Real-World Startup Examples
1. Canva: Prioritized organic marketing with a strong referral program. No flashy ad campaigns, just powerful user word-of-mouth and onboarding.
2. Harry’s: Instead of burning money on awareness ads, it built a clever pre-launch referral campaign that brought in 100K+ emails before launch.
3. Morning Brew: Aimed to build a community with a newsletter that was educational and witty. Minimal budget, huge viral growth.
4. MVMT Watches: Early on, they spent primarily on Instagram influencer marketing—high ROI and built FOMO around the brand.
What Not to Spend On (Yet)
- Expensive agencies
- Overdesigned websites
- Premium CRMs or tools before reaching product-market fit
- Mass PR campaigns without a real story
You don’t need to look big—you need to look real. Authenticity scales better than polish in early days.
Wrapping Up
A startup marketing budget isn’t about how much you spend—it’s about how smartly you spend. Anchor your spending in experimentation, double down on what’s working, and keep an eagle eye on the ROI. The earliest dollars you spend on growth should feel uncomfortable—but done right, they’re also the ones that will matter the most.
Want to keep your budget lean without losing creative edge? Then remember: discipline beats dollars.
