No doubt you’ve heard the phrase, content is king. Overused? Yes. Annoying? For sure. Inaccurate? Far from it.
The fact is, content is a vital component of any b2b marketing strategy. Whatever your goal, there’s no doubt that content plays a role. This is particularly true for go-to-market strategies.
In this blog, we will explore content's role in a go-to-market strategy and some guidelines for creating a go-to-market strategy template so that you can quickly scale your strategy.
Understanding go-to-market strategy
To understand the role of content in your go-to-market strategy, we first need to go over what a go-to-market strategy is. Hint: it’s about bringing a product to market.
What is a go-to-market (GTM) strategy?
A GTM strategy refers to the tactics used by a company to bring a product to market and drive demand. Not to be confused with a marketing strategy, your go-to-market strategy is a short-term plan driven by a specific product. In contrast, your marketing strategy is a long-term marketing action plan.
Who’s responsible for a go-to-market (GTM) strategy?
A go-to-market strategy involves collaboration between various functions and activities, such as marketing, sales, distribution, pricing, customer service, and product development. Typically, a product marketer coordinates the go-to-market strategy with executive teams backing them. But this depends on the size of your company and your internal team structure.
How do you develop a go-to-market (GTM) strategy?
When developing a product's go-to-market strategy, it’s worth noting that you shouldn’t leave all of this up to your product marketer. Sure, they can coordinate the efforts, but a go-to-market strategy should be a joint effort between marketing, sales, and customer success, again, depending on the structure of your organization.
To develop a well-rounded go-to-market strategy, the first thing you need to do is gather relevant stakeholders and ask the following questions.
- What product are you selling, and what unique user or customer problem does it solve?
- Who is your ideal customer, and what pain points do they experience?
- Where will you sell your product? What markets do you want to pursue, and what does the demand and competition look like in those markets?
- How will you reach your target audience and generate more leads?
Once you’ve answered these questions and noted everything, you’ll be ready to start creating your go-to-market strategy template.
What are the essential components of a go-to-market strategy template?
Since your go-to-market strategy will vary depending on the product you sell, the industry you’re in, and your target audience and company goals, there is no ‘standard’ go-to-market strategy template. But there are many things that you see in most go-to-market strategies, so here are some of the critical components you might include in a comprehensive go-to-market strategy template:
- Market definition: Which market(s) will you target when selling the product/ service?
- Customers: Who is the target audience/market, and what are the demographics within these markets?
- Distribution model: How will you deliver the product/service to the customer?
- Product messaging and positioning: What is the unique value of your product/service? What’s the main difference compared to other products or services in the market?
- Price: How much will the product or service cost? Will it vary from customer to customer?
Remember, a successful go-to-market strategy is tailored to your product, audience, and company. It should be adaptable and responsive to changing market conditions and customer feedback. Now, let’s talk about the role content plays in all this.
Discover: Check out our guide on how to promote your whitepaper featuring a distribution checklist.
The power of content in go-to-market strategy
Content is vital for any robust go-to-market (GTM) strategy. It drives your messaging, helping to capture, engage and resonate with your target audience.
There are many ways that content can support your go-to-market strategy to cultivate, encourage and inspire your audience. To leverage it properly, you must understand what content is right for each stage of your go-to-market strategy.
Educational content, for example, helps your audience understand your product and your company. Think blog posts and tutorials. Anything that imparts knowledge and empowers customers.
Whereas promotional content, usually seen as product demos and case studies, showcases tangible benefits and real-world successes, effectively conveying value propositions. This helps your target audience to grasp the value your product holds.
Then there is thought leadership content, which usually comes in the form of long-form content, think white papers, in-depth reports, and expert opinions. Thought leadership content elevates your authority, positioning your brand as an industry expert and trusted source.
Content has a specific purpose for each stage of your buyer journey. You just need to know how to leverage it for maximum success.
By tailoring content to specific demographics, pain points, and interests, brands forge meaningful connections, maximizing resonance. The content demonstrates how your product or service addresses customer needs and solves challenges.
Furthermore, optimizing content for different marketing channels ensures seamless integration and effective outreach, amplifying the impact of GTM efforts. As a holistic asset, content synergizes marketing and sales endeavors, equipping teams with compelling narratives and insights that enhance overall effectiveness.
