Objective: This paper aims to analyze the communication potential of digital marketing and the growth of service-oriented startups in Iran. Given the increasing importance of digital marketing in competitive environments, this study provides a macro-dynamic framework for the factors affecting the growth of startups.
Method: This research is of applied-developmental type based on the results and descriptive-analytical in terms of purpose and mixed in terms of data type. In the first step, the qualitative part of the research was conducted by conducting semi-structured interviews with 8 managers and key experts of the Achareh startup. The content analysis of these interviews was conducted using thematic analysis method. In the second step, based on the findings of the qualitative part, a structured questionnaire was designed to collect quantitative data related to the impact of these strategies on the growth of startups. This questionnaire was distributed among a random sample of employees and experts of the Achareh platform. In order to analyze the quantitative part, Pearson correlation test, multiple regression, and analytic hierarchy process methods were used, respectively.
Results: The findings showed that social media and influencer campaigns had the greatest impact on key growth indicators such as increasing the number of customers, increasing revenue, and market development. The use of visual and interactive content also increased user engagement and loyalty. Influencer marketing also had a significant impact on startup growth. In contrast, strategies such as gamification and online competitions with lower correlation coefficients had a relatively limited impact on growth indicators.
Conclusions: Analysis of the data obtained shows that different digital marketing strategies have different effects on startup growth. The findings indicate that continuous evaluation and optimization of digital strategies helps startups perform better in competitive environments.