Go-to-Market Strategy Activity for Students

Q: What discussion or extension prompts work well?

Ask why TagBack combined two channels instead of choosing one, and whether students' plans should too. As an extension, have students actually test their cheaper channel for a week and report the result against their target. Another prompt: if the PTA says no to the newsletter, what is TagBack's backup, and how does that change cost and reach?

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Lesson Plan Overview

Template and Class Instructions

Lesson Plan Overview

A great product nobody hears about fails. A go-to-market strategy is the plan for how a business reaches its first customers and gets them to buy. Students often assume the answer is "social media," but each channel has a different cost, reach, and level of risk. In this activity, students compare two real options side by side and choose one, with reasons.

The comparison follows the approach in our Choosing the Right Go-To-Market Strategy article: imagine the first customer's experience through each channel before spending a dollar on it.

Before You Begin

Prerequisites: Customer Persona (where to find them) and Costs, Price & Profit.
Common channels: sell in person (a booth, a school event), sell through a partner (a store, the PTA, a club), sell online (a website, a marketplace), or word of mouth and referrals.
Time needed: 45 minutes.
Assessment: both options are realistic for the persona, the comparison uses the same criteria for each, and the choice is justified with at least two criteria.

The Comparison

CRITERIA	OPTION 1: BACK-TO-SCHOOL NIGHT TABLE	OPTION 2: PTA NEWSLETTER AND ONLINE ORDER FORM
Who it reaches	About 150 parents, in person, in one night.	About 600 families by email, all year.
Cost	$20 for a poster and samples.	Free if the PTA agrees; $0 for a form.
Time	One evening, but only once a year.	A week to set up, then it runs on its own.
Biggest risk	If it rains or few parents come, we miss a year.	Emails are easy to ignore; parents can't touch the product.
How we'll know it works	30 packs sold that night.	25 orders in the first two weeks.

TagBack's choice: start with the newsletter (cheaper and longer-lasting), then use the table to show the product to parents who didn't respond online. Many real businesses combine two channels the same way.

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Template and Class Instructions

(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)

Student Instructions

Create a storyboard that compares two ways to reach your first customers.

Click "Use This Template" from the assignment.
Choose two realistic channels for your persona and write them at the top of each column.
For each option, show who it reaches, what it costs, how long it takes, its biggest risk, and how you'll know it worked.
Illustrate a scene for each channel showing your persona finding your product.
In the last cell, choose one option (or a combination) and explain why using at least two criteria.
Save and submit your storyboard.

Go-to-Market Strategy - Entrepreneurship Template

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Lesson Plan Reference

Grade Level 9-12

Difficulty Level 4 (Difficult / Complex)

Type of Assignment Individual, Partner, or Group

Type of Activity: Compare and Contrast with T-Charts

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Lesson Plan Overview

The comparison follows the approach in our Choosing the Right Go-To-Market Strategy article: imagine the first customer's experience through each channel before spending a dollar on it.

Before You Begin

Prerequisites: Customer Persona (where to find them) and Costs, Price & Profit.
Common channels: sell in person (a booth, a school event), sell through a partner (a store, the PTA, a club), sell online (a website, a marketplace), or word of mouth and referrals.
Time needed: 45 minutes.
Assessment: both options are realistic for the persona, the comparison uses the same criteria for each, and the choice is justified with at least two criteria.

The Comparison

CRITERIA	OPTION 1: BACK-TO-SCHOOL NIGHT TABLE	OPTION 2: PTA NEWSLETTER AND ONLINE ORDER FORM
Who it reaches	About 150 parents, in person, in one night.	About 600 families by email, all year.
Cost	$20 for a poster and samples.	Free if the PTA agrees; $0 for a form.
Time	One evening, but only once a year.	A week to set up, then it runs on its own.
Biggest risk	If it rains or few parents come, we miss a year.	Emails are easy to ignore; parents can't touch the product.
How we'll know it works	30 packs sold that night.	25 orders in the first two weeks.

Copy Activity

Template and Class Instructions

(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)

Student Instructions

Create a storyboard that compares two ways to reach your first customers.

Click "Use This Template" from the assignment.
Choose two realistic channels for your persona and write them at the top of each column.
For each option, show who it reaches, what it costs, how long it takes, its biggest risk, and how you'll know it worked.
Illustrate a scene for each channel showing your persona finding your product.
In the last cell, choose one option (or a combination) and explain why using at least two criteria.
Save and submit your storyboard.

More options

Copy This Storyboard

Lesson Plan Reference

Grade Level 9-12

Difficulty Level 4 (Difficult / Complex)

Type of Assignment Individual, Partner, or Group

Type of Activity: Compare and Contrast with T-Charts

Copy Activity

How to Teach Go-to-Market Strategy with Storyboard That

Assign the comparison template

Create an assignment from the Go-to-Market Strategy template, which has a column for each option and a row for each criterion.

Brainstorm channels with the class

List in-person, partner, online, and word-of-mouth channels on the board so students can choose two that fit their persona.

Have students compare both options

Students fill every row for both channels and illustrate their persona finding the product, like a parent reading the PTA newsletter.

Review the final choice

Check that each final cell justifies the decision with at least two criteria, and leave feedback before grading.

Present and discuss

Show a few storyboards as slideshows and have the class predict which channel will hit its target first.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Go-to-Market Strategy Activity

How do I grade the go-to-market comparison?

Give 0-2 points for each of the five criteria rows across both options, plus 0-2 for the final choice. A 2 on a row means both columns answer the same question with specifics, as TagBack does with 150 parents versus 600 families. A 2 on the choice means it names at least two criteria, such as cost and how long it lasts.

How much time should I plan for this activity?

Plan one 45-minute class. Spend the first 10 minutes brainstorming channels as a class, then let students pick two that fit their persona. TagBack's buyers are parents of middle schoolers, so a booth at a skate park would miss them. Students who skipped Customer Persona will need an extra 15 minutes to decide who they are trying to reach.

This activity is listed for grades 9-12. Can middle schoolers do it?

Yes, with fewer criteria. Grades 6-8 can compare two channels on just three rows: who it reaches, cost, and biggest risk, and pick from a teacher-provided list like a school event or a club partner. Grades 9-12 should use all five rows, estimate real reach numbers, and set a measurable target such as TagBack's 25 orders in two weeks.

How can I support English learners?

Keep the criteria labels visible in every row so students only write the answer. Offer short frames like "This channel reaches ___ people" and "The biggest risk is ___." The illustrated scene matters here: students can show the persona finding the product, such as a parent reading the PTA newsletter, and explain it orally instead of writing a long paragraph.

What discussion or extension prompts work well?

Ask why TagBack combined two channels instead of choosing one, and whether students' plans should too. As an extension, have students actually test their cheaper channel for a week and report the result against their target. Another prompt: if the PTA says no to the newsletter, what is TagBack's backup, and how does that change cost and reach?