Distribution always looks like some people have found the secret formula to exponential growth, while others struggle finding where to start. Until I read an article humbly named “The secret formula to Go To Market” and it stuck with me for my past 4 years of GTM.
The hard truth is… There is no secret formula in GTM. But there are frameworks that help you along your Acquisition Journey.
In my case, it helped me find creative GTM strategies, and evaluate if common Linkedin Influencers’ strategies were actually adapted to my use case.
Distribution = Environment + Incentive
Let’s explain.
Distribution is not about outbound, inbound, Creator led etc.
Distribution is about understanding that your customer has a life, an environment and you need your product to become part of that life.
Your job is to find a way to push your product (or service) within your customer’s environment.
Pushing the doors of your customer’s environment and forcing your way in is not a “distribution strategy.”
But everyone and everything in your customer’s environment can become a promoter, as long as you provide the right incentive.
That’s the whole point of :
Distribution = Environment + Incentive
Incentives can be Financial or Non Financial.
Some examples :
You can pay Google to promote your webpage - that’s financial distribution.
Or you can provide Google with high quality articles and get promoted natively. Google’s incentive is providing its users with quality content - that’s non financial distribution.
You can pay influencers to promote your product - financial.
Or you can become so good that influencers can’t avoid talking about you - non financial.
Sending free access / gifts / merch sits somewhere in between. But the idea remains the same : they are incentives.
Think of it as a first principle for your Go To Market.
Inbound, outbound, creator led, content… those are just names given to Distribution.
1. Audit your current acquisition model
Are you targeting your customer through their environment, or are you investing in the wrong channel?
Outbound won’t work if your customer never checks their emails.
SEO won’t work if your customer never Googles their problems.
Take every marketing and sales action you’re running and ask : is it really reaching my customer’s environment?
2. Find new acquisition channels
When you want to find a new GTM strategy, don’t start with templates or ready-made playbooks.
Start by mapping your customer’s environment, from waking up to going to sleep.
Let’s take a 50 yo accountant you want to target.
He drives his kids to school, shares coffee with colleagues, scrolls Facebook and LinkedIn (not Instagram, not X), watches soccer, and visits his profession’s forums.
You could pay for Social Media Ads but mapping the environment makes you wonder : what about a billboard he sees on the school run?
You could sponsor the profession forum but what about sponsoring the takeaway coffee every accountant buys in the morning, with branded cups?
You could run LinkedIn ads but what about a certification badge your users can showcase on their profile?
Mapping the environment shows you every touchpoint worth trying.
A creative GTM starts with finding the right touchpoint, and applying the right incentive to leverage it.
I have no cool way to end this short piece.
Keep in mind that working Go To Market is not only about distribution. Before distribution even matters, you need the right Prospect and the right Message.
I’ll write about it as well.
Article I mentioned : https://www.dave-bailey.com/blog/distribution-strategy