Startup Marketing Makeover
From Mixed Messages to Magnetic Clarity
Let’s admit it: Most startup marketing boils down to “do everything, everywhere” in hopes something lands. But today, the cost of confusion is higher than ever—and clarity moves the needle.
At Un_Standard, we believe a true marketing makeover starts with one thing: Knowing who you are, who you serve, and where your message can’t get ignored—even by accident.
Step 1: Audit for Real-World Clarity
Are your channels, content, and campaigns instantly clear?
- Ask ten users to sum up your one promise—if you get more than two answers, your story’s still foggy.
- Funnel every landing page, ad, and email through the “seven second test”: can someone recite your value, action, or why after a single pass?
Movement Ritual: Conduct monthly audience feedback sprints; test your message and refine until it can’t be misunderstood.
Join The Movement
Step 2: Kill the Busywork, Spotlight the Bold
Stop chasing every trend, channel, or “that’s what X did last quarter.” Instead, go deep:
- Double down on your highest-ROI moves—one channel at a time if needed.
- Say no to what’s “nice to have”—focus on what changes how customers feel and how buyers act.
Step 3: Refine Message and Visuals for Maximum Resonance
Invest in a narrative that’s contagious—and a look that stops the scroll.
- Feature real customers, hero moments, wild pivots, and “origin” stories in every channel.
- Align visuals: movement-branded graphics, authenticity over stock, and visuals that reinforce your rally cry.
- Every image, video, or campaign should reinforce clarity and draw people into the movement.
Step 4: Make Feedback and Learning Continuous
- Run postmortems openly: “What did we learn, and where did customers get lost?”
- Test every major message with customer-facing team members—let objections refine clarity.
- Reward the best experiment—win or flop.
Step 5: Connect Launches With Your Community
Don’t just “go live.” Co-create campaign themes, terminology, or even offers with your most engaged users and fans.
- Build in mechanisms for story-sharing, beta launches, poll feedback, or even mini-jams during product rollouts.
But why, you may ask, can’t we use the same marketing strategies that small businesses use? Why do startups need a customized approach?
Proof from the Movement
A climate app startup cut ten channels and three taglines and built its followership around weekly “clarity wins” emails. Trial-to-paid conversion soared.
An e-commerce challenger rebuilt its site and ad flow with customer voice stories—click rates doubled, and DMs for “how do I join?” flowed.
Movement Ritual: Quarterly Marketing Makeover Jam
Every 90 days, challenge your team to:
- Prune one channel, phrase, or campaign that’s drifted.
- Update messaging with customer input and market feedback.
- Align the whole team—every new hire, every contractor, every founder—on the mission for the next quarter.
Un_Standard Takeaway
A confusion-fueled, do-everything marketing strategy is for the desperate. Break out of the tactics trap with clarity-first rituals and a movement mindset.
If your startup wants to get serious about growth, Un_Standard can help you cut the clutter, nail your message, and move the market for good.
Book a Marketing Makeover Jam with Un_Standard →
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David Garrard
Agent Provocateur & Chief Creative Officer at Un_Standard. David helps ambitious brands unearth clarity, break the rules that hold them back, and co-create movement-level growth. When not challenging the status quo, he’s in the kitchen inventing new flavors or chasing after his three cats: Hallie Tosis, Lester Een, and Jim G. Vitis. #BeUnStandard
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