There are a lot of SaaS products out there, and the competition is fierce for users' attention. In fact, the competitive landscape only gets more crowded and cutthroat by the day. So, how can you be sure your product stands out from the crowd?

Without a doubt, a product's true effectiveness is determined by its user base. As such, you must research the market thoroughly to identify your core use cases. How exactly will a user interact with your product, and why will it benefit them?

If you don’t fundamentally understand the relationship between your product and your ideal user, your product won’t succeed. However, if you can pinpoint and communicate use cases for your product, you’ll have a compelling argument.

In this article, I’ll focus specifically on:

  • Why connecting with users is the best way to drive growth
  • How to define your use cases

Why connecting with users is the best way to drive growth

The size, engagement, and retention of your user base will largely determine the strength and longevity of your product.

Furthermore, since they can identify the improvements and modifications they would like to see in your work, your users also play a key role in improving the quality of your product, making them crucial to the company's growth. So, you must adopt a user-centric approach to marketing that focuses on your use cases.

SaaS products that don't offer value or grow organically means won't be sustainable in the long run. It's as simple as that; there are just too many great alternatives on the market at any given time. That’s why the key to differentiating your product is defining and promoting its use cases based on user data and product usage patterns.

Connecting with users and understanding their needs is also a huge part of successful user-centric marketing. You must show users how your product or service will improve their lives.

You can do this by finding the best way to communicate with users for each category, encouraging them to make their own decisions, investing in technology to improve user service, and offering a streamlined experience.

Being user-centric leads to loyal customers and brand advocates who share their positive experiences with your product, increasing brand awareness and sales.

Efficient growth strategies come from a deep understanding of how and why users interact with your product. Otherwise, you'll face high acquisition costs, poor user retention, and damage to your brand.

How to define your use cases

A structured approach to identifying your use cases helps you target the right user base, which leads to successful user-centric marketing. Here are the six steps you should take:

1. Determine the problem your product solves

Ultimately, all products exist to solve a real-life problem. If they can do this effectively and consistently, they’ll have lasting success; if not, they’ll fail. So, create a problem statement that clearly asserts what issue you hope to change.

For instance, “I need a ride somewhere” is the problem Uber solves. The ride-sharing company connects drivers with riders, solving their problem.

Even if a product is unique or aesthetically appealing, consumers won't buy it if they don’t consider it useful.

2. Define your ideal customer

Once you know what problem your product solves, you can dig deep to define your ideal customer. Creating personas will help you with this. These profiles can contain demographic, firmographic, and psychographic information as well as details around the value they would get from your product.

You also need to understand their pain points, expectations, and requirements. It's crucial that you have a basic comprehension of these factors before approaching them with your solution.

3. Identify alternatives

What are the fallback solutions your potential customers rely on today to solve their problem?

By evaluating why people rely on a certain solution, you can predict what users would find valuable in your product. Apply this insight to your marketing efforts, tailoring it to each stage of the sales funnel and buyer's journey.

Essentially, this step gives you the knowledge you need to convince customers that they should choose your product over alternatives.

4. Uncover the natural frequency of usage

Another important consideration is the natural frequency of usage. Because reasons for usage vary by the individual, how often customers use your product will vary as well.

In the case of Netflix, for example, users who watch movies are more likely to engage on weekends when they have the most free time.

The natural frequency of usage for this type of user would therefore be weekly. Understanding this will tell you when and to what degree users engage with your product, which is useful for defining your key performance indicators.

5. Understand how much consideration time customers need

Finally, you should figure out how much time on average it takes for a lead to become a customer. In the consideration phase, potential users will probably continue to research, shop around, and compare your product to alternatives.

Taking account of the length of this period will help shape your expectations and improve your understanding of your user base. To better connect with customers during this time, use ads and educational content to reach them on platforms they already use.

To see the most success with your product, you must take a strategic approach to defining your use cases. By marketing in a user-centric way, you'll build a loyal base of users. Ultimately, it's your users that will carry you above the competition.