Should tech founders do marketing?

If the team has another non technical co-founder, technical co-founder should focus on tech. but if it's a solo founder who is tech, marketing must be a priority once you have a working product/MVP. unless you are building something like Midjourney where your technology is better than anything else on the market.

Absolutely. Our experience proves they can have significant contribution!

In a startup team, at the very least, you need to know how to do things and have some practical experience.

In the early stage, I strongly recommend tech founders to lead the marketing effort. This will give valuable insight into customers and help prioritize the product roadmap. It is good to have some marketing mentors to get some guidance. Growth mentor is quite good for it. Once the product starts to have a good product market fit you can consider hiring a Fractional CMO.

They need to discuss marketing. I'm not sure about "do marketing." Their resource is more important in building.

I agree that tech founders should definitely consider doing marketing. While it may not be their core expertise, having a solid understanding of marketing principles can greatly benefit their startup. It can help them better communicate their product's value proposition, identify and target their ideal customers, and build a strong brand. Additionally, having a dedicated marketing co-founder can bring valuable insights and strategies to the table. What are some specific marketing tactics or strategies that you believe tech founders should focus on?

Mostly where there is relevant overlap. Maybe some storytelling/personal branding in relevant spaces where other technical folks move around (i.e. Hackernews) or write engineering blogs that go over some of their technical learnings while building their product. Additionally, that there are a lot of in-product tweaks that are often included in the marketing sphere to some extent: PLG, referral systems, technical affiliate configurations, in-product lifecycle messaging/notifications...

I second that second point. But not just tech...all founders should. "Founder to have a marketing co-founder"

When they are starting the journey they should do it themselves and then slowly can outsource or delegate to someone else.

In the early stages, when resources are limited, and the founder is wearing many hats, they often need to be involved in marketing. They can build brand awareness, create content, and engage with early adopters. This hands-on experience can also provide valuable insights for later-stage marketing strategies.

Interesting question. The most important aspect of marketing is to first love your product, and the love a founder can have for their product is obviously not surpassable by someone else. However, as you said, founders are usually (and should be) too busy with other matters that they can't put their focus on marketing with dedication. Yet, I believe, it is really important for them to be a part of the whole marketing process.

Marketing is a VERY broad term. Founders should absolutely do marketing in some forms, but proper marketing strategies should have an expert involved, even if it's an advisor. You can spend a TON of money on marketing and see zero results if you don't know what you are doing.

I believe so! IMO, it's a mandatory skill these days.

yes, because they would be one of the biggest voices for their product

Vision Communication: Founders possess an in-depth understanding of their technology's potential and vision. Their involvement in marketing ensures that the core message and vision are effectively communicated to the audience.

its important to note that while founders' involvement in marketing is beneficial, they should also delegate tasks and build a capable marketing team to handle day-to-day operations. Balancing their involvement with other crucial aspects of the business is essential for sustainable growth.

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I believe marketing is one of the best ways to increase awareness about any product, and the best way is to delegate marketing tasks to make sure that an individuals product gets enough exposure

Solo founders, yes. But in a team someone else might be better suited. I've found that tech-focussed marketing attracts peers but not necessarily customers.