how to create a go-to-market content strategy
your roadmap to content development
VERDE’S CHRIS DICKERSON DISCUSSES HOW TO CREATE A GO-TO-MARKET CONTENT STRATEGY ON THE BACKCOUNTRY MARKETING PODCAST
By: Chris Dickerson
Recently, I had the pleasure to speak on Cole Heilborn’s podcast, Backcountry Marketing. In this episode, Cole and I discuss how brands can create a go-to-market plan for new product launches, which covers goal setting, including stakeholders from your company, different departments and voices, as well as your agency partners.
The details and less exciting elements of launching a product are often overlooked and not as “fun”, but the success often depends on the details and how each marketing channel is activated.
One example and brand who I personally have experience with is Hydro Flask. During my time at Hammerquist Studios (formerly Hydro Flasks’ creative agency of record), I worked to bring Hydro Flask’s Growler to market. What I most enjoyed about the process of bringing their products to market was how the process began and how the team thoroughly thought through all of the elements of the product, who it was for, and the assets needed to bring it to life.
One basic question I ask when we have a client launching a new product is “who it is for” and “what’s in it for me” (from the consumers point of view). Those two questions should be top-of-mind throughout the launch window. From the moment the design and development team put pen-to-paper, all the way through the purchase cycle.
In the podcast we talk about how marketers are often distracted by the ‘shiny' objects such as the launch video and the lifestyle imagery, which in turn leads to missing important details, causing a mad scramble leading up to the launch that leaves the team stressed out and exhausted. Personally, I like to start from the product detail page and work my way out to channel activation. By flipping your thinking, sweating the details first, and always keeping your end consumer top of mind, launches will be smoother and more comprehensive, ensure all of your channels are aligned, and support one another.
I created a simple guide you can use that will help you with setting goals, creating consumer centric positioning , and assisting you in mapping out your plans.