GTM

B2B Go-To-Market Channels: How to Choose the Right Mix for Your Strategy

Today’s B2B buyers don’t follow a linear path, and your go-to-market (GTM) strategy shouldn’t either. Whether you’re trying to launch faster, scale pipeline, or break into a new market, your GTM success depends on getting your channels right.  

But here’s the kicker: there’s no magic bullet. The best-performing strategies aren’t built on one perfect channel, they’re built on intentional, coordinated plays across several. They’re powered by insight, aligned to the buyer journey, and executed across a coordinated set of touchpoints designed to convert interest into action. 

In this guide, we’ll break down the core B2B GTM channels, explain what they do best, and show you how to assemble the right mix based on your audience, goals, and GTM motion. Then we’ll show you why the most effective GTM strategies are anchored in data and executed through cohesive, orchestrated buyer experiences. 

What Are GTM Channels in B2B?

GTM channels are the methods and mediums through which you deliver your value proposition to the market. They go beyond just “marketing platforms” and include any vehicle that connects your message to your ideal customer, from digital advertising and outbound sales to events, content syndication, and partner co-marketing. 

Each GTM channel plays a different role depending on your strategy. Some drive reach. Some accelerate deals. Others build long-term brand equity. The key is understanding what each does well and how it fits into the bigger picture. 

Core B2B GTM Channel Types

Let’s look at the most common GTM channels in B2B and when to use each. 

Digital Marketing Channels

Digital GTM includes paid search, paid social, display advertising, and retargeting across platforms like LinkedIn, Google, Meta, and programmatic networks.

Best for:

  • Top-of-funnel awareness
  • Product-led GTM
  • Driving traffic to landing pages or gated content

Strengths:

  • Fast to launch and scale
  • Precision targeting by persona, behavior, and firmographics
  • Highly measurable

Watchouts:

  • Can be expensive without tight targeting
  • Requires creative and message testing to optimize

Outbound Sales Engagements

This includes SDR/BDR outreach via email, phone, LinkedIn, and direct mail. Often paired with sales-led GTM or ABM campaigns.

Best for:

  • Complex buying committees 
  • High-value or enterprise deals 
  • Mid- to late-funnel acceleration 

Strengths:

  • Personalized and direct 
  • Enables two-way conversation and qualification

Watchouts:

  • Resource intensive 
  • Must be coordinated with marketing to avoid overlap

Content Syndication and Targeted Email

This includes live events, virtual summits, partner webinars, lunch-and-learns, and user groups.

Best for:

  • Mid-funnel engagement 
  • Lead qualification 
  • Scaling reach beyond owned channels 

Strengths:

  • Personalized and direct 
  • Enables two-way conversation and qualification

Watchouts:

  • Drives known leads into nurture or sales 
  • Can be highly targeted by job title, industry, and intent signals

Events and Webinars

A demand gen staple, this channel distributes your content to high-intent or matched-audience lists via third-party networks or owned email lists.

Best for:

  • Building relationships and trust 
  • Influencing deal cycles 
  • Positioning thought leadership 

Strengths:

  • High engagement and interaction 
  • Good for driving post-event sales action

Watchouts:

  • Logistically demanding 
  • Not always scalable for SMB or early-stage teams

SEO and Content Hubs

Your website, blog, and resource center are foundational for inbound discovery and long-term engagement.

Best for:

  • Always-on brand presence 
  • Inbound lead generation 
  • Educating buyers at their pace 

Strengths:

  • Cost-effective over time
  • Fuels nurture and retargeting

Watchouts:

  • Takes time to rank 
  • Needs consistent publishing and optimization

Partner and Channel Marketing

This includes co-marketing campaigns, channel partner enablement, affiliate referrals, and OEM deals.

Best for:

  • Expanding into new segments or regions 
  • Leveraging existing audiences or credibility 

Strengths:

  • Access to new accounts 
  • Shared costs and execution

Watchouts:

  • Hard to coordinate 
  • Must align on value and execution quality

Social and Community Engagement

Beyond just publishing on LinkedIn, this includes active participation in forums, Slack groups, user communities, and social selling by your team.

