Startup marketing is art.
Really. I mean it.
Because what is the definition of art, really? That’s rhetorical. I’ve taken the liberty of looking that up.
art – Noun
1. The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination
2. Works produced by such skill and imagination
Now, we usually think of art as the product of painters, sculptors, photographers, and musicians, but I think that’s short sighted. If marketing is not art, I don’t know what is.
Marketing is the open-ended process with the end goal of creating demand for something. Think about that. The timeline is as such:
- Start with nothing – In the very beginning, there’s nothing but an idea. Someone comes up with an idea for a product that does not yet exist, and that’s where marketing’s job begins. Take that which does not exist, and turn it into something people want.
- Define what it is – From creating a name to coming up with a logo, you must then create the story that defines what it is you offer.
- Generate awareness – Put this idea into the world and let people know what it is.
- Create demand – Package the idea in a way that solves the problem of a defined set of identifiable people, and get them interested.
- Engage – Find ways to get in touch with the audience, with the end goal of getting them to try the product.
- Nurture – Keep in touch with your leads, keeping your product top of mind.
- Keep Customers Happy – After the sale (especially in a subscription business) ensure that customers stay customers. Additionally, make customers so happy that they become advocates and references.
By the way, that’s the oversimplification of the century. But if you look at every one of those areas, you’ll notice that there’s human creative skill and imagination in every step of the process.
Every blog post. Every case study. Each email and video. All are decisions that require creativity and imagination.
And that’s why we’re all getting together on Tuesday for our first startup marketing labs event. A group of creative people with an insanely difficult end goal will meet to trade stories, discuss challenges, and lean from each other.
The Boston-area B2B Startup Marketing Meetup is holding its July event on Tuesday, 7/16 at Microsoft NERD in Cambridge. The event is free, and more details are available on the meetup site.
