SaaS Influencer Marketing: A Guide to Finding Influencers

Influencer marketing has evolved into a crucial strategy for B2B SaaS companies, transforming how they boost brand visibility, drive traffic, and build credibility.

Traditionally seen as the domain of direct-to-consumer (D2C) products, influencer marketing is now making significant inroads into the SaaS industry.

A stellar example is Notion, the popular productivity tool.

By collaborating with workplace technology-focused YouTube creators such as Thomas Frank and Ali Abdaal, Notion has effectively demonstrated that targeted SaaS influencer marketing campaigns hold tremendous promise for software promotion.

These influencers have shared detailed tutorials and personal workflows using Notion, showcasing its versatility and engaging a broader audience.

The essence of successful influencer marketing for SaaS is finding influencers who can communicate your product's value proposition organically.

This comprehensive guide will help you identify and connect with the right influencers who can become genuine advocates.

Let's begin your journey to discovering the perfect influencers for your SaaS.

What is SaaS influencer marketing? A refresher

SaaS influencer marketing involves partnering with individuals with significant influence within specific niches relevant to your software. These influencers create and share content highlighting your SaaS product's benefits and features, leveraging their credibility and reach to boost your brand’s visibility and trustworthiness.

Influencer marketing is powerful and effective because of the trust that influencers have built with their audience. When an influencer endorses a product, it is perceived as a genuine recommendation, making followers more likely to engage with and purchase it.

Continuing with the Notion case study, Notion has harnessed influencer marketing through its innovative Notion Ambassador Program, which aligns perfectly with its broader affiliate marketing strategy. This program brings together passionate and creative users worldwide who share their love for Notion through various activities.

The program provides playbooks, resources, and inspiration to help ambassadors host events, create educational content, and lead local and virtual communities. Ambassadors gain access to an exclusive community, early access to new features, priority product support, event grants, and unique Notion swag.

By collaborating with these ambassadors, Notion has successfully promoted its product, showcased use cases, and highlighted new features. For instance, ambassadors frequently host workshops and webinars demonstrating how to use Notion for different purposes, from project management to personal organization.

SaaS influencer marketing vs. affiliate marketing: The differences and the connection

While SaaS affiliate marketing and influencer marketing are closely related, they have distinct and subtle differences. Let's understand this through the working mechanism of influencer marketing.

Scenario 1 - Influencers practicing affiliate marketing

Influencers can participate in affiliate marketing by using trackable links or coupon codes to drive conversions. They earn commissions based on the sales or leads generated through their content, aligning with traditional affiliate marketing principles. This approach is highly performance-driven, with influencers rewarded directly for their tangible results. Influencers in this model are primarily focused on promoting the product to drive measurable outcomes, such as clicks, sign-ups, or purchases.

Scenario 2 - Beyond the affiliate model

However, influencers can also be compensated upfront simply for creating and publishing content about a SaaS product. This model emphasizes the value of the influencer's content creation skills and their ability to engage their audience, regardless of direct sales. For instance, a tech YouTuber might receive a flat fee to review and showcase a new SaaS tool, providing exposure and credibility without necessarily driving immediate conversions. In this scenario, the influencer’s role is more about brand awareness and content creation than direct sales performance.

Scenario 3 - Combination of compensation models

Many influencers now work with SaaS companies through a combination of upfront fees and performance-driven payments. This dual approach benefits companies from immediate exposure while incentivizing influencers to drive conversions. By blending these campaign management models, SaaS companies can ensure a steady flow of high-quality content while encouraging influencers to promote the product actively. This combination helps balance the immediate need for content with long-term performance goals.

Moving forward

By understanding these nuances, SaaS companies can utilize an influencer marketing campaign more effectively, leveraging content-driven and performance-based strategies to maximize its reach and impact.

In the following sections, we will explore in detail how to identify your ideal influencers, utilize various platforms and tools to find them, craft effective outreach to connect with these influencers and develop strategies for building long-term relationships that drive sustained growth for your SaaS business.

Identifying high-impact influencers for your SaaS product: Who to pick?

Knowing your target audience and understanding who influences their decisions are vital in building an effective influencer marketing strategy. We'll discuss how to define your target audience and outline the essential traits of a valuable B2B SaaS influencer, helping you make informed choices that lead to impactful partnerships.

#1 Define your ideal customer profile (ICP)

If you already have an ideal customer profile (ICP) as part of your broader SaaS marketing plan, great. If not, creating one before starting your influencer search is crucial. Your efforts can become scattered and ineffective without knowing whom you want influencers to influence.

