Who is This Case Study For?
- SaaS Founders or Marketing & Salespeople for that SaaS
- Coaches, Consultants, Course Sellers & Professional Service Providers
What You’ll Learn
- How to use YouTube to build a sustainable inbound lead-generating machine for your business.
- How to stop relying on Influencers and affiliates to promote your products/services.
Wise’s Background
- What Wise Does: They are an online money transfer company.
- Problems They’re Solving: Making transferring, spending, and receiving money in different currencies cheaper, easier, and more transparent.
- Main Products:
- International money transfer via their app or website
- Spend money abroad like a local with the Wise card
- The company was founded in 2011. In 2024, they have 12.8 million users.
Backstory: How I Got Into Helping Wise
In 2020, I had a YouTube channel about personal finance for the Malaysian market.
As a real user, I did a Wise review video on my channel & that video hit 100k views! Wise’s marketing team took notice and offered me an affiliate partnership to create more content.
I made 4 videos for Wise in 2 different languages (English & Malay) as they want to penetrate the Malaysian market.
People watched my videos and then signed up using my affiliate link in the description. I’ve gotten Wise at least 1,031 paying users through this method.
In the next section, I’ll share the stats and how you can replicate this to your channel without relying on Influencers to market your SaaS.
New Users I Got for Wise from YouTube
New PAYING Users
Total Views
YouTube Videos
These are my stats on how many people clicked on my affiliate link, signed up with Wise, and transferred at least $200 worth of foreign currency. 1,031 people did this through my marketing efforts for Wise:
Here are the 4 videos on my channel that got Wise these results. Note, that these videos are very raw and have low production efforts.
This proves that you don’t need fancy editing to resonate with your target audience.
Video 1 (English)
42% of traffic came from Search. Click to enlarge:
The actual video (on my personal finance channel):
Video 2 (English)
50% of traffic came from Search. Click to enlarge:
The actual video (on my personal finance channel):
Video 3 (Malay Language)
79% of traffic came from External (Apparently, someone shared this in Telegram groups). Click to enlarge:
The actual video (on my personal finance channel):
Video 4 (Malay Language)
71% of traffic came from Suggested traffic. Click to enlarge:
The actual video (on my personal finance channel):
As you can see, I got views from 3 sources:
- Search Traffic
- Suggested (YouTube homepage & sidebar)
- External (people sharing in WhatsApp or Telegram groups)
Also, notice that all these videos are very low-effort production. But it resonates with the target audience because I understand their pain points and SHOWED how to use the SaaS to solve them.
Wise’s Before & After YouTube Funnels
How I Did It – YouTube Funnels Overview
Click to enlarge:
Let me explain each step so you can just follow what I did for your SaaS
Set Up Your Backend Funnel
Before diving into content creation, make sure you have a mechanism to turn YouTube views into registered users.
For most SaaS companies, this means having a sign-up page. Here’s Wise, sign up page:
Want to track how many YouTube sign-ups are from your YouTube videos, create a duplicate of your sign-up page with a unique identifier, like changing the URL from:
yoursaas.com/signup to yoursaas.com/signup-yt
The new link is what you’ll be placing in the YouTube description and it allows you to monitor traffic to that page & the sign-ups it brought in.
With the technical setup complete, let’s move on to more exciting things: Planning your YouTube videos.
Truly Understand Your Target Users
The biggest mistake in marketing? Focusing too much on selling. Nobody enjoys feeling pressured, so let’s avoid that.
The secret is to create helpful YouTube videos that highlight a problem and subtly showcase your product as the perfect solution.
Put yourself in your target audience’s shoes. What are their pain points?
- What are they trying to avoid?
- What are their goals?
- What are their fears?
- What obstacles are they facing?
- What limiting beliefs do they hold?
As a frequent international traveler who sends money in multiple currencies for both family and business, I’m a perfect fit for Wise’s target audience. Here are some of the challenges I face:
- Problem 1: High Bank Transfer Fees – I frequently send money abroad, but I want to avoid those bank fees.
