10 Growth B2B Marketing Strategies for B2B Tech Startups

Let me guess, you are a B2B tech startup founder and you are looking for growth strategies for B2B to take your startup to the next level?

Well, you’ve come to the right place.

10 Growth Strategies for B2B Tech Startups

Short answer: the ten that work for B2B tech startups are free trials or freemium, useful blog content, email, a referral programme, social media, repurposing what you already made, SEO, PPC, a podcast, and storytelling. Pick two you can run properly for six months. Running all ten badly beats nothing, but it loses to two done well.

In this post I share ten growth B2B marketing strategies that help take a tech startup up a notch.

I will dive into each strategy, explain it in detail, and provide you with actionable tips that you can implement right away. If done correctly, these B2B marketing strategies will substantially increase the growth of your company and help you get on the path to success.

Ready to take your startup to the next level? Let’s get started!

Table Of Content

The ten strategies at a glance

Strategy	What it gives you
1. Freemium or free trials	Product experience before anyone has to take a sales call
2. Useful blog posts	Answers to the questions buyers are already searching for
3. Email marketing	An audience that is yours, with no algorithm in between
4. Referral program	Growth that rides trust you have already earned
5. Social media	Distribution in the places your buyers already spend time
6. Repurposing content	More reach out of work you have already done
7. SEO	Traffic that compounds and does not stop when spend stops
8. PPC	The fastest read on whether the message lands
9. Podcast	Access to people who would never take a cold call
10. Storytelling	Context that makes the product make sense to a buyer

1. Offer freemium services or free trials

Everyone loves free stuff, right? So why not make use of it as one of the growth strategies for your company?

Offering some sort of freemium service or free trial is an excellent way to attract new customers, spread the word about your startup, and drive growth.

By offering potential customers a free trial or access to part of the software for free, you’re showing them the value that you bring to the table and giving them an opportunity to experience your brand first-hand. This helps to build trust between you and your customers, as they can see for themselves that you deliver on your promises and that your tool is a reliable solution.

What’s also great is that, if your product is actually good and does what it promises, once people start using your product, they’ll become hooked. And, if your product is OUTSTANDING, they wouldn’t be able to imagine their life without it!

Another very important benefit of offering a free trial or freemium services is that you’ll get a lot of feedback from your users, which will help you understand their needs better and make improvements that could skyrocket your product’s growth.

Now, just because you should offer something for free doesn’t mean that you should do it without a strategy. You need to be smart about it, if you want to see results.

You should think about how long the trial period will be, what features to include in your free version, and how to make the transition from free to paid smoother.

You also want to make sure that you give your customers a damn good reason to upgrade and encourage them to purchase the product before their trial expires.

What this means is that, if you offer a free trial, make sure the user is aware of how much time they have to try out your product before it expires and if you offer a freemium product, make sure to provide a clear upgrade path to the paid version of your product.

By implementing the right strategies and making the most out of it, you’ll be able to significantly boost your business growth.

If you are not sure where to start, here are some ideas for offerings:

Full access to the product for a specific time period (i.e. 15 days)
A limited number of features for a specific time period (i.e. 30 days)
Win-back offers for expired trials

2. Create Useful Blog Posts

Yes, I know… You are probably tired of hearing about blogging.

But guess what?

It’s still one of the most powerful and effective B2B marketing strategy out there.

Creating useful content that provides value to your customer can help you:

Increase brand awareness
Bring traffic to your website
Establish yourself as an expert in your field
Build relationships with potential customers
And most importantly, acquire new customers

Now here is where most companies go wrong with blogging…

They create a blog and simply post about whatever they feel like.

That’s not the way to go!

Just creating a bunch of random posts is not going to help your business one bit.

Yes, you might get some traffic, but it won’t be the kind of traffic that leads to conversions.

What will help your business is writing valuable and relevant blog posts that will help your target audience with whatever they’re looking for.

For example, let’s say that you run your own shoe company.

A relatable blog post that would help the customers and provide value to their lives would be something on what to consider when choosing a perfect pair of shoes for themselves.

This is something that they probably have problems with and you can provide them with valuable advice on how to solve it.

A blog post that wouldn’t provide value is one on how to cook a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner because this is of no help to your target audience.

So, before you start creating content for your blog, make sure that what you’re writing is actually going to help your target audience.

This way, the content you put out will actually be useful, and it will help you acquire more customers in the process.

And if you do it right, your blog can become an amazing tool for growth.