Here’s why defining your ICP is essential to find B2B influencers:

• Targeted approach: An ICP allows you to focus your efforts on influencers who genuinely resonate with your desired customer base, increasing the likelihood of effective engagement.
• Efficient use of resources: Knowing your ICP helps you avoid wasting time and money on influencers who don’t align with your brand or audience.
• Better content alignment: When you understand your target audience, you can identify influencers whose content style and topics match your audience’s preferences.

Attributes to include in your ICP to boost your influencer discovery process:

• Content consumption habits: Identify where your audience gets their information. Do they prefer video content on YouTube, short-form content on TikTok, professional insights on LinkedIn, or visual content on Instagram?
• Influencer engagement: Determine which influencers your audience already follows and engages with. Look for common influencers that appear across different audience segments.
• Content preferences: Understand the type of content your audience finds most valuable. Are they more interested in tutorials, reviews, industry news, or personal stories?
• Preferred communication style: Analyze whether your audience prefers formal, professional communication or a more casual, relatable tone. This will help you match influencers who naturally communicate in a way that resonates with your audience.

By including these attributes in your ICP, you can streamline your influencer search and focus on those most likely to drive meaningful engagement and conversions for your SaaS product.

#2 Determine the characteristics to evaluate when choosing a B2B SaaS influencer

Identifying the right influencers involves looking beyond their follower count and assessing specific characteristics that indicate their potential for successful collaboration.

Here are the key traits to look for in a B2B SaaS influencer:

• Relevance: The influencer should operate within your industry or niche and produce content that aligns with your SaaS product’s value proposition. This ensures that their audience is interested in the type of solutions you offer.
• Engagement rates: High engagement rates indicate that the influencer’s followers are active and responsive. Look for metrics such as likes, comments, shares, and overall interaction levels on their posts.
• Authenticity and credibility: Choose influencers who maintain authenticity in their interactions. Their genuine connection with followers builds trust and makes their endorsements more impactful.
• Data transparency: Influencers should provide transparent data about their audience demographics, engagement metrics, and past campaign performance.
• Consistency: Consistency in posting and engagement is important. Influencers who regularly interact with their audience and produce steady content are more likely to sustain their followers' interest.

Focusing on these characteristics can help you identify influencers with the right audience and the qualities needed to drive successful marketing campaigns for your SaaS product.

Finding influencers: Where to look?

Discovering the right influencers for your SaaS product requires a systematic approach. This section explores various methods to help you find potential influencers, ranging from leveraging social media platforms to utilizing specialized marketplaces.

#3 Lean into various social media platforms

Social media platforms are ideal for finding influencers who can amplify your SaaS product because they offer unique advantages and cater to diverse audiences. Influencers thrive on these platforms by creating engaging content and building dedicated followings. By strategically leveraging these channels, you can connect with influencers who resonate with your target market and effectively communicate your product’s value.

Here’s how to find B2B influencers on these platforms:

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a professional network where industry leaders, experts, and professionals share insights and do networking. It is highly relevant for B2B SaaS as it connects you with potential influencers with professional credibility and a strong industry presence.

Tips to find B2B influencers on LinkedIn:

• Use LinkedIn’s search filters to find industry-specific thought leaders and content creators.
• Follow relevant hashtags and join industry-specific groups to spot active contributors.
• Analyze profiles for consistent professional content that aligns with your SaaS product use cases and pain points.

Twitter

Twitter is a hub for real-time discussions and thought leadership. It’s valuable for finding influencers who engage in industry conversations and share timely insights.

Tips to find SaaS influencers on Twitter:

• Use Twitter’s advanced search to find users tweeting about relevant keywords and hashtags.
• Follow and monitor industry-specific hashtags to identify active and influential users.
• Create Twitter lists of potential influencers to keep track of their activities and engagement.

YouTube

YouTube is ideal for finding influencers who create in-depth content like tutorials, reviews, and webinars. It’s valuable for SaaS companies looking to showcase product use cases and features.

Tips to find SaaS influencers on YouTube:

• Use relevant keywords related to your industry and SaaS product to find videos and channels. Look for creators who specialize in software tutorials, feature walkthroughs, and product reviews.
• Focus on channels that produce detailed, high-quality content on a regular basis. Consistent uploads of tutorials, reviews, and webinars indicate a dedicated and reliable influencer.
• Review the comments on videos to understand how the audience interacts with the content. High engagement and positive feedback suggest that the influencer’s followers trust and value their insights.

Reddit

Reddit hosts numerous industry-specific communities where professionals discuss topics in depth. It’s a great place to find niche social media influencers who are highly knowledgeable and engaged.

