I hear these terms used interchangeably all the time, especially in relation to a new product launch, but “marketing” and “go-to-market” are quite different.
What often happens: Someone says, “We need a go-to-market strategy” and everyone nods along, thinking it means creating a sales presentation, designing some sales collateral, and maybe planning a marketing campaign. But that just scratches the surface.
Go-to-Market is about readiness
Are you ready for a customer to purchase your product, use it, and get the differentiated value you’ve promised?
To answer this question requires careful planning and preparedness from product conception through development and delivery. It encompasses all points in a collaborative chain across product management, product development, marketing, sales, operations, post-sale support and account management (not to mention finance and legal).
A go-to-market strategy is meant to guide an organization through every step, to ultimately ensure the customer will have the most seamless and positive experience with your product or solution.
Marketing is about persuasion
Does your target market know your solution exists? And more importantly, why should they care?
Marketing is the basis for your differentiated value proposition. What makes you different? Why should anyone care? What’s in it for them?
It requires a deep understanding of your target personas and what they value and crafting differentiated messaging that resonates with them. Marketing is meant to build awareness, educate, and give the buyer a compelling reason to purchase.
Both matter
Marketing creates the story and builds awareness. Go-to-market ensures you can deliver on that story. You might have a brilliant marketing plan that creates demand, but if your product isn’t ready or you can’t implement it properly, you’ve got a problem.
When marketing is incorporated in a broader go-to-market strategy from the beginning, you create something powerful: a customer experience where the promise you make is exactly what you deliver.