Insights from Ivan O’Mahoney, Head of Marketing at Ceartas. At Ceartas DMCA (an Earlybird Venture Capital portfolio company), Ivan brings his chops from working in big brands to guide his startup teammates in getting the word out in creative & measurable ways.

1. How does your professional past inform your current role at Ceartas?

My experience in corporate marketing and social media strategy at Ryanair and Staycity Group has significantly shaped my approach at Ceartas DMCA. In both roles, I managed large-scale campaigns, collaborated with cross-functional teams, and implemented data-driven strategies to achieve measurable results.

Ryanair felt like the grassroots part of my career. I was lucky to work closely with Michael O’Leary on social media and communication campaigns to understand consumer behavior at a large scale. Ryanair’s content strategy relies heavily on social media to connect with audiences across diverse markets; they use bold, targeted campaigns for high impact. Working at Ryanair taught me to create highly targeted, scalable strategies that effectively capture attention and drive action.

I bring this mindset to my work shaping Ceartas into a global leading brand protection agency.

At Staycity Group, I learned to combine creativity with analytics. I leveraged social media to build brand trust and loyalty while successfully championing an influencer marketing strategy that significantly boosted brand awareness and customer engagement. This will be invaluable at Ceartas, a startup where every piece of content and interaction has to deliver impact.

It’s important to me to craft messaging that educates while building credibility and incorporating the bold, humour-led content that worked so well for Ryanair.

When marketing to consumers across a range of products, whether it’s ‘bums on seats’, ‘heads on beds,’ or now with Ceartas content creators on our platform, it’s all about getting up close and personal with your customers, educating and entertaining is key.

My experience with big brands affords me the strategic foresight to help position Ceartas as a trusted solution while adapting to the agility and innovation needed in a startup environment.

2. When should startups begin developing a social media strategy?

Startups should develop their social media strategy as early as possible — ideally before launching their business to build hype.

Social media is a cost-effective and powerful tool for building brand awareness, engaging with audiences, and driving initial traction.

An early start helps establish a strong online presence and creates opportunities for potential customers.

3. What is the value-add of a well-crafted social media approach?

A well-crafted social media approach helps businesses achieve several key goals. For instance, consistently engaging with audiences on social media increases visibility and establishes a brand’s presence, driving recognition and trust among potential customers. Social media fosters direct, real-time interaction, enabling businesses to build a sense of community and loyalty, respond to customer inquiries, and gather valuable feedback quickly!

Social media also allows for highly targeted marketing by leveraging detailed audience insights and segmentation. This enables businesses like Ceartas to create campaigns that address different groups’ specific needs and interests, ultimately improving conversion rates.

Social media is also an effective tool for driving traffic and sales. Through organic posts, paid advertising, and strategic content sharing, businesses can direct users to their website and landing pages boosting lead generation and sales. Compared to traditional advertising, social media is often a more cost-effective option to reach large audiences and achieve a high return on investment through strategic planning. Additionally, social media provides valuable data-driven insights, allowing businesses to track campaign performance and measure engagement.

Compared to traditional advertising, social media is often a more cost-effective option to reach large audiences and achieve a high return on investment through strategic planning.

Overall, a well-executed social media strategy is the perfect tool for businesses looking to grow their brand, connect with audiences, and drive meaningful, measurable results in today’s digital landscape.

4. How can founders effectively measure the ROI of their social media efforts?

Firstly, social media is the dreaming stage of the buying funnel. Combining content to achieve your goals and bringing in a robust ‘paid strategy’ works best. Founders can measure the ROI of social media efforts by focusing on both numbers and the quality of results that align with their business goals. Set clear objectives: like increasing brand awareness, generating leads, and boosting sales. By tracking key metrics such as website traffic, conversion rates, and engagement, founders can see if their efforts are working.

One simple way to measure ROI is by tracking how much traffic comes to your website from social media, using tools like Google Analytics. You can also monitor conversion rates, monitor whether social media leads to sign-ups, and compare costs to the revenue generated.

Engagement metrics, such as likes, comments, and shares, show how well your content resonates with your audience, helping build loyalty. Tools like Instagram Insights and LinkedIn Analytics also provide valuable data on performance, reach, and demographics.By tracking these metrics regularly, founders can adjust strategies to improve results and ensure social media efforts are helping achieve business goals.

Remember that social media platforms are where the community you build lives, and in many cases where your consumers hang out, so keep them engaged, informed, and entertained at all times!

I am excited to work with a passionate and super-driven team at Ceartas. Co-founders Daniel Purcell and Jonny Smyth are visionary tech innovators, mixing exceptional expertise with a passion for groundbreaking solutions. Our upcoming products promise to redefine the IPP industry. If this all resonates, reach out to me via LinkedIn.