Let's Talk Agency GTM Signals, Shall We?

In partnership with

In This Edition

• Signals

  • So How Do I Know Who Is In Market?

• News

• Thanks to Our Sponsor - Hubspot

Signals

There are signals for everything. Traffic signals, radio signals, signals from alien intelligence, all kinds of signals.

The buzzword today in the GTM (Go To Market) community is “signals”. There is an array of software that will analyze behavior and show you some evidence that this person or company showed a signal that indicated that they might be looking for something you are selling.

The key to signals is understanding them in context.

But in the world of “go to market” signals are sketchy. There are platforms that bundle signals that they see into “intent” signals - places like G2 package and sell them. Visitor info platforms like Clearbit look at your site traffic and determine “intent”. In the below report, Clearbit decided that these folks (who are nowhere near my target market) have shown intent.

Spoiler alert - they haven’t shown any intent. There are other kinds of signals, like funding events, job openings, leadership changes, product launches…those are “situational” signals that indicate there is change afoot - and change often creates opportunity.

So How Do I Know Who Is In Market?

While behavioral and situational data (aka “signals”) are becoming more and more available, the validity, specificity and meaning of these signals become harder to read. For instance, if someone visits your site 3x, is that a signal of intent? If they post a job looking for a marketing coordinator, is that a signal of intent?

Who the f knows?

While the signals get easier to access (for instance Vector will send you the names and emails of people they recognize when they visit your site - free), it gets harder to know what to do with them. And because your site traffic is probably low, and your email list small, and your cold outreach suffers from living in the spam or promotions tab, you live in a world of pretty quiet signals.

So, rather than being someone who “listens” for the right signal, I want you agency folks to become signal hunters. What I mean by that is this:

1. Know What Indicates Intent: Firmographics (eg, ecommerce marketers between $2mm-$10mm in revenue) don’t represent intent. That is a filter to narrow down your signal hunting.

2. Look For The Signals: If you do social ads, jump into FB ad library and review their ads! If they haven’t updated ads in a while, that is likely a signal that they don’t have all the resources they need. Maybe you can help.

3. Know The Impact of the Signal: If a welcome email goes to spam - and that is a signal that a prospect needs some email marketing help - you are going to have to explain the impact of the signal to the prospect. (That shows off your expertise and helps them quantify the problem.)

4. Give The Signal Some Context: When you find a signal, and can quantify its impact well enough to get the prospect to pay attention, you then have to add context - how do their clients experience this issue, how does this issue change the way the organization allocates resources, what does solving this issue represent as tangible and intangible benefits?

You are going to have to look for the meaningful signals. You are going to have to hunt them down because the easily available signals are squishy and hard to decipher. But you are a pro - and you can see issues, impact and opportunities. Sure - signal hunting is harder than triggering a marketing automation sequence - but you are going to bag way more game this way.

Want so help in understanding your GTM signals and how to effectively create a relevant workplace for your agency? I’d love to chat - book a call.

News

TikTok: The Supreme Court said that the law to ban TikTok is OK. Ed Markey (D-MA) has introduced legislation to delay the January 19 implementation date of the law. The Biden administration has said that they will not enforce the law when it goes into effect. And the CEO of TikTok is attending Trump’s inauguration and sitting on stage. TIK TOK IS GONNA BE FINE.

Mark Zuckerberg Has Gone Bro: From the chains to becoming an ardent supporter of testosterone and unfettered free speech, it seems that Zuck has emerged as something nearly unrecognizable. I’m gonna guess that Sheryl Sandberg isn’t going to send him a holiday card this year.

Thanks to Our Sponsor - Hubspot

Discover 100 Game-Changing Side Hustles for 2025

In today's economy, relying on a single income stream isn't enough. Our expertly curated database gives you everything you need to launch your perfect side hustle.

• Explore vetted opportunities requiring minimal startup costs

• Get detailed breakdowns of required skills and time investment

• Compare potential earnings across different industries

• Access step-by-step launch guides for each opportunity

• Find side hustles that match your current skills

Ready to transform your income?

[Download Now]

Our sponsorships are ads (obviously). But some of the companies or services linked in our content may pay us a minimal commission if you buy something from them. The potential payment is never a factor in what we link to, and we have direct experience with every company or service we mention in our content.