Building With Buyers: Startup Marketing and Growth Fueled By Customers

Gotta love a BONUS on a Friday! In the last episode (Ep. 184) I didn’t get a chance to answer Merci and Derek's burning questions so I decided to put together this quick BONUS episode and do just that. Questions: 1) What are you seeing that’s working (with marketing) with your clients? 2) Which channel or method are startups underutilizing? For more content, subscribe to Modern Startup Marketing on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show! And whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you: 1. fractional head of marketing for early stage startups >> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.furmanovmarketing.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 2. sponsor my Top 5% podcast and get startup founders, marketers and VCs hearing about your brand >> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcast.furmanovmarketing.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ 3. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sign up to get my monthly early stage startup marketing newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ where I’m sharing playbooks and insights and cracking some jokes You can also find me hanging out on LinkedIn, definitely say hello and tell me what you're building >> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanov

Happy MLK Day! So I did this once before where I had a couple of startup founders join me on the show (check out Ep. 168) and I super loved the dynamic (listeners did too!) so I did it again.  These are a couple of companies that, at first glance, look and seem similar. They’ve got similar sized teams. They both talk about Growth or GTM which are seemingly similar concepts. But after digging deeper, I realize that they’ve got a bunch of differences. Who they’re for, what they do for their target buyer, pricing structures, etc. So one of the big takeaways from this episode is I ask a lot of clarifying questions. This is a helpful process, to bring in someone that doesn’t live and breathe your startup, tell them who you’re for and what you’ve built, and then see how much they understand. We also cover: Who's on their GTM team and hiring their first marketer; Why did they decide to go Freemium or Self-Serve right from the start;  What marketing big bets are they taking in 2024 and why; What's been the hardest thing about marketing; Why aren’t prospects inspired to take action, how do you get people to care about what you’re building; Merci and Derek ask me their burning questions and I'll answer them in this week's BONUS episode. About Panobi: Founded: 2022 Funding: Seed Description: The platform for growth. Metrics, experiments and reports in one place. About Ignition: Founded: 2021 Funding: Seed Description: The GTM Ops platform. AI-powered Research, Roadmapping, and GTM Enablement. You can find Merci on LinkedIn: ⁠www.linkedin.com/in/merci Learn more about Panobi: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.panobi.com⁠ You can find Derek on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/derekosgood3 Learn more about Ignition: www.haveignition.com Link to MKT1 marketing org hiring article that I talk about: https://newsletter.mkt1.co/p/marketing-org-chart For more content, subscribe to Modern Startup Marketing on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show! And whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you: 1. fractional head of marketing for early stage startups >> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.furmanovmarketing.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 2. sponsor my Top 5% podcast and get startup founders, marketers and VCs hearing about your brand >> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcast.furmanovmarketing.com⁠⁠ 3. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sign up to get my monthly early stage startup marketing newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ where I’m sharing playbooks and insights and cracking some jokes You can also find me hanging out on LinkedIn, definitely say hello and tell me what you're building >> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanov

Emily Kramer, Co-Founder at MKT1, discusses warning signs before investing in startups, GTM strategy, MKT1 Capital Fund, and burning questions. The episode covers marketing strategies, unique advantages, and the significance of aligning tactics with business goals for startup growth.

Happy New Year! Wishing you a year filled with gratitude and grace, light over darkness. After 3 years of podcasting and 180+ episodes, I'm sharing with you what I've learned. For more content, subscribe to Modern Startup Marketing on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show! And whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you: 1. fractional head of marketing for early stage startups >> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.furmanovmarketing.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 2. sponsor my Top 5% podcast and get startup founders, marketers and VCs hearing about your brand >> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcast.furmanovmarketing.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ 3. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sign up to get my monthly early stage startup marketing newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ where I’m sharing playbooks and insights and cracking some jokes You can also find me hanging out on LinkedIn, definitely say hello and tell me what you're building >> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanov

This episode is sponsored by Riverside, your all-in-one podcast and video platform. Go to ⁠⁠⁠https://creators.riverside.fm/Anna⁠⁠⁠ and use the code MSM23 for 15% off. OK, final episode of 2023! I swear this time, this was just too important to leave until next year. Just coming off the last episode with Natalie Marcotullio (Navattic) we talk a lot about measuring our marketing efforts. Huge challenge for marketers and founders and will continue to be a huge challenge because the methods we use for marketing continue to change over time: is the stuff we’re doing actually working? Should we start this marketing effort? Should we keep doing this marketing program? A lot of times we hear the question: "What's the ROI on this?" If you’re hearing that question and it makes you cringe, you’re not alone. For more content, subscribe to Modern Startup Marketing on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show! And whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you: 1. fractional head of marketing for early stage startups >> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.furmanovmarketing.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 2. sponsor my Top 5% podcast and get startup founders, marketers and VCs hearing about your brand >> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcast.furmanovmarketing.com/⁠⁠⁠ 3. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sign up to get my monthly early stage startup marketing newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ where I’m sharing playbooks and insights and cracking some jokes You can also find me hanging out on LinkedIn, definitely say hello and tell me what you're building >> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanov

