Question 1

How do I choose a marketing agency for a science-led or deep tech company?

Accepted Answer

Four things to look for. (1) Sector understanding - ask for case studies in your sector or a related technical field, not just a general portfolio. If they've only worked in B2C or SaaS, the jump to deep tech is significant. (2) How they work - do they learn your product and market in depth, or operate at arm's length? The more context an agency has about your business, the better every piece of output gets. (3) The team you'll actually work with - not just who presents in the pitch, but who'll be on your account day to day. Are they experienced enough to work independently, or will you be managing them? (4) How they connect marketing to your commercial goals - not just reporting on impressions and engagement in isolation, but showing how marketing activity supports pipeline, partnerships, and revenue. Beyond that, trust your instinct on chemistry. You'll work closely with these people for months or years.

Question 2

What marketing should a biotech, energy, or deep tech company prioritise first?

Accepted Answer

Start with the foundations that every other marketing activity depends on. (1) Messaging. If you can't clearly explain what your technology does, who it's for, and why it matters, nothing else works - your website, sales conversations, and campaigns all suffer. (2) Website. Every referral, every LinkedIn click, every investor follow-up leads here. If it's unclear, you lose opportunities you've already earned. Together, these are your bottom-of-funnel foundation - the assets that turn interest into commercial conversations. (3) LinkedIn. Where your investors, partners, and technical buyers spend their professional time. Consistent presence means people already know your name when the commercial conversation starts. (4) Once the foundation is solid, add targeted campaigns, events, or paid advertising to actively drive opportunities. The mistake most technical companies make is spending on visibility before the things that convert attention into business outcomes are ready.

Question 3

How much should a B2B startup spend on marketing?

Accepted Answer

A common benchmark for B2B companies is 5-15% of revenue, or 10-20% of the funding you're deploying, allocated to marketing and sales combined. In practice, the right amount depends on your stage and what you're trying to achieve. Companies with smaller budgets of £1,000-£2,000 per month can still make meaningful progress by focusing on one channel well. £2,000-£4,000 per month typically covers a solid foundation - a managed social media presence, design support, and a content strategy. £4,000-£8,000 per month allows multi-channel work across social media, website, design, and campaigns. Beyond that, you're adding paid advertising, events, or intensive account-based programmes. The most important thing isn't the number - it's consistency. Sustained effort over 6-12 months will always outperform sporadic bursts at any budget level.

Question 4

Should we hire an in-house marketer or use an agency?

Accepted Answer

A full-time marketing hire in the UK costs £40,000-£70,000 per year in salary, plus benefits, tools, and management time - and you get one person with one skill set. At that salary range, you're typically hiring a junior or mid-level marketer who'll still need direction and managing. A specialist agency gives you a team - strategy, content, design, web development - with the flexibility to scale as your needs change. The other factor is continuity. In-house marketing hires at startups tend to move on quickly. An agency relationship can run for years - several of ours have run for 4+ years. For most seed to Series B companies, an agency is more cost-effective until the workload justifies a senior marketing hire. When you do have a strong marketing lead in-house, the combination often gets even better - they bring deep product and market knowledge, you get a team that can move quickly across multiple channels.

Question 5

How fast will we see results?

Accepted Answer

LinkedIn and social media typically show stronger engagement and follower growth within 8-12 weeks. Strategy and messaging projects produce a finished framework within 2-4 weeks. Website projects usually run 8-12 weeks from kickoff to launch. Account-based campaigns targeting specific organisations depend on your audience's buying cycle - in deep tech and climate sectors, that can be 6-18 months. B2B marketing compounds. Our longest-running clients consistently see their strongest results in year two and beyond.

Question 6

Can we start small and grow from there?

Accepted Answer

Most engagements begin that way. A company might come to us for a LinkedIn growth campaign, a messaging and strategy sprint, or a website project. As results come through, the scope tends to grow - adding design support, investor communications, or account-based campaigns as the company's needs develop. Some of our client relationships lasting 4+ years started with a single project.

Question 7

What's the minimum commitment?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the service. Social media and ongoing campaigns typically start with a 3-6 month commitment - enough time to onboard, build foundations, and start seeing results. Project work like websites, brand development, and strategy sprints runs on a fixed scope and timeline. After an initial period, ongoing engagements can continue month-to-month or on a fixed-term contract depending on what works for your planning. Most of our client relationships run for years, not months - clients stay because the work delivers.

Question 8

We already have some marketing capacity. Can you work alongside our existing team?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and that's how several of our longer-running engagements work. Some clients have a founder setting direction while we handle the day-to-day marketing. Others have a marketing hire or team who focus on product marketing while we run campaigns, design, and web alongside them. For companies with a clear set of target accounts, we can run account-based campaigns that support what your sales team is already doing. We fill the gaps rather than duplicate what you already have - and we adjust the scope as your team grows.

Question 9

We're a small team with no marketing person. Are we too early?

Accepted Answer

That's exactly who we're set up to work with. Many of the companies we work with have no dedicated marketing hire, or a founder handling marketing alongside everything else. We work with companies from seed stage through Series B. If you have a product - or are actively developing one - and need visibility with investors, partners, or customers, that's where we come in.

Question 10

What does it cost to work with Adopter?

Accepted Answer

Every engagement is scoped to your situation - your stage, your priorities, and what you need most right now. Most clients invest between £2,000 and £8,000 per month. Companies with smaller budgets can still make meaningful progress - we've worked with clients at £1,000-£2,000 per month focused on a single channel and occasional design support. An early-stage company might start with LinkedIn management and design support. A company approaching a funding round or entering a new market might add messaging and strategy, a website, and targeted account-based campaigns. Websites, brand development, and strategy sprints are usually quoted as fixed-fee projects. A 20-minute call is the quickest way to work out what makes sense at your stage, what it would cost, and what you'd get for it.

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