How are you taking your product to market?

Last week, I shared a list of five questions I use to guide my conversations with founders and growth teams struggling to find product-market fit (PMF). If you haven’t read that entry, you can find it here. Today, I’m going to focus on question number one: How are you taking your product(s) to market today?

Understanding your startup’s current go-to-market (GTM) strategy is critical. Even if you have only been selling your product for a few months, spending some time analysing what has worked so far (and what hasn't) will provide a good indication of where to focus next. Your GTM strategy isn't just a plan—it’s the foundation of how you connect with your customers and drive sales. It can mean the difference between iterating quickly to find product-market fit (PMF) or getting stuck without progress.

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Here is how I approach this question with founders:

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𝟭. 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼?
First and foremost, get crystal clear on who your ideal customer is. Not just broad categories, but specifics: What problems are they facing? How do they currently solve those problems? What triggers them to seek out a solution? Creating detailed buyer personas helps to focus your marketing and sales efforts on the right people. Use surveys, interviews, and customer feedback to refine your understanding. The more you know about your target audience, the more tailored and effective your GTM approach will be.

Tip: Give yourself a set target of weekly customer interviews. Regularly update your personas as you learn more about your customers.

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𝟮. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁?

Your unique value proposition (UVP) should clearly articulate the distinct benefits your product offers that your competitors do not. This message should be consistent across all marketing channels and resonate with your target audience’s pain points and desires. A compelling UVP makes it easier for customers to understand why they should choose your product over others.

Tip: Run A/B tests with different value propositions in your marketing campaigns to see which resonates most with your audience. I recently came across this tool that can help you get started with A/B testing in minutes.

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𝟯. 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀?

Your product might be great, but if you’re not using the right channels to reach your target audience, your efforts will fall flat. Identify where your ideal customers spend their time online—whether it’s social media platforms, specific websites, or other digital communities—and focus your efforts there. Prioritise channels that offer the highest return on investment (ROI) based on your audience's habits and the nature of your product.

Tip: Start small with one or two channels, gather data on what works, and scale up from there.

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𝟰. 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘂𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘆

Your marketing team needs insights from sales about what’s resonating with prospects, and your sales team needs to understand what messages and campaigns are driving interest. Investing time and resources in implementing processes to create feedback loops, where both teams regularly share information and adjust strategies based on what's working and what’s not, is a definite must!

Tip: Prioritise this. Start early and build a culture of collaboration between teams from day one.

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𝟱. 𝗜𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲.

A GTM strategy isn’t static, and let's be honest—you’re not going to get it right the first, second or third time. It should evolve based on the data you gather. Track key performance indicators (KPIs) such as customer acquisition cost (CAC), customer lifetime value (CLV), and conversion rates to assess the effectiveness of your strategy. Use these insights to tweak your messaging, channels, and, of course, the product itself.

Tip: Set up a simple dashboard to visualise your progress and identify areas that need improvement. You don’t need anything fancy, just make sure you’re tracking your progress.

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Keep in mind: This is not just about evaluating your current tactics; it’s about laying the groundwork for sustainable growth.

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I sincerely hope this helps!

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