Go to Market (GTM): what elements do you need to build a stronger client engagement strategy

Whether you’re a financial planner or a butcher, understanding who your client is, what issue you can solve for them, and why they buy from you, is critical to your success.

This is your Go to Market (GTM) approach and it’s a crucial ‘101’ element of marketing, but one that’s often forgotten in the modern-day rush to marketing activity. A robust GTM strategy forces you to become customer-focused, including the outcomes they’re looking for, and how you can engage them in a way that resonates. So, what are the key building blocks of your GTM?

Start with your why, how, who, what

Think of these steps as a way of building the foundations of your GTM strategy.

1. Understand your why: Customers don’t buy what you do they buy why you do it. For Elon Musk and Tesla, their mission is to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy. Remember the passion that got you started in the first place? Think about why a customer would care about your business and your offering.
2. Understand who your customer is: Think about specific customers you want to target and their key characteristics? Focus on your ideal customer; the ones that are most compatible with your offer.
3. Focus on what they need from you: What’s their pain point? By solving a pain point, you’re giving potential customers a reason to buy from you.
4. Understand how you’re different: Consider the entire customer journey; what specifically would give clients a reason to choose you over another provider? How you’re different from others in your market is crucial to a delivering a valuable GTM plan.

Build a reason to believe

Too many businesses fail to show their customers how they’re different. Just saying ‘Hey look at us, we can do it better/smarter/cheaper than our competitors’ isn’t enough. You need to have proof points, which should include:

• Strong consumer testimonials or user stories proving your abilities, your experience and expertise.
• Strong research to support your claims

Understand the problem and how you solve it

Understanding the customer problem might sound easy, but its something many marketers forget. It involves understanding the key challenges facing your clients and how you can provide solutions. Most purchases involve some sort of pain point, whether its making insurance easy and straightforward, or providing comprehensive online access to a banking service. Whatever the pain involves, you need to understand it. Remember Steve Jobs’ description of the first iPod “1,000 songs right in your pocket”. This statement drove Apple’s key marketing messages going forward and kept it focused on its customer and their problems.

Now you’re at the starting gates…

Once you’ve built the foundations, you’re at the starting gates to start developing a valuable GTM strategy. It’s these foundations that will give you the ability to build something that puts your customer at the front and centre of your strategy.