Better Partner Marketing with Partner Marketing Automation
Vendors relying on the channel model, by definition, need to maintain strict control of their entire brand, from the product or service itself to the entire marketing and sales process.
Powerful through-partner marketing automation (TCMA) or Distributed Marketing Management (DMM), is the process of using technology, primarily, partner marketing software automation tools to help channel partners leverage the company's brand and corporate marketing and sales assets to grow their brand and ease their workload. A powerful through-partner marketing automation (TCMA) benefits both−the company and the partners by infusing a lot of efficiency and effectiveness into partner marketing. Powerful through-partner marketing automation (TCMA) allows companies to have greater control over their marketing messaging and brand when selling through partners. From the partner's perspective, it offers them the opportunity to piggyback on the company's strong brand presence and marketing programs as well as access valuable resources they don't have the personnel to create. Let's explore further the concept of TCMA, the key components, the benefits, and the role it plays in the success of the channel sales model.
To understand what TCMA is, we need to first understand Through-Channel Marketing as a concept. Through-channel marketing, also referred to as through-partner marketing, is when the company markets its products or services via its channel partners. Unlike with-partner marketing where the company and the channel partners market jointly, in through-partner marketing, the channel partners are primarily responsible for marketing the company's products or services to the end customers. The company usually provides the channel partners with the training, product/service education, and marketing collateral they need to market and sell their products.
The partners are also provided MDF (market development funds) by the company that they can use to invest in additional marketing activities. From the company's perspective, through-partner marketing is the most agile and theoretically checks all the boxes for which a vendor organization chooses to sell through partners. Through-partner marketing calls for minimal effort from vendor organizations. They are trained by the company, provided with the necessary marketing materials, and then the channel partners market and sell.
Some of the key mechanisms used by TCMA to automate the through-partner marketing process are:
Content syndication tools automate web and social content delivery paths to ensure Marketing Messages created at the corporate levels are automatically co-branded and personalized to reflect the partner's brand and resonate with their local audience and market. Powerful content syndication tools help companies enable their partners to engage in local marketing effectively across the web and social media platforms by giving the corporate marketing team the ability to share and personalize all content types (web pages, micro-sites, blogs, landing pages and social media posts) with partners.
Through content syndication tools, companies can:
Modern partner marketing software with TCMA tools tools take personalization to a whole new level with video personalization features. Partners can personalize the intro and outro of corporate marketing and sales videos and also add their brand elements such as logos to them, thus taking the personalization to a much higher level.
Market development funds (MDF) refer to the financial resources that a company provides its partners in order to help them engage in sales and marketing of the company's products and services. Powerful through-partner marketing automation (TCMA) automates MDF management making it smoother, quicker and more efficient. For example, companies get the ability to
Modern partner marketing software with TCMA tools uses powerful asset co-branding capabilities to help partners leverage the corporate brand while also building their local brand. It allows companies to create everything their partners need from their corporate offices and automatically customizes those assets to reflect partners' local branding. Companies can customize email campaigns, landing pages, proposals, advertising campaigns, videos and other marketing and sales materials automatically
Next-gen partner marketing software with TCMA leverages email marketing automation to make partner email marketing campaigns more quick, easy, and effective. Just like other marketing assets we discussed above in the co-branding section, emails can be personalized too, helping partners add a more personal touch to their email interactions with leads. Moreover, companies can set up and run automated lead nurturing drip email campaigns on behalf of their partners and route those leads to the respective partners.
Through-channel marketing automation benefits both the company and its partners.
From the company's perspective, engaging in TCMA ensures that the company's brand, voice and messaging are not diluted or compromised via its widespread partner network. It gives companies greater control over their brand and goes a long way in ensuring the company and its partner network are on the same page in terms of marketing and sales messaging. It also helps companies establish their brand better in local markets through mechanisms such as co-branding and personalization.
From the partner's perspective, through-channel marketing automation helps them market and sell better by allowing them to leverage:
The role of TCMA in the overall success of the channel sales model and partner relationships
Though TCMA, as the name suggests, is mostly about partner marketing automation; it plays a huge role in ensuring the overall success of partner relationships and the channel sales model in general. When we step back and look at the big picture, the key elements of TCMA that we discussed (personalized marketing across various media, MDF management, co-branding, and email marketing automation) ultimately make it easier for the partners to market and sell the company's products more effectively and also helps them do so, faster. Partners are naturally more engaged with the brand/company that drives maximum sales revenue for them with minimal effort. TCMA allows companies to strike this elusive balance for their partners easily, thus boosting partner engagement levels in the process. An engaged partner ecosystem translates into great partner relationships and results in rich ROI to both parties involved.
Liked what you read? Learn more in our whitepaper, Better Channel Partner Marketing with Channel Marketing Automation
Mindmatrix is a leading provider of PRM software, channel partner marketing software and sales ecosystems enablement solutions including partner portal software. Since its inception in 1998, Mindmatrix has been focused on helping companies sell more, faster. A pioneer of sales (direct & indirect) and marketing enablement technology, today Mindmatrix is the only company offering a fully unified platform (Bridge ™) that connects and enables sales (direct & indirect), marketing, alliances and partner ecosystems. Backed by Mindmatrix's innovation and expertise, Bridge expands sales ecosystem enablement beyond its traditional boundaries to cover not just Sales Ecosystem Enablement, but also Partner Marketing and Multi-vendor Solutions Management
Vendors relying on the channel model, by definition, need to maintain strict control of their entire brand, from the product or service itself to the entire marketing and sales process.
Understand some of the qualities and skills that a Partner Marketer must have to be able to play their role successfully.
