Framework for Startups in Digital Marketing - Multiple case study of the role of digital marketing in startups’ strategies in lead generation and lead nurturing processes

Abstract: Background Given that society is increasingly moving towards a more digitalized world, companies, and startups especially have felt pressure to grow a digital presence. The shift in technology adoption and digitalization has caused lead generation and lead nurturing to be increasingly supported by digital marketing tools which both come with opportunities and challenges for startups. Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate and understand how startups work with different digital marketing techniques and tools to support the process of lead generation and lead nurturing and what challenges they face. The objective has been to generate a framework for startups to enhance their lead generation and lead nurturing strategies, while also proposing solutions to the possible challenges that may arise along the way. Method To find an answer to the research questions and achieve the purpose of the study, a multiple case study has been undertaken by investigating the digital marketing adoption strategies of six different startups. The research approach has been qualitative where semi structured interviews were conducted with one respondent from each company from the management department. Conclusion The main findings from this study have demonstrated that the lead generation and lead nurturing process for any business is crucial for survival and growing companies in the startup environment. In the lead generation process, results showed that SEO was the most efficient tool, while email marketing was the most recurring one. Further, building relationships was the most important aspect in the lead nurturing process. In regards to the challenges, the results proved that the lack of resources was the overall main obstacle to be faced when implementing different digital marketing techniques.