The Terminus Blueprint to Account-Based Marketing
Go-to-Market Channels Workbook & Templates
Access it hereA Field Guide to Intent Data for Your Go-to-Market Channels
Check it outAn Actionable Guide to Building Out a Go-to-Market Strategy
DownloadGo-to-Market Channels
While there are many articles and blogs that talk about marketing, few define their terms before they get going. This is fine for people who are already familiar with the concepts in question, but it doesn’t help those who are new. Therefore, we will begin this discussion with some quick explanations for common marketing terms.
- What is B2B marketing? The simplest B2B marketing definition is “marketing from one business to another business.” B2B itself stands for “business to business.” Some might argue the best B2B marketing actually resembles B2C marketing.
- What is B2C marketing? The “C” in this term stands for “consumer,” so the B2C marketing definition is “business to consumer marketing.” In some cases, it is quite different from its B2B counterpart.
Because there are typically significant differences between B2B and B2C marketing, you will also find differences in where to best learn about each version. If you want to learn B2B marketing, you will find great resources at the Terminus Resource Hub. This is the company behind Terminus, a software platform meant to make B2B digital marketing and sales easier and more effective.
If you’d like to get information and other resources from more sources, there are several worth checking out. One of the first things you should learn is how to create a go to market strategy. You can choose from premade templates, articles, and information such as a go to market strategy McKinsey PDF, go to market strategy McKinsey PPT, go to market strategy McKinsey blog post, go to market strategy BCG, or ask these companies for go to market strategy consulting services. If you’re ready to move onto the details of a strategy, pick up a go to market strategy framework HBR or a go to market strategy framework McKinsey.
B2B Go-to-Market Channels
Before deciding which B2B go to market channels to use, it’s important to consider what needs to go into your go to market strategy template. However, it is crucial to understand the strengths and benefits of each B2B communication strategy before it is fleshed out, because this will be important for executing your plans.
In this context, the term “channels” refers to the many avenues you have for your advertising and customer interaction. Examples include television, newspapers, social media, websites, and more. Each type of media is a different “channel.” This is quite different from simply choosing a different outlet in the same medium.
With that in mind, it is important to create B2B first, and then choose your channels. This will help to ensure that your marketing is done where it will be the most effective.
Several factors need to go into your B2B website strategy and B2B SaaS go to market strategy template. These include, but aren’t limited to, your industry, the size of your company, trends in marketing and purchasing, whether you need B2B or B2C marketing strategies, and more. Do you want to use B2C marketing strategies on social media, a go to market strategy for B2B? Will a B2C marketing strategies PDF help or a go to market strategy PPT help? All of these factors should be considered.
It’s a good idea to compare trends from year to year to see what has been changing. What were good B2B marketing strategies 2019 or B2C marketing strategies 2019, or effective B2B marketing strategies 2020, may need to be tweaked or even eliminated from B2B marketing strategies 2021.
The size, and possibly age, of your business is important, too. A go to market strategy for startups is typically much different from one used by a well-established or large firm. You can see plenty of go to market strategy examples for startups online. Companies like Terminus provide resources like a B2B marketing strategies PDF, a B2B marketing strategy example for various industries, a B2B marketing strategy framework, a go to market strategy for startups template, and more.
Which industry you’re in also makes a difference, so resource providers have some industry-specific templates and other aids, as well. You can get a B2C SaaS go to market strategy, a B2B SaaS go to market strategy, a go to market strategy for FMCG, and several others.
Whether you need a go to market strategy for SaaS company, a go to market strategy for startups PPT, a go to market strategy template PPT, a marketing strategy template PDF, or innovative B2B marketing strategies, check out the Terminus Resource Hub. It has all of these and more, and even better, you can get a go to market strategy template free from this source.
SaaS Go-to-Market Channels
Which b2b marketing channels are the most popular depends heavily on your industry. For example, popular B2B SaaS go to market channels include targeted digital advertising, email signature banners, LinkedIn, account-based chat, and the company site. Meanwhile, those who sell directly to consumers will want to switch out LinkedIn and sub in a more consumer-oriented social media site. These are just some of many distribution channels examples and marketing channels examples.
Deciding on channel distribution in marketing requires thinking about your B2B channel strategy and your strong points. In some cases, the distribution channel strategy will be the key to making your overall strategy work. If you’re selling to other businesses, you’ll want to use outlets like the B2B distribution channels examples mentioned before. However, if you’re selling to consumers, you’ll want to select B2C marketing channels. These include email, social media sites oriented toward the public, your website, and others.
