Be Multi-Channel: Too many companies rely on a single channel, like email, to announce a product, and don't get the adoption they want because customers miss the message. It's crucial to land across multiple channels to ensure the message reaches the audience. Concerted Planning Motion: Internal teams are often the best marketing channels. Making sure everyone in the company tells a consistent story and promotes the launch effectively requires good internal communication and planning. Informing the Process with Research: Many companies base their launches on gut feel without competitive research or customer feedback. Conducting thorough research is critical for a successful go-to-market strategy. A lot of people go to their usual methods, like Facebook ads for a consumer product, which might not be as effective for a B2B company. LinkedIn ads or a well-built email list might be more appropriate. Early team members, partners, and investors can also be great channels for spreading the word. At NachoNacho, we like to be everywhere all the time, emphasizing the importance of multi-channel presence. Seeing a company on social media, receiving emails, and even texting close partners about the launch can make a profound difference in the perceived importance.

What are the most common pitfalls that startup founders should avoid in their go-to-market strategy?

The number one pitfall is not doing any planning. Some founders are so focused on getting things out the door that they don't think about positioning, messaging, or targeting the right audience. Moving fast is important, but it must be balanced with thoughtful planning. Without a clear hypothesis to test, it's hard to understand what's working and what isn't.

What are your thoughts on paid advertising? Should companies focus on organic efforts first, or can they scale with advertising right away?

Regarding channel selection, any channel can work for any company if approached creatively. However, the timing of paid versus organic efforts is crucial. Paid advertising can become addictive, providing quick results but potentially leading to over-reliance. It's important to balance paid and organic strategies, depending on the company's goals and timelines. Andy Karuza: Hi everyone, this is Andy Karuza with NachoNacho. Today, we have Derek Osgood with Ignition, and we're going to go over some great go-to-market tips for any company, especially those startups out there launching the next generation of great products. Without further ado, I'd love to hear from Derek and learn more about what Ignition does.

Derek Osgood: Hey Andy, I'm excited to be here. The quick version of what Ignition does: we're a platform that helps manage the go-to-market process for product teams and product marketing teams. We assist in launching products by providing research tools for competitive and customer research, which feed into planning. We have planning tools that help prioritize the roadmap and transition into a go-to-market plan for the teams. Additionally, we offer communication enablement tools that keep all teams aligned, providing information and context where needed. Post-launch, we help measure the impact, which is always important.

Andy Karuza: Tell me more about your career. How did you get to where you are now, helping companies with their go-to-market strategy and building a platform around it?

Derek Osgood: I've run marketing and product teams throughout the Valley. Early in my career, I was a PM at PlayStation, launching big AAA games. Since then, I've been involved with startups, leading marketing and growth teams. I joined BBVA, a large Spanish bank, to help them manage marketing across a portfolio of companies created and incubated in-house within their innovation arm. Most recently, I was at Ripley, where I helped establish product marketing and scale up from seed through Series B. Through these experiences, I've seen the challenges in building these processes and the breakpoints within organizations, which led me to start solving these problems.

Andy Karuza: It's a constant problem. I've been around startups for a long time, and nailing that go-to-market and establishing a product-market fit is one of the hardest things you can do. Once you have that, at least you have a better direction. With that in mind, what are the top three go-to-market strategies that every company should consider?

Derek Osgood: The key distinction is between company-level go-to-market strategy and micro-level go-to-market, which involves the actual launch process. The top three considerations are:

Be Multi-Channel: Too many companies rely on a single channel, like email, to announce a product, and miss out on adoption because customers might miss the message. It's crucial to reach the audience through multiple channels. Concerted Planning Motion: Internal teams can be the best marketing channels. Ensuring everyone in the company tells a consistent story and promotes the launch effectively requires good internal communication and planning. Informing the Process with Research: Many companies launch based on gut feelings without thorough competitive research or customer feedback. Conducting comprehensive research is critical for a successful go-to-market strategy. Andy Karuza: Many people default to familiar methods, like Facebook ads for consumer products, which might not be as effective for B2B companies. Channels like LinkedIn ads or well-built email lists might be more appropriate. Early team members, partners, and investors can also be great channels for spreading the word. At NachoNacho, we emphasize being everywhere all the time, highlighting the importance of a multi-channel presence.

