Here at Six & Flow, we love nothing more than sitting down to create a new startup marketing strategy. Why, you say? I’m so glad you asked.
Startups are innovative
First and foremost, startup marketing is exciting because these companies are often at the forefront of their sectors, looking for new ways to take a product or service to market.
For instance, WIRED Health 2016 featured a Bupa Startup Stage which showcased entrepreneurs at the forefront of healthcare innovation. Featured creations included Sensely’s virtual nurse, Teckel Medical’s WhatsApp-style messaging app which connects patients to the right clinical specialists, and HealthRhythms’s mobile app which uses a range of data to monitor mental wellbeing. These technological wonders are leading the way for developments across the global healthcare industry.
Similarly, UK startups are making huge strides in the field of artificial intelligence, proven by a string of huge startup exits. According to Business Insider UK, Evi was acquired by Amazon for a reported £18m in 2013, DeepMind was bought by Google for around £400m in 2014, VocalIQ was acquired by Apple for an unknown amount in 2015, and SwiftKey was bought by Microsoft for £175m in 2016. This trend has been attributed to a combination of institutional expertise, financing options and organisations which exist to help startups. In short, innovative startups have every chance of flourishing so long as they are given the right support.
We like to think we can play a small part in this by creating a startup marketing strategy that will attract, inform and influence the right people.
Enthusiasm is contagious
We also enjoy working with innovative startups because it often allows us to be innovative too. Startup clients often give us the chance to try new channels, new platforms and even new messaging that we wouldn’t necessarily suggest to larger, more established clients. There’s an overarching desire to find new veins of activity, rather than sticking to the established.
There’s a lot of passion and drive in the founders of most startups - and that’s exciting and often refreshing to work with. We love what we do at Six & Flow, and we enjoy working with clients that share this same enthusiasm and drive.
For instance, Membr is a current startup client of ours. Like Six & Flow, the company is a Manchester startup with big ambitions. Membr already works with a number of UK fitness chains including Simply Gym and JD Gyms, but the online gym management software is set for international growth after securing several international deals. Their client base now stretches across Europe, Australia, Malaysia and the US. Membr’s founder and CEO Jack Malin has big plans for the software, and it’s great to be a part of the process.
We’re willing to take a chance
There can sometimes be issues when it comes to startup marketing budget, or the lack thereof. However, we like to see a limited marketing budget more as a challenge rather than a problem. It just means we have to be more creative with how we use those pounds and pence. After all, we don’t want to make it too easy for ourselves, do we?
Six & Flow works with select clients on a venture basis, and takes equity in lieu of our normal retainer. Sometimes it’s because we see financial gain in the work, but more often than not, it’s because we believe in what they are doing or selling. We occasionally come across something that excites us enough to take this risk.
In short, working on a venture basis means we can play with the cool startup kids and grow with them. We like to keep things interesting, and have high ambitions for our own startup marketing agency, so we’re open to considering innovative propositions if we really believe in the client.
Let’s talk about your startup marketing strategy
As a startup marketing agency, we understand that making big decisions on your business strategy can be daunting. After all, finances are tight and you’re only just setting out as a company. It’s kind of a big deal.
The times are changing, outbound is outdated and in some cases, can be potentially dangerous for your brand financially and in a reputational sense. Big fines are being handed out to serial data offenders. With inbound you can avoid this and get the best from your leads so read our blog “How to create Inbound Strategy Masterclass” for more information.”
