Channel Marketing Management and It’s Onboarding Challenges

In a post-pandemic work environment, marketing is finally returning to its physical roots. Attending events and tradeshows is becoming routine as we leave our caves and ditch our masks.

Partners have traditionally marketed in a way that depends heavily on events, and the last few years have been tough for companies trying to get their partners engaged with digital tools. In this article, we will explore some new challenges organizations face when onboarding partners with a channel marketing management platform.

What is a channel marketing management platform?

A traditional channel marketing management platform typically has a set of co-branded tools — like search, social, email, events, microsites, syndication, and so on — that a channel partner can use to run various marketing campaigns. We will discuss in a minute what a next-generation channel marketing management platform looks like.

What are the challenges today?

As GDPR and other data privacy laws have kicked in over the past five years, most partners’ email marketing lists have shrunk because many of their prospects didn’t sign up for that double opt-in email campaign. As a result, partners resorted to various other tactics exclusive of outbound email campaigns. Covid-19 worsened the situation since most partners could not hold events. The shrinking double opt-in lists and the virtual disappearance of event-based marketing killed partner marketing during this period.

Did channel marketing work before?

The simple answer is: sometimes. Yes, channel marketing worked before the pandemic and data privacy restrictions; however, it focused on telemarketing, email, and event marketing. Around 15 years ago, many new channel marketing management providers entered the market with tools that replicated direct marketing tools. There was a modest level of innovation at the time, and some of the tech vendors embraced those tools, but eventually, they fizzled out.

Why didn’t these tools work well?

There are two answers to this. First, most channel partners did not — and still do not — have dedicated resources for marketing, and they tend to generate their leads via word-of-mouth or the vendor does it for them. Second, the first-generation channel marketing management tools were not that great. So, poorly designed channel marketing management software and minimal partner engagement made this category more of a science project instead of an enabler of demand generation.

Where is channel marketing management headed?

In a post-pandemic world where millennials are becoming the driving force behind most purchases, and Gen Xers are co-deciders, the best-of-breed channel marketing management platforms tend to provide a set of legacy tools alongside a new set of tools. Today's emphasis is a lot more on designing the right tactics and programs that align with partner capabilities than randomly throwing out a bunch of integrated campaigns and expecting partners to generate loads of leads overnight.

Is onboarding partners with a channel marketing management platform still challenging?

Yes, it is always challenging to onboard partners using a new software platform or portal because partners are busy doing their own thing, and there may be dozens of vendors trying to get them engaged. Partners need more time and money to pursue something new. Onboarding them to any channel program remains difficult; getting them to take the steps to onboard using a digital channel management platform is that much harder.

What would be the best way to proceed from here?

Despite everything I have said, there is still a decent opportunity to help channel partners effectively use channel marketing management platforms. However, ensuring the right programs and campaigns are given to the right partners is critical. Also, regarding the channel, vendors should remember that less is more. If you have a five-tactic campaign working well on the direct side, do not expect a channel partner to replicate that success. You will have much better outcomes if you keep channel programs simple, give partners a couple of tactics they can realistically execute, and then build on the results.

How can we onboard partners globally?

First, you must be able to provide suitable campaigns for specific partners. Then, if you want to onboard partners globally, you must have a localized version of those campaigns and make sure they will work in those markets. Finally, consider a super easy-to-use platform with self-guided tours. Another approach is to outsource a partner marketing concierge agency that can help you onboard partners to your platform. The good news is that today, a few highly user-friendly platforms, like ZINFI’s partner marketing management platform, guide you through onboarding. With the right localized programs, you should be able to onboard partners relatively quickly and replicate your efforts across different partner types and geographies.

This article gives you a good overview of some of the challenges we face today in a post-pandemic world and also lays out a few pragmatic solutions. The key is ensuring you have a channel marketing management platform built for tomorrow, not a reflection of the past. With that in place, you will need to design suitable campaigns for the right partner groups and then think through a structured onboarding program to ensure partners find it easy to engage, learn, and deploy your campaigns and other features in the platform.

Originally published at https://www.zinfi.com on November 21, 2022.