What are the most common pitfalls that startup founders should avoid in their go-to-market strategy?

Derek Osgood: The number one pitfall is not planning. Some founders are so focused on getting things out the door that they don't consider positioning, messaging, or targeting the right audience. While moving fast is important, it must be balanced with thoughtful planning. Without a clear hypothesis to test, it's hard to understand what's working and what isn't.

Andy Karuza: What are your thoughts on paid advertising? Should companies focus on organic efforts first, or can they scale with advertising right away?

Derek Osgood: Any channel can work if approached creatively. The timing of paid versus organic efforts is crucial. Paid advertising can provide quick results but may lead to over-reliance. It's important to balance paid and organic strategies depending on the company's goals and timelines.

Andy Karuza: What tips would you offer for optimizing an advertising campaign for startups looking to use paid channels without overspending?

Derek Osgood: Start small and gradually ramp up. As a rule of thumb, don't increase your ad spend by more than double in a given week once you find a campaign that's working. Focus on optimizing messaging and creative, as targeting parameters have become less customizable. Test different messages and offers, and scale up what's performing well.

Andy Karuza: Do you have any examples of companies that have nailed their go-to-market strategy? What can be learned from those campaigns?

Derek Osgood: While we respect the privacy of our customers' specific go-to-market plans, companies like Miro have done a great job leveraging user-generated content to create templates that feed into their PLG (product-led growth) onboarding. They've excelled in content marketing and onboarding. Although I'm blanking on other examples right now, there are many companies with unique approaches.

Andy Karuza: What about Product Hunt? Is it a useful platform for early-stage companies to gain initial traction?

Derek Osgood: Product Hunt can be valuable, but its audience mostly consists of other founders and product managers. It’s great for social proof and feedback, but it may not drive significant user acquisition unless you're targeting that specific audience. It’s useful for getting reviews and feedback, but may not always align with your ideal customer profile.

Andy Karuza: That's a great point. Your audience might differ from Product Hunt's users, so while you may get initial excitement and feedback, they might not be your long-term customers.

Derek Osgood: Exactly. Many people on Product Hunt are there to launch their own products, so the audience might not always align with your target market.

Andy Karuza: What other tips do you have for companies bringing their SaaS product to market and identifying a good go-to-market strategy?

Derek Osgood: Many companies underutilize beta programs and soft launches. A controlled release to a smaller group of users can provide valuable feedback before a broader launch. In mobile app development, companies often launch in specific regions like the Philippines to gather feedback. Creating a formal beta program can make users feel like part of a special community, increasing the likelihood they'll become advocates. A two-tiered launch process, starting with a beta group and then expanding, can be very effective.

Andy Karuza: That's a great point. A soft launch allows for making mistakes and refining the product before a full-scale launch. Derek Osgood: You can learn a lot from beta programs. They can reveal gaps in your messaging or identify features that need improvement. It’s better to address these issues on a smaller scale before scaling up and investing heavily in a broader audience.

Andy Karuza: Exactly. What are some new marketing trends that are underutilized? Are there any tactics companies should consider?

Derek Osgood: Especially in B2B, companies are often slow to adopt new platforms. For example, TikTok can be an effective channel, even for B2B companies, though it's traditionally seen as consumer-focused. Many businesses hesitate to use social channels, thinking they're not suitable for B2B. However, the same people who are on LinkedIn are also on other social networks. Reaching them through these platforms can be effective.

Andy Karuza: We recently started using TikTok for these webinars, chopping up great content to share. The views have been impressive. There’s a high demand for B2B content but not many people providing it, which makes it a great opportunity.

Derek Osgood: Exactly. There's a high demand and low supply for B2B content on these platforms.

Andy Karuza: Are there any other channels that people should be aware of?

Derek Osgood: While no specific channels come to mind, there's a broader trend toward leveraging AI in marketing. Many companies are underutilizing AI to extract insights from qualitative data. Tools like ChatGPT are becoming more common, and more dedicated tools are popping up. However, there's a balance to strike; some people over-rely on AI, leading to a loss of quality. AI is great for generating content like Google Ads, where you can create a wide variety of ad creatives that you might not otherwise generate yourself. However, for more complex content like landing pages or blog posts, it’s better not to rely solely on AI.

