Congratulations! You have dreamt big, persuaded investors, procured funding, slept very little and launched your startup business. You deserve a round of applause – nay, you deserve something better. You deserve to work with a results-driven marketing agency that will launch your new startup into the stratosphere!
Startup marketing is unique because of the limited resources, whether it’s time, money or manpower. You have to be sure that every detail is well-planned and flawlessly executed so your investors continue to give you their support. To make things even more challenging, traditional marketing strategies don’t always work for startups and you may need to rely on other resources to get the job done.
In this fast-paced startup industry, you need to establish your brand and have a robust digital marketing strategy at the ready. Everything you do to build your online presence counts toward your brand awareness and this will touch every corner of your lead generation strategy. Creating a marketing strategy with a digital-first approach is the most powerful tool a startup owner can wield because this strategy will direct your decision making, help you find customers, and eventually impact your bottom line. When you are perceived as established and trustworthy by your target audience you can nurture customers to conversion and show your investors that you’re the real deal.
So How Do You Choose The Right Digital Marketing Agency For Your Startup?
It can be overwhelming when selecting the right agency and you may have reservations about how they can serve your growing business. To make that decision easier we have outlined the most important criteria for your search.
#1 Experience Matters
Startup marketing can be a confusing science that requires a lot of patience and a variety of resources. Even the greatest ideas have floundered due to trusting external resources that lack strategy and original thinking. Other startups have gone under thanks to poor management and relying on resources that were too good to be true. So who can you trust to take your startup to the next level!?
Leveraging an agency as an external marketing resource for startups has been called, “One the biggest marketing power moves ever made in the past 10 years” and we have a hard time arguing that statement. An agency’s experience should directly benefit your business and they want you to use their talents to your advantage. Your agency should also know the ins and outs of marketing a startup because they’ve been helped others thrive and know exactly what it takes to have the proper visibility online.
Always consider what each agency is known for and if they have experience working with startups. Agencies who primarily work with enterprise level clients might not fit your budget or offer the experience that you’re looking for. Consider what is most important to your business and see if an agency’s experience matches up to your standards. For example, if you want to run multiple customer acquisition campaigns, you shouldn’t settle for a small agency that doesn’t provide you with the analytics to see the campaign performance.
Here are 5 agencies that do phenomenal startup marketing!
Startup owners often like to meet with their agency in person.
#2 Meet With Them In Person
Realtors are right. It always comes down to location, location, location. If it is important for you to have meetings with your agency then make sure that you’re searching for an agency that is in proximity to you. Startup owners often like to meet in person with their agency so they can get to know the team and understand exactly what is going on. If the agency isn’t local or at least willing to travel to meet with you, then you might want to keep looking.
#3 Look For A History Of Success
You can always determine an agency’s success story by the number of testimonials and reviews on their website or social media. The most successful digital marketing agencies always have a strong track record of success with clients who are excited to talk about their positive experience.
If an agency has several great client testimonials, then it’s safe to say that they have a track record of success. If they only have a few average or less than wonderful reviews, chances are they’re still growing and have a lot to learn. If you find that the agency you’re looking to work with has more negative reviews than positive ones, keep looking and don’t put your business at risk. Don’t be afraid to ask for additional references when selecting the right agency and specifically ask to speak with their startup clients.
You can find reviews for most agencies by simply Googling their name and reading their Facebook reviews. You can also find third-party review sites that provide details about our agency culture and how our employees feel about their work environment.
At the end of the day, know that agencies are just like people and they come in all shapes and sizes so it’s hard to know exactly what makes up the “perfect” marketing agency for startups. We hope that our tips for hiring the best startup marketing agency will help you make the right decision!