Inbound Marketing for startups: Why is it the right choice?

 When you launch your startup, you usually plan to start fast and hard -that's even the literal meaning of the word "Start Up."

There are many challenges that stand in the way of our startups, but they are often swept away by the strength and enthusiasm of young, hyper-motivated, multi-skilled teams. But how do we get known?

 In addition to being the showcase of your business, your site can meet many marketing objectives.

As we at the Super Agency talk with startup founders in Montpellier, Paris, and elsewhere, we realize that thinking about their-digital-marketing is (too) often relegated to the background.

Of course, all startups have a website, but ultimately, very few know or want to use it as their primary promotional tool for their business.

The temptation of the paid campaign

Most of a startup's efforts are focused, at least initially, on the main purpose of their business : developing an app, developing a technology, making a new tool, etc.

These companies have often been able to convince partners to invest in their project and usually have sufficient funds to find opportunities.

To showcase their expertise, the main weapon of a startup in the 21st century is undoubtedly digital marketing.

Today, a young startup creator targeting a European or even global customer base could certainly spend tens of thousands of euros on a 4x3 poster campaign.

But he would more certainly think about launching a pay-per-click campaign via Google Adwords. For the same price, he would reach much more potential customers and in a much more targeted way.

Except that while this approach seems to be very effective, it nevertheless faces three major problems :

• The price. An Adwords campaign is expensive, and even more expensive. 
• The competition. It is very easy to set up a paid search campaign. This solution is therefore within the reach of competitors.
• The lack of longevity. When you stop paying, your visibility drops immediately.

As a result, many startups want to implement alternative campaigns to PPC. 

The revelation of Inbound Marketing

The solution for a startup looking to gain exposure may be through inbound marketing.

This strategy, formalized by the U.S.-based Hubspot a short decade ago, aims to bring in customers with quality content and then convert them by effectively using tools like call-to-actions, landings pages or even automated email blasts.  

 Inbound Marketing allows you to send a message to the target without interrupting their activity. But it is also much more than that!

What would be the reasons for a startup to favor this approach ?

1. Because it works, simply ! Hubspot's growth in the US today is largely due to startups. They don't have to defend large budgetary policies of investment in traditional digital marketing and can therefore more easily reorient their strategies in the direction of Inbound Marketing. Hubspot has actually launched a program specifically along these lines to attract more promising startups.
2. Because it's cheaper, in the end. Sure, setting up an Inbound Marketing strategy is a pretty big investment, but it's hardly high if you compare it to the real costs of other strategies. Many tools are free, such as the blog platform, the Facebook page or the Twitter account. The ROI of an Inbound Marketing campaign is achieved much faster than with a classic campaign.
3. Because it allows for better targeting. Pay-per-click campaigns and even more so, email campaigns are notoriously mass-market tools. You will contact a large number of people, but in the end, very few will be truly interested in what you are doing. On the contrary with Inbound Marketing, the people reached will be those who show a genuine interest in you and your products.
4. Because it is an investment, not a current expense. With most marketing campaigns, the effects only last as long as the campaign. If you choose to stop paying, all of your efforts will in the short term be negated. On the contrary, the very principle of Inbound Marketing is to build, blog post by blog post, a lasting presence. You will reap the benefits of your campaigns months or even years after their launch.

If you're looking to get started with Inbound Marketing, download our getting started checklist or contact us to ask us your questions.