Seems like every month another must-have tool for digital marketing or social media launches. Many of these are real advances and can be extremely helpful. If your go to market strategy starts with technology; you’re likely to miss the mark.
We worked with one client a couple of years ago that was a real lover of technology. He was always buying or looking at buying the latest updates to come on the market. Instead of making the work easier, all of these disconnected tools actually slowed the process down. He loved to have as he said “have a lot of plates spinning”, but ended up with more work than results.
It’s important to remember; more activity is not always an indication of success. The risk of adding too many tools can be higher cost and low adoption as the team has trouble integrating all the functionality.
A better way to think about your go to market strategy
What are we trying to do
Clarity on what outcome you’re driving for is the first place you need to start. Be very specific on your goals and how to measure them. “We want to drive more traffic” is a wish. While “we want to increase traffic by 20% over the prior year” is a goal you can assess.
Who are we trying to influence
Understanding exactly whom you are targeting is critical. Digital marketing is full of examples of campaigns that were developed to drive more traffic to the client’s website, only to deliver the wrong types of prospects who were not likely to buy. Reaching the right audience is what it’s all about. Be sure you know who that is.
Is there a better way to accomplish this
Once you have clarity on the goal and the audience for your go to market strategy, now it’s time to start brainstorming about better ways to tackle the campaign. Are there tools to help simplify the process, integrate the activities or automate some of the more manual activities? This is where your technology discussion belongs.
Marketing technology can be a game changer. Looking at the latest tools can help you dream about what’s possible but only after you’ve worked through the right strategy for your campaign.
