How a Marketing Agency for Startups Can Fast-Track Growth

Being a startup founder isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s exhausting trying to juggle crucial tasks like developing a product, assembling a winning team, and championing your business to stakeholders.

In the chaos of keeping your latest project afloat, we’re sure the tasks on your to-do list are becoming endless. What if we told you someone else could be crossing them off for you when you hire a marketing agency?

You’ve probably got questions. Luckily for you, we’re going to answer them. If you want to grasp what this service is, why your business is guaranteed to see results, and how to choose the right one, stick around to find out more.

What is a marketing agency?

How do you know if a marketing agency is right for you? You won’t be able to make an informed decision if you don’t fully understand what they are. So, let’s start with a simple definition.

A marketing agency is a collective of talented and creative individuals that are hired by a company to help them achieve their business goals. They provide a multitude of services, but it boils down to the planning, creating, and managing of marketing activities.

Some people say a marketing agency is like a recipe. They tell you what you need, what to do, and when to act to help you produce something delicious.

But we think they’re more like a recipe subscription box. Take HelloFresh, for example. All of the ingredients are delivered to your doorstep, the plan is customized to your needs, and your order can be adapted whenever tastes change.

What makes a startup marketing agency different?

A startup marketing agency will work just like any other. But what makes this service different is their unique understanding of the problems small businesses experience. Their tailored solutions are designed to help clients push past common barriers.

Let’s look at some of the ways these agencies support startups specifically.

Flexibility: The early stages of a startup can be a rollercoaster for everyone involved. Startup agencies know this and are prepared to scale and adapt when needed. For example, if the client experiences rapid growth, they can accommodate this by introducing helpful technologies or expanding into new markets.

Launch support: Most of the time, a well-established business seeks out marketers to jumpstart their existing brand. However, these agencies will provide support from the very beginning of the journey. This is very beneficial, considering some startups might not even have a product on the market yet.

Budgets: A startup marketing agency will take your budget into careful consideration and offer cost-effective solutions that fit within it. They’ll know that the second most common reason why startups fail is running out of funds, so they won’t pressure you to spend too much or waste it.

The benefits of using a startup marketing agency

Right now, an estimated 120,000 marketing agencies operate in the US. More enter the market each year, trying to take advantage of the ever-growing demand.

To understand why more businesses want these services, you have to look at the many benefits they offer. The list below highlights the most convincing reasons to invest.

Expertise. In one marketing agency, you may have a team of content strategists, copywriters, graphic designers, and web developers. All of these people will come with years of experience and knowledge.

Outside perspective. When you’re close to a business, it isn’t easy to be objective when making important decisions. A marketing team can remove those biases whilst offering up creative new ideas.

More time. Gone are the days of chasing freelancers or doing everything yourself. An agency handles all of your marketing efforts so you can expand your horizons and focus on other things.

Proven results. Trusting anyone with your business is scary, especially when it’s in its infancy. But each team will come with a portfolio of successful customer stories and impressive results to give you confidence in their abilities.

Cost-effective. Hiring externally can be an investment, but it’s a worthwhile endeavor. In comparison to in-house employees, you cut down on costs like health benefits, holiday pay, hiring, and training.

Specialist tools. Marketers who have been in the industry for a while will have a plethora of platforms, tools, and innovative technologies they like to work with. They’ll show you the best resources on the market and how to optimize them.

What to do before hiring a startup marketing agency

It’s only natural for marketing agencies to make changes and spark innovation. It’s what they’re good at. But for their efforts to make a difference, they need to feel authentic to your company. 88% of customers seek out this trait when wanting to make a purchase.

So, before you throw open your laptop and start looking for your perfect hire, we urge you to begin your research by looking in the mirror. After all, if you don’t know your business inside and out, how can you expect a marketing agency to do the same?

This introspective exploration and analysis does take some time, but have patience! Ultimately, it’ll help whoever you hire develop a deeper connection with your brand. Here are some areas to look out for.

Know your competitors. Conduct a competitor analysis of the big players in your industry, specifically your direct rivals. By researching their marketing strategies, you can use this as a point of comparison for your own strengths and weaknesses.

Evaluate your performance. A gap analysis will tell you how your company is currently performing. By comparing this with your potential or desired performance, you can identify what’s missing.