Tips to find SaaS influencers on Reddit:

• Identify and participate in subreddits related to your industry to find frequent and knowledgeable contributors.
• Users with high karma scores often have a history of valuable contributions and community recognition.
• Participate in discussions to identify influential users who provide insightful and well-received comments.
• Follow users who regularly post high-quality content and receive substantial upvotes and engagement.

Substack

Substack allows writers to build dedicated readerships through newsletters. It’s useful for finding influencers who provide in-depth industry analysis and insights.

Tips to find SaaS influencers on Substack include:

• Subscribe to industry-relevant newsletters to identify influential writers.
• Look for newsletters with high subscriber counts and active engagement.
• Follow the writers on other social media channels to gauge their broader influence.

By leveraging these social media platforms, you can find influencers who align with your SaaS product and marketing goals. This targeted approach will help you build valuable partnerships and achieve significant results.

#4 Tap into influencer marketplaces and search tools

Utilizing specialized marketplaces and search tools can streamline the process and connect you with high-impact influencers efficiently. These platforms offer targeted features and databases that make it easier to discover, evaluate, and engage with influencers who can effectively promote your product. Let us explore some of the top ones.

List your program on the Reditus Marketplace

Screenshot from the Reditus Marketplace landing page.

Reditus is one of the leading SaaS affiliate platforms, offering a dedicated marketplace for companies to list their affiliate programs. Influencers can browse through the program directory and apply to the ones that interest them.

Why choose the Reditus Marketplace to hire influencers?

• Focused audience: The Reditus Marketplace attracts over 6,000+ SaaS-focused affiliates (many top influencers), ensuring your listing is seen by a highly relevant audience.
• Streamlined recruitment: The platform simplifies the affiliate application and screening process, connecting you efficiently with potential influencers. The auto-accept feature enables automatic application approval, putting new affiliates on a fast track to start promoting your product.

How to get listed?

Getting listed on the Reditus Marketplace is straightforward. Once your affiliate program is set up and running with Reditus, you can buy a premium package starting at $139 per month (paid annually). After upgrading to a premium account, your program can be listed in the marketplace, allowing you to reach B2B SaaS influencers within the Reditus network and grow beyond your current circle.

Utilize an influencer marketing platform like Upfluence

Influencer marketing platforms streamline the process of discovering and connecting with influencers across various social media channels. Upfluence is one such comprehensive platform that exemplifies the capabilities of these tools.

Benefits of Upfluence-like platforms include:

• Broad database: Access an extensive database of influencers across multiple platforms.
• Advanced filtering: Use detailed filters to pinpoint influencers who match your target audience.
• Analytics: Evaluate influencers with robust analytics to ensure they align with your marketing goals.

Using influencer marketing tools

Influencer marketing tools like BuzzSumo and Semrush are invaluable for finding and evaluating influencers. These tools provide detailed insights and help you identify key influencers in your niche.

BuzzSumo

BuzzSumo helps you discover influencers by analyzing the most shared content on social media. It identifies individuals driving conversations in your niche, making finding influencers with a strong impact easier.

How to use BuzzSumo to find influencers?

• Enter relevant keywords: Start by entering keywords related to your industry or SaaS product.
• Analyze top content: Review the most shared content to identify influencers behind popular posts.
• Evaluate influencer profiles: To assess an influencer's reach and impact, look at engagement metrics such as shares, likes, and comments.
• Monitor trends: Use BuzzSumo to stay updated on trending topics and the influencers leading these discussions.

Semrush

Semrush provides powerful tools for identifying and analyzing influencers relevant to your industry. One of the most effective methods is through backlink analysis, which helps trace influential content back to its creators.

How does Semrush help with influencer finding?

• Backlink analysis: You can identify influential websites and authors that frequently get mentioned and linked to by analyzing backlinks. This helps you trace popular content back to the people who create it.
• Analyze competitor backlinks: Examine your competitors' backlink profiles to see which influencers and websites are linking to them. This can help you identify potential influencers already interested in your niche.

By leveraging these influencer marketplaces and search tools, you can efficiently find and connect with influencers who will drive meaningful engagement and growth for your SaaS product.

Reditus Recruit tool

Screenshot of the Reditus Recruit tool user interface.

In addition to the Reditus Marketplace, where influencers can discover your affiliate program, Reditus offers a powerful recruitment tool accessible from its affiliate management software dashboard. This tool lets you search for and engage with potential affiliates from an extensive directory.

