Can Your Funded Startup Adopt Corporate Marketing Strategies?

One of the biggest struggles funded startups experience is gaining market visibility when larger competitors own the space. Cohesive marketing and lead generation programs geared to growth stage make sure that isn’t a problem.

It’s not just funded startups; even established scale-ups can find it intimidating to develop marketing strategies that seem reserved for large conglomerate businesses. As a founder, you may wonder how you’re supposed to compete with huge industry leaders whose marketing budgets are much larger than the average 11 percent of total revenue spent by funded startups, according to Gartner.

The good news is once you’ve effectively identified your niche market, you don’t have to worry about challenging the big players. Establishing the same brand loyalty on a smaller scale allows you to create a fiscally sustainable company that can thrive in today’s marketplace.

Marketing is marketing, no matter the scale

What works in corporate marketing campaigns can also work at a smaller scale. An experienced marketing partner applies the same proven strategies from tried-and-true brand and digital marketing methods. Growing your brand by adopting the same techniques is about scaling the elements to deliver results.

Know your audience

Getting clear on your target audience’s mindset enables you to more succinctly align with them, thereby standing out from the competition. You can be sure that big brands know exactly who is buying from them and why. People tend to show interest in unique concepts and products that appeal to their values. Understanding the mindset of your ideal customer is a great way to create a marketing strategy that resonates with them.

Get clear on:

Your target audience profile
What customers need or want
When customers purchase the product or service
Where customers buy similar products or services
Why customers purchase similar products or services

Brand awareness

The most recognizable brands in the world worked hard to make their logo and content as familiar as their products. The big players have collectively achieved unmistakably distinct branding. A well-defined, consistent image is essential to getting a seat at their table.

As a funded startup with investor pressure to onboard clients, you may have limited time to focus on your branding. But without brand awareness, getting your unique selling proposition and products in front of your target audience is challenging. The returns from creating strategic branding practices that increase brand visibility for your business are worth the investment.

Online presence

Funded startups need an online presence that engages their target audience. It begins with a user-friendly website that speaks concisely to a target audience’s need but extends far beyond that.

It’s surprising how many funded startups undervalue a vibrant online presence. For example, social media marketing offers a targeted way for businesses to interact with potential buyers, and newsletter marketing enables direct and immediate communication on timely offers and events.

Sharing your clear brand voice and engaging with audiences online creates community and unwavering brand loyalty. Retaining loyal customers who become online brand ambassadors is free marketing built on your customer experience.

Knowing it’s an integral part of a successful marketing strategy, the big guns aren’t afraid to jump in and are incredibly active online.

Lead generation

Along with an active online presence, the big brands understand their customer journeys and design sales funnels around them. Sales funnels include marketing communications, such as demonstration videos, how-to articles, downloadable white papers and problem-solving email newsletters. When this content is relevant, high-value and addresses a need, it fosters interaction and builds your customer base.

Effective search engine optimization (SEO) generates organic leads. It ensures your content is seen by as many eyes as possible in online searches. SEO is a critical piece of lead generation strategy. When you regularly create and promote SEO-friendly content, you increase your online visibility and engagement, which supports your marketing funnel and takes the highest quality leads all the way to the finish line.

Funded startups would also do well to imitate large corporations by using a paid ad program to attract paid leads. This typically involves developing ad campaigns with pay-for-click ads that run on Google search, social media sites and other directories.

Competing with deeper pockets on Google and other online spaces may seem hopeless, but it isn’t. You can get a healthy return on your lead generation investment by using proven strategies and targeting your audience niche.

Even a small funded startup can learn from the big players

Almost all industry giants started with a smaller footprint, perhaps as a company the size of yours. Will your business be the next big player? That’s up to you and your customers. But effectively marketing it is an excellent start to scaling.

Funded B2B startup marketing doesn’t have to be as complicated as a multinational strategy. You can adopt their practices and modify them for your growth stage.

Funded startups utilize the same cornerstone marketing tactics as larger companies, though their strategies are much more targeted. — Because funded startups often have smaller budgets and target markets than established global enterprises, their strategies need to be much more focused. However, regardless of size, the cornerstone marketing tactics of knowing your audience, building brand awareness, creating an online presence and generating leads are essential.

Before diving into a marketing strategy, your marketing elements should be in place.

Do you know who you’re selling to?
Is your brand recognizable, and does it stand out among your competitors?
Is your brand showing up online and actively engaging with your community?
Are you attracting and converting quality leads?

The success of your business depends on how well you can create and meet a demand for your product or service. All the great success stories started with a deep understanding of an untapped consumer demographic and a fully optimized marketing strategy that includes lead generation.

If you want to play the game and win like the big players, you have to take the same disciplined approach to your company and product branding to maximize your visibility in the consumer market. Partnering with the right marketing expert can quickly up your game. Contact us today to find out how Mindspin can help.