Discover how to select the ideal startup marketing agency for your business. Learn about the essential services, benefits, and what to look for in a top agency.
Hailey Chong
June 6, 2024
You may be wondering if there is any value in engaging a startup marketing agency. We will say yes but don’t take our word for it. Let’s look at the numbers.
Over 90% of startups fail within the first 3 years. Here are the top two reasons startups fail:
Yes. Good old marketing comes in at number two, and the solution seems pretty straightforward. However, as a startup, you're tight on cash, short on time and competing with more established brands. It's high-stakes with a tiny margin for error.
That is where specialized startup marketing agencies come in. A marketing agency that understands the startup landscape could be the difference between success and failure.
In this article, we'll share about how to choose a digital marketing agency for your startup:
A startup marketing agency is a specialized firm focused on helping startups grow their marketing presence, using their expertise in digital marketing, competitor ads research, paid advertising, and other areas of marketing.
They understand the dynamic nature of startups, budget restrictions and, thus, offer flexible solutions.
There are many reasons for choosing a specialized marketing agency for startups, but here are 6 main reasons.
There’s a lot more benefit to hiring specialized marketing services for startups. They have access to innovative tools and market insights. So, you don’t have to build new tools or invest in market research. They have done all the hard work, which helps you cut to the chase.
A startup marketing agency is more focused on digital marketing, and for good reasons. A recent CMO survey states that organizations spend 53% of their marketing budget on digital marketing, and 60% of marketing will go digital by the end of 2024.
Here are the main services you can expect from a startup marketing agency.
Paid advertising: Paid ads are targeted and effective. They get you right in front of your audience.
Growth marketing: Growth marketing is also popular with marketing agencies that work with startups. If you’re already having some success, specialized startup marketing agencies can help you build on it.
Email marketing: Email remains a high-value channel with as much as $40 per dollar spent. If you are to prioritize email marketing, you can consider marketing agencies to get you started.
Inbound marketing: If you need to pull in the leads and hand-raisers, several startup digital marketing agencies can also deliver that.
Competitor research: Competitor research remains a constant in whatever marketing strategies you decide on. Several agencies offer this service, helping you analyze competitor ads to enhance decision-making.
Startup branding: You can also engage the services of a digital marketing agency to craft your unique identity, communicate your story and help you stand out from the competition.
This list is not exhaustive, as startup marketing agencies offer several other digital marketing services, like conversion rate optimization, content marketing, SEO, social media marketing, etc.
Some or one of these services could be relevant to you as a high-growth startup, but that’s one piece of the puzzle. You still need to find a reliable digital marketing partner. How do you do that? Here is a list of startup marketing agencies to consider.
Kaya offers paid ads services like Google, Meta and LinkedIn Ads. The team includes skilled marketers working with advanced AI and analytics tools. Kaya's leadership comes with startup experience from Revolut, Uber, MoneyLion and Goldman Sachs. Launched in 2022 and backed by Y Combinator, Kaya has so far;
Its Competitor Ad Intelligence Tool also automates competitor ads research and delivers insights to drive strategy. Kaya's clientele list includes fast-growing startups like Rippling, Encord, and FlowClub.
Founded in 2011 and based out of Atlanta, US, Sociallyin is a specialist social media agency for startups. Their focus areas are design, videography, writing, and strategy. They combine technology with research to deliver the benefits of social media marketing.
They are a plug-in growth marketing agency for startups and established companies. They offer services like paid media, video marketing, and performance creative. Their clientele list includes high-growth start-ups such as Soona and THNKS.
They are a specialized marketing agency based in France. The team consists of marketing and business development specialists helping startups and small businesses. They offer digital services like design, lead generation, branding, etc.
Founded in 2018 and based in Virginia, US, SeeResponse offers services like video production, demand generation, marketing automation, and Software development. They serve a mixture of startups and established companies in healthcare, SaaS, education, and IT.
Based in the UK, with a presence in Spain, Italy, Germany, and France. They are a multi-language team with a team of 200 consultants. They offer SEO services like link building and website redesigns. They also offer paid ads and content services.
There are many marketing agencies offering multiple services for fast-growing startups. Assess your specific marketing needs and business goals. Here are some questions to help you get clarity.
Once you’re clear on what problems you need to address, focus on finding potential partners. Seek out startup marketing agencies with proven records in your problem area. In some cases, you can also get recommendations from your friends in the industry or research online. Here are some tips.
The startup ecosystem is unique and requires specific know-how that mostly comes from working in the space. Prioritize marketing agencies that work with startups or those whose teams have startup experience. Consider domain and technical expertise. Here are some tips to consider.
Ensure that the startup marketing agency offers the exact services that fit your needs. For instance, if you want to improve conversions, you may be best served by opting for an agency offering conversion rate optimization.
Studies show that 93% of consumers consult online reviews to make purchasing decisions. So, if you've been hanging around marketing agency websites to see what others are saying about them, you are doing it right. As you review case studies, look out for the numbers. What kind of numbers did the agency achieve, and within what timelines? Also, look out for signs of responsive customer service.
It’s simple. The numbers have to add up. Consider what value you are getting compared to your investment. Here are a few points to consider.
For your budget, you would require a cost-effective and speedy solution. Kaya delivers results as early as two weeks with specialized technology that helps you save 10x the regular costs.
Many times, startups make the mistake of focusing too much on technical expertise without considering cultural fit. Ensure that the values, processes, and ethos of the startup marketing agency align with yours. Here are some questions to consider.
These questions are starting points that you can compare against startup marketing agencies to see if they are a close match.
By this point, you should have a list of potential partners. Reach out to them and schedule a call. Prepare for the call by having a list of questions. Seek clarity on the data reporting process and performance tracking. Ask about pricing, delivery timeframes and customer service approach.
Set clear goals: The foundation of a successful partnership lies in setting clear goals, and here is how to do it. Goals give clarity and help set expectations.
Communicate and collaborate: Proactive communication is essential to any partnership. Agree with your partner startup marketing agency on modes of communication. Use simple channels and outline conflict resolution mechanisms. Also, agree on the frequency of updates.
Monitor and adjust strategies: One major benefit of working with startup marketing agencies is that you benefit from their agility.
Where do you turn to when you’re struggling with ad conversion? For the founder, Roland Mansilla and his team, they reached out to Kaya. The team got to work, relying on its cutting-edge tools and specialized expertise in the startup space. Here are the results.
By trusting Kaya and delegating, we regained time to spend understanding our users.
Everyone knows the value of data, and data is everywhere. However, it takes expert skills and cutting-edge tools to organize it in ways that inform decision-making. This was the challenge for E-rides and many other startups.
Working with Kaya enabled them to solve that problem, and Emily Chen, the Co-founder, had this to say:
Having visibility of all my data in one place makes it so much easier to understand what's going on. We're finding ourselves much more confident in our decision-making. It’s not a coincidence we're seeing CTR up by 4x and conversion doubling since we started using it.
Read more reviews from other startup founders like yourself.
Now you’re clear on how to choose a suitable marketing agency for your startup. Make no mistakes; choosing the right startup marketing agency takes time and requires deliberate effort, as explained.
The key to making the right choice is to define your goals, research potential partners, evaluate domain, industry and technical expertise, and prioritize cultural fit. That way, you can make a well-informed decision.
Remember that marketing is one of the top-two reasons for startup failure. And you can avoid that by partnering with a truly data-driven agency. Startups like Safely Finance grew their Google Ads conversions by 651%, reduced offer costs by 80%, and improved key conversion points 3x.
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