Set clear goals. What does your company need before growth is achievable? Make sure your answer is clear and measurable, like expanding to new audiences, boosting revenue, and increasing brand awareness.

Get your data together. Collect data from as many sources as you can, focusing on metrics that are relevant to marketing, such as conversion rate, search engine results page (SERP) ranking, click-through rate, and traffic. With these, develop a report with data-driven insights and decide where your efforts need to go.

What to think about before hiring a startup marketing agency

Once you’ve taken a long look at your company, you’re ready to take the exciting next steps. Opting to move forward with this new venture is a big decision, but as you’re about to find out, choosing the right professionals is the biggest one you’ll make.

Between finding a good culture fit, checking for a relevant background, and making sure their talents can meet your goals, you’ve got a lot of thinking to do. But don’t let the fear of getting it wrong stop you from trying. These tried-and-tested tips should make it easier.

Look at their own marketing. If anyone should have good marketing, it’s an agency that specializes in it. Look at how they talk to followers, what content they produce, and how their style makes you feel. Would you be happy if they did this with your brand?
Get personal. You can’t get a proper feel for a team through emails. A call or in-person meeting will show you what their personalities are like and how they communicate. Trust us, the relationship you form is crucial, so try to find people you can connect with.
Be cautious. Have you found a team with irresistibly low prices? Or have you been offered unbelievably good results? You may have struck gold, but make sure to ask for the facts before signing anything to avoid disappointment and loss.

Understand how they measure success. Your idea of success must align with theirs. Find out what metrics and KPIs an agency uses before committing to anything and see if they’re adaptable with these measures too.

What types of startup marketing agencies are there?

Your options at this stage are pretty much endless. You’ll find agencies that specialize in one channel, multiple, or full-service companies that provide the works.

This may seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be a bad thing. With lots of choices, you can find a team that fits your business like another piece of the jigsaw puzzle.

Let’s look at the multitude of marketing agencies out there just waiting to be discovered.

1. Full-service marketing agency

The first stop on our journey is a bit different from the rest. Instead of working within a niche or specialism, a full-service marketing agency is a jack-of-all-trades. The service they provide covers everything a business could need, all under one convenient roof.

The tasks undertaken will depend on the client and industry. However, we do know that every day will be different. Below is a sample of what they typically offer.

Digital and content marketing services
Website design and development
Content strategies
Client communication
Public relations management
Branding consultancy
Traditional marketing strategies

When you work with one team, you won’t have to deal with the conflicting ideas of multiple agencies. Instead, you get a well-oiled machine of individuals who know how to work seamlessly together. This makes communication and collaboration much more efficient.

2. Digital marketing agency

As you can see, full-service agencies cover a lot of ground, including any digital marketing services you can think of. For this reason, you might be wondering why you’d need this next one at all. But don’t rule it out just yet.

There are many benefits to digital marketing agencies. They focus solely on mastering online services, meaning they can provide specialist expertise, deeper knowledge, and faster results. This is particularly useful for startups that are still building their brand.

Most tasks that help a company grow an online presence will be their domain, such as:

Management of marketing channels
Search engine optimization (SEO)
Affiliate marketing
Marketing automation
Content creation
Online advertising such as pay-per-click (PPC) and paid search

3. Content marketing agency

Again, there is some overlap between content and digital marketing agencies that causes confusion. So, let’s clear that up.

While they both provide online marketing solutions, agencies that specialize in content become responsible for its creation and how it’s used strategically. It might sound niche, but these experts offer invaluable services that are directly linked with significant growth.

The numbers don’t lie. 96% of decision-makers reported that introducing content marketing has been effective for their business.

An agency can help you optimize this tactic because they know what works and they’ve already done all the trial-and-error so you don’t have to. With no need for guesswork, below are some of the tasks they’ll be sure to succeed in.

Designing effective distribution and promotion strategies
Creating a diverse range of content, including blogs, infographics, and podcasts
Coming up with action plans for the next month or year to promote consistency
Conducting market research to identify new opportunities and trends
Ensuring the content is optimized for SEO, link building, and repurposing
Publishing reviews and testimonials as a form of social proof

4. Traditional marketing agency

In the good old days, before the internet became our lifeline, there was traditional marketing. But don’t make the mistake of leaving this strategy in the past. It brings unique opportunities to establish local networks and attract audiences who are more familiar with these methods.