- Problem 2: Inconvenient Remittance Shops – Sure, local remittance shops offer cheaper transfers, but who has the time to go there and wait in line?
- Problem 3: Currency Exchange & Credit Card Fees – I don’t like to carry foreign cash, but I also want to save on currency exchange and credit card fees while traveling.
Now, the YouTube videos that you’ll be making are simply highlighting these problems and showing how your SaaS can easily solve them.
It would be best to interview your current paying users or your Beta users to get this critical information before you start scripting your YouTube videos.
Show, Don’t Tell
Many marketers miss the mark by simply talking about how awesome is their SaaS. To truly connect with potential users, you need to show it in a real-life situations.
This will make your audience feel understood. Like “this company gets me.”
It would be ideal if the Founder is the one making the video as you’d most likely built a following online and people are following your tech journey. They want to hear this from you. Not from some unknown employee.
Video Idea Addressing Problems 1 & 2
- Pain Point: I need a cheap way to send and receive money in different currencies.
- Solution Demonstration: I filmed myself helping my domestic helper send money to her family in Indonesia. This was a real-life task I needed to do anyway. When the time came, I turned on my camera and screen-shared my phone, showing the step-by-step process of sending money to Indonesia using the Wise app.
Video Idea Addressing Problem 3
- Pain Point: I don’t like carrying foreign cash, and want to swipe my card for everything abroad. But I don’t want to be slaughtered by credit card fees.
- Solution Demonstration: I traveled to Bali and only used my Wise card for everything, filming how most places I went accepted the Wise card & how it saved me money on currency exchanges – and proved that I can travel without ever needing foreign cash.
Remember: Show, Don’t Tell.
You should have some ideas already of real-life problems where your SaaS is the perfect solution.
To make your videos even more trustworthy & less salesy, you must use this secret technique in the next step:
Honesty Makes You More Trustworthy
This step is crucial for building trust. People turn to YouTube for real user reviews before making a decision.
Consumers know that no product is perfect and it’s OK. They want to know the potential downsides before they buy. This helps them decide if the drawbacks are something they can live with.
Pro Tip: Tap into the Power of Reddit
Search for discussions about your competitors on Reddit.
This treasure trove of user feedback can provide invaluable insights:
- Proactively Address Concerns: See what issues people are having with similar SaaS and show how your SaaS solves those problems or offer workarounds.
- Fuel Product Improvements: Gather feedback to share with your development team. Use these real-world insights to enhance your SaaS and stay ahead of the competition.
The Importance of the Pros & Cons Section
You can’t just be talking about only the good stuff about your SaaS. That’s why it’s crucial to include a pros and cons section in your video.
- Transparency Builds Trust: Acknowledging any limitations, you demonstrate honesty and build credibility.
- Audience Engagement: If your SaaS doesn’t have a popular feature, you can ask them to vote in the comments or sign up as Beta users.
- Reduces Churn: The audience can make a decision upfront if your SaaS is a right fit for them, reducing churn.
Remember, the goal isn’t just to sell, but to educate and empower. By being transparent and addressing potential concerns head-on, you’ll create a deeper connection with your audience and increase the chances of quality users signing up & reducing churn.
With all the data you’ve collected so far, you have an idea of what problem your YouTube video is solving. The next thing to do is to script out your video.
Scripting Your YouTube Videos
Scripting is just an outline so you’d:
- Know what to say & sound confident
- The video flows well – so people watch till the end
- Makes the video about the viewer & their problems
There are 3 components to a script:
| Script Component | Definition |
|---|---|
| The Hook & Intro | Tell who is this video for, point out their pain, show proof that you know what you’re talking about and why should they stick to the end. |
| The Body | – Brief intro on the SaaS (for context) – Problem 1 & it’s solution – Problem 2 & it’s solution – Problem 3 & it’s solution |
| The Outro | Wrap up & tell them what to do next (Sign up or watch the next video) |
If you need a step-by-step tutorial applying the formula above, watch my YouTube scripting video here (with a downloadable template).
