Go to market

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Go-to-market, go-to-market strategy, or GTM strategy [1] is the plan of an organization, utilizing their outside resources (e.g., sales force and distributors), to deliver their unique value proposition to customers and achieve competitive advantage. [2] [3] The goal is to enhance the overall customer experience by offering a superior product and/or more competitive pricing. [1]

Contents

Developing a go-to-market strategy

Processes of a go-to-market strategy Go-to-market strategy.pdf
Processes of a go-to-market strategy

In the earliest stages of developing a go-to-market strategy for a new product or service, the company has to initially define the target market. The company then must determine whether they already have prospective customers within their customer base but who are using different services. [1]

After defining the target market, the product or service is researched until a final decision is made on the value proposition. Then the company determines its pricing strategy. It is very challenging to decide what pricing strategy to follow as it differs from one product or service to another, or even when the product or service remains the same but the strategy changes, such as switching to subscription-based pricing (an example of this is Adobe's major shift from selling its Creative Suite software, which included all Adobe's products such as Photoshop and Illustrator, to a $50-per-month Creative Cloud and various other subscription plans). [4]

Moreover, choosing the right distribution and marketing channels, followed by promotion, are vital steps in a go-to-market strategy. A company has to decide which distribution model to choose, what kind of support and services are required, and address the possibility of creating a competitive advantage. [5] Afterwards, the company decides how it is going to promote its product or services and what kind of marketing campaigns are most influential to follow. [1]

Driving factors in a go-to-market strategy

When considering developing a go-to-market strategy, there are 3 essential factors to focus on: [5]

Customers

Delivering exceptional customer experiences leads to loyalty and advocacy of the customer. Consequently, that triggers increased product purchase, customer retention and low service cost. [6]

These people may or may not even know you exist, and who you'd like to do business with. From a marketing standpoint, you have to figure out how to attract these people and get them to engage with your brand in some way such as visiting your website, attending a webinar, responding to an email, and more.

MQL The first conversion point is MQL which is a marketing qualified lead. This is a human being who has in some way expressed interest in engaging with you, it doesn't mean they're ready to buy but are willing to engage. It could be a Contact Us form, it could be a demo request, or it could be they want to learn more. These can all be considered marketing-qualified leads. The MQL is a qualification metric for the performance of your marketing.

If this rate grows over time, you are doing a better job targeting your customer base and converting them to be interested in engaging. If you have 1000 people on your email list, and 10-30 of them become leads every month, you can measure how good you are at engaging them via email. [7]

Company

Considering the company's mission and vision is a key determining factor when performing a go-to-market strategy. Motivating employees to perform well is a decisive factor to include. Thus, defining a company's vision and the impact it is trying to create is essential in the earliest stages of a go-to-market strategy. [8] [9]

Competition

Understanding the competition is crucial in deciding what product or service to offer. Gathering information about how competitors are performing in the market, what customers think of the different products available, and what is missing in the market through conducting research using different methods such as SWOT and PEST analyses. [10]

Market segmentation in a go-to-market strategy

Market segmentation is the process by which one divides prospective customers into different groups (segments) that have common needs and the same expected reaction to a marketing action. This approach enables companies to offer customers full value proposition of their products or services. [11]

7 Marketing P's. Used in targeting and defining a market in a go-to-market strategy. 7ps-marketing-ps.jpg
7 Marketing P's. Used in targeting and defining a market in a go-to-market strategy.

These are some of the common factors that are considered when performing a market segmentation in a go-to-market strategy: [12]

Go-to-market strategy and marketing strategy

Marketing strategy includes every marketing activity that helps an organization target the market after conducting market research. [13]

The go-to-market strategy usually develops during the introduction of new products or services.[ citation needed ] Marketing strategy covers: [14]

Example of a go-to-market strategy

An example of using a go-to-market strategy could be observed in the automobile insurance industry. Initially, a company has to choose the right segment of the market (market segmentation). If the customers are considered individual households, then the company works on creating interest in their prospective customers using different forms of media, such as TV advertisements, social media, and billboards. Once the customers are persuaded to proceed, they are offered to purchase the service through different channels such as the Internet (the company's website) or agents, both of which act as entities responsible for customer service.

In the case of customers being corporate accounts during the market segmentation, interest creation and purchase are done through direct sales, agents, or the Internet. Tele-service and direct-service representatives serve as contacts after the purchase. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

Customer relationship management (CRM) is a process in which a business or other organization administers its interactions with customers, typically using data analysis to study large amounts of information.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marketing</span> Study and process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to customers

Marketing is the process of identifying customers and "creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging" goods and services for the satisfaction and retention of those customers. It is one of the primary components of business management and commerce.

Positioning refers to the place that a brand occupies in the minds of the customers and how it is distinguished from the products of the competitors. It is different from the concept of brand awareness. In order to position products or brands, companies may emphasize the distinguishing features of their brand or they may try to create a suitable image through the marketing mix. Once a brand has achieved a strong position, it can become difficult to reposition it. To effectively position a brand and create a lasting brand memory, brands need to be able to connect to consumers in an authentic way, creating a brand persona usually helps build this sort of connection.

In marketing, market segmentation is the process of dividing a broad consumer or business market, normally consisting of existing and potential customers, into sub-groups of consumers based on shared characteristics.

In business, a competitive advantage is an attribute that allows an organization to outperform its competitors.

