Startups are undeniably exciting.  You’re focused on the future, working long hours, moving at warp speed.  The potential feels limitless.

Unfortunately, the risks involved may be, too.   Some analysts are, increasingly, sounding a cautious note, warning that many start-ups are burning through too much cash, too quickly, with uncertain future prospects.

To compound matters, some of these young companies are so caught up in getting their project ready to launch that they lose out on wonderful marketing opportunities along the way.

At ARTÉMIA, we have a long, successful track record working with startups of all kinds, as well as with more established firms, Fortune 500 companies and the like.  We are well-positioned to craft successful, individualized marketing and communication strategies for all kinds of clients.

Here are some tips — tested and proven by high-performing startups — that can help companies achieve their marketing goals.

• Make sure that all of your marketing strategies identify the characteristics that make your business unique. Keep these foremost in your thinking as you plot out your campaign.
• Learn about your customers. Never stop seeking new insights about them — and adjusting your marketing program according to what you learn.
• Set well-defined financial goals for your campaign’s impact.
• Don’t drown in data! Focus on just a few metrics — the time each user spends on a web page, for example — that can tell you if your campaign is bringing results. Keep track of what succeeds and what doesn’t so you know which paths to follow — and which to abandon.
• Act like a start-up in your marketing and communication strategy, as well as in everything else. Be agile and flexible, ready to move in a different direction if your initial approach seems to falter.
• Pick up the pace. In an era when customers can click on a webpage in a fraction of a second, then move off of it just as quickly, marketers need to react with lighting speed. Cut your campaign development time to keep pace with the changes around you.
• Don’t neglect old-fashioned media exposure — it’s still relevant.  Craft a business and consumer story for your company and identify the best platforms for it. Offer to write blog posts and articles as a subject-matter expert. Cross-pollinate by having other experts review and/or mention your product.
• Position yourself to go viral — the absolute best case scenario. OK, it’s a long shot — but isn’t that just the kind of thinking that creates startups in the first place? It can happen, and when it does, be prepared with a well-developed, flexible media strategy.