300 million new start-ups are created worldwide every year. More sectors are becoming “ripe for disruption” – from urban transport to bioscience and insurance. In an increasingly noisy space, start-ups and scale-ups have to fight just to be heard.

How do you let your audience know you’re different? How do you secure the media attention, funding, customers and partners you need to grow? How do you project professionalism and build a trusted brand?

You need to stand apart from the crowd – but you also need to keep the crowd with you as you scale.

That’s why we’ve put together a series of posts to help you navigate high growth, out of which we have selected the top 7 things every high-growth company needs to think about when they’re trying to build their reputation, convey their company’s purpose and get noticed.

Read about these and the full posts they’re extracted from below.

 

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1. When scaling, stay local

 

Growth can be scary. Whether you’re a micro-mobility company, a healthcare app or a cloud provider, if you’re growing quickly, you’ll probably launch in several new countries at once. It can be tempting to lean on aggressive tactics to conquer this new environment.

Move fast,  but take the time to get the local people, businesses, and governments on side. Prove that you understand local nuances – rather than offering a blanket service and banking on it being adopted by most people.

Partner locally, hire locally, and think locally when devising your brand and marketing strategies. Prove that your product or service can have a true impact on the everyday lives of people in this new market.

 

Read more about brand positioning here

2. Don’t just ask for regulation – make it

 

Maybe you’re operating in an area you know is tricky for regulators. Or you’ve developed an innovative new product or service that local authorities and laws just aren’t ready for.

If you know regulation could be business critical for you in the future, be proactive. Be transparent and take a stand – offer solutions to potential roadblocks or issues that work for the industry, not just you.

Share your industry insights with legal entities, regulators and governments. Prove you’re open to collaborating to solve potential problems and get ahead of potential criticism by showing that you’re already thinking about a solution.

 

Read more about brand positioning here

3. Move fast but maintain trust

 

What is it about your company’s heritage, mission and behaviour that makes it different? Other companies may share these qualities, but it’s the combination of all of these three items that makes your business unique.

That should form the foundation for how you communicate your brand to the public – whether that’s an executive speaking at an event, announcing news, launching a product, entering a partnership or just writing a blog.

Approach everything you do with the question: “is this true to my brand’s three core values and qualities?” Only move forward if the answer is yes. That’s how you find your voice, project brand consistency and ultimately build trust – even when moving fast and driving change.

 

Read more about brand positioning here

4. Wear your purpose on your sleeve

 

Companies, large and small, are under increasing scrutiny about the impact they have on the society they exist in. Purpose isn’t just a nice-to-have or a buzzword – it’s a business imperative.

Use your online presence to showcase how your company is addressing important social topics. Even if your rapid growth means you haven’t had a chance to implement CSR policies, consider the ways you’re contributing to society as a business.

Think about how your ecosystem – peers, incubators, University labs, employees or the cities you’ve set up shop in – are benefitting from your business, product or service on an economic and societal level. Call that out on a dedicated landing page on your website to communicate your brand purpose.

 

Read more about website design here

5. Craft content that drives traffic and builds trust

 

When you’re laser-focused on growing your company, creating a blog or updating your website might not be at the top of your to-do list. And mastering SEO-optimised content can be overlooked when you don’t have content and SEO experts in-house.

But it’s been proven that if people think your brand offers insightful and unique content that showcases your expertise, they’ll be more likely to buy your product.

Start by finding the words people are likely to type into Google that are related to your company. Those are your keywords. Then use these keywords in every piece of content you publish online – and try to make it more original than what the first page of Google for these keywords shows.  That will drive traffic and customer attention.

 

Read more about SEO and content marketing here

6. Reach the right people through social 

 

Social media is your friend – it’s one of the best tools for reaching your audience. But do you want to be seen on TikTok, LinkedIn or Instagram? Choose your primary social channel carefully to avoid spreading yourself too thin. Start by considering what platforms your target audience use the most.

Then ask yourself: what kind of content resonates best with the people buying your product or services? If you’re a B2B technology brand looking to reach CTOs, for example, you may find they prefer to read long-form articles on LinkedIn but get a quick lo-down on industry news from Twitter. Researching your audience, or doing a quick survey of your existing users, will help you to craft relevant social content that really engages the people you want to reach.

 

Read more about social media strategies here

7. Go beyond media relations

 

Many start-ups and scale-ups are excited at the prospect of being featured in a big-name national newspaper. And it can feel great seeing your name in print. But know your audience and what purpose which media serves for them.

A one-off Financial Times or TechCrunch article may get your name out there – but to convert readers into customers you need to, show up in the places they’ll be looking.

Tailor your PR tactics to what will help you achieve your business objectives the fastest – and that isn’t always going to mean talking to journalists. Sometimes things like influencer relations will be much more powerful for your brand.

 

Read more about influencer relations here

About Us

We founded our Emerge division at Edelman because we wanted to be the go-to agency for fast-growth companies. We’re turning our international network and world class expertise into an agile, cost-efficient service that fast-tracks scale-ups to their next level of growth.

We map relevant capabilities, sector specialists, and scale-up expertise against the different stages of your journey – from brand positioning and messaging, to media planning, digital and social amplification, influencer and analyst relations, website creation, strategic content planning, creative campaigns and experiential marketing. We have specialists across all these areas under one roof and on hand if and when you need them.

If you want to chat to someone in the Emerge division, reach out to Camille Oster at camille.oster@edelman.com