What Is a Go-To-Market Calendar?

Go-to-market calendar definition

A go-to-market calendar is a graphical representation of all future activities for an upcoming product launch. It is an organized hub used by cross-functional teams to track their responsibilities and progress.

While some teams prefer using an online go-to-market calendar, others prefer an in-office whiteboard.

Why do you need a go-to-market calendar?

A go-to-market calendar lays out the schedule for the product launch and helps to ensure that no deadlines are missed.

Teams can plan their day, delegate responsibilities, and get things done with clearly defined to-do tasks. Team members can also be updated on current and planned activities.

Using a go-to-market calendar helps teams answer questions such as:

• Is the launch timing coinciding with any holidays?
• Have seasonal campaigns been planned?
• Which platforms will be used for disseminating launch messaging?
• Are public relations (PR) activities required?
• When will the paid advertising campaigns start?
• Which team members are responsible for the launch responsibilities?

What goes in a go-to-market calendar?

Keep the service or product launch goals in sight with the right go-to-market tools. Outline everything the team needs in a go-to-market calendar, such as:

• Project responsibilities: Identify key responsibilities with project names and color codes to improve visibility for team members.
• Team: Summarize overall responsibilities and projects for your team. Allocate team members to particular teams.
• Launch timelines: Illustrate the timelines for every key task. Having a deadline helps with tracking progress and campaign analytics.
• To-do lists: List the project tasks with the expected timeline for completion. 
• Assign individual responsibilities: Allocate tasks to specific individuals. This step also tracks completion times and shows whether the individual or team workload needs to be adjusted.
• Document campaign efficiency: Encourage the team to share their ideas and tips on improving product launch efficacy. Apart from helping the current campaign, these insights can also spark improvement in future launches.

With an organized go-to-market calendar, launches go off smoothly. Organized go-to-market calendars can help teams reprioritize launch timing, reposition campaigns, and stick to deadlines.

Start a free Wrike trial to keep your team accountable, organize go-to-market campaigns, and implement your go-to-market strategy successfully.