Startup Marketing: Where To Start

Every company and founder needs to build a marketing engine to drive awareness and close deals. Yet, as a founder and entrepreneur, there is limited time, energy, and resources to spend on expensive campaigns, agencies, and opportunities that may not drive the startup to success.

As a founder, where do you start? In the beginning, you must stay lean and hyper-focused. With a targeted approach, you can focus on what drives traction for your new impact-driven venture. To get started and be focused, start thinking about the following items:

1. Identify Your Target Audience:

Most products and services aren’t for everyone, so it’s important to identify your ideal target customer. Maybe it’s younger people interested in fashion; maybe it’s married couples with children on the way. Whoever they are, have your target audience in mind for EVERY piece of marketing collateral you create.

Pro-tip: Startups are FOCUSED on one or two target customers. The more focused, the better as this will allow you to make sure every dollar and hour spent is going to achieving a new sale or impacting the target group intended.

2. Understand What Your Target Audience Wants:

It’s crucial to have a strong understanding of your target audience’s needs, wants, and desires. You need to be able to speak their language so that they identify with your brand. Do some research, speak to your customers, and craft your marketing efforts from there.

3. Figure Out Where Your Audience Is:

Is your target audience consistently on social media? Do they watch a lot of television or a specific station? Do they frequent the gym daily? Figure this out and focus your efforts on the marketing channels that your customers frequent.

Pro-tip: We suggest documenting a day or week in the life of your target audience! This will provide insights into what they do and you will find commonalities amongst your potential customers.

4. Learn Google Ads, Google Analytics, and Facebook Advertising:

This is where entrepreneurs often get tripped up. At first glance, Google Ads and Google Analytics is daunting, and it seems easier to throw your hands up and hire someone else to run your digital ads. Facebook similarly can be daunting, yet this is where many of your potential customers will consume information and learn about new programs, products, and technologies

Pro-tip: There are great resources where you can learn digital marketing yourself and become a pro in no time. Free resources like Google Analytics Academy and Skillshop for Google Ads walk you through everything you need to know to create your first Google Ads.

Ultimately, what seems like a time-consuming and expensive process doesn’t have to be. All it takes is a little elbow grease, focus, and patience, and you’ll be off to the races. In the coming weeks, SEED SPOT will continue to focus on marketing opportunities for startups and early-stage entrepreneurs. We will be covering topics, such as driving conversions on your website, creating a PR toolkit, and building a product launch marketing plan.

If you are looking for hands-on support and guidance, reach out and have a 15-minute phone call with a SEED SPOT Team member. As a 501c3 nonprofit, we are dedicated to helping you start, grow, and scale your impact-driven venture and startup. Let’s chat!