What Is the Difference Between Go-To-Market and Marketing?

What Is the Difference Between Go-To-Market and Marketing?

While the terms may sound similar, go-to-market vs. marketing are two very different concepts. 

Marketing is the process of promoting products and services, from identifying a target market to guiding customers through the sales funnel. A marketing strategy lays out the actions a company must take to reach its ideal audience and achieve a competitive advantage in the market.

Go-to-market, meanwhile, focuses on bringing a new product or service to market. A go-to-market strategy helps to ensure that the product is placed in front of the right audience and educates potential customers on its uses and benefits.

A go-to-market strategy is a short-term plan driven by a specific product, while a marketing strategy is a long-term, ongoing plan for the whole organization.

If your brand is in its early stages, go-to-market and marketing could be one and the same, as your aim is to bring your first product to market. However, as your company grows, marketing and go-to-market will become two separate strategies with different teams and goals.

Understanding the difference between go-to-market vs. marketing will enable you to precisely tailor your strategy to suit your goals. Want to supercharge your go-to-market efforts? Get a free two-week trial of Wrike and see how you can centralize communication, get complete visibility across projects, and gain valuable insights to power future campaigns.