3. Email Marketing

email marketing growth strategies for b2b

Email marketing is another incredibly powerful growth strategy.

In fact, according to a McKinsey study from that period, email marketing was 40x more effective at acquiring customers than Facebook and Twitter together.

Now, this doesn’t mean that you should completely ignore social media.

It simply means that email marketing is a potent tool that should be part of your growth strategy.

Email marketing can help you:

Acquire new customers
Retain existing customers
Promote and upsell your products

So, how do you use email marketing to drive growth?

First, you’ll want to set up an email list and start collecting emails from your website visitors.

The best way to do this is by creating a lead magnet – something valuable and free that your website visitors will be willing to exchange their emails for.

A lead magnet can be anything from an ebook, a template, a checklist, a cheat sheet, etc.

If you are not sure what kind of lead magnet to create, here are some lead magnet ideas that you can use:

An ebook related to your industry or niche. For example, if you are a startup in the e-commerce space, you could offer an ebook on how to start an online store.
A cheat sheet or template that offers subscribers a step-by-step plan to achieve their goals.
A checklist that helps them solve a problem (e.g. how to create a successful marketing plan).

Whatever lead magnet you choose to go with, remember that the key with lead magnets is to provide a ton of value and make it so appealing and convincing that people simply can’t wait to sign up! That’s how you get those conversions.

Once you have your lead magnet set up, it’s time to start building relationships with your subscribers by sending valuable and relatable content.

Again, the key here is to provide value.

You want to send content that your subscribers find interesting and useful. No one wants to open an email and see a sales pitch. But everyone wants to open an email and see something that will really help them in some way.

So, what you should do instead is, think about what your subscribers want and need, and then create emails around those topics.

For example, you could send emails that feature:

Tips and tricks
Tutorials or how-to guides
Interviews with experts in your industry
Case studies
Industry news

The possibilities are endless. You just have to think about what your readers will find interesting and valuable, and then create content that fits that criteria.

When writing emails, don’t forget to include relevant CTAs.

This way, you can direct your subscribers to take specific actions and increase the chances of conversions.

Also, don’t forget to segment your list. This will help you tailor your emails and make sure that each subscriber is getting content that’s relevant to them.

Email marketing is an amazing growth tool, and with the right strategy in place, you can start seeing results quickly. So, if you haven’t already integrated email marketing into your growth funnel, now is the perfect time to do so!

4. Set up a referral program as one of the B2B marketing strategies

One of the best ways to get more customers and achieve long-term growth for your business is by setting up a customer referral program.

The reason why this strategy works so well is because it helps you tap into the power of word-of-mouth marketing. This type of marketing is incredibly effective, and research has shown that customers are more likely to purchase a product or service if it is recommended by someone they know and trust.

With a referral program, you are essentially incentivizing your existing customers to recommend your business to their friends and family. And customers who are happy with your product will be more than willing to do so.

You can offer referral rewards in the form of discounts, free products, or even cash. This will encourage your customers to refer more people, which can result in a steady stream of new leads and sales over time.

Whatever you decide to offer, make sure it is something that is appealing enough for people to actually take advantage of the program and refer you to their friends.

To maximize the success of your referral program, you should also promote it through your other marketing channels, such as on your website, social media pages, or email newsletters. This will help you reach even more people and encourage them to take advantage of the program so that you can grow your business faster.

By implementing this B2B marketing strategy, you’ll be able to drastically increase the number of leads and sales, boost your revenue and customer base, and achieve long-term success.

5. Make use of Social Media

You’ve probably heard the saying: “Go where your customers are“, and in this case, that means social media.

Today, almost everyone is on social media, including potential clients and customers, so you should be there too!

LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter) are two of the best social media sites for B2B companies, but feel free to use whatever social media sites your customers are using, again, you should be where they are.

When it comes to social media, there is basically no limit to the ways you can leverage social media to achieve growth for your business. You can share valuable content, engage with your audience, connect with potential customers, build relationships, monitor trends in the industry, and so much more.

But, but, but…

You’ll only get all these benefits if you do it right.

However, the truth is, most companies don’t.

They only use social media to share pictures of their teams, post product updates, and share company news. While there is nothing wrong with sharing this type of content, it shouldn’t be the only type of content you share.

Do you follow someone on social media who only posts the facts about their company and nothing else?

You don’t.

However, you probably follow plenty of those that share valuable content that you found helpful, interesting, and engaging.

So, if you want to achieve growth with your B2B social media marketing strategy, you must focus on providing value for the people who follow you.

