Jan Kelley is a full-service digital marketing agency located in Burlington, Ontario. Whether it’s elevating brands or generating leads, their team of communicators, problem solvers and analysts brings the best of who they are to the best of what they do, every day. They recently launched the Jan Kelley Idea Incubator at Communitech, making them the only agency of its kind to settle into the hub of Canada’s globally recognized tech sector.
Innovation Factory chatted with Jan Kelley President Chantel Broten all about which marketing services are best for early-stage startups.
Our partners make LiONS LAIR possible. Because of their support, local entrepreneurs are able to reach their goals faster. We are proud to feature invaluable tips, advice, and information from our partners for startups and small businesses in Hamilton!
What are the top marketing “must-haves” when a company is just starting out?
It is critical for a startup company to have a clearly defined, compelling value proposition. Ask yourself: is my product solving a problem people have? Startups often get so engrossed in the development of their product that they forget to check in on their value proposition. Next, understand what your end goal is and what you are trying to achieve. Make sure you have a set of very clearly defined goals and that they are measurable. It is also important to develop a close network of resources and mentors; they will be your backbone as you are just starting out and will help support you when you move into scale-up.
How can a startup benefit from hiring a marketing agency?
It’s too big an ask to have a small team that can do it all – branding, strategy, creative, UX, search, analytics. That’s where we come in. While you focus on your product, sales and the development of your business, we are the partner that can back-stop for you where it makes sense.
What services can startups take advantage of with a low budget?
There are plenty of free services startups can use to track their goals and help them measure success. We recommend the full suite of products by Google Analytics Solutions: Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Google Optimize, and Google Data Studio. Use these tools as free research for your business – they will help you capture real data so you can make educated decisions for your business. For example, these services can be used to conduct A/B testing, which ultimately helps with deciding where you want to invest.
There is also a plethora of free creative programs like Canva, a simple graphic design software, and Biteable, a simple video maker. These programs make developing content quick and easy,and help to achieve a consistent, professional touch.
Why is it important for Jan Kelley to be connected to innovative startups through Innovation Factory and Communitech?
Being involved in an ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship inspires us. We know disruption is happening everywhere, in every industry – it’s startups that are identifying opportunities and pain points in the market, and creating businesses to solve it. Ultimately, we want to be a part of that. Also, when we work with startups, we have the ability to learn and apply the Lean Startup Methodologies, which ultimately help us transform our own business and processes.
What can a startup do right now to boost its marketing game?
Build an analytics foundation and create a digital footprint. Data ultimately drives decisions and drives action around allocation of a limited budget. If you’ve just launched a product or are about to, having your analytics in place from the beginning helps develop an understanding of how users and potential customers are interacting with your business. It’s also important that you are doing this in a mindful way, such as: setting up digital goals and events that are actually measurable, ensuring those goals will serve to help achieve the overall business objectives, and checking in on the results throughout the process to make sure you are making any changes needed to optimize success. There is an art and a science to it – this is something we work with our clients on a daily basis.
This post is sponsored by our generous LiONS LAIR partner, Jan Kelley. Learn more about them here.
