B2B startup advice

Starting a B2B company is an exciting venture that comes with its unique challenges and opportunities. The early stages are particularly critical as they set the foundation for future growth and success. To navigate this phase effectively, here are 8 tips for early-stage B2B start-ups:

1. Define Your Company Goals and Then Your Marketing Goals

Without clearly defined company goals, your marketing will be, at best underserved, and more than likely sporadic with no defined goals.

2. Lean into being lean

If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that things can change in a hurry.  Especially for start-ups who have limited runway.  Don’t rush out and hire a full-on, in-house marketing team—instead look for marketers who have multiple skill sets that can help you achieve your company/marketing goals.

3. Do the research

Use research always but especially for two purposes early on:    

1. Validate that your customers are who you think they are    

2. Find out where they consume information

4. Prove it!

Prove what your research has uncovered.  Launch campaigns targeted at your ICP and use the channels where you found that they consume information.  Have simple metrics set up to be able to track the success of these early campaigns and start slow—don’t get lost in 20 different KPIS—pick 2-3 and optimize for those.  And these should also align with the overall company goals stated in step 1.

5. Cut the crap and scale what works

Early-stage companies usually spend way too long waiting for something to work just because they think it should.  If I’ve learned anything over my time as a marketer is that you need to let go and move on when something isn’t working. Decisiveness is a trait that will serve you well as you grow your business in the early days.

6. Leave some room (and budget) for experimentation

One of the best parts of working at a start-up is your ability to test ideas relatively quickly and cheaply.  While I would suggest that the majority of your early marketing should focus on the basic marketing tactics that you know will work, leave some space for moonshots.

I like to operate with the 80/20 mindset, being that 80% of your marketing and budget should be predictable, back to the basics, type marketing and 20% of time and budget can be reserved for those unique, original ideas that just might take off.

7. Don’t compare yourself to mature, billion-dollar companies (or companies in totally different verticals than you)

One of the things that so often gets in the way of forward progress is comparisons.  And not even comparing apples to apples.  In fact, don't worry about what Apple is doing at all because you don't have the budget, the brand name, or the team to do what they are doing from a marketing standpoint.  So rather than get caught up in what others are doing, just do you—authenticity is rare and thus a differentiator as well as a connector.

There's a saying (that I made up) about how everyone wants caviar on a McDonalds budget. Be aware of who you are as a company and what you can afford—just because you start out somewhere doesn't mean you are destined to finish there.

8. Be customer-obsessed

This might seem obvious or even cliche but it’s the truth.  Being customer-obsessed means that you are building the entire customer journey with empathy and longevity in mind.

Starting a B2B start-up is no small feat, but with the right approach, it can also be immensely rewarding. By focusing on hiring the right marketers, starting lean, building customer relationships, developing scalable processes, leveraging technology, continuously improving your product, and fostering a culture of learning and adaptation, you can set your B2B start-up on the path to long-term success.

To learn more about how we've helped B2B companies build and grow their marketing programs, contact us here.

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