What Is a GTM Strategy?

A company’s go-to-market (GTM) strategy can have a transformative effect on an organization when it’s executed well. Having a flexible, strategic entry point for products changes how a company delivers value to its customers. For startups especially, a GTM strategy can relate to the launch of the business — while more established organizations might need to iterate more frequently. 

How do you develop a GTM strategy with a high chance of success? In this brief article, we’ll discuss developing a successful go-to-market strategy framework. More specifically, we’ll focus on the numbers 3, 4, and 5—using them to form a basic GTM strategy framework template that includes:

  • the 3 main parts of a GTM strategy,
  • the 4 P’s of GTM strategy development, and
  • 5 examples of GTM strategies.

First, though:

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What Is GTM and How Does It Work?

True to its name, go-to-market or GTM describes how a new product or service can be strategically launched to reach the right audience with the right offerings at the right time. In other words, a GTM strategy helps ensure a successful launch by defining a market, tailoring product/service offerings to one or more ideal customer profiles, and considering factors like messaging, distribution, and pricing.

What Is a GTM Strategy Template?

Whether it’s for a startup, B2C, or B2B, a go-to-market strategy template provides a repeatable, step-by-step framework for executing a successful GTM strategy.

What Are the 3 Main Parts of a GTM Strategy?

If you’re looking to build out a well-rounded go-to-market strategy, there are three vital components: a defined market, well-developed product or service offerings, and compelling messaging.
  • A Defined Market: You can’t reach everyone with every product or service—not right out the gate, anyway. With each product or service you launch, think carefully about what audience(s) you’re targeting and, as much as possible, tailor your offerings and your approach to those customers. It’s also important to develop one or more ideal customer profiles (ICPs) and work to understand their needs. 
    This is where a platform like Aptivio can supercharge your efforts. With Aptivio, actionable sales and marketing intelligence insights are right at your fingertips, ready to inform your strategies. Skeptical? We expect you to be. Sign up today and get your free Market Snapshot to see what your data reveals!
  • Well-Developed Product/Service Offerings: Once you understand your market opportunities, you’ll want to tailor your product/service offerings to what your organization’s strengths are, as well as what your customers are looking for. The better-aligned your offerings are with what your audience needs, the better-positioned you’ll be to build trust, gain traction, and create conversions.
  • Compelling Messaging: How will you reach your audience? What type(s) of narratives might have a profound impact on your market? What channels will you use to broadcast your message and connect with prospects? Choosing the right channels—and the right message—becomes easier as you deepen your understanding of the market (and where you fit in).
Of course, this list is not exhaustive, but it does address the 3 biggest components of a well-rounded GTM strategy. What’s left? The finer details, like setting sensible pricing and practical, efficient distribution methods.

What Does a What Are the 4 P’s of GTM?

Another way to think about what goes into a GTM strategy is what’s known as the four P’s of GTM—product, price, place, and promotion.
  • Product (or Service): It should go without saying, but the strength of the product or service offering itself is critical. Does it align with an identified need of its target market/customer? Does it offer something the competition doesn’t (or can’t) provide? 
  • Price: The cost of a new product or service shouldn’t just be guesswork. Price it too low, and customers might assume it’s a low-quality offering; price it too high and they’ll see what your competitors are charging.
  • Place: In the context of a GTM strategy, “place” refers to distribution methods—where (and/or how) will customers access your product or service? With a physical product, you’ll probably want to consider brick-and-mortar retailers as well as eCommerce options, while selling a service (such as a SaaS platform) primarily happens online.
  • Promotion: Once you have a well-developed product or service offering that aligns with a defined market, the real fun begins. How will you reach your audience and tell the story—and the value—of what you’re offering?
If you want to learn more about the four P’s of GTM, this Investopedia article not only provides a good overview but also introduces three additional P’s for your consideration: people, process, and physical evidence.

What Are the 5 Go-to-Market Strategies?

Depending on how ambitious or complex your GTM objectives are, consider the following tactics as you develop your broader GTM framework and ready it for implementation:
  • Identifying ideal client profiles (ICPs)—and how to reach them.
  • Establishing value propositions to guide tactics and research.
  • Defining a market strategy for the product or service being launched.
  • Cataloging the buyer journey and how the product/service can reach each segment.
  • Listing all required resources and go-to-market metrics to quantify success.
As you can imagine, these strategies are closely interrelated to each other, and also intentionally ordered. In many cases, using this 5-component strategic framework ensures that your bases are covered and that you’re laying the right kind of foundation for a successful product or service launch.

Aptivio: Market Intelligence, Unlocked

One final thing worth mentioning is the importance of actionable intelligence in GTM strategy development. From defining a market to understanding the nuances of your ideal customers (and what they’re looking for), the right data is key. Aptivio collects a wide range of marketing intelligence, including insights into the customer journey, buying signals, and more—all within a single, powerful platform. 

It all starts with a Market Snapshot, which is free and only takes a couple minutes. Get yours today!
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