product-led growth in the 2010s. Wes Bush then greatly contributed to its popularisation with his book Product-Led Growth. Bush soon established the Product Led Institute, an institution that instructs businesses in product-led growth.
More and more customers, both B2B and B2C, prefer self-service options. Modern consumers do not want to hear product information from a salesperson. Actually, only 3% of customers have confidence in salespeople and marketers. n it comes to SaaS product management, PLG is becoming the nomenclature of the day. Why? Because SaaS product management requires research, strategy, internal company alignment, product development, and continuous product refinement along the way. It just so happens that product-led growth overlays many of the same concepts. If you want to know more about SaaS product management, we’ve also got you covered 🫶.
5 Things To Remember About Product-Led Growth
There are around 5 key concepts about how businesses should function and pursue product-led growth. A product-led growth plan will be simple to implement in your firm if it satisfies these requirements. If not, is adopting the PLG mentality still possible? Of course! The primary distinction. These are the areas where your organization, in your opinion, falls short in PLG. Simple peasy. These are them:
- For the market to flourish due to products, it must be in the correct position. Each user should only pay a small amount, which will entice them to support your venture.
- Your product should provide a unique solution that is not available elsewhere. Users are attracted by unique solutions only; price competition alone does not scale growth.
- After the user has used your product, its worth is obvious. Many companies advertise this concept using the free-trial strategy (although this is only 1 of 6 PLG models). Free trials might not result in money right away, but happy consumers are more likely to make repeat purchases.
- Before making any payments, the user must perceive the value of your goods. Configure your product so users can ascertain the Identify its worth and decide whether they wish to pay for it.
- Your product makes it simple to market, sell, and sign up new customers. Customer referrals are incredibly effective in gaining new users, so developing a solution that consumers can completely engage with pays off in the long run.
Three Pillars Of Product Led Growth To Support Your Success
Similar to traditional growth strategies, product-led growth prioritizes customer happiness over other corporate objectives. Your pertinent business metrics will soar if you keep in mind the three pillars of product-led growth, and you’ll be prepared to welcome new clients with open arms.
These three pillars are:
- Designing your product with the customer in mind. Being dedicated to effectively enhancing your product is necessary if you want to have a product that meets the needs of your customers. You should be aware of the positive effects your product has on users’ lives and how long those effects will last.
- Delivering value prior to value capture. Before they spend money on your goods, your customer must recognize its value. Make sure consumers can easily and swiftly solve their problems and navigate the product on their own.
- Putting money into the product right now. Even though you could be making a sizable upfront commitment, the return on that investment might be substantially larger. Keeping track of product-led growth metrics will be made easier for you if you have a go-to-market strategy.
How To Measure Product Led Growth?
With product-led growth, you have more options for measuring your company’s progress than just the direct correlation between awareness and revenue. Even if you don’t notice a lot of income during the early stages of the installation of your product, you will see more customer acquisition and advertising of your product, bringing it to more customers. Product-led growth flywheels are one tool businesses use to gauge this. With this approach, user advocacy and satisfaction are higher.
Customers will spread the word about your product if they are happy with it, which will increase your customer base without you having to spend more on marketing. After that, spending a little extra on advertising will help even more!
Conclusion
A product-led growth methodology’s greatest benefit is that it brings down your acquisition expenses. And the rationale is straightforward: since you aren’t largely sales-led, you may attract new clients without spending a fortune on a sales team. Or a sizable customer success staff to keep clients. All you need is a fantastic product to do the majority of the selling and customer retention.
