Startup marketing often fails because agencies don't understand your stage-specific needs. Here's how to match your marketing to your funding stage.
Startup marketing often fails because agencies don't understand your stage-specific needs. Here's how to match your marketing to your funding stage.
Marketing programs often fail because there's a mismatch between what companies need and what their agencies deliver.
Agencies are built to scale. Their practices may work well when you're trying to optimize a machine that's already running. But early-stage startups may need a completely different approach. The disconnect gets even worse when agencies pitch their most impressive work during sales conversations, bringing in business development executives never to be seen again. Founders get excited about the potential and sign up for something far too advanced for where they actually are, and end up with a less experienced team that doesn't know their market or business.
If you're a founder, you might consider outsourcing marketing because you don't have internal expertise yet. You might bring in a marketing agency to launch a campaign or a communications agency to introduce a new CEO, but if you don't have the context or bandwidth to brief, onboard, and manage the agency's performance day to day, you're not setting yourself up for success.
I saw this firsthand with a recent client. They were paying a well-known agency a monthly retainer for what looked like comprehensive support. The agency was producing content, pitching media, and sending detailed reports with impressive-looking metrics. But when we dug into the details, their work wasn't driving meaningful results. The agency was essentially creating work to justify their retainer—more channels, more tactics, more complexity—without focusing on what the startup actually needed to grow.
After working with this client for a few months, we made some changes. First, we found that they didn't need an agency managing everything. In fact, they needed internal leadership who understood their business and could make strategic decisions quickly.
I helped them interview, hire, and onboard a full-time leader who could own the strategy and manage and mentor their junior team members day-to-day. Then, we adjusted the agency scope. Instead of managing everything, the agency now handles specific workstreams under the direction of the new leader. He sets the strategy and priorities, and the agency executes specific campaigns when it makes sense. This improved clarity and impact by helping them focus on what actually drives their business forward.
If you're thinking about your own marketing strategy, here's a simple framework:
Focus on your next milestone. If you're a pre-seed startup, can you find 50 customers who love the product? Series A companies can focus on optimizing what's working, but don't worry about strategies for stages you're not in yet.
Frame your constraints. Be realistic about what you can and can't support. How much can you afford to spend each month? What's a realistic amount of time can you personally dedicate to marketing? What staff and resources do you have internally? Use your constraints to shape your approach.
Match complexity to capacity. If you're a solo founder, don't try to start off managing six marketing channels. Pick one or two and do them really well. You can add more complexity when you have the team and systems to support it.
Measure what matters for your stage. If you're an early-stage startup, you might measure customer conversations and product usage. As you grow, you can add more metrics like impression share and brand awareness. Align your metrics with what you're trying to prove at your current stage, and make sure everyone understands what drives your business.
Agencies can be great partners, but be smart about when and how to use them:
Use agencies when you need specific expertise or bandwidth you don't have internally. Maybe you're great at product marketing but need help with paid acquisition. You understand your customers but need help with creative production. Or, you don't have enough staff to handle an upcoming launch. Agencies work best when they're filling specific gaps, not managing your entire function.
Build internal teams when you need strategic control and speed. Marketing for startups changes fast, and you need people who can pivot quickly based on new information. Internal teams can be in every meeting and adapt quickly to new information.
Combine both when you're ready to scale. The most effective marketing organizations combine strong internal strategy and leadership with agency partners who handle specific work or fill gaps. But to make sure they're successful, you need internal leadership first.
Marketing isn't one-size-fits-all, especially for startups. What works for a growth company with proven product-market fit might drown a pre-seed company that's still figuring out who their customers are.
Be thoughtful about what stage you're in and what you actually need to reach the next milestone. Don't let agencies or internal teams talk you into strategies that are too advanced for where you are. And don't be afraid to scale back complexity if it's not driving results.
Need help figuring out what marketing approach makes sense for your stage? Let's talk about matching your marketing strategy to where you are today, and where you want to be.
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