Andy Karuza: Absolutely. Over-reliance on AI can lead to a loss of quality. It’s great for long-tail content but not for everything.

Derek Osgood: Exactly. It’s a powerful tool when used correctly, but you need to be careful not to overuse it.

Andy Karuza: Can you tell us about a time you failed and what you learned from it?

Derek Osgood: I've had plenty of failures, but one that stands out is from my time at PlayStation when we launched a game called "Beyond." We partnered with Ellen Page, who was very passionate about environmental issues. We did a campaign that involved shipping a lot of blank paper to highlight the game's extensive script, not realizing the campaign would land on Earth Day. It created a backlash because it was perceived as wasteful, especially given Ellen's environmental advocacy. It was a great lesson in the importance of planning and being aware of the broader context in which your campaign will be received. You don't want to launch something that coincides with a major event like an Apple conference, where it will be overshadowed.

Andy Karuza: That’s a good point. You have to plan carefully. Sometimes launching hardware products around major announcements, like Apple's, can result in getting no PR coverage at all.

Derek Osgood: Exactly. In our case, the campaign eventually turned out to be successful, but it created a lot of internal chaos beforehand. It was a great learning experience.

Andy Karuza: Can you tell us about some of the challenges your company has faced and how you overcame them? Derek Osgood: Especially in the early days, when you're first getting your service out there and acquiring your first clients, you face numerous challenges. One of the most interesting challenges, which isn't often talked about, is how to get your first customers. For us, there was no science to it; it involved a lot of direct outreach. I was on LinkedIn, cold messaging people with highly personalized messages, leveraging my experience as a product marketer and how it related to the problems we were solving. This approach helped us get a few people who were willing to provide feedback, and some of them became our first customers.

Many startups think they need a scalable acquisition channel right away, but you're often better off starting with non-scalable methods. Building relationships one at a time helps you refine your messaging and understand what works and what doesn’t with your service. Engaging in direct conversations with customers allows you to learn from them in ways that surveys or data analysis can't. These conversations reveal what excites customers, what their problems are, and provide real-time feedback on potential solutions.

Andy Karuza: That’s a great point. Building relationships one by one helps define the messaging and positioning as you scale. What are some of your favorite books that you've read this past year or would recommend for enhancing go-to-market strategy?

Derek Osgood: One of my all-time favorite books is Made to Stick. It really shifts the way you think about articulating value and how to craft messages in creative ways. It’s a fantastic resource for understanding how to make ideas stick in people's minds. I recently re-read it, and it’s always top of mind for me. It's important for founders to realize that just because they love a particular feature doesn't mean everyone else will.

Andy Karuza: Absolutely. Sometimes founders are too close to the product to see it objectively. What's one thing potential customers should know about Ignition, and when should they consider working with you?

Derek Osgood: The right time to work with us is when you start concertedly shipping and launching new products or features. We work with founders and product teams at all stages, from those just trying to manage their roadmapping process and extract insights from customer conversations to those implementing a comprehensive go-to-market strategy for larger product launches. The beauty of our platform is that the earlier you join, the more you build a central repository of knowledge that acts as a long-term asset for your company.

One exciting feature we're launching soon is an AI layer that contextualizes all your workspace data. This allows anyone to ask freeform questions, like how to talk about a specific product to a particular persona, and get personalized messaging guides based on your core planning data. It’s a great way to enable your sales team straight from your planning resources.

Andy Karuza: That sounds amazing. What’s next for Ignition over the next five years? Can you share any future plans?

Derek Osgood: Five years is a long time in the startup world, but our vision is to be a comprehensive platform where you can end-to-end plan, collect all your research, coordinate across multiple departments, create campaign content, and push it to customer-facing channels. Ultimately, we aim to be the go-to solution for managing the entire go-to-market process.

Andy Karuza: That’s a fantastic vision. Derek, I really appreciate you coming on today. For anyone interested in Ignition, check it out on the NachoNacho B2B SaaS Marketplace or directly at haveignition.com. If you don't have Ignition, you're missing out. Thanks again, Derek, for joining us today. I look forward to seeing your company grow.

Derek Osgood: Thanks so much, Andy. I appreciate the opportunity. Take care!

Andy Karuza: Take care!