You’ve got a product. Maybe it’s new, maybe it’s just not getting traction. No matter where you’re at, you know you need a go to market (GTM) plan that actually helps you ship, sell, and grow—not just a pretty deck for investors. This guide is for founders, product managers, or marketers who want a real plan, with actual tracking, and no hype. We’ll walk through how to use June.so to build your GTM plan, measure what matters, and avoid the common traps.
What is a Go to Market Plan (and What Isn’t)?
Let’s get one thing straight: a GTM plan is not a 30-page document full of buzzwords. It’s a living strategy that connects your product, your audience, and how you’ll reach them. It should answer:
- Who are we selling to?
- What problem are we solving?
- How will people find us?
- How do we know if it’s working?
Most teams get lost because they try to do everything at once, or they measure way too much. The trick is to focus—set clear goals, track just enough, and adjust as you go. That’s where June.so comes in: it’s a lightweight analytics tool that helps you track product usage and user behavior, without drowning you in data.
Let’s get into the steps.
Step 1: Define Your Target Audience (and Be Ruthless)
Before you touch any tools, be brutally honest about who your product is for. “Everyone” is not a target audience.
- Write down your ideal customer. Be specific: job title, industry, company size, pain points.
- Talk to real users (or potential ones). Don’t rely on assumptions. If you’re pre-launch, interview at least 5-10 people who fit your target.
- Ditch the wishful thinking. If you’re building for startups, don’t chase enterprise features. If your early users are freelancers, don’t pretend you’re Slack.
Pro Tip: If you can’t describe your “best user” in one sentence, you’re not ready to build a GTM plan.
Step 2: Set Real, Measurable Goals
“Grow fast” and “get more users” are not goals. You need something you can measure weekly.
- Pick 1-2 core metrics. For SaaS, that’s usually signups, activations, or paid conversions. For marketplaces, maybe it’s listings or transactions.
- Set a timeframe. “Get 100 active users in 30 days.” Not “grow engagement.”
- Decide what success and failure look like. If you miss the mark, what’s your backup plan?
June.so is designed for this: you can set up dashboards that highlight just the numbers that matter—no endless charts, no vanity metrics.
Step 3: Map Your User Journey
This is where most GTM plans go sideways. If you don’t know what steps users take from “I found this” to “I’m a fan,” you can’t improve anything.
- Sketch out the key steps. Think: Landing → Signup → Onboarded → Active → Paid.
- Write one sentence for each step. E.g., “A user lands on our homepage and clicks ‘Start Free Trial’.”
- Identify where people drop off. If you don’t know yet, you will soon (that’s what June.so’s funnels are for).
What to skip: Don’t overcomplicate this. You don’t need a giant flowchart. Four to six steps is plenty.
Step 4: Instrument Your Product with June.so
Now you’re ready to set up June.so (if you haven’t already). This isn’t about tracking everything—just the basics so you can see what’s working.
How to set up June.so:
- Create a free account and connect your app (there’s a simple script for web, or SDKs for mobile).
- Define key events: “Signed up,” “Completed onboarding,” “Upgraded to paid.” Don’t go wild—track only what matters for your GTM goals.
- Set up a dashboard: June.so comes with templates, but customize them so you only see the metrics you care about.
- Invite your team: Everyone should have access. If your marketer or PM can’t see the data, they’ll just guess.
What works: June.so’s biggest strength is speed. You get answers fast, so you’re not stuck waiting for some analyst to pull a report.
What doesn’t: If you want deep, technical event tracking or custom SQL queries, June.so isn’t your tool. Stick to the main flows and behaviors.
Step 5: Build Your First Go to Market Playbook
Here’s where you make a simple, actionable plan. The point is to focus on activities you can actually do this month—not a wish list.
Your GTM playbook should include:
- Who you’re targeting: That one-sentence persona you wrote earlier.
- Key message: What problem you solve, in plain language.
- Primary channel(s): Where will you find these people? LinkedIn, Twitter, Product Hunt, cold email, whatever. Pick one or two, not ten.
- Tactics: List out 3-5 things you’ll actually do. Example:
- Launch on Product Hunt and reply to every comment.
- DM 50 target users on LinkedIn with a custom message.
- Run a small paid ad test.
- Metrics: What you’ll measure (from June.so) to see if it’s working.
Don’t bother: Don’t plan for PR, content, or channels you have zero experience with—unless you’re ready to learn as you go.
Step 6: Launch, Track, and Learn (The Only Way That Works)
Here’s the most important part: ship your plan, then watch what actually happens.
- Go live with your playbook. Announce, post, email, whatever you planned.
- Check June.so every day or two. Look for:
- Are people signing up?
- Where are they dropping off?
- Are they coming back?
- Talk to users. If people are bouncing, ask them why. If they’re sticking around, ask what they like.
What works: Using June.so to spot early trends. If you see a spike (or a dead zone), you can act fast.
What doesn’t: Obsessing over tiny day-to-day changes. Look for patterns, not noise.
Step 7: Iterate (Don’t Fall in Love With Your First Plan)
No plan survives first contact with real users. The whole point is to learn and adjust.
- Double down on what works. If one channel is bringing in good signups, focus there.
- Drop what’s not working. If your cold emails get no replies, try another approach.
- Tweak your messaging and onboarding. Use June.so’s event data to see where people get lost.
- Keep your playbook short. Add new ideas only when you have bandwidth.
Honest take: Most teams waste months making “perfect” plans. The winners just ship, learn, and keep it moving.
Final Thoughts: Keep It Simple, Keep It Moving
A go to market plan doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, the simpler it is, the more likely you’ll actually use it. Start with clear goals, track just what matters (June.so makes this almost painless), and be ready to change course when things don’t work. Don’t let the process get in the way of progress. Ship, measure, learn, repeat.