Marketing Strategy for Beginners: The Founder's Guide Before Your First Dollar

You're excited. You have a business idea, you're ready to launch, and you probably think the first thing you need to do is build a website, create social media accounts, and start posting.

But here's what I'm about to tell you: your marketing strategy needs to exist before you even think about tactics.

I know, I know. You're a founder, not a "marketing person." You didn't start a business to spend hours obsessing over strategy. You want to help your customers, make an impact, and yes—make money.

But here's the reality check: the businesses that win aren't the ones with the prettiest websites or the most social media followers. They're the ones with a crystal-clear strategy that makes every single decision easier.

This blog is for you if:

• You're launching a business and have no idea where to even start with marketing

• You're spending time on marketing activities but not sure if they're actually moving the needle

• You feel overwhelmed by "growth hacking" advice from random people on the internet

• You want to know what actually matters in those first crucial months

Let me break the best marketing strategy for beginners down.

What Even Is a Marketing Strategy for Beginners (And Why You Need It NOW)

When most founders hear "marketing strategy," they think of complicated marketing plans with 47 spreadsheets and corporate buzzwords. That's not what I'm talking about.

Your marketing strategy is simply the answer to these questions:

• Who are you trying to reach?

• What problem are you solving for them?

• Why should they choose you instead of everyone else?

• How are you going to tell them about your business?

• What action do you want them to take?

That's it. Those five questions are the foundation of everything.

Here's why this matters before you make your first dollar: your strategy determines which marketing activities are worth your time.

Let's say you're launching a business coaching service. You could spend three hours a day posting TikTok videos. You could create a LinkedIn strategy. You could start a podcast. You could go to networking events.

But which one actually reaches the people who need your help? Which one is worth your limited time and energy?

Without a strategy, you're just guessing. And guessing is exhausting.

The Three Foundations of Your Marketing Strategy (Before Anything Else)

Before you do anything, you need to nail these three things. This is what we dig into on strategy calls, and it's where most founders go wrong.

1. Know Your Ideal Customer (Really Know Them)

This isn't "women aged 25-45 interested in fitness." That's too broad and honestly, it's useless.

Your ideal customer is specific. They have a name (yes, really). They have fears. They have goals. They have a morning routine. They scroll Instagram at midnight when they can't sleep. They have a specific budget. They've tried other solutions that didn't work.

Here's what to figure out:

• What's the one problem that keeps them up at night?

• Who else is trying to solve this problem for them?

• What would make them immediately interested in what you're offering?

• Where do they spend their time online (or offline)?

• What language do they use when they talk about this problem?

When you know these details, your marketing gets so much easier. You stop trying to appeal to everyone and start speaking directly to the person who actually needs you.

This is usually where founders realize they've been thinking about their customer all wrong—and that's exactly why we have strategy calls.

2. Define Your Unique Positioning (What Makes You Different)

You might be thinking: "Kayla, there are 10,000 business coaches out there. Why would anyone choose me?"

Exactly. You need to know the answer to that question.

And "I'm really good and I care about my clients" doesn't cut it. Everyone says that.

Your unique positioning answers: In the sea of options, why should someone choose you specifically?

This could be:

• You serve a specific niche (first-time entrepreneurs who are bootstrapping)

• You have a specific approach or methodology (supply chain optimization for e-commerce)

• You've walked the exact path your customer is on (you were broke, now you make $100K/year)

• You solve a specific aspect of their problem better than anyone (branding for SaaS founders)

The stronger your positioning, the easier it is to attract the right customers. And "right" customers are the ones who value what you do and pay what you're worth.

3. Choose Your Primary Marketing Channel (Don't Try to Be Everywhere)

This is where I see new founders waste months.

They post on TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and write a blog. They're active everywhere and visible nowhere.

Pick one primary channel where your ideal customer actually spends time.

For some businesses, that's LinkedIn. For others, it's TikTok or Instagram. For others, it's a podcast or direct outreach or email.

Why does it matter? Because depth beats breadth, especially when you're just starting.

When you focus on one channel, you:

• Become actually good at that channel

• Build a real community instead of scattered followers

• Spend way less time

• See results much faster

You can expand to other channels later. Right now, you need one place where you show up consistently and provide real value.

What Most Founders Get Wrong About Marketing (Before They Make a Dollar)

I work with founders every single week, and I see the same mistakes over and over. Let me save you the heartbreak.

Mistake #1: Thinking Marketing Comes After You Have a Product or Service

This is backwards.

Your customers should shape what you build and how you position it. Not the other way around.

Before you finalize your offer, you should know:

• What your ideal customer actually wants (not what you think they want)

• What they're willing to pay

• What problem you're uniquely positioned to solve for them

Even if you're already built, you might realize you need to reposition or adjust your offer based on actual customer needs. That happens. It's not failure—it's learning.

Mistake #2: Confusing Marketing Tactics With Marketing Strategy

Your Instagram posts? That's a tactic.Your email newsletter? That's a tactic.Your networking? That's a tactic.