Benefits of using the Reditus Recruit tool to find SaaS influencers:

• Detailed profiles: Access rich profiles with information on paid referrals for other Reditus SaaS customers, website traffic data from Google Analytics integration, cost packages, and upfront fees for posting. Profiles also provide insights into the type of influencer business (solopreneur, publisher, etc.) and audience geography, helping you make informed decisions about potential partnerships.
• Streamlined workflow: Manage your recruitment process efficiently with a structured workflow that includes phases like discover, qualify, contact, negotiate, accept, and cancel.

Using the Reditus Recruit tool, you can efficiently search for and connect with high-impact influencers, reducing the need for manual searches and streamlining your influencer marketing tasks.

Reaching out to potential influencers: How to connect?

Once you have identified the right influencers for your SaaS product, the next step is to reach out and establish a connection. Effective communication and relationship-building are crucial to forming successful influencer partnerships. This section will guide you in crafting the perfect outreach message and building long-term relationships with influencers.

#5 Craft a compelling outreach message

To connect with influencers, your outreach message must be compelling and personalized. Here are some guidelines:

• Personalize your approach
  • Research the influencer’s content, audience, and values.
  • Address them by their first name.
• Highlight mutual benefits
  • State what’s in it for them and how it benefits their audience.
  • Show how your product aligns with their interests.
• Be clear and concise
  • Keep your outreach message short and to the point.
  • Include a clear call-to-action, like scheduling a meeting.

#6 Build long-term relationships

Building and maintaining solid relationships with influencers requires ongoing engagement and mutual respect. Here are some strategies:

• Maintain regular contact
  • Keep in touch even when not running active campaigns.
  • Provide constructive feedback and be open to suggestions.
• Respect their creativity
  • Allow influencers creative freedom to promote your product.
  • Ensure timely compensation for their efforts.
• Offer exclusive benefits
  • Give early access to new features or products.
  • Provide exclusive discounts or offers for their audience.
• Celebrate their success
  • Publicly acknowledge and share their content.
  • Implement a reward system for long-term collaborators.

Strong, ongoing relationships with influencers can lead to more authentic and impactful promotions, enhancing your brand’s credibility and reach. Invest in these relationships to foster loyalty and drive long-term success.

Optimizing your influencer partnerships: How to measure success?

Measuring the success of your partnerships is essential to ensure you are getting the most out of your influencer marketing efforts. This section will guide you through setting clear goals, tracking performance, and using data to optimize your influencer marketing strategy.

#7 Set clear goals and expectations

Establishing clear goals and expectations is crucial for effective influencer partnerships. Here are some guidelines:

• Define success metrics
  • Identify key performance indicators (KPIs) such as engagement rates, conversion rates, and brand awareness.
  • Set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) campaign goals.
• Align with your marketing strategy
  • Ensure that influencer goals complement your overall marketing objectives.
  • Communicate how their content should reflect your brand’s message and values.
• Communicate expectations clearly
  • Specify content guidelines, posting frequency, and critical messages.
  • Regularly check in with influencers to ensure alignment and address any concerns.

#8 Track data and make adjustments

To understand your influencer campaigns' effectiveness, tracking and measuring their success is essential. Here are some strategies:

• Utilize tracking tools
  • Use affiliate marketing tools like Reditus, which offers comprehensive analytics for monitoring campaign performance.
• Analyze trends
  • Monitor metrics such as MRR, affiliate-driven revenue, and churn rate.
  • Identify patterns and insights from the data to refine your strategy.
  • Keep an eye on seasonal spikes, high-performing affiliates, and areas needing improvement.
• Provide regular feedback
  • Share constructive feedback with influencers based on performance data.
  • Discuss what’s working well and areas for improvement.
• Adjust strategies as needed
  • Be flexible and ready to refine your approach based on insights.
  • Consider changing content strategies, exploring new influencers, or adjusting target audiences.

Following these guidelines can enhance your influencer marketing strategy, ensuring it aligns with your objectives and delivers measurable results.

Closing thoughts: Unlock the value of influencer marketing for your SaaS with Reditus

By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can effectively navigate the process of identifying, engaging, and optimizing your influencer partnerships.

Each stage is crucial for maximizing the impact of your influencer marketing campaigns, from defining your ideal customer profile and finding the right influencers to crafting personalized outreach messages and building long-term relationships.

Utilizing specialized tools and marketplaces like the Reditus Marketplace and the Reditus Recruit tool can further streamline your efforts, making it easier to connect with high-impact influencers and track their performance.

By leveraging Reditus, you can reduce the burden of manual searches, gain access to detailed profiles, and utilize powerful analytics to measure success and refine your strategy.

Sign up for Reditus today and transform your influencer partnerships into powerful drivers of SaaS growth and success.