If You Build It, They Will Not Come: Why Every Tech Product Needs a Go-To-Market Strategy

James Earl Jones and Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams (1989)

We recently lost another legend, the great actor James Earl Jones. It got me thinking about an iconic line from one of his films, 1989’s Field of Dreams. In that picture, an Iowa farmer named Ray Kinsella (played by Kevin Costner) is implored by a mysterious voice in the wind to build a baseball field in the middle of his Iowa cornfield with the words, “If you build it, they will come.”

Except, the actual line is, “If you build it, he will come.”

Interestingly, this isn’t even the most famous example of the Mandela Effect from a James Earl Jones film. The classic example comes from 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back, in which Darth Vader tells Luke Skywalker, "Luke, I am your father." Yet, the original line was “No, I am your father.”

But I digress.

The point of bringing up the Field of Dreams quote is that Ray is a dreamer, not unlike many founders and product leaders. Even in the face of financial ruin, he is driven by faith that “people will come” if he just follows through on his vision and builds the field. In the final shot of the film, we see that Ray’s faith has been rewarded, as a line of cars stretches off far into the distance, filled with eager customers heading toward Ray Kinsella’s mystical baseball field ready to hand over $20 to watch some ghosts play a game of baseball.

It’s a great Hollywood ending, but unfortunately, real life doesn’t work like that.

No good reader, if all you do is build it, they will not come.

The Illusion of "Build It and They Will Come"

For many product teams, the belief that simply building a great product is enough can be a dangerous trap. The dream is that if the product is innovative, state-of-the-art, easy to use, or otherwise superior in some way to what already exists in the market that customers will naturally flock to it. The reality, however, is far less romantic. While Ray Kinsella could rely on magic to bring people to his baseball field, tech products don't have that luxury.

In a crowded marketplace, no matter how exceptional your product is, it won’t sell itself. Many young technology companies pour all their energy, time, and resources into developing the perfect product, convinced that once it’s built, success will follow. This approach is, unfortunately, a surefire way to end up with a great product that nobody knows about or cares to use.

The Reality: You Must Build and Market It

What the Field of Dreams story skips over is that building the field isn’t enough. People won’t come unless they know about it, understand why it’s worth visiting, and feel compelled to make the journey. The same is true for products.

In the real world, the companies that succeed aren’t just the ones with the best products—they’re the ones that tell the best stories about those products. Companies need to craft their message, engage with their target audience, and create the conditions for customers to discover and fall in love with what they’ve built.

This is where product marketing comes in. It’s not just about advertising—it’s about understanding the needs and desires of your audience, crafting a narrative around your product, and positioning it as the solution to their problems.

Beyond the Build: Product Marketing Is Key to Success

Product marketing is the critical bridge between the product itself and the customer. It’s how companies convey the value of what they’ve built, and it's especially important for young technology companies that are often introducing something entirely new to the market.

Without product marketing, even the most revolutionary technology can go unnoticed.

Product marketing answers the essential questions:

• Who is your target audience?

• What problem does your product solve for them?

• What are the alternatives to your product, including the status quo?

• Why is your product the best solution?

• How should you communicate your product’s value?

These questions are addressed through three key components of a successful go-to-market strategy: positioning, messaging, and sales strategy.

Positioning: This involves defining where your product fits in the market, identifying its unique value, and articulating how it stands out from competitors. By understanding your target audience and their pain points, positioning sets the foundation for how you present your product as the superior solution.

Messaging: Building on positioning, messaging is the language you use to communicate your product's value. It includes the key benefits, features, and differentiators you emphasize in your marketing materials. Consistent messaging ensures everyone—from marketers to sales reps—conveys the same story, making it clear to the market what you offer and why it matters.

Sales Strategy: This part of GTM focuses on how you will sell the product. It includes choosing sales channels, setting pricing and packaging strategies, and defining the sales process. An effective sales strategy converts your positioning and messaging into sales tactics that resonate with potential customers and drive revenue.

Together, positioning, messaging, and sales strategy work in tandem to ensure that the product is presented to the market in a way that aligns with customer needs and the company's objectives.

Successful Product Marketing Example: Zoom

Zoom didn’t become a household name just by building a video conferencing tool. Skype, Webex, and GoToMeeting were already on the market. Zoom’s success stemmed from its strategic, user-centric marketing and positioning.

Who is your target audience, and what problem do you solve for them?

Zoom initially targeted a beachhead market in education, with Stanford Continuing Education as its first customer, allowing them to refine the product before pivoting to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). The main problem Zoom solved was the clunky, unreliable nature of existing video tools. They positioned themselves as the easy-to-use, reliable alternative, eliminating complex hardware setups like dongles. Their early tagline, "Put Your Dongle Away," cleverly emphasized this simplicity, resonating with professionals frustrated by the cumbersome nature of other solutions.

What are the alternatives, including the status quo, and why is Zoom the best solution?

Alternatives included Skype, Webex, GoToMeeting, traditional phone calls, and products like FaceTime. While phone calls and FaceTime were simple, they lacked the collaborative features and professional functionality needed for modern remote work. Zoom combined the ease of phone calls with the interaction and capabilities of professional video conferencing, providing a superior, user-friendly experience. CEO Eric Yuan’s focus on customer satisfaction and product reliability set Zoom apart, turning satisfied users into advocates and fueling organic growth.

How should you communicate your product’s value?

Zoom’s communication centered on customer satisfaction and word-of-mouth evangelism. Their freemium model offered free group calls for up to 40 minutes, allowing users to experience the product’s value firsthand. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Zoom lifted this limit for schools, broadening their reach and reinforcing their essential role in virtual communication. Through strategic messaging, Zoom built credibility and brand awareness, not just through advertising, but by showcasing how they solved real-world problems effectively.

Conclusion: Zoom's Marketing Masterclass

Zoom’s success was more than just a great product; it was a masterclass in strategic product marketing. They identified a specific pain point, made the product easy to access, and leveraged customer satisfaction to drive brand credibility and adoption.

Key Product Marketing Fundamentals

For technology companies looking to improve their product marketing practices, here are a few essentials:

• Know Your Audience – Successful product marketing starts with deep knowledge of your customer. What problems are they trying to solve? What keeps them up at night? How can your product make their life better?

• Craft a Compelling Message – Your product’s value proposition needs to be crystal clear. Prospects need to know, in the simplest terms, how your product will make doing their job incrementally easier, cheaper, or faster.

• Create a Launch Plan – How will you reach your customers? What channels will you use to communicate your message? What is the objective of the launch? What KPIs will you use to measure success? A well-thought-out go-to-market strategy will set the stage for a successful launch.

• Data-Driven Decision Making – Use data and analytics to continuously refine your product marketing efforts. Track customer behavior, engagement, and feedback to optimize your campaigns and ensure that you’re delivering value where it matters most.

• Leverage Early Adopters – Early adopters are often your biggest advocates. Engage with them, gather feedback, test messaging with them, and use their enthusiasm to build credibility for your product.

Conclusion: You Need More Than Faith

At the end of Field of Dreams, Ray Kinsella's faith is rewarded as people line up to visit his field. But for technology companies, faith alone won’t drive success. Building a great product is just the beginning. Without a clear product marketing strategy to guide people to what you’ve built, your product may end up as forgotten as a cornfield in Iowa.

Don’t wait for customers to come to you. Go after your best fit customers, show them the value of your product, and tell a story that resonates with their needs. In the end, it’s not about just building it—it’s about building it, marketing it, and making sure they come.