Madrid-based marketer Daniel Tallon sat down with Shaheen Samavati to talk about his journey from working at some of Europe’s most well-known startups—such as Just Eat, Spotahome and Outfittery—to starting his own company. Daniel discussed both the challenges and excitement of working with small and fast-growing companies, how to be resourceful when it comes to localizing content, and why really believing in what you’re doing is a significant success factor.

You can watch the full conversation in the video above or on our YouTube channel, listen to the podcast on Apple and Spotify, and read our recap below.

Key takeaways

• Over the last decade, focus has shifted from the volume of content being produced to the quality of the content itself. Now the priority is creating content that’s relevant to the customer by figuring out their needs and understanding how to connect with them on an emotional level.

• Instead of creating one piece of content and translating it for different countries, it’s better to create individualized content with messages that are totally adapted to the country you’re targeting (budget permitting). Localized content is usually much more successful than the same content pushed across many different countries. 

• When you have no budget you have to get strategic. A good tactic is creating content based on “hubs”: figure out your main market(s), find countries that have similar insights and customer behaviors, and base your own content on that. 

• A startup is often a fast-paced workplace environment with very short timeframes. In order to thrive, you have to be dynamic, energetic and up for the challenges of working in chaotic situations.

• Startups demand a lot from their employees, but the opportunity for growing alongside the company—and thus gaining recognition within the industry—is huge.

• While growing a startup is exciting, it usually doesn’t come easily—or sometimes at all. Don’t be frustrated by it; just continue searching and keep working hard.

If you’re thinking about getting into marketing at startups, make sure you’re prepared for anything.

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Connect with Daniel and Shaheen on LinkedIn.

This post was edited by Mary Kresge, a freelance content creator based in Madrid.

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For more insights into adaptability and resourcefulness in marketing, check out:

Agility and adaptability – Gessica Lomonte, EMEA e-tail marketing specialist

Make room for growth – Santiago Garcia Solimei, global social media director at Meliá

To see the full transcript, click on page number 2 below.