This document outlines 10 steps for social media marketing success for startups. It recommends startups 1) learn from successful competitors and common mistakes, 2) decide the purpose of social media use, 3) know the target audience, 4) choose relevant channels, 5) start small with 1-2 channels and regular content, 6) embrace trial and error, 7) consider organic vs paid approaches depending on goals and budget, 8) focus on meaningful key performance indicators like reach and engagement rather than vanity metrics, 9) prioritize authentic follower growth, and 10) identify your gifts and wants when seeking help. The agency providing this advice, Yay!Starter, helps startups succeed through online marketing channels.

1. Munich, 2018
Harnessing the power of marketing: 10 steps to social media success

2. Who We Are

3. Who we are: Yay!Starter is a London-based marketing agency.
Why we do what we do: We help startups to succeed.
How we do it: We work with companies in a variety of sectors activating
their growth potential through online channels.
Yay!Starter is led by Yana Lapitskaya, a digital native with over 12 years of
experience.
About Us

4. WWWW
(who we worked with)

5. Startups & Startup Marketing

6. Traditional approach:
• Hire a marketing manager
• Hire a marketing agency
• Spend money with both
• Analyse ROI
• Reap rewards or…
Traditional vs Startup Approach
Startup approach:
• Try a few things yourself &
analyse ROI
• Bring in startup marketing
specialists
• Analyse ROI
• Grow your team if necessary
• Analyse ROI…
In a startup the cost of failure is considerably higher than in an established business whereas budgets are
more limited. Apply laser focus. Don’t hire more people just to demonstrate growth.
VS

7. What is SMM
Social Media Marketing (SMM) is - the use of social media
websites and social networks to market a company’s
products and services. Social media marketing provides
companies with a way to reach new customers and engage
with existing customers.
Investopedia

8. Do I Need SMM?
If you are a startup founder, or aspire to become one,
and you don't live in a cave, than yes is an obvious
answer.
The right question to ask would be: how shall I use it?
Our 10-step approach will help you to get started.

9. Do I Need SMM?
If you are a startup investor, you need to consider SMM
too.
The right questions to ask would be: what’s the value
of it and why it’s worth investing?
Offers great ROICheap & cheerful
Gets results that are easy to analyse
Easy to scale up and down

10. 10 Steps to Social Media Success

11. Step 1: Learn from the best
This includes:
• Check out the social media profiles of the companies you admire
(preferably within your sector)
• Analyse what your successful competitors are doing
• Note it down and think what you could do (beware of copying blindly! a)
it’s not cool b) it doesn’t work)
• Think what you can bring to the party - how you can be original and
creative in this space?
• Listen to what the audience of your competitors says and try to give them
what they are missing

13. Step 2: …and from the common mistakes
This includes:
• ‘Let’s be EVERYWHERE at once’ approach (never mind we have no
idea what we’re doing)
• Our stuff is great - let’s sell it here!
• We will be clever and humorous and everyone will be dying to like/
follow us
• Let’s just get as many followers as possible…
• Let’s launch and then decide what we do and how
• It’s better to have some SM presence than none… Wrong!
An empty Twitter page you started 3 years ago or a LinkedIn company profile
with 1 line description and 2 followers looks worse than no social media
presence…

14. Step 3: Decide why you want to be on social
What’s your purpose there?
This will define everything else that follows.
• Do I want popularity?
• Do I want sales?
• Do I just want to be like everyone else?

16. Step 4: Know Your Audience
Why would they care?

17. Things to consider:
Are you a B2B or a B2C business?
Where is your audience?
Which geography?
What business are you in?
Step 5: Choose your channels (wisely)

18. Step 6: Start small
…and build up gradually
• Start with 1-2 channels, but make them good
• Post regular and relevant content
• Take care of your audience - find it, attract it, keep it engaged!
Your company’s life on Social Media is a marathon, not a sprint!

19. Step 7: Trial & error
Get comfortable with this idea and… PDCA

20. Step 8: Organic VS Paid
Which one to go for??
• Depends on your end goal & time available
• Successful social media presence usually uses both approaches
• Depends on channel too
• …and on your budget!
• The more established the platform - the more likely you are to pay for your reach
and engagement…

21. Step 9: What KPIs matter?
Vanity VS Real stuff
Progress against goals can be measured differently, but it’s worth
remembering:
• Focus on achieving reach first
• Engagement is generally good - unless you are getting one of these
• Authentic following - this is the basis of your future success - so, choose
quality over quantity

23. Step 10:

24. Gifts & ‘Wants’
Use 2 sticky notes/cards to write them down
My gifts:
Social media guru
Business growth machine
Your right hand marketing
person
My ‘wants’:
Smart and resourceful intern
Passionate about digital and
marketing
Proactive and positive
EXAMPLE:

25. Thank You!
Contact us on: yana@yaystarter
+44 798 552 9802