Share content that is relevant and helpful for your target audience. Make sure the content is engaging, interesting, and entertaining. Offer advice, insights, and tips. And, of course, don’t forget to also talk about your brand and the services/products you have to offer. No one said you can’t promote yourself as long as you do it tastefully and it’s not the only thing you are doing.

Now, posting valuable content is not the only thing you should do.

You should also engage with people, comment on their posts, reach out to them and talk to them.

A lot of people forget that social media is about building relationships with the audience, not just broadcasting messages about yourself.

So, if you want to maximize the success of your B2B social media marketing strategy, focus on providing value, engaging with people, and promoting your brand tastefully.

With the right strategy and effort, social media can be a powerful tool to promote your brand and grow your business.

6. Repurpose your content

Creating content can be time-consuming and expensive.

Even if you are not spending money, it can still take a long time to create something that is actually valuable to your audience and that will generate leads and sales for your business.

But, after investing all that time and energy into creating something, you don’t want it to go to waste, right?

You want to make the most of it.

And what’s the best way to do that?

To repurpose it!

Content repurposing is simply taking your existing content and transforming it into multiple formats.

By doing so, you can save time, maximize the impact of your content, get more mileage out of it and reach a new much more people.

With repurposing, you can be as creative as you like, as long as you make sure it still provides value to your audience.

And yes, you can repurpose almost every piece of content you create.

Did you create an ebook? Turn it into a couple of blog posts.

Did you create a webinar? Turn it into a podcast.

Did you create a blog post? Turn it into 5 social media posts.

You get the idea.

So, take advantage of it and get creative!

Doing this will surely help you achieve growth for your company.

7. Don’t forget about SEO

Everyone knows that you can’t achieve growth without gaining wide exposure.

And one of the most effective and cheapest ways to get more exposure is by using SEO.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a strategy that improves the quantity and quality of traffic to your landing page or blog directly from search engines.

By tailoring and optimizing your website for SEO, you’ll be able to rank higher in search engine results and gain more visibility.

That said, it’s important to remember that SEO is a long-term strategy that requires patience and effort. It’s not a quick solution where you can just implement one or two tactics and see immediate results.

Therefore, it’s important to focus on creating high-quality and relevant content for your target audience as well as strategically optimizing it for keywords related to your business.

Here are some things you should keep in mind when it comes to SEO:

Write long, detailed, informative, and valuable content.
Use the right keywords (i.e. the ones your target audience is searching for).
Don’t forget internal links.
Create backlinks (i.e. links to other pages on different websites).
Optimize your page titles and meta descriptions.
Keep an eye on Google’s algorithm updates.
And finally, write for humans, not just search engines!

There are plenty of things went it comes to SEO, so we won’t get into all the details here.

However, what we want to talk about is the human factor.

A lot of people focus so much on the technical side of SEO that they forget about the “human” side.

Remember, SEO is all about helping people find what they’re looking for and providing them with the best possible answer. Yes, you need to focus on keywords and things like that but more importantly, you need to focus on providing value.

Think about it this way: if your content isn’t valuable for users, it won’t rank and it won’t do much for your business.

So, don’t forget to always put your audience first!

By doing this, you can achieve growth for your company and get your content in front of more people.

And that’s exactly what you want, right?

8. If you want to see results fast, PPC is the way to go!

If you want to see quick results, then paid ads are the way to go.

That’s why so many companies are using this strategy to achieve growth. And it’s not surprising since paid ads are very very effective.

Unlike with other B2B marketing strategies, with paid ads, you don’t have to wait weeks and months before seeing significant results.

Plus, you can target prospective customers more precisely and reach people who are actively looking for solutions.

That said, it’s important to remember that you need to have a clear understanding of your target audience and what they’re looking for in order to be successful with paid ads.

And while it’s not a cheap strategy, it can be very profitable if done right.

There are lots of different platforms and options to choose from:

Facebook Ads
Google Ads
LinkedIn Ads
X (Twitter) Ads
YouTube Ads
TikTok Ads
… and many more.

Study the different options and find the ones that work best for your business.

Obviously, PPC landing page conversion rates aren’t quite as high as organic conversion rates, but the sheer number of new leads coming in is impossible to ignore.

This is why PPC is particularly effective for new businesses and startups looking to increase brand awareness and accelerate growth.

So, if you’re looking for quick results for your business, then paid ads are probably one of the best B2B marketing strategies you can employ.

9. Start a Podcast!

I’m sure you’ve noticed that podcasts have become really popular.

