Marketing Tech Talk with Sara Carty – Part 2 of 2

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The recent session on marketing for startups, presented by Sarah, offered practical insights into developing impactful marketing strategies, especially for small teams or single-resource setups. Drawing from over 15 years of experience in tech, Sarah shared methods to define goals, understand target audiences, and create value-driven content.

The second marketing session, led by Sara Carty, provided valuable insights into creating effective marketing strategies, particularly for startups with small teams or limited resources. During a Cyber Runway: Scale session provided by the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology and hosted by Plexal, where I attended on behalf of Cyber Tzar, the Enterprise Supply Chain Risk Management platform. Sarah shared her expertise on setting clear goals, identifying target audiences, and developing value-driven content.

Contents

Table of Contents

Marketing Tech Talk with Sara Carty – Part 2 of 2

This video is publicly available on the Plexal YouTube playlist for the Cyber Runway programme.

Key Points and Recommendations

1. Establish a Strong Foundation

  • Define short- and long-term goals:
    • Short-term: Lead generation, engagement metrics (e.g., cost per click, conversion rates).
    • Long-term: Brand awareness, market positioning, customer loyalty.
  • Use tools like Trello to keep goals accessible and visible to leadership teams.

2. Understand the ‘Why’ and the ‘Who’

  • Starting with why (mission and vision) helps align purpose but should not delay progress. These can evolve over time.
  • Prioritise identifying who you are targeting, using Ideal Customer Profiles (ICPs) for B2B or buyer personas for B2C.

3. Create a Unique Value Proposition

  • Highlight what you do best, whether it’s a product feature or an exceptional service.
  • Test messaging through customer interactions, events, and networking.

4. Develop and Distribute Content Strategically

  • Content creation should align with ICP pain points and address their challenges with solutions.
  • Repurpose content to maximise its reach, e.g., turning an ebook into a webinar, infographic, and social posts.
  • Leverage owned media channels, such as a website and social media, to distribute content effectively.

5. Choose the Right Growth Model

  • Understand whether your strategy is product-led, sales-led, or marketing-led:
    • Product-led focuses on user acquisition through product value.
    • Sales-led prioritises relationship-building.
    • Marketing-led emphasises lead generation and visibility through campaigns.

6. Build a Sustainable Marketing Strategy

  • Align strategic goals (long-term brand and market positioning) with tactical execution (campaigns, social posts, events).
  • Ensure continuous communication between marketing, sales, and leadership teams.
  • Use CRM systems to track data and refine strategies.

7. Budgeting and Team Structure

  • Start small: A single marketing generalist can suffice initially, but additional support may be needed for content creation and branding.
  • Budget examples: For LinkedIn campaigns, begin with £1,500–£2,000 per month to test different approaches (e.g., awareness, retargeting, and conversion).

Some Thoughts

The session was highly informative, with practical advice for early-stage startups. It effectively addressed common challenges, such as working with limited resources and the importance of targeting. However, it could have delved deeper into the specifics of certain tools and platforms (e.g., Reddit and YouTube) to offer a more diverse perspective for startups exploring less conventional marketing channels.

Conclusion

This session underscored the importance of aligning marketing strategies with startup realities, focusing on achievable, measurable outcomes. It also highlighted the value of creativity and authenticity in standing out within competitive markets.