Erwan Derlyn - Joining as the first marketer
A friend of mine recently landed a job at a startup as the first marketer and reached out for advice. I often get this question, so I’m turning my answer into a public post. Being the first marketer at a startup is an extremely challenging yet rewarding opportunity. On the one hand, you often wear multiple hats: project manager, researcher, designer, copywriter, advertiser, analyst, PR, meme dealer; the list goes on. But, on the other hand, you also get to collaborate closely with the founding team and have an influential role in the overall company's culture and strategy. The following is based on a compilation of advice from my network and personal experience. I hope it can help some of you navigate this formative adventure. 1. Think like an investorLet’s be honest: joining as the first marketer at a startup is a risky bet. At the end of the day, most startups fail. Borrow from VCs to inform your decision. Before joining, make a complete due diligence on the market, product, and the team. Here are some questions to ponder:
It’s not a perfect science (even professional investors make bad bets), but that could help you spot the most obvious red flags.
2. You’re not aloneBeing the first marketer doesn’t mean that there haven’t been any marketing initiatives before. Insights are probably not well documented and spread out in the organization. So spend some time talking to everyone in the team, listen and learn. Here’s what Sophia Bendz did when she joined Spotify:
Katarina, Rémy, and Stefan echo similar advice:
Not only will doing this help you gather ideas, but it will also set the right expectations while educating the team on why marketing matters and how they can contribute. If you're the marketing leader -- and you think the CEO doesn't get marketing like you do -- that's on you. That's your job. Probably half of it. At least. Fix that. 3. Don't assume, validateTalking to your team is great, but there’s a major downside: they are probably biased! Get out of the office and form your own opinions by talking to customers and potential ones. Just make sure to take another approach than Jared 😂 Desirée and Dave recommend:
4. Focus, focus, focusIf there is one thing you need to be good at as the first marketer: it’s prioritizing. Prioritize ruthlessly! Deciding what not to do is as important as choosing what to do. Catherine, Katarina, and Arnaud add:
So drop some hats! If you have difficulty defining a clear scope, I shared a framework for getting started with customer acquisition here. If you struggle with getting things done, I would recommend going analog and ditch your laptop from time to time. You’ll be more creative and effective when faced with fewer options and distractions. 5. Get comfortable with failure
Failing sucks. But at the same time, it’s the best way to learn. Failure is something you can’t avoid when you’re in startup mode. It’s going to happen: you will fail. So why not embrace it? Who said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”? 6. Embrace being smallIn the early days, many startups try to look bigger than they actually are.
Forget about chatbots and automated email campaigns for now. Instead, be personal and go the extra mile to delight your early customers for as long as you possibly can sustain. There will be plenty of room to think about automation when you scale operations. 7. Ask for helpBeing a marketing team of one can be lonely, so loooonely. It helps to have someone you can bounce ideas off of — someone who understands the specifics of the job and has experienced what you are going through. If you look around you, I bet that there’s plenty of support available in your ecosystem. Amalie suggests:
But beware of bad deals, warns Felix Lundevall, Head of Growth at Mindler:
8. Document your journeyDocumenting will help you keeping track of your progress. It will also be a treasure trove of learnings for the next marketing resource (whenever that might be) and save you some precious time in the onboarding process. It’ll also be some great material when you look back at your journey years from now.
9. Enjoy the rideI’ve been there. Joining an early-stage startup is an emotional rollercoaster. Sometimes you’ll feel amazing. Other, you’ll feel like giving up. It’s easy to forget when things move fast, but it’s not the destination; it’s the journey that matters. Katarina, Anna, and Rémy conclude with words of encouragement:
If you’re joining a startup as the first marketer, I hope the insights above help. If you have any questions or need help with anything, feel free to reach out 👋 If you liked this post from Erwan Derlyn, why not share it? |
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