Personalized marketing, also known as one-to-one marketing or individual marketing, is a marketing strategy by which companies leverage data analysis and digital technology to deliver individualized messages and product offerings to current or prospective customers. Advancements in data collection methods, analytics, digital electronics, and digital economics, have enabled marketers to deploy more effective real-time and prolonged customer experience personalization tactics.

Multichannel marketing is the blending of different distribution and promotional channels for the purpose of marketing. Distribution channels include a retail storefront, a website, or a mail-order catalogue.

In marketing, the unique selling proposition (USP), also called the unique selling point, or the unique value proposition (UVP) in the business model canvas, is the marketing strategy of informing customers about how one's own brand or product is superior to its competitors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Advertising campaign</span> Advertisements based on a theme

An advertising campaign is a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme which make up an integrated marketing communication (IMC). An IMC is a platform in which a group of people can group their ideas, beliefs, and concepts into one large media base. Advertising campaigns utilize diverse media channels over a particular time frame and target identified audiences.

In marketing, lead generation is the initiation of consumer interest or enquiry into the products or services of a business. A lead is the contact information and, in some cases, demographic information of a customer who is interested in a specific product or service.

A target audience is the intended audience or readership of a publication, advertisement, or other message catered specifically to said intended audience. In marketing and advertising, it is a particular group of consumer within the predetermined target market, identified as the targets or recipients for a particular advertisement or message. Businesses that have a wide target market will focus on a specific target audience for certain messages to send, such as The Body Shops Mother's Day advertisements, which were aimed at the children and spouses of women, rather than the whole market which would have included the women themselves. A target audience is formed from the same factors as a target market, but it is more specific, and is susceptible to influence from other factors. An example of this was the marketing of the USDA's food guide, which was intended to appeal to young people between the ages of 2 and 18.

In marketing, a customer value proposition (CVP) consists of the sum total of benefits which a vendor promises a customer will receive in return for the customer's associated payment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brand ambassador</span> Person employed by an organization or company to represent a brand in a positive light

A brand ambassador is a person engaged by an organization or company to represent its brand in a positive light, helping to increase brand awareness and sales. The brand ambassador is meant to embody the corporate identity in appearance, demeanor, values and ethics. The key element of brand ambassadors is their ability to use promotional strategies that will strengthen the customer-product-service relationship, influence a large audience to buy and consume more.

A touchpoint can be defined as any way consumers can interact with a business organization, whether it be person-to-person, through a website, an app or any form of communication. When consumers come in contact with these touchpoints it gives them the opportunity to compare their prior perceptions of the business and form an opinion.

In marketing, a company’s value proposition is the full mix of benefits or economic value which it promises to deliver to the current and future customers who will buy their products and/or services. It is part of a company's overall marketing strategy which differentiates its brand and fully positions it in the market. A value proposition can apply to an entire organization, parts thereof, customer accounts, or products and services.

A target market, also known as serviceable obtainable market (SOM), is a group of customers within a business's serviceable available market at which a business aims its marketing efforts and resources. A target market is a subset of the total market for a product or service.


Customer experience is the totality of cognitive, affective, sensory, and behavioral customer responses during all stages of the consumption process including pre-purchase, consumption, and post-purchase stages.

Lead scoring is a methodology used to rank prospects against a scale that represents the perceived value each lead represents to the organization. The resulting score is used to determine which leads a receiving function will engage, in order of priority.

Marketing automation refers to software platforms and technologies designed for marketing departments and organizations to more effectively market on multiple channels online and automate repetitive tasks.

Product strategy defines the high-level plan for developing and marketing a product, how the product supports the business strategy and goals, and is brought to life through product roadmaps. A product strategy describes a vision of the future with this product, the ideal customer profile and market to serve, go-to-market and positioning (marketing), thematic areas of investment, and measures of success. A product strategy sets the direction for new product development. Companies utilize the product strategy in strategic planning and marketing to set the direction of the company's activities. The product strategy is composed of a variety of sequential processes in order for the vision to be effectively achieved. The strategy must be clear in terms of the target customer and market of the product in order to plan the roadmap needed to achieve strategic goals and give customers better value.

References

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  2. Friedman, Lawrence (2002). Go-To-Market Strategy. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.
  3. Zoltners, Andris; Sinha, Prabha; Lorimer, Sally (2004). Sales Force Design For Strategic Advantage. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
  4. "Adobe kills Creative Suite, goes subscription-only - CNET". CNET. Retrieved 2015-11-01.
  5. 1 2 "AIPMM's What is a go-to-market strategy and how to create one". 4 September 2013. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  6. "Creating an adaptive go-to-market system - Bain & Company". www.bain.com. 17 January 2012. Retrieved 2015-11-01.
  7. "Natalie Luneva: Growth and Team Performance Coaching for Bootstrapped SaaS Founders". www.natalieluneva.com. 11 August 2020. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  8. "Create Market System" . Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  9. Kenny, Graham (3 September 2014). "Your Company's Purpose Is Not Its Vision, Mission, or Values". Harvard Business Review. Retrieved 2015-11-01.
  10. Caan, James (13 March 2013). "Knowing your market and competition is crucial when starting up". the Guardian. Retrieved 2015-11-01.
  11. "Market Segmentation Definition | Investopedia". Investopedia. Retrieved 2015-11-01.
  12. 1 2 Zoltners, Andirs; Sinha, Prabhakanat; Zoltners, Greggor (2001). The Complete Guide To Accelerating Sales Force Performance. New York: AMACOM.
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  14. "Develop a marketing strategy". www.business.qld.gov.au. Retrieved 2015-11-01.