Turn It Up: Aggressive Marketing Strategies for Startups in Any Industry

What is aggressive marketing?

Aggressive marketing is a strategy that emphasizes proactively reaching out to potential customers and actively driving their engagement with your business. In contrast, passive marketing relies on making product information available and waiting for consumers to take action.

Aggressive marketing methods can be integrated into traditional, e-commerce and digital marketing strategies. The key is direct engagement with consumers and using compelling messaging to encourage them to act. 

Aggressive marketing strategies for startups

Here are some specific aggressive marketing strategies to help drive sales from day one.

1. Reach influencers and cultivate relationships.

People who interact frequently with your target audience can be powerful marketing allies. For example, TV and radio personalities, YouTube content creators, Instagram influencers, and TikTok stars can help amplify your brand’s reach. If your target customers follow them, getting influencers to market your product can be a huge win.

Identify relevant influencers in your space and contact them via email, direct message or phone. Offer them free products to get them on board and treat them like valued customers. The right influencer enthusiastically endorsing your products via social selling can dramatically improve brand awareness and credibility.

Bernard Meyer, senior director of communications and creative at Omnisend, emphasized the importance of carefully choosing niche influencers to maximize your ROI. “Small brands often thrive in niche communities, so partnering with them may give you good exposure without putting a strain on your budget,” Meyer advised.

Many startups have found success via influencer relationships. For example, Happy Feet enjoyed significant success working with Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi from the MTV reality show Jersey Shore. She tweeted about the company’s oversized sneakers and slippers and garnered much enthusiasm. In return, she received a commission on every pair sold.

2. Create a sense of urgency about your product.

Many marketing campaigns tap into consumer psychology by leveraging urgency or fear. For example, ads may suggest that wearing a particular perfume or cologne makes someone more attractive. Or, they might warn that installing a security system is essential due to rising crime rates.

However, successful aggressive marketing builds urgency without resorting to fear tactics. For example, retailers often use limited-time and clearance sales to create a sense of urgency. Consumers don’t want to miss out on a great deal or a scarce product. When an item is in limited supply or only available for a short time, people are more likely to buy it immediately.

3. Get the online buzz going.

Social media buzz is invaluable. The more consumers talk about your brand or service with their friends, the more free advertising you get. However, Meyer emphasized the importance of focusing on the online platforms that best align with your brand. “If you want quick results, you have to be fast, and you can’t do that if you’re everywhere all at once,” Meyer cautioned. “Focus on one or two channels where your audience is already active — a podcast, a forum, a community on social media.”

Tech-savvy companies use social media marketing tactics on Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and more to generate buzz. Creating engaging, platform-specific content is key. For example, you can conduct a Facebook Live Q&A to share product launch updates and behind-the-scenes happenings. Alternatively, share your brand’s story via your business Instagram account with photos and captions detailing your product’s inception.

Invite your social media followers to engage by encouraging them to share your posts and actively comment, like and respond to brand mentions online to keep the buzz going.

4. Use emotion over logic.

Strategies that incorporate both facts and emotions can be highly successful sales tools. However, emotion is particularly powerful in aggressive marketing. Don’t be afraid to appeal to your audience’s deepest priorities with emotional content.

For example, a Whirlpool ad that highlighted the challenges parents face in raising a family went viral. It showed how a simple washing machine can ease the stress of laundry, giving families more free time to spend together.

5. Attack the market leader directly.

Even when you’re smaller than your industry’s market leader, you can gain high visibility by calling them out. Well-known companies tend to have well-known faults and disgruntled customers. Address these consumer pain points by showing how you’re better than the juggernaut.

To differentiate yourself from the competition ― particularly a market leader ― you must show where you hold a distinct advantage beyond just price. “The main goal is always to provide better value to your target audience,” Meyer explained. “That’s what separates a good aggressive marketing campaign from a negative one.”

For example, in its early days, Apple gained attention by contrasting itself with market leader Microsoft. It didn’t focus on processor speed or tech specs. Instead, it emphasized the relative “coolness” of Macs vs. PCs. One of Apple’s iconic ads depicted Microsoft as Big Brother and Mac as the choice of individualists. You may also recall the “Hi, I’m a Mac” commercials, which portrayed the Mac as cool and laid-back in contrast to the nerdy, uptight PC.

6. Set up a pop-up shop.

If you have a retail business, a significant source of customers will be foot traffic for brick-and-mortar stores or website visits for e-commerce stores. Both audiences take time and money to grow. But what if you could introduce potential customers to your store in a place they’re already visiting? That’s the concept of a pop-up shop.

Take advantage of seasonal shopping events, like the Winter Village at Bryant Park in New York City, which attracts a high volume of gift buyers. Or, set up in an empty storefront in a neighborhood that caters to your target market. Decorate your pop-up with eye-catching, on-brand decor and attract visitors with guest influencers, music, samples, live demonstrations and free food.

Be sure to invite local journalists and take plenty of photos for your social media accounts to maximize visibility.

7. Try guerilla marketing.

Guerilla marketing is a low-cost, high-impact strategy that can make a splash. Like actual guerilla fighters, startups may lack size and resources. But, they can turn this into an advantage by using unorthodox tactics and the element of surprise. Guerilla marketing is also relatively low-cost, making it ideal for startups with limited budgets.

Want to grab attention in a crowded marketplace? Then don’t be afraid to be unconventional and even a little outrageous with your message and delivery method. Effective guerilla marketing is visually creative and memorable. For example, some guerilla campaigns include tactics like stenciling messages onto sidewalks with chalk. They can also include projecting messages against buildings (also known as projection mapping) or even staging flash mob performances.

Be sure to check local ordinances before launching your campaign to avoid fines or legal issues.

Examples of aggressive marketing

Aggressive marketing can take many forms as you target potential customers who’ve never engaged with your brand. The goal is to pique their interest in your offerings. Here are a few examples of aggressive marketing tactics on various platforms:

• Cold-calling: Cold-calling is a classic way to generate sales leads.
• Email marketing campaigns: Email marketing campaigns can efficiently serve product information to your target audience.
• Digital ads: Online advertising efforts can be aggressive. Large banner ads, pop-ups and video ads on platforms like YouTube frequently bombard the audience with information. These digital marketing materials are often strategically placed, appearing on relevant websites and alongside content the target customer already engages with.
• In-person engagement: Assembling a street team to hand out flyers or acquire email addresses can be labor-intensive. However, it’s a great way to connect with people who otherwise may not know about your company ― if you can handle potential rejection.

Pros and cons of aggressive marketing

Before engaging in aggressive marketing tactics, consider if this approach is right for your business. Think about your ideal customer: Would they respond better to direct outreach? Or, would passive marketing strategies compel them to act?

Here are the pros and cons of aggressive marketing.

Pros of aggressive marketing

• Aggressive marketing can elicit an immediate response. There’s an old saying that goes, “The world belongs to the asker.” For a more modern spin, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.” Asking a prospect to engage may be a bold move, but it can also lead to instant sales.
• It can boost brand recognition. Bombarding your target audience with content will help you boost brand awareness ― as long as your content is compelling. Frequent exposure will put you at the forefront of prospective customers’ minds and help keep you there.
• The practice can provide results with minimal planning. For businesses that engage in an aggressive digital marketing strategy, the content will likely be fairly easy to develop since it should be short, sweet and to the point. For example, cold-calling leads is one of the most straightforward aggressive marketing strategies; all it requires is a list of names and contact information. Once you have the pitch down, it’s off to the races.

Cons of aggressive marketing

• Aggressive marketing may alienate some prospects. While many people may appreciate direct communication, this technique may turn others off. “With aggressive marketing, there’s a thin line between effective and intrusive,” cautioned Sahil Kakkar, CEO and founder of RankWatch. “Overexposure can lead to ad fatigue among potential customers.” It’s essential to consider how your target customer prefers to be approached. You only get one chance to make a first impression — if you immediately turn off a prospect, it’s game over.
• Your efforts may be flagged as spam. Overly aggressive marketing efforts, particularly email messages, can walk a fine line between engaging and annoying. To avoid being flagged as spam, communications should be thoughtful, strategically timed and personalized to ensure they reach your prospects effectively.
• It sometimes lacks focus. Placing a dizzying amount of ads or partnering with too many influencers can make it hard to analyze your results. If marketing data analytics aren’t carefully monitored, it’s hard to know which strategies are working (or need improvement).

Aggressive marketing best practices

Consider the following tips and best practices to ensure your aggressive marketing efforts pay off:

• Start small: Julia Yurchak, senior recruitment consultant at Keller Executive Search, advised businesses to start with small-scale tests of their aggressive strategies before scaling up. “[This] helps minimize risks while maximizing impact,” Yurchak explained.
• Focus on your target audience: Yurchak emphasized the importance of focusing on the channels and messages that best serve your target customers. “Remember, aggressive marketing isn’t about being everywhere but about being exactly where your target audience is looking, with exactly the message they need to hear,” Yurchak explained. “It’s about making strategic choices that align with your industry, resources and growth objectives while maintaining the flexibility to pivot based on performance metrics.”
• Set an aggressive budget: Scott Cohen, CEO of InboxArmy, said the startup window isn’t the time to play it safe. “Play it safe, and nobody notices you exist,” Cohen cautioned. When it comes to budgeting, Cohen advised businesses to be bold. “Invest what you can stomach to test hard and fast,” Cohen recommended. “My take? If you’re not pushing at least 20-30 percent of early funds into marketing, you’re playing too safe. Just track everything and optimize for learning, not spending.”
• Prioritize continuous testing and iteration: Cohen emphasized that aggressive marketing isn’t just about spending more — it’s about learning fast and adapting quickly. “Aggressive marketing wins when you relentlessly test, tune and outwork competitors,” Cohen said.

Rachelle Gordon contributed to this article.