You’ll also see an improvement in your credibility. 56% of customers consider print to be the most trustworthy type of marketing.

But it’s not without its challenges. Many consumers will disregard printed advertisements because they assume the contents are spam. If they do give it a look, chances are the lack of personalization and interactivity will lead them to forget about it. How can you jump over these pretty big hurdles? With an agency, of course.

A traditional marketing agency knows that these materials need to be modernized to keep up with the digital space. Here is just an example of how they’ve been doing that.

Connecting with celebrities for exciting television and radio opportunities
Finding in-person events to attend or host
Choosing up-and-coming locations for billboards
Incorporating printed QR codes into signage to allow for interactivity
Creating engaging customized print materials like newsletters
Publishing native advertising to blend in with the editorial content of magazines

5. Growth marketing agency

If you’re reading this, you’ve probably got company growth on your mind. All of the agencies we’ve discussed and have yet to look at can give you what you need in various ways, but our next pick knows how to do it best. After all, it’s in the name.

A growth marketing agency aims to provide businesses with sustainable success very quickly. They’ll use a combination of customer-centric strategies designed to keep them coming back. Acquiring leads is important, but nurturing them makes the difference.

Here are some examples of what they might do when you hire one.

Building optimized landing pages for lead generation and conversion.
Using analytics to keep growth on track and maintained.
Making effective cold calls that don’t frustrate the recipient.
Introducing new marketing channels and researching how to optimize them.
Creating a diversification strategy to expand a company’s product development
Implementing innovative customer relationship management (CRM) platforms.

One reason to hire growth experts is their ability to solve problems in the long term. They often experiment with short-term tactics in the process, but use these to build value that develops over time. If you want to stand the test of time, this guidance will be a goldmine.

6. Social media marketing agency

Getting social media right is a huge part of success in marketing. When you deliver the right kind of content and interactions, amazing things start to happen. For example, you promote brand recognition, foster a positive reputation, and keep your customers close.

You might assume that the promotion of your products is the best way to achieve these things. But it’s actually the opposite. Social media users want to connect with real people, not ingenuine advertisements. More than 40% of consumers turn their ad blockers on.

Agencies make sure you don’t miss out on the opportunities social media brings. They’re prepared to grow your presence in a way that makes your audience forget you’re even selling something. You’ll form stronger relationships and gain loyal advocacy.

Let’s look at how they do it.

Forming partnerships with exciting, trendy influencers.
Focusing on video production, which is the preferred content of most consumers.
Managing social media channels to keep on top of customer interactions.
Writing engaging copy for text-based posts and captions.
Keeping up with the trends across all the different social media channels.
Brainstorming ideas for creative delivery, like GIFs, memes, and giveaways.

7. Performance marketing agency

Often, even the top startups don’t have an abundance of resources. Most will be short on both time and money, which is a frustrating combination for a business trying to get its name out there.

Wouldn’t it be a dream come true if you only had to pay for the campaigns that brought you results? Well, that can be your reality when you invest in a performance marketing agency. This service stands out on this list because of their pay-per-action approach.

The idea here is that a company will discuss with their potential new hire what it is they want to achieve and when. For example, if they want a certain number of app downloads by the end of the month. They will only pay the marketer when this goal has been completed.

Below you’ll find an overview of what this service does, even before they’ve cashed in.

Introducing your brand to new advertising channels, like Amazon Ads.
Using KPIs and metrics to clearly illustrate the progress they’re making.
Structuring ads based on what audiences look up on search engines.
Elevating paid media with quality graphic design and messaging.
Retargeting disengaged users with emails, offers, and personal interactions.
Delivering seasonal campaigns to profit from increased demand and interest.

Hiring this type of agency significantly reduces your risk because your money is protected. You’ll either see results or you won’t have to pay out, it’s a win-win scenario! Beyond that, the pressure is on to help you succeed quickly, so it’s guaranteed no time will be wasted.

8. Email marketing agency

Are you still asking if you need email marketing in 2023? We’re shaking our heads in disappointment. This method generates $42 for every $1 spent and is huge for return on investment (ROI), meaning you’re doing your business a disservice by overlooking it.

