Identifying and Ranking Agile Marketing Strategies in B2B Startups in Gilan Province

Abstract

Uncertainty, rapid changes, and increasing competition characterize today’s business environment. Because of limited resources and complex sales cycles, B2B startups increasingly need innovative, agile marketing approaches. Agile marketing, with its emphasis on rapid responsiveness, continuous customer interaction, and data-driven decision-making, is considered an effective solution in this regard. This study is applied in terms of purpose and exploratory–descriptive in nature, conducted using a survey-based approach. The statistical population consisted of experts and senior managers active in the marketing domain of B2B startups in Gilan Province, from whom eight participants were selected through purposive sampling. In the first stage, a systematic review of the literature led to the identification of ten key agile marketing strategies. The content validity of these strategies was assessed using the Content Validity Ratio (CVR) and the Fuzzy Delphi method. Subsequently, the relative importance and weights of the identified strategies were determined using two multi-criteria decision-making techniques, namely Fuzzy Step-wise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (Fuzzy SWARA) and the Fuzzy Best–Worst Method (Fuzzy BWM). Finally, the strategies were ranked through the integrated Copeland method. The results indicated that all ten identified strategies possessed the required level of content validity. The Fuzzy SWARA method emphasized the high importance of market agility and rapid responsiveness to change, interactive marketing and customer co-creation, and marketing based on digital platforms. In contrast, the Fuzzy Best–Worst Method (Fuzzy BWM) prioritized data-driven marketing, interactive marketing, and marketing in turbulent and crisis environments. The final integrated ranking using the Copeland method revealed that interactive marketing and customer co-creation, market agility and rapid responsiveness to change, and agile innovation in the marketing process were, respectively, the most important strategies. The final prioritization indicates that a strong focus on active customer engagement, rapid responsiveness to market changes, and continuous innovation in marketing processes plays a pivotal role in B2B startup success. Managers of these startups should design their marketing structures around agile teams and continuous customer feedback mechanisms. Furthermore, the adoption of data mining and business intelligence tools is recommended to strengthen data-driven marketing capabilities. At the same time, contingency plans should be developed to effectively manage crisis situations and turbulent market conditions. Future research may employ quantitative structural approaches, such as Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), to validate the causal relationships between these agile marketing strategies and the financial performance of startups.