If we count on our hands how many conversations we've had with colleagues, clients and partners across the sector that were linked to Go-To-Market strategy, we'd soon run out of fingers. And it’s got us thinking…
Are we in decision paralysis?
When we talk about Go-To-Market we’re talking about virtually everything - every means of communication, product, potential audience and how your organization is set up to be able to deliver it effectively. It’s a vast concept sometimes (frustratingly) packed with jargon with no (currently industry established) consistent way to talk about it. And as a result it can be hard to know where to start and easier to go back to your day to day ways of working.
Structures as they often exist within animal health organizations prioritizes the product and not the customer journey - so it’s important to think about how you can build better capacity within your team not to just make one product launch successful but to set you, and your brand, up for years to come.
Why should you balance portfolio and product?
I’ve been working in animal health in partnership with its core audiences (pet owners and veterinarians) for 14 years and this conversation comes up again and again. A lot of the partners we’re lucky to work with are set up to deliver product strategies, launches in daily delivery models yet solutions we may need to consider or look to get to often look beyond product alone. We have to think about the bigger solution we’re looking to create and the component parts that will help us do that.
Then we need to consider how our audiences operate and engage - they aren’t just paying for a ‘product’ they are running a business or planning ahead to better support their pet. A memorable interaction with a brand and seeing the scope of what it has to offer and how it talks and shows up in the audience’s world is the difference between stopping the scroll or making a significant business investment, or not.
Let’s move from channels to connectivity.
At FWD we often urge anyone we’re working with to not think about anything in isolation.
Which, again, can be tricky to get your head around as it is an intrinsic part of most marketer’s mindsets. The word ‘channel’ is also problematic as it immediately gets into the doing. By thinking about channels organizations are often then beholden to the structures they have e.g. an email team, a social media team, a PR team, an advertising team. Most audiences are consuming content across a breadth of channels and with a level of personal preference that isn’t informed by how you decided to shape your team, its skills or budget allocation by channel.
And perhaps this is why this conversation keeps coming up
Connectivity is to bring together all elements of your organization in the eyes of your customer - the quick look at the news as they get ready in the morning, the billboard they see as they drive to clinic, the copy of DVM magazine that sits next to their laptop as they check their emails, the interaction with colleagues at a conference. It is all part of one discovery and influence journey and ideally could start to underpin more how we, as partners, interact with them.
What is nudge theory?
Marketing has historically talked about ‘big ideas’ and ‘talking points’ - the water cooler moment that moves a brand outside its niche into culture. We’re not saying that isn’t a ‘thing’ but at FWD we believe that it doesn't have to just be a series of grand gestures when it comes to your brand and communicating across portfolios.
Instead it’s about nudges - showing up in the right places so pet owners start to interact and learn a little more about who you are. A thoughtful content piece that puts their mind at rest about their pet’s behavior, a short video that explains why flea treatment is important, a magazine article that explains about the link between nutrition and animal health, a friend talking to them about how long term conditions can be treated affordably because they’ve discussed a long term care plan.
And that’s how we like to think about things here at FWD - asking you why three times to get to the broader solution your product is looking to show up for and designing omnichannel experiences that nudge customers to the right solutions.
So, Go-To-Market, a big lofty ambition and goal that can be truly transformative across all aspects of your organization. Are you ready for it?
Reach out — we’d love to hear from you.