Let’s get real: B2B SaaS marketers have lost touch with the voice of the customer. Back in the day, marketing was out there, face-to-face with customers: focus groups, trade shows, long coffee chats where you’d hear what was really going on. They had more direct interaction than sales, soaking up what kept customers up at night, what they needed, what made them tick. Now, marketers are glued to dashboards, chasing metrics, and forgetting the humans behind the numbers. It’s time to fix that.
The SaaS Pressure Cooker: Why They’ve Lost the Voice of the Customer
SaaS marketing is a beast. You’re not just creating campaigns; you’re on the hook for revenue, churn rates, and customer lifetime value. As Karthiga Ratnam said on an episode of the Hardcore Marketing Show, to have a seat at the table, marketing has to carry a bag. That means quotas, numbers, and taking heat when delivery is dropped. They’ve stepped up, gained more influence, more power in the organization, but that comes with the pressure to drive results.
So, what do they do? Overcompensate. Marketers have turned into scientists, running experiments, building machine-like systems to hit our targets. They’re so focused on the numbers (click-through rates, conversion rates, MRR, etc) that they forget the humans behind them. They’ve lost that human connection, and it’s killing them.
Then there’s the martech trap. You’ve seen that Chief Martech stack picture, right? Over 10,000 apps, all promising to solve your problems. Too many SaaS marketers jump straight to one-to-scale solutions like dynamic content or automated triggers before truly understanding who they’re talking to. They’re trying to scale and go for the one-to-many before nailing the one-to-one, and it’s a recipe for missing the mark. Tech can amplify the customer’s voice, but it can’t replace it.
Plus, let’s not forget biases. They think they know what our customers are worried about, who they are, and what they need. They’re out here making wild guesses without asking or crafting assumptions based off limited data. In SaaS, where every customer interaction counts, those assumptions can lead to campaigns that flop, messaging that misses, and churn that creeps up.
The Solution: Connect to Market
Here’s how you fix it: connect to market. Get back to one-to-one conversations with real customers. Podcasts, community roundtables, partnerships, anything that lets you hear the customer’s voice directly.
But podcasts? They’re a game-changer for SaaS marketers. Why? They’re a give, not a take. You’re not just calling a customer to pick their brain; you’re giving them a platform to share their story, to shine as a leader in their industry. That builds trust, and when they trust you, they open up. You get to hear what’s really going on. What their day looks like, what their goals are, what’s standing in their way. And in SaaS, where understanding the customer’s journey is critical to retention and expansion, that’s pure gold.
Even better, get the CEO involved as the podcast host. When the CEO’s right there at ground zero, hearing the insights firsthand, it cuts through all the noise. No meetings, no memos, just real clarity. They can shift the organization’s focus fast, aligning sales, product, and support around the customer’s actual needs. If the CEO’s too busy, your VP of Marketing or Chief Evangelist can carry the torch. The point is: marketing leads this charge.
Here’s a Real Example: The Hidden Champion
We worked with a software vendor selling to enterprises. They thought their internal champion was in IT, education, or HR. They built their whole strategy around these three departments through ads, emails, events, the works. But they were wrong. They started a podcast to interview guests from these departments, and after enough conversations, they got a shock: there was a fourth department, a mysterious player they hadn’t even considered, that was actually driving the buying decisions. This hidden champion was the one pushing internally, solving their problems, and making the case for the software. Without those podcast chats, they’d still be aiming at the wrong target.
And because the CEO was the host, he heard the insight directly, no middleman. That meant no endless meetings or slide decks to get everyone aligned. He could pivot the whole organization to focus on this new champion. They even tweaked the guest list to double down on their new champion. That’s the kind of agility you get when you’re plugged into the customer’s voice.
How to Do It Right with Podcasts
When you’re launching a podcast, it’s about the customer, not you. This isn’t a highlight reel or a sales pitch for you. It’s a platform for customers to share their stories and challenges.
Start by celebrating their wins. Ask about what’s working for them, what they’re proud of, or what strategies are making them a success. That builds trust and gets them talking. In SaaS, this is huge because it reveals how customers are using your product and why it matters to them. Then, ask about their vision for the future. What’s exciting to them, where they want to go. That’s when you’ll hear about the challenges holding them back, without them feeling interrogated. If you’ve worked with enough customers, you’ll start to see patterns: what pain points keep coming up, what goals they’re chasing, who’s really driving the decision.
Try questions like:
- What’s one thing your team’s doing right now that’s making a big impact?
- If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing about your workflow, what would it be?
- What’s the biggest challenge you think your industry is facing right now?
These questions aren’t about your product, they’re about the customer’s world. In SaaS, where customers are often dealing with complex workflows and tight budgets, these kinds of questions uncover the real reasons they stick with you or churn.
Why the Customer’s Voice Matters Beyond Marketing
When you re-find the voice of the customer through a podcast, you’re not just helping marketing; you’re lighting the way for the whole organization.
Sales can target the right pain points. Product teams can build features that matter. Support can solve real problems. You’re the lighthouse, guiding everyone to the customer’s truth. In SaaS, where every department touches the customer journey, this alignment is critical to reducing churn and driving expansion.
When the CEO’s involved, it’s like hitting the fast-forward button. They’ve got the power to shift priorities, align teams, and make sure everyone’s aiming at the right target.
The Action Step
Here’s your mission, SaaS marketing leaders: within the next seven days, talk to a customer. Ask about their day in the life, their weekly agenda, and their goals. Don’t make it about your product, just listen. You might think you know their world, but I bet you’ll be surprised by something simple, something you never saw coming. Maybe it’s a challenge way simpler than what your app solves, or a goal you never anticipated.
If a Zoom call feels too direct, start a podcast. Invite them as a guest, give them the spotlight, and let their voice guide you. Either way, start with one-to-one.
Ready to Reconnect?
If you’re ready to re-find your customer’s voice, let’s talk about how a podcast helps you do just that. Start the conversation with us via chatbox to see if podcasting is the solution for you.