If you are selling through the channel, it is probably safe to assume that you have a partner portal. There’s nothing ground-breaking about that. However, this is 2016. Do you know when your partner portal was built and with what technologies? Why does it matter? Well, do you still use a typewriter? I doubt