Aim to explain how to use your SaaS in a way that even a child or someone from an older generation can understand. Then, you’ll get comments like this:
Now you know the formula for a good YouTube tutorial, it’s time for lights, camera, and action!
Record Your YouTube Video
You will create 2 formats of YouTube footage:
- Talking head of you at your desk
- Screen recording to show how to use your app
The final video will alternate scenes between the 2 formats above. Exactly like how my videos are.
As someone starting out on YouTube, don’t overwhelm yourself with all the fancy gear. Just use your smartphone on a tripod & a cheap mic.
If you’re ready to set up your YouTube channel’s backdrop, camera, mic & lighting, watch this video:
How to Edit Your Video with AI
After you recorded your videos, now you have to edit the videos – which can be a giant pain in the butt.
But as an educational YouTube video, you only have to edit out 3 things:
- Remove the ‘uhms’ and ‘ahs’ – known as filler words
- Remove word gaps – moments you’re not saying anything
- Remove retakes of sentences because you stuttered
Luckily, you don’t have to hire & deal with an editor. Just use Descript AI to easily edit your videos with a few simple clicks. Watch my tutorial here:
Design a Simple Thumbnail
You need a thumbnail, so people are intrigued and want to click on your videos in the first place.
Just use Canva. You don’t need to be a Photoshop pro. Remember, you’re not running an entertainment channel. You’re an educational channel teaching your prospects how to solve an issue using your SaaS.
Therefore, the thumbnail format that works phenomenally well for educational channels is simply the ‘Before & After’ format. I use this for my own YouTube channel all the time.
If you need more help with the ideology of a good thumbnail (not the technical Photoshop skills), watch this tutorial video:
Repurpose YouTube Video for Maximum Reach
Currently, no one knows you exist. Therefore, you need as many people watching your content as humanly possible.
Relying solely on YouTube search traffic is a terrible idea as you’ll grow super slow. To hasten the process for you getting inbound leads, here’s my little secret:
I repurpose my YouTube videos into multiple other content. It sounds daunting (it is), but here’s how I make it easier:
There are 2 paths to repurpose a long-form YouTube video:
- The Script can be turned into your:
- email newsletter
- LinkedIn & X long-form post
- Then repurposed into short-form posts on LinkedIn & X
- The long-form horizontal video can be repurposed into vertical short videos on:
- IG & Facebook Reels
- TikTok
- X
This way, from 1 sales asset (the long-form YouTube video), you have multiple sales assets for other platforms to widen your reach with minimal work.
Here’s my example of turning one of those YouTube videos into a Twitter (X) thread, that has gotten 51k views btw:
YouTube search traffic will get you compounding views over time, but waiting for it to kick in takes a long time.
A viral Twitter thread, on the other hand, will get you inbound leads quickly but will also die off in 48 hours.
Combining a YouTube video with social content can get you leads immediately that will continue to compound over time, making it a powerful long-term marketing strategy.
Key Takeaway
- Set up your back-end funnel (sign-up page)
- Understand your target audience
- How to show, don’t tell
- Must include the pros & cons of your SaaS
- Script your YouTube video
- Record your YouTube video
- Edit your YouTube video with AI
- Design a clickable thumbnail
- Repurpose your YouTube video for maximum reach
It’s clearly A LOT of work. If you want me to implement these strategies for your SaaS company and take most of the YouTube logistical intensity away from you, so you can focus on your business, book a free strategy call below.
Who is Helmi Hasan?
Ex-Mechanical Engineer turned YouTube Funnels Agency Owner. I help entrepreneurs get more leads with YouTube.
➡️ Built YouTube & TikTok channels of my own (Finance, Parenting, YouTube Funnels)
➡️ Led Content at Involve Asia, Shopple, & a local automotive media company
➡️ Guest coach for Client Ascension
➡️ Father of 2. I understand your time constraints
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