Your strategy is why you're doing these things and what result you're after.

New founders usually start with tactics because tactics feel actionable. You can post today. You can send an email. It feels productive.

But tactics without strategy is just busy work. You'll look busy and feel busy and get nowhere.

Mistake #3: Trying to Build a "Personal Brand" Before You Have Any Results

I see this one a lot, especially on TikTok.

New founder with zero revenue decides they're going to become a "thought leader" and document their journey.

Here's the thing: people follow results, not potential. They follow people who have already done the thing they want to do.

Instead of trying to build a personal brand, build real business results first. Get paying customers. Solve problems. Then share what you learned.

(Ironically, this also makes your content 100x more credible and interesting.)

The Questions You Should Answer Before You Spend a Dime on Marketing

If you don't have clarity on these, you're not ready to launch yet. And that's okay—you're figuring it out right now:

1. Who is your ideal customer? (Describe them like they're a real person.)

2. What specific problem do you solve for them? (Not "help them grow their business." What exact problem?)

3. Why are you uniquely positioned to solve this? (What's your unfair advantage?)

4. What does success look like? (How many customers do you need? How much revenue?)

5. Where does your ideal customer spend their time? (Where will you actually find them?)

6. What's your core message? (If you could say one thing to your ideal customer, what would it be?)

7. What action do you want them to take? (Book a call? Join your email list? Make a purchase?)

   
   

If you can answer these seven questions clearly, your marketing becomes way simpler. You'll know what to focus on, what to ignore, and whether something is worth your time.

Why This Matters in Month One (Not Month Six)

You might be thinking: "Kayla, I just want to launch. Can't I figure this out later?"

Here's why you can't:

Every single thing you do now sets a pattern. Every post, every conversation, every "free discovery call" you offer—it sends a signal about what you do and who you help.

If you're not intentional about that signal in week one, you'll spend months undoing it.

Founders who think through strategy early:

• Attract the right customers faster

• Don't waste time on marketing activities that don't work

• Build authority instead of just visibility

• Make pricing and positioning decisions with confidence

• Actually enjoy their marketing instead of dreading it

Founders who skip the strategy phase and jump straight to tactics:

• Attract the wrong customers (and have to fire them later)

• Spend months on Instagram while their ideal customers are on LinkedIn

• Sound generic and confuse people about what they actually do

• Undercharge because they never defined their unique value

• Burn out on marketing because nothing feels strategic

Which path sounds better to you?

The One Thing You Should Do This Week

Don't try to nail everything at once. Pick one thing.

This week, write down your answer to this question:

"What specific problem do I solve, for whom, and why am I uniquely positioned to solve it?"

Try to answer it in 2-3 sentences. Something you could say to someone at a coffee shop without sounding like a robot.

If this feels hard, that's actually really normal. Most founders haven't had to articulate this clearly before. And you know what? That's exactly why strategy calls exist.

Here's What I See Happen With Founders Who Get Strategic Early

Sarah was launching a business operations course for e-commerce founders. She could have started posting content everywhere about "business growth" and "productivity hacks."

Instead, we spent time on a strategy call digging into:

• Who specifically was her ideal student?

• What was the one thing they struggled with most?

• Why was her approach different?

• Where would she actually find these people?

Turns out, her ideal student wasn't hanging out on TikTok. They were in Facebook groups for Shopify store owners, stressed about scaling without losing quality.

One month into her launch, she had zero followers on Instagram. But she had 12 paying students, all from one Facebook group where she was actively helping people (and occasionally mentioning her course).

She didn't have a "personal brand." She didn't have thousands of followers. She had paying customers from day one because her strategy was crystal clear.

That's what strategy does.

Let's Talk Strategy

Here's what I know: you didn't start a business to become a marketing expert. You started it because you're good at something and you want to help people.

But here's what I also know: founders who nail their marketing strategy in the first month move so much faster than everyone else.

They know who they're talking to. They know what to say. They know which activities matter and which ones are just noise. They attract better customers. They charge more confidently. They build real authority.

And it all starts with one conversation.

If you're feeling stuck on:

• Who your ideal customer actually is

• How to position yourself in a crowded market

• Where you should focus your marketing energy

• What your core message should be

• Whether your current approach is even the right one

...then let's talk.

I offer strategy calls specifically for new founders who want to nail their marketing before they launch (or course-correct if they've already started). We'll dig into your business, your customer, your positioning, and come up with a clear action plan you can actually execute.

[Book a Strategy Call Here] — Let's get you crystal clear on your marketing strategy so you can launch with confidence.

You don't have to figure this out alone. And honestly? Founders who invest in getting this right early usually make their money back in their first month of sales.

See you on a call soon—I'm excited to hear about your business.

— Kayla

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P.S. — If you're not ready for a strategy call yet, that's totally fine. Go answer those seven questions I mentioned earlier. Figure out your ideal customer. Write down your positioning. Then book the call. You'll get so much more out of it.