In an increasingly noisy world, it’s all the more difficult to be heard.
This is especially true for startups, which often face the added disadvantages of possessing fewer resources and lacking the market recognition of more established competitors.
But a tough environment isn’t stopping entrepreneurs from being entrepreneurs. Far from it: According to Forbes, more than 4.4 million new companies were started last year, with a 26.9% increase from 2019 representing the largest year-over-year jump in the past decade.
Whether your company is brand new or further along in its journey, reaching buyers and driving engagement is an essential focus, and social media offers a world of opportunity on this front.
In our next upcoming episode of Live with Marketers, Building Your Startup Brand, we’ll help you establish a framework for success and build upon it.
Laying Social Media Foundations for Startup Success
On Tuesday, May 25th, I’ll be joined by Danielle Duhon, Director of Services at Obility, and Felix Baca, Digital Marketing Manager at Weave HQ, for a focused conversation around the cornerstones of growth for ambitious young ventures.
Together we will tackle three primary challenges faced by modern startups: telling your story, understanding prospects, and (of course) acquiring customers.
Tell Your Story
"In a world where people have a lot of choices, the story may be the deciding factor,” said author and communications consultant Nick Morgan in a recent article from Inc. Magazine.
One of the most exciting parts of marketing for a startup brand is that you have a fresh slate to craft your story and tell it to the world. But as Mr. Morgan suggests, the stakes are high when it comes to getting it right in this formative stage. This is true in the eyes of not only your potential customers, but also employees and investors. “Many VCs think of themselves as investors in stories, and storytellers, every bit as much as investors in companies,” writes Adam Bluestein in the piece.
We’ll explore proven startup storytelling strategies and provide actionable tips to break through and make your story heard on social media.
Understand Your Customers
When you launch a new product or service, you probably have a picture in your mind of the exact person and situation for which it is a perfect solution. This is commonly known as an Ideal Customer Profile. However, if your ICP remains entirely vague and theoretical, it isn’t all that useful.
"Part of a successful ICP is clarity — defining who they are in a way that makes them identifiable,” says Tomasz Tunguz, Partner at Redpoint Ventures, on his website. “The often overlooked part is that they are discoverable."
LinkedIn’s wealth of professional data and extensive searching filters make it much easier to narrow down an audience that best matches your ICP. In this episode, you’ll learn how to zero in.
Acquire New Customers
At the end of the day, this is the name of the game, right? Investors increasingly want to see tangible results and revenue before they buy in. An analysis last year from Wing Venture Capital found that two-thirds of companies closing a seed financing were generating revenue, up from 9% in 2010.
With a community of more than 750 million members, carrying a ready to do business mindset, LinkedIn is an indispensable platform for finding your customers, learning about them, engaging with them, and ultimately converting them.
During this Live with Marketers broadcast, you’ll gain insight from the expertise of our guests on how to establish and expand your startup’s presence on LinkedIn, turning it into a critical cornerstone of your business growth strategy.
It’s all ahead on Tuesday, May 25th when we stream live at 1:00 PM ET/10:00 AM PT. Register here for Live with Marketers: Building Your Startup Brand.
