3 Inbound Marketing Tips for Startups

There’s no shortage of inbound marketing tips for startups floating around the interwebs these days. Unfortunately (but not surprisingly), most of the advice isn’t for startups. Rather, it’s for all kinds of businesses, including large, established enterprises that have been on the inbound marketing bus for years.

Here’s the thing: yes, there are core fundamentals that startups share with all other businesses. But there are some factors that set them apart and create some tougher challenges. Specifically:

As noted by the high-growth startup training firm Tradecraft, early stage startups often struggle to find the right path to success, because the path itself is iterative (i.e. it unfolds as the journey moves ahead). As such, knowing exactly what inbound marketing tactics and channels to use ahead of time usually isn’t possible, and therefore “one-size-fits-all” inbound marketing packages aren’t realistic.

Startups typically operate on shoestring marketing budgets (even if they have sufficient working capital for other functions like product development), and so being careful and prudent with their inbound marketing spend isn’t just a good idea, but it’s an organizational necessity.

Startups almost always operate with a skeletal staff (which may be part of a remote/distributed team), and they also tend to experience a fair amount of turnover — simply because some folks don’t know that they aren’t cut out to work in startup culture until this awareness is thrust upon them. As such, assigning ownership and accountability to the inbound marketing program can be difficult, or just plain unrealistic.

Yet despite these issues, it’s important to highlight — especially if some startup owners out there are starting to freak out about the challenges they face — that inbound marketing is perfect for startups. In fact, startups that properly design and deploy inbound marketing typically achieve outstanding results, since unlike conventional “interrupt” marketing, the process is so targeted, data-driven and results-oriented. And even more importantly, startups can generate marketing visibility and traction in their marketplace (even if its national or international) by spending a fraction of their large, enterprise-level competitors.

In light of the above, here are three inbound marketing tips that truly are for startups, and not businesses in general:

Research similar companies that have achieved inbound marketing success, in order to identify core principles and best practices. Because inbound marketing is so data-driven, there is a good chance that you’ll find some quantitative information that will point your startup in the right direction.
There are many inbound marketing strategies and tactics — which means that there’s no shortage of places to spend your budget, such as on-site SEO, off-site SEO, PPC, middle-of-the-funnel content, and so on. Don’t try and spread your shoestring budget around to cover the landscape, because you won’t get ROI. Identify the core areas that make the most sense for your business and marketplace, and allocate your spending accordingly. Think of it like going to the gym and spending 3 minutes on 20 machines, which will get you nowhere vs. 20 minutes on 3 machines, which will get you lean and fit.
Work with an inbound marketing partner. This can’t be emphasized enough, because it’s very rare (we’ve actually never seen it) for a startup to have the resources or specialists to handle things in-house. Things are too frenetic and everyone is typically doing 3-4 jobs already. Inbound marketing is an ongoing strategy, and it’s inevitable that key tasks will slip through the cracks. This is why so many startups have blogs that feature a flurry of posts when they launch, and then nothing for weeks, months or sometimes even years!

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While there are risks of launching a startup, there are also rewards that can make it more than rewarding — both personally and profitably. In fact, Leap Clixx is proof of this. We began our business life as a startup, and are now one of the country’s most successful inbound marketing firms with clients across the nation, and in several industries and sectors. Was the road always smooth and straightforward? No. But by doing the right things the right way (and at the right time!), we’ve established a solid foundation and a strong following.

If you need inbound marketing answers and advice for your startup — not from jargon-riddled consultants, but real business professionals who’ve been in your shoes and understand the challenges and opportunities that you face — then contact our team today. Your consultation with us is free.

For more information about inbound marketing best practices, check out our FREE eBook today: