The Art of Go-To-Market Innovation

Earlier this week I shared a list of the top 10 TED talks on the topics of creativity and innovation. In one of those talks, Bill Gross referenced a quote from the legendary boxer Mike Tyson. “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” I think most every startup feels the harsh reality of that quote at some time in their journey. Planning is a critical task for any business or product launch, but rarely do things go exactly as planned.?

This week we are tackling the exhilarating, sometimes nerve-wracking world of go-to-market (GTM) innovation. We will cover how to plan innovation as well as how to innovate when things don’t go as planned. So grab your favorite cup of coffee—or something stronger, no judgment here—and let’s dive into how to maximize your success when launching a company, product or service.??

Wait - What Exactly is Go-To-Market Innovation?

GTM Innovation is the process of creatively and strategically designing, testing, and executing the approach by which a company brings its products or services to market. It involves rethinking traditional launch methods to find new ways to engage customers, capture market share, and drive growth.

Why Bother Innovating? Can’t We Just Do What’s Worked Before?

Oh, if only it were that easy! Wouldn’t it be great to just ask someone what worked for them and do that? Or maybe just follow what worked for your company last year? Sorry, friends. The world is changing faster than my Wi-Fi drops during a Zoom call, and your GTM strategy needs to keep pace.

Customers today are savvier, more demanding, and, frankly, have attention spans shorter than a TikTok video. If you’re not constantly innovating—whether it’s your business model, product offerings, pricing strategy, or customer engagement tactics—you’re leaving money on the table. Worse, you’re leaving customers in the lurch, and trust me, someone else will gladly scoop them up.

Planning for GTM Innovation

This is when you and your clever colleagues gather up all the research, get in front of a whiteboard and anticipate how you might set yourself apart from the competition, gain market share quickly, and capture your customer’s attention. And..sometimes things work out!

The key here is to have solid personas and buying habits outlined. From here, you can dream up different business models, pricing models, product positioning, and engagement/sales strategies. I’ll provide a few examples to illustrate some planned GTM Innovation tactics.?

?Warby Parker disrupted the eyewear market by allowing customers to order five pairs of glasses to try on at home before making a purchase. This innovative GTM strategy reduced the risk for customers and made online shopping for glasses much more appealing.

Why It Worked: It addressed a key pain point (not being able to try on glasses) and built trust with customers, which led to higher conversion rates.

Glossier built its GTM strategy around a strong community of beauty enthusiasts. By engaging directly with their audience on social media and involving them in product development, Glossier creates products that resonate deeply with their target market.

Why It Worked: The grassroots approach built a loyal customer base and ensured that products met the actual needs and desires of the market.

But what if you’re not a corporate innovator or building a multimillion dollar startup? Perhaps your goal is to start a profitable coaching business.?

Again, you need to start with research. You need to first determine who your ideal customer is, and what platforms they actively consume information on. For the sake of this example, let’s say your ideal customer is a millennial mid-career professional who wants to reach the C-level. They consume information on TIkTok and they are active on LinkedIn.?

A coach could position themselves as the "90-second mentor," offering bite-sized, impactful advice that can be quickly applied to real-world challenges. The approach appeals to time-strapped executives who need concise and effective coaching.

LinkedIn Innovation: The coach uses LinkedIn to build a personal brand as a thought leader by posting daily "Leadership Tips in 90 Seconds," where each post includes a quick video or written tip on leadership, decision-making, or executive presence. They also engage with their audience by commenting on trending leadership topics and sharing case studies of successful client transformations. The coach could use an automated tool to build their audience and offer micro coaching sessions or a power hour as a way to get potential leads into conversation.?

TikTok Strategy: On TikTok, the coach creates a series called “Executive Insights in a Minute,” where they deliver rapid-fire advice on leadership and career progression. These videos are designed to be visually engaging, using storytelling and real-life scenarios that resonate with a broader audience, including younger professionals aspiring to leadership roles.

Pricing Model Ideas:?

Freemium Model: The coach offers a free monthly webinar series called “Power Hour,” where they dive deeper into leadership topics covered in their LinkedIn and TikTok content. Attendees can then opt for paid, personalized micro-coaching sessions.

Subscription-Based Coaching: The coach introduces a subscription model where clients can access a library of on-demand micro-coaching videos, weekly live Q&A sessions, and personalized feedback on leadership challenges.

Done. Right?? J/K.

Sometimes things just don’t work out the way we want them to.?

Now we are in the zone of…

GTM Innovation on the fly

AKA: innovating when things don’t go as planned, forced innovation, why isn’t this working, the investors keep texting me, omg what are we going to do? (You get the drift.)

I’m going to use an example of a tool I have a love/hate relationship with. Actually, it might be more of a moderately appreciate/hate relationship. It’s ok. I’m ok. :)

SLACK.

Did you know that Slack was initially developed by Stewart Butterfield and his team as an internal communication tool for a now-defunct online game called Glitch?? The original GTM plan was to launch the game and use Slack as a behind-the-scenes tool for their team communication. The focus was on building and marketing the game, with no intention of turning the communication tool into a standalone product.

Product Focus Shift:

As the team continued to use the internal tool, they realized it had much greater potential as a product in its own right. The online game Glitch wasn’t gaining the traction they had hoped for, and it eventually failed. However, the team noticed that their internal communication tool was extremely effective and could address a broader market need for better workplace communication and collaboration.

The team decided to pivot from the game to focusing entirely on the communication tool, which they branded as "Slack."

GTM Innovation: Instead of going through traditional sales channels or enterprise-level marketing, Slack adopted a bottom-up approach. They targeted small teams within organizations, offering a freemium model that allowed users to try the product with minimal friction. This approach was innovative because it relied on individual employees and small teams becoming evangelists within their organizations, leading to organic growth and adoption.

New GTM Strategy:

1. Freemium Model: Slack was offered for free with basic features, allowing users to experience the value without any upfront cost. This lowered the barrier to entry and encouraged widespread adoption.
2. User-Centric Growth: The new GTM strategy focused on making the product so easy to use and effective that teams within companies would start using it organically. As more teams adopted Slack, it would spread virally within the organization, eventually leading to company-wide adoption.
3. Community Building: Slack invested heavily in building a community around its product, leveraging user feedback to iterate rapidly and improve the product. This community-driven approach helped build strong customer loyalty and advocacy.
4. Focus on Integration: Slack emphasized its ability to integrate with other tools that companies were already using, making it a central hub for workplace communication. This integration-first approach made it easy for companies to adopt Slack without disrupting their existing workflows.

Why It worked: The pivot to a communication tool and the innovative GTM strategy led to explosive growth. Slack quickly became one of the fastest-growing business apps, achieving a multi-billion-dollar valuation within just a few years. The company eventually went public and was later acquired by Salesforce for $27.7 billion in 2021.

This example demonstrates how a significant pivot in the GTM strategy, combined with innovative tactics like the freemium model and user-centric growth, can lead to tremendous success.

The Secret Sauce: Innovate, Test, Iterate, Repeat

Now, before you start thinking you need to pull off the business equivalent of a Cirque du Soleil performance, let’s break it down. The beauty of GTM innovation lies in its simplicity: innovate, test, iterate, repeat. It’s like cooking—try a new recipe, taste it, adjust the seasoning, and keep cooking until it’s just right.

Remember this: It’s not about getting it perfect on the first try. Iteration is your best friend. Test your ideas, gather feedback, tweak where needed, and keep going. It’s a marathon, not a sprint—though sometimes it might feel like a sprint, uphill, in the rain. But hey, no one said innovation was easy.

Why All of This Matters (Beyond Making Your Competitors Jealous)

Innovation isn’t about standing out—it’s about survival. In a world where everyone’s fighting for a slice of the pie, the businesses that thrive are those willing to shake things up. Customers notice when you go the extra mile, and they reward it with loyalty, word-of-mouth, and yes, their hard-earned cash.

Until next time, keep innovating—and if you need me, I’ll be testing out a new recipe. Not sure if it’s Michelin-worthy yet, but hey, that’s what iteration is for.

Stay bold, stay curious, and as always, stay innovative.

Cheers,

Melissa