One of the things to keep in mind is whether you sell directly to end-users, or instead sell to wholesalers and distributors. The first is called a direct distribution channel, and the second is an indirect channel of distribution. This type of distribution, however, does not refer to marketing the product. Even so, it sometimes affects who you need to advertise to. If your distribution is indirect, you not only need to drive demand from end-users, but also convince distributors to pick up your product lines.
A great way to learn more about this aspect of marketing is to check out the Terminus Resource Hub or some of the resources from consulting firms. They’ll have plenty of information about types of marketing channels, paid media channels, B2B acquisition channels, B2B marketing channels 2020, B2B channels of distribution, B2B content channels, and more.
These resources will also take into account the differences in how products are distributed, and how that affects marketing. Online distribution channels for products, for instance the SaaS distribution model and other software distribution channels, often work well with online advertising. A Types of Distribution Channels PPT will make all of this clear, as well as the B2B channel marketing definition it uses, and you can refer back to it whenever you need to.
B2B Sales Channels
Once you have a strategy and have decided which B2B sales channels to use, it’s time to work on the details. This is best done by creating a go to market plan checklist. A checklist may also be referred to as a go to market strategy framework, plan, template, or another term. The bottom line is that it focuses on the specifics of the strategy.
The easiest way to handle this is to start with a premade go to market plan template. These come in several formats, such as a go to market template PDF, a go to market template Excel, a go to market template PPT, or even a single go to market plan slide. You can also get industry-specific ones, such as a SaaS marketing plan template. Of course, there are also different ones for startups, enterprise-level companies, and those in between.
If you’d rather make up your own plan from scratch, it’s still a good idea to have some examples to look at. Pick up a B2B marketing plan example or a go to market strategy example PDF to use as a roadmap for your own and to help ensure that you don’t forget any points.
For most, it’s easiest to start with a premade template and then customize it to fit your team, product, industry, and company. This is made easier when you start with one that is already a good match. Premade templates exist for a variety of company sizes, ages, industries, and styles of business, whether B2B or B2C. Because of this, it typically doesn’t take long to make the needed changes and adjustments.
You can get a go to market template free from Terminus and some other sources. Paid versions are also available, mostly from consulting companies. Check out several go to market plan options, and choose the ones that best fit you and your company. A B2B marketing plan template makes things much easier for you.
GTM Channels
Studying B2B business examples or B2C marketing examples is a great way to get a better feel for the various GTM channels available. A good go to market plan example should also be given plenty of attention. By looking at good B2B marketing examples and case studies, you can see what has worked well for others in situations like yours. Then, you can adapt this information to perfectly fit your company, your team, and your goals.
In some cases, it’s important to seek out examples that pertain to unique marketing situations. For example, if you’re going to be selling in India, you’ll want some B2B marketing examples India instead of ones that deal with the USA. This will ensure that you’re seeing what works in your target market, which is, in some ways, quite different from that of the United States.
It’s also essential to make sure that you get current examples. What works this year will be different from what worked five or 10 years ago in many ways. Look for B2B marketing examples 2020, since 2021 is still young. Any go to market strategy case study you read should also be recent, for the same reasons.
Once you read enough B2B marketing campaign examples, it’s time to make your own strategy and plan. With the right information under your belt, you can move confidently to the active phase.
SaaS Marketing Channels
Even though every business needs an overall marketing strategy, a channel strategy, and a detailed plan, the specifics of the go to market structure are different for each industry. Good SaaS marketing channels, for example, aren’t always the same as what make good channels for selling heavy equipment. In some cases, however, there is a surprising amount of overlap.
One way to find commonalities is to look at general B2B marketing trends 2021, or for articles like “7 B2B Marketing Trends to Embrace in 2020.” It’s okay to look for the best B2B marketing campaigns 2020 since 2021 is still young. However, you should be more careful about taking inspiration from the best B2B marketing campaigns 2019, since many campaigns incorporate current events.
Despite the differences between years, you’ll find that the best SaaS marketing campaigns won’t be the same as the best automaker ones. Make sure that your go to market team understands that your company may need different methods, or use different B2C marketing tools. Many do benefit from a SaaS marketing guide, information from the Google go to market team, or even a page of B2C marketing ideas. Make sure your team is aware of, and uses, resources that will be of benefit to your company’s situation.