It isn’t the easiest channel to get right, though. Research from 2022 found that 40% of companies take over two days to create and execute a new campaign. If it sounds like something you don’t have time for, it’s time for an email marketing agency to step in.

Here are some of the ways the experts will assist.

Writing compelling copy to increase the open rate.
Scheduling emails to send at a time that’s convenient for your target audience.
Building a relevant email list.
Knowing when is appropriate to send a follow-up email.
Coming up with incentives on welcome emails, like discounts and early access.
Using human-to-human (H2H) subject lines to personalize the experience.

9. E-commerce marketing agency

You’d struggle to find a business today that doesn’t operate a website. From the biggest players to the smallest, everyone understands the importance of e-commerce.

By making your products easier to purchase, you can expand your reach and scale your business way beyond your local market. Also, nearly 80% of consumers shop online at least once a month. By offering them the option to do this, you meet their needs better.

Without a website, you could be losing out on a lot of potential customers. But having an online store won’t be enough; you also have to deliver a seamless user experience. A poor design or a lack of features could lead to negative brand reviews, a high bounce rate, and significant customer support costs. Yikes. That’s not what a young business needs at all.

So, how does an e-commerce marketing agency help you avoid this? Once hired, they will explore a range of digital marketing strategies to unlock your website’s full potential. This will be in line with the goals you discussed before, such as maximizing your online sales.

Let’s take a peek at what they’ll get up to.

Providing advice and technologies to improve functionality.
Giving branding direction to make sure the website makes sense to the company.
Planning out the website’s navigation features to increase conversions.
Working with software as a service (SaaS) companies to build the best website.
Understanding satisfaction factors like video length, typography, and image quality.
Optimizing content for mobile shopping, which is becoming increasingly popular.

10. Experiential marketing agency

The outdoor apparel and gear brand Globetrotter opened up a branch in Munich back in 2011. Do you want to know why this event is still being remembered so many years later? Because they introduced a “bad weather chamber” to the store. Customers were able to wear the company’s products in extremely cold conditions to test out their durability.

It made the news all across the world and became a fantastically successful marketing campaign. This example proves that consumers want to be excited by brands that do things differently from everyone else.

Not everyone has the boldness or the creativity to come up with ideas like this. When we can’t do it ourselves, we can hire an experiential marketing agency. Their role in your company is to create brand experiences that get people talking. These will often be done live and face-to-face to make them more memorable.

If an agency is brave enough, then they might try just about anything. But here are some examples to show you what they’re capable of.

Offering free product samples
Participating in stunts like brand rivalries
Hosting immersive VR events
Making mistakes on purpose when posting on social media
Organizing a pop-up stand
Holding events to showcase new products
Partnering up with charity organizations
Placing interactive screens in shopping malls

How to find your startup marketing agency

Congratulations! You now have all the tools in your arsenal to start the hiring process. Just one question remains unanswered: where are you supposed to begin? There are so many ways you can find your dream startup marketing agency when you know where to look.

There’s no right way to find what you’re looking for, but here are options to help you get going.

Have a look on Google. It might sound too simple for such a complicated process, but typing what you want into a search engine often does the trick. Read the case studies and reviews of agencies you’re interested in before you commit, though.

Go on LinkedIn. This social media platform is a professional library of talents for you to pick through. You’re able to connect with agencies first, look at what they’ve been doing recently, and check out their qualifications before reaching out.

Ask around. Your business partners, industry peers, and other entrepreneurs may be able to offer in-depth recommendations if they have experience with an agency. You’ll be able to ask lots of questions and trust the advice you’ve been given.

Put out an advertisement. Sometimes, this can overwhelm you with applicants who aren’t fit for the job. But it can be a useful way of seeing who gravitates towards your company and thinks they can meet your marketing needs.

Do what’s best for your business

In the long haul, only one in ten startups in the US survive the trials and tribulations of the business landscape. But now you have an opportunity to challenge these poor statistics and be the success story everyone will talk about.

There’s no limit to what a startup marketing agency can do for your brand. Through their guidance, expertise, and resources, you’ll be able to put down roots in an unstable market.