HamX Go-to-Market Plan: 2025

• The marketing case requires analysis of an existing business to recommend solutions for go-to-market issues.
• Preparation involves a briefing video and a 15-minute Q&A session.
• Data for analysis should come from the case, the HamX Revenue Metrics Excel file, and external research.

2025 Go-to-Market Plan

• Identify and analyze priority issues.
• Determine external threats.
• Determine internal issues and performance changes over the past two years
• Consider potential issues with the current go-to-market plan.
• Propose changes to the 2025 go-to-market plan with justification.
• Detail the integrated marketing communications plan for 2025.
• Estimate performance expectations with the proposed changes for 2025.
• Assess risks/downsides and propose minimization strategies.
• Team members must attend the scheduled Q&A and be prepared to answer questions.

HamX Overview

• HamX is a company that creates software to integrate data from different web apps to automate tasks.
• The software design allows users to create workflows without coding.
• The software supports more than 3,000 web applications like Facebook, Slack, and Gmail.
• HamX provides management and security features like data reporting, analytics, mapping, and encryption.
• In 2025, HamX has over 200 employees internationally and is valued at over $2 billion.
• HamX has avoided venture capital, raising only $1.3 million in funding since its start.
• It was profitable only two years after beginning operations.
• HamX operates in the infrastructure-platform-as-a-service (iPaaS) space, which connects cloud/on-premise applications.
• These platforms increase productivity and improve customer journeys.
• The business had traditionally dominated the workflow automation market and has been ranked highly by Gartner.
• There has been significant new competition since 2024; at least 13 companies have iPaaS offerings.
• HamX hired Jackson to find a profitable "niche".

Customer Segmentation

• The iPaaS space has three customer segments: small organizations (under 50 users), mid-market (5-1,000 users), and enterprise organizations (over 1,000 users).
• Each segment considers price, setup ease, use ease, and support quality.
• Revenue potential, customer lifetime value, and acquisition costs differ across segments.
• Jackson must determine the target segment(s) for HamX amidst increasing competition and describe buyer behaviors.

Software Buying Behavior Evolution

• There's been a radical evolution in the software industry since the 1980s and 1990s.
• The "CIO Era" saw chief information technology officers as primary buyers.
• IT compatibility was the top decision-making criteria.
• Software was expensive.
• Companies relied on sales-led growth.
• The 2000s brought virtualization, cloud computing, and lower software development costs.
• Non-technical executives gained importance as buyers.
• Product's ability to achieve company goals (KPIs, ROI) became the main buying criterion.
• Software companies relied on marketing-led growth.
• The current "End-User Era" has efficient software development and democratized buying.
• End-users can try and buy software based on its day-to-day value.
• Leading companies use product-led growth.
• Consideration must be given to the adoption of AI in workflow automation.

Competitor Overview

• HamX primarily competes with four iPaaS firms.
• Salesforce/Mulesoft's Anypoint platform: Offers an API integrating various processes and simplifies large integrations.
• Workato: a "no-code" solution with an emphasis on pre-built "recipes".
• Offers solutions based on function and app.
• The primary segments are mid-market and large enterprises (38% and 35% respectively).
• Celigo: Blends the capabilities of Mulesoft and Workato with a "no-code" flow builder and broad support for different extensions and APIs.
• Caters to integration specialists and developers.
• Has an integration marketplace.
• Focuses on mid-market customers (52%).
• Integrately: Provides a “1-click” integration process, connecting apps in under five minutes.
• Has a marketplace of over 250,000 ready integrations across 350+ applications.
• Primarily serves small businesses.
• Jackson needs to build a positioning map for HamX given intense competition with differentiating criteria.

Pricing Considerations

• HamX's pricing model uses usage-based, packaging, and subscription elements that include:
• Prices based on specific usage metrics.
• Selling bundles of features at different price points.
• Regular payments instead of a single upfront payment.
• HamX charges comparatively less than its competitors, excluding Integrately.
• With HamX's positioning possibly changing, it is necessary to consider potential pricing model adjustments.

Distribution/Fulfillment

• Three sales models exist in SaaS: self-service, transactional, and enterprise sales.
• Self-service sales uses product-led growth.
• It involves a strong product, promoting free trials, and driving conversion through trials.
• Transactional sales use automated lead generation and an inside sales team.
• Enterprise sales (conventional B2B) need a large sales team.
• Self-service models suit low priced/complexity products while transactional models suit high price/low complexity goods; enterprise sales suit high-priced products.
• Jackson needs to determine the appropriate distribution/fulfillment model and implementation strategy to communicate it.

Marketing Communication

• Marketing communications are crucial in driving demand, lead generation, and sales for SaaS.

• Commonly used communication are:

• Content marketing to attract customer attention.

• Search engine optimization to make the website discoverable.

• Referral marketing to incentivize existing customers to connect with others.

• Co-marketing with other companies for joint promotions.

• Larger SaaS companies use television ads/social media posts to generate awareness/reinforce the brand.

• HamX primarily uses content marketing and is known for having a strong content creation blog and the business writes reports.

• HamX does not invest significantly in any other marketing methods.

• Jackson should consider whether to use more channels and how should HamX change its content marketing strategy.

• HamX has a $15 million annual budget for marketing and sales.