Crafting a go-to-market strategy template
Creating an effective go-to-market strategy template requires a systematic approach encompassing critical success elements. Here’s an example of a go-to-market strategy template.
- Executive Summary
- Brief overview of the GTM strategy.
- Concise explanation of the product or service being launched.
- Highlight primary objectives and goals.
- Market Analysis
- Detailed analysis of the target market and customer segments.
- Market trends, size, growth rate, and potential opportunities.
- Competitive landscape and key competitors.
- Value Proposition
- Clear and compelling value proposition for the product/service.
- Unique selling points that differentiate the offering from competitors.
- How the product/service addresses customer pain points.
- Target Customer Persona
- Description of the ideal customer.
- Demographics, psychographics, challenges, and preferences.
- How the product/service meets the specific needs of the target persona.
- Pricing and Packaging Strategy
- Pricing model and rationale behind pricing decisions.
- Packaging options and their benefits to different customer segments.
- Competitive pricing analysis.
- Distribution and Sales Channels
- Overview of the distribution strategy (direct, indirect, online, offline, etc.).
- Description of chosen sales channels (retail, e-commerce, partners, etc.).
- The rationalization for channel selection and advantages of each.
- Marketing and Promotion Strategy
- Description of marketing collateral and channels (social media, content marketing, etc.).
- Timeline and budget allocation for marketing activities.
- Launch campaign details and key messaging.
- Sales Strategy
- Sales process and stages, from lead generation to conversion.
- Sales team structure, roles, and responsibilities.
- Sales training, collateral, and tools needed to support the team.
- Launch Plan
- Launch timeline, milestones, and key dates.
- Pre-launch activities to build anticipation.
- Post-launch activities to sustain momentum and engagement.
- Partnerships and Alliances
- Potential partners, collaborators, or strategic alliances.
- How partnerships will enhance the GTM strategy.
- Benefits and responsibilities for both parties.
- Budget Allocation
- Detailed budget breakdown for each aspect of the GTM strategy.
- Justification for budget allocation based on expected outcomes.
- Monitoring and adjustment mechanisms for budget adherence.
- Metrics and KPIs
- Key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of the GTM strategy.
- How each KPI aligns with the overall business goals.
- Reporting frequency and tools used for tracking progress.
- Risk Assessment
- Potential risks and challenges associated with the GTM strategy.
- Mitigation plans for each identified risk.
- Contingency plans in case of unexpected obstacles.
- Conclusion
- Recap of the key elements of the GTM strategy.
- Reiteration of objectives and expected outcomes.
- Next steps and how the strategy will be executed.
There are a bunch of tools you can use to create your go-to-market strategy template, such as Figma or Monday. However, you can make a start with a good old Google Doc.
Remember, this template is a starting point. Adapt and expand each section to fit your specific product, market, and business requirements.
Leveraging interactive content for go-to-market content strategy
Interactive content is an excellent tool for a go-to-market strategy for many reasons. One of the main reasons for leveraging interactive content is to increase reader engagement. Interactive content offers a more dynamic and personalized experience compared to static content, making it more likely that your target audience will interact with and remember your brand. This can help with lead generation and fostering a deeper relationship with your audience.
With Foleon, your whole team can easily craft captivating educational content, such as interactive tutorials and one-pagers. It’s easy to embed interactive elements such as video or animations to effectively educate your target customers.
Elevate your thought leadership initiatives by producing insightful long-form content and engaging industry insights, positioning your brand as an authoritative source. Leverage the helpful intelligence to enrich your go-to-market strategy with rich data for your reader engagement.
As Foleon facilitates the seamless integration of marketing and sales efforts, it enhances the overall effectiveness of your GTM strategy. With Foleon, you can elevate your GTM content strategy to new heights, delivering compelling narratives and experiences that captivate your audience and drive tangible results.
Final thoughts
In the intricate tapestry of modern business dynamics, the role of content within a go-to-market (GTM) strategy shines through. As your GTM blueprint takes shape, remember that content is not merely a bystander but a true value driver for your strategy, channeling your brand's essence, building trust, and forging lasting credibility.