Best for:

  • Building brand affinity and authority 
  • Organic lead generation 

Strengths:

  • Human, peer-driven credibility 
  • Fast feedback and dialogue

Watchouts:

  • Difficult to measure 
  • Requires consistency and authenticity

From Channels to Journeys: What Actually Drives Pipeline 

Here’s where most GTM strategies fall short: they treat channel selection as a checklist exercise. But the reality is, B2B buyers don’t move in a straight line. A one-size-fits-all channel plan rarely works. 

The most effective GTM strategies are anchored in audience insight and executed through orchestrated multichannel journeys that align to the way real people buy. 

What does that look like? 

  • Start with data. Use intent signals, ICP attributes, and engagement trends to prioritize. 
  • Think in sequences. Map out how touchpoints build on each other to create momentum. 
  • Align marketing and sales. Make sure every handoff and follow-up reinforces the message. 

Winning teams don’t just “run campaigns.” They design buyer experiences that move people forward, and they adjust based on what the data shows. 

That’s how you go from touches to traction. 

Case Spotlight: Forcura’s Pipeline Surge with Integrated GTM Strategy

Forcura partnerd with DemandScience to build a targeted GTM channel mix using digital ads, early-stage content syndication, and retargeting—all anchored in buyer intent data.

Key Results:
• Marketing-sourced 48% of pipeline and influenced 75& of closed-won deals
• Doubled MQL-to-SQL conversion rate through aligned sales + marketing handoffs
• Generated 215 new MQLs within two weeks of campaign activation

What Worked:
• Sales and marketing aligned on goals and follow-up
• Targeted campaigns reached key buyers at the right time
• Agile optimization kept performance ahead of target

Read the Full Case Study

How to Choose the Right GTM Channel Mix 

No two GTM motions are the same. The right mix depends on: 

Your GTM Strategy Type

  • Product-Led Growth (PLG): Lean heavily on digital, content, SEO, and user communities 
  • Sales-Led Growth: Combine outbound sales, webinars, ABM, and content syndication 
  • Partner-Led: Focus on co-branded campaigns, enablement, and shared events 

Your Buyer Journey Complexity

  • Long deal cycles or multi-person committees need more touchpoints across sales and marketing 
  • Shorter cycles can often be supported with lighter, high-velocity channels 

Audience Behavior and Preference

  • Are they digitally native or relationship-driven? 
  • Do they engage more via email, events, or peer content? 

Funnel Priorities 

  • Top of Funnel: Digital, SEO, social, content syndication 
  • Middle of Funnel: Webinars, targeted email, sales outreach 
  • Bottom of Funnel: Events, 1:1 ABM, intent-triggered outreach 

Use your data to map which channels work at each stage, and how they should connect. 

Real-World GTM Mix Examples 

For a Mid-Market SaaS with PLG Motion:

  • Paid search and social to drive trial signups 
  • SEO and content to nurture and educate 
  • Email nurture for activation and upsell 
  • Community engagement to build advocacy 

For an Enterprise ABM Campaign:

  • Intent data to select in-market accounts 
  • SDR outreach + 1:1 LinkedIn campaigns 
  • Direct mail or virtual events for influence 
  • Targeted content syndication for engagement 

For a Rapid Pipeline Build Campaign:

  • High-volume content syndication to get known leads 
  • Mid-funnel webinar + nurture track 
  • SDR follow-up on engaged leads with personalized outreach 

Common GTM Channel Pitfalls to Avoid 

Over-Reliance on One Channel 

If you’re only running paid ads or only doing outbound, you’re leaving pipeline on the table. 

Misalignment Between Sales and Marketing 

Disconnected messages and timing confuse buyers. Align your teams on who’s doing what, when. 

Lack of Data-Driven Prioritization 

Budget and headcount should follow opportunity, and that comes from real buyer signals, not gut feel. 

Failure to Optimize Across the Journey 

Testing isn’t just for ads. Continuously optimize across email, content, offers, and handoffs. 

Wrapping It Up: Build Smarter, Not Broader 

There is no universal GTM channel playbook. But there is a smarter way to build yours. 

Start with your audience. Let intent data and behavior shape your strategy. Choose channels not because they’re trendy, but because they map to how your buyers move. 

Most of all, think in terms of journeys, not just touches. Success doesn’t come from being everywhere. It comes from being relevant in the places that matter. 

At DemandScience, we help B2B marketing teams build the right mix, with the right data, to grow pipeline predictably. 

Let’s build yours.