This episode is sponsored by Riverside, your all-in-one podcast and video platform. Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://creators.riverside.fm/Anna⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use the code MSM23 for 15% off. Merry Christmas! You can snuggle up to the fireplace with this final episode of 2023. I’ve been working with the Navattic team for 1+ years now as an advisor, great team and super love the space they're playing in and the problem they're solving. I’ve had Natalie on the show before, check out Ep. 139 “To Be The Company That Seems To Be Everywhere, You Need To Eliminate The Funnel Mindset.” This time we focused on the loaded question "what's the ROI?" on various marketing initiatives. About Navattic: Founded: 2020 Funding: Seed ($5.4M total) Description: Create interactive product demos to let prospects get hands-on with your product (without bugging engineering). In this episode: Why did you podcast; Why did you stop; Will you start back up again with the podcast; LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads vs. traditional paid ads and top learnings; The interactive demo space is so competitive, how’re you thinking about your positioning; AMA - Natalie asks me her burning question. You can find Natalie on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-marcotullio/⁠ Learn more about Navattic: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.navattic.com/ Check out their podcast Revenue on the Rocks: https://pod.co/revenue-on-the-rocks For more content, subscribe to Modern Startup Marketing on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show! And whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you: 1. fractional head of marketing for early stage startups >> ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.furmanovmarketing.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ 2. sponsor my Top 5% podcast and get startup founders, marketers and VCs hearing about your brand >> ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcast.furmanovmarketing.com/⁠⁠ 3. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sign up to get my monthly early stage startup marketing newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ where I’m sharing playbooks and insights and cracking some jokes You can also find me hanging out on LinkedIn, definitely say hello and tell me what you're building >> ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanov

In this episode, the podcast explores Step 10 of the MaaS process, which is Go-to-Market Strategy. It covers the significance of integrating previous work, prioritizing marketing channels, developing content, and creating a one-page marketing plan. The episode also provides tips for creating valuable content, highlighting the importance of original thinking, research, and content creation strategies.

This episode is sponsored by Riverside, your all-in-one podcast and video platform. Go to ⁠⁠⁠https://creators.riverside.fm/Anna⁠⁠⁠ and use the code MSM23 for 15% off. Peter Light is Co-Founder and CEO at Lumen Energy. Peter and I worked together back in 2021 and at that time Lumen was just a handful of people and they were building out their GTM strategy, positioning, messaging, and team. About Lumen Energy: Founded: 2020 Funding: Series A ($15.3M total) Description: Lumen enables commercial buildings to generate new income from clean energy. In this episode: The early days of Lumen Energy (Seed stage) - who did you bring onto the GTM team, what was your GTM strategy; How did you build trust with prospects as an early stage startup; What were the high points and what were the struggles at Seed stage; How much advice did you follow from your early investors; Why is marketing important and why do you think marketing can be so misunderstood; AMA - Peter asks me his burning question. You can find Peter on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/pelight/ Learn more about Lumen Energy: ⁠https://getlumen.com/ For more content, subscribe to Modern Startup Marketing on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show! And whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you: 1. fractional head of marketing for early stage startups >> ⁠⁠⁠www.furmanovmarketing.com⁠⁠⁠ 2. sponsor my Top 5% podcast and get startup founders, marketers and VCs hearing about your brand >> ⁠⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/anna-furmanov⁠⁠⁠ 3. ⁠⁠⁠⁠sign up to get my monthly early stage startup marketing newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠ where I’m sharing playbooks and insights and cracking some jokes You can also find me hanging out on LinkedIn, definitely say hello and tell me what you're building >> ⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanov

This episode is sponsored by Riverside, your all-in-one podcast and video platform. Go to ⁠⁠https://creators.riverside.fm/Anna⁠⁠ and use the code MSM23 for 15% off. Josh Lowman (CCO and Founder at Gold Front) joined me on the show for the second time for this BONUS episode. Check out Ep. 84 “What I've Learned From Category Designing 50+ Startups” where Josh shares how he's helped startups like Robinhood, Newsela, Uber, Bizzabo, and Clari create and own their category. In this episode: Why we leave happiness out of the business equation; Why happiness matters; Josh shares two mind tools that can help; Tying it back to category design (HINT: the world is telling us to be reasonable); Josh and I category design my own business. You can find Josh on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/joshlowman Learn more about Gold Front: www.goldfront.com For more content, subscribe to Modern Startup Marketing on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show! And whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you: 1. fractional head of marketing and advising for early stage startups >> ⁠⁠www.furmanovmarketing.com⁠⁠ 2. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sign up to get my monthly early stage startup marketing newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ where I’m sharing playbooks and insights and cracking some jokes 3. Sponsor my Top 5% podcast and get startup founders, marketers and VCs hearing about your brand >> ⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/anna-furmanov⁠⁠ You can also find me hanging out on LinkedIn, definitely say hello >> ⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanov

This episode is sponsored by Riverside, your all-in-one podcast and video platform. Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://creators.riverside.fm/Anna⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use the code MSM23 for 15% off. It's Season 4 of the Modern Startup Marketing podcast and this episode is me continuing to share ⁠⁠⁠⁠MaaS⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Marketing as a System) which is the systematic approach to marketing that I built over almost 4 years of working with VC-backed early stage startups. In this episode I cover Step 9: Case Studies including what it is, why it's important, who should own this work, and how to do it right. I'll be mixing in some more ⁠⁠⁠⁠MaaS⁠⁠⁠⁠-focused episodes over the course of the season. For more content, subscribe to Modern Startup Marketing on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show! I would love that so much. And whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you: 1. fractional head of marketing and advising for early stage startups >> ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.furmanovmarketing.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ 2. ⁠⁠⁠⁠sign up to get my monthly early stage startup marketing newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠ where I’m sharing playbooks and insights and cracking some jokes 3. Sponsor my Top 5% podcast and get startup founders, marketers and VCs hearing about your brand >> ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/anna-furmanov⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can also find me hanging out on LinkedIn, definitely say hello >> ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanov