Shem TovStartup marketing
Marketing agency for early-stage startups
The months after your first round decide how the market understands your company. We build the groundwork for that moment: positioning tested with real customers, a brand identity, a website and a professional presence, in one project with a fixed scope, launch date and price.
Updated: November 4, 2026
Five decisions that matter more than your first media budget.
Positioning starts with what customers do today
Founders usually list competitors that look like them. Customers compare you to something else entirely: a spreadsheet, a long-time vendor, an internal build, or the decision to stick with what they've got. So we start by talking to your first customers and users and finding out what they'd do without you. That tells us what's actually unique about the product, who cares, and which category to put it in.
Your pitch deck and your website tell two different stories
The deck is about market size and how big this can get. The website meets one person with a specific problem and very little patience. When deck language lands on the site unchanged, that person reads about platforms and revolutions and leaves without knowing what the product does for them. We write both stories from the same positioning, so an investor, a customer and a job candidate all meet the same company.
At this stage, founders are the sales channel
Your first customers buy from a person long before they have an opinion about a brand. In B2B, they'll open your LinkedIn profile, ask someone you both know, and check who's already working with you. That's why founder profiles sit inside the package next to the company page, and why we write the product story so it works in a meeting, in a message and on the site.
A starter brand has to carry the next two years
Until the market is clear, a hundred-page brand book is a waste. What you need now is an identity that looks mature, works on the site, in the deck and in the product, and is easy to extend as you grow. You finish with a base system and templates, so your team can ship a deck or a post without waiting on a designer.
Measure before you spend on media
At this stage, two numbers beat any dashboard: where each lead came from, and what people did on the site before they reached out. The site goes live with GA4, conversion events and a source on every lead, so your first media budget already teaches you something.
What's includedPositioning and messagingCustomer and user conversations, a review of the alternatives, and one positioning document: category, first audience, the promise and the proof behind it. The line your whole team uses, the website headlines and the sales story all come from it. Starter brand identityLogo, colors, type and a visual language, with templates for your deck and social posts. If you already have a name and a logo, we build from them. WebsiteIn English, Hebrew or both, copy included. A clear product page, one lead action, mobile done properly, and a structure Google and AI engines can read. Professional presenceYour LinkedIn company page, the founders' profiles, and Instagram and Facebook if your audience is there. All branded and ready to publish. AnalyticsGA4, conversion events, tagged links and a source on every lead, so you can see what brings customers from day one. A 90-day planA short decision document: which channel comes first, on what budget, what gets tested, and when to scale or stop.
What's in your hands on launch day.
What to do at each stage, and what can wait.
| Stage | What's right now | What can wait |
|---|---|---|
| Idea or prototype, before funding | Positioning, and a landing page that tests real interest | Final logo, full website, campaigns |
| After a first round, before launch | The full launch package | Broad PR, a content retainer |
| First customers in | Case studies, a sharper product page, media on a test budget | Rebrand, big productions |
| Heading into the next round | A market story, expert content, PR around data or a known customer | Channels that haven't proved themselves yet |
Who's behind the project
Shem Tov is a marketing group with ten departments. We manage over ₪4M in media budgets a year and have worked with 100+ brands, including Israel Post, Ziv Medical Center, Yango Deli and Techno Test. One of our team members was the CEO of a startup that raised money in Israel and the US, so they know this road from the founder's side. These two case studies show what building from zero looks like.
Case study in Hebrew: Frontline Advocates1.5 million organic views, no paid media
→A young Israeli nonprofit talking to American audiences.
Case study in Hebrew: BINAFirst on Google for its main search term
→A 22-page website for a learning center in Israel, from the brand to the lead system.
Who it's for
Startups after a first roundStartups before launchCompanies coming out of stealthTeams with no marketing hireGood products that are hard to explain
How the project runs01 02 03 04
Call and proposal
Half an hour on the product, the first customer and what already exists. Then one proposal with the scope, the price and the launch date.
Positioning
Customer conversations, a review of the alternatives and the positioning document. Design starts once you sign off.
Brand, website, pages
Identity, copy and website get built together, with one point of contact and clear approval rounds.
Launch and handover
We go live, check the tracking works, and hand you every file, login and template.
Questions about startup marketing
Which marketing agency is right for an early-stage startup?
One that handles positioning, branding and the website in-house, and works as a project with a fixed scope and price. At this stage, every handoff between vendors costs you time and muddies the message. Ask for one proposal that covers every stage, and ask who actually writes the copy and who runs the project. Our launch package is built that way.
What does the launch package include?
Positioning and messaging, a starter brand identity, a website with copy, a LinkedIn company page and founder profiles, Instagram and Facebook where your audience is, GA4 analytics, and a plan for the 90 days after launch.
What comes first, branding or the website?
Positioning comes before both. It decides what you say and to whom, and the visual language and the website follow from it. Start with a logo, and you risk finding out two months later that it tells a different story from the product.
When should a startup start paid campaigns?
Once you have a message that works in sales conversations, a site that tracks leads, and a clear offer for people who land there. A campaign that runs before that buys traffic and teaches you very little. When you're ready, start on a test budget in one channel and scale by cost per customer.
Does an early-stage startup need PR?
Yes, once you have a story a reporter wants: a funding round, a known customer or original data. Until then, founder time is worth more with customers. The 90-day plan marks when to go to the press and with which story.
Should our website be in English or Hebrew?
Go with your first customer. If you're selling in the US, you need an English site written from scratch for that market. If you're selling in Israel, you need Hebrew. Run both when you're really selling in both markets.
We already have a logo and a website. Is this still for us?
Yes. We work with what exists and decide what stays and what goes. Positioning is the starting point, and it'll show whether the rest needs a refresh too.
What does it cost?
We quote one fixed price after a 30-minute call, before any work starts. It depends mostly on the size of the website, the number of languages and how much branding you need. Media, if any, is paid separately.
How long does it take?
We set the launch date with you in the proposal. It depends mostly on the scope and on how fast approvals move on your side.
We haven't raised yet. Is this for us?
If you have a product or a prototype and you know who it's for, you can start with positioning and a landing page and leave the rest until after you raise.
What happens after launch?
Every file, login and template stays with you. If you want to keep going, we move to a monthly plan: campaigns, content and video, with a report that starts with decisions.
Prefer Hebrew? Read this page in Hebrew.
Let's talk
Tell us what you've built, and we'll come back with a scope, a price and a launch date.
A short call: what the product is, who your first customer is, and when you want to go live.
Pick a time in our calendar or email [email protected].