When you plan your startup marketing there are many things to consider, initially.

• Are you an innovator, trend-setter, fast-follower, or re-creator of proven design / technology / methodology?
• Is your product new to the market or is it a new offer for a specific product category?
• What are your desired target groups?
• Will you need to address different target groups on your path to the mass market? 
• Are you a single-product, multi-product, or technology/service company?
• Do you offer high-price or commonly affordable products/services?
• Does your business strategy include a founder-exit?

Successful startup marketing is not (only) about highlighting technology, design, materials, or novel functions. More importantly, you need to inform your target groups about the gains they make when opting for your products or services.

Products (and services) can be functionally but also emotionally appealing, and for very different reasons. Thus, you will want to know your buyer personas and their personal demands: the product-market fit is crucial for your sales. Keep in mind that the majority of buyers in Germany are aged 40 years and beyond. This means that essentially you need to be accessible to a wider group of consumers or be able to penetrate smaller groups to reach sufficient sales volumes. 

For startup marketing, being in the know is vital. At all times. AI-based market intelligence tools and ongoing real-time social content performance analysis will help you “feel” your customers. Digital marketing allows you to adjust posts, campaigns in real-time. 

Start building lean and efficient communications structures that produce the communications flow you need to create an impact. If you’re opting for D2C marketing, you need to build a team that can really interact with consumers and replace the retail experience they usually have. And you should have the technology to do everything online.

Likely, you will also hire communications experts for specific tasks and contract external advisers for strategic advice and operational support. Certainly, this will include a content strategy agency.

Make sure they have the potential for quick expansion, i.e. growth. You don’t want to be looking for employees or other advisers at the moment you need their services.

You have a purpose, a vision, a mission, and great products / services. And along with that you have a story to tell to your potential customers. That’s a very good starting point for startup marketing. 

Create an informative and inspiring corporate website for startups. Start positioning your brand, create your SEO content, and make your products visible online. Deliver the essentials and test new approaches to increase visibility.

With digital and offline marketing, you can develop a sales-focused customer journey. The omnichannel experience you create will help you find new customers and also expand your base of loyal customers. Best of all: with a dedicated approach, it will only take two weeks to set the stage!

If we were your content strategy agency, we’d advocate a use-case based messaging initially, as this will build a direct connection to target groups.

A newcomer to the market, you need to build trust. Thus, you may want to consider creating various use cases for your product/service for your target groups, which you will place on your website and promote through social channels. Make sure you address both intended users and the actual buyers. They have different mindsets and may expect different gains.

Your next step would be to approach selected desired customers and offer them to test your product/service. Succeeding in this task will enable you to build case studies that will be relevant and convincing to your target groups.

Highlighting the features of your product or service, you will build a reputation. Add the customer experience element, as this may be a more convincing sales argument. This includes your post-purchase customer support. If you succeed, you will create inseparability with customers that will pay off in the long run. 

You can test the market with pathfinder campaigns that create awareness among your main target group but at the same time explore your options with other target groups.

If you already have plans to rapidly increase your sales and build a large customer base within a short period of time, we recommend we talk about growth communications. 

It’s a different approach, which is focused on reaching a single objective, using creative and experimental methods. It requires a different mindset and you need to compromise on perfection.