And for a good reason!

Podcasts are a great way to connect with your audience, grow your brand, and reach new people.

They allow you to provide content in an engaging and entertaining way while at the same time offering valuable insights to your listeners. It’s also a great way to establish yourself as an expert in your field, get exposure for your business, and build relationships with key people in your industry.

I know that starting a podcast from scratch can seem daunting, but it’s actually easier than you think. All you need is an idea for the show, a plan for each episode, and some basic technical know-how.

You don’t even have to buy any special equipment – most computers already come with everything you need (microphone, camera, etc.).

Oftentimes, the hardest part is getting started. But once you get into a rhythm and come up with a schedule, it becomes much easier.

When starting a podcast, it’s very important to think of a way to stand out from everyone else. There are many podcasts on basically every topic under the sun, so you need to find something that makes your podcast unique.

This could be the format of your show, the topics you focus on or even how you market it.

Whatever you come up with, if you want to make it big, you need to:

Provide valuable insights and information
Sharing unique perspective
Deliver content in an entertaining way
Be consistent with your episodes
Promote it the right way

Without any of these, it’s hard to gain traction and grow an audience.

So, if you’re looking for a new way to promote your business and reach more people, I strongly recommend starting a podcast.

Just keep in mind that podcasts are a long-term strategy, like every other inbound strategy, so don’t expect to see the results right away. It takes time and effort to create a successful podcast and achieve growth, but it’s definitely possible if you put in the work.

If done correctly, podcasts can be a great asset for any company and that’s why they’re such an effective growth strategy.

10. Embrace the power of Storytelling

Since the dawn of time, stories have been used to entertain, educate and influence.

Throughout history, the strongest and most enduring messages have been conveyed through stories. In fact, many famous brands owe their success to the power of storytelling.

That’s why storytelling remains one of the most powerful tools in marketing.

However, when it comes to B2B marketing, storytelling can be seen as an afterthought because it’s often overshadowed by more technical aspects such as analytics and lead generation. But storytelling is just as important for B2B companies, if not more so.

The truth is that, even when it comes to B2B sales and marketing, emotion plays a huge role when it comes to decision-making. That’s why storytelling is essential for creating a connection with potential customers and igniting an emotional response that will drive them to take action.

By embracing the power of storytelling, you can create powerful narratives that will stay with your audience and motivate them to take action.

One of the best ways to use storytelling is by telling a story about your brand and its mission.

This kind of story will help you build a better connection with your target market and show them that there’s more to your company than just the products and services it offers. It can also help you make a lasting impression on potential customers and differentiate your business from everyone else.

Another powerful way to use storytelling is through content.

And by content, I don’t just mean blog posts and articles – storytelling is effective in every kind of content you create. This means you can tell stories in the form of images, videos, and even GIFs.

As you see, there are so many different ways to use storytelling in your marketing strategy, but it all comes down to one thing – telling your brand’s story in an emotional way that resonates with people.

By using storytelling, you can create a powerful connection with your target audience and increase the chances of converting them into loyal customers.

So don’t hesitate to embrace the power of storytelling- it could make all the difference in your B2B growth marketing efforts.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are many different growth strategies for B2B that can help your company achieve growth.

However, none of these strategies will work unless you know your audience and what they want, so before you start doing any of this, make sure you have a very good understanding of your target market.

Once you have a clear understanding of your audience and their needs, finding the right growth strategy won’t be difficult.

As long as you put in time and effort, all of these B2B marketing strategies can help your company achieve growth.

B2B tech startup growth strategy FAQ

How many of these should a startup run at once?

Two, maybe three. A startup with one marketer and a founder who sells cannot run ten channels. Pick the two where your buyers already spend time, give them six months, and only then add a third.

Which one works fastest?

PPC, because you can buy attention today. It is also the one that stops the moment you stop paying. SEO, content and a podcast take months and then keep working, which is why most companies need one of each kind.

Is freemium right for every B2B product?

No. Freemium works when a single user gets value alone and without help. If your product needs implementation, data or several people in a room, a free trial with onboarding beats a free tier.

How do you know a strategy is working?

Qualified opportunities created, not traffic or followers. If a channel has run for a quarter and produced no conversation with a real buyer, it is a hobby, not a strategy.

This article is from the Funky Marketing blog archive. The work continues at Funky Enterprises: positioning, demand generation and commercial systems for B2B companies.

If you want to look at your own commercial system, book a 30-minute needs assessment. New conversations with people who build revenue are on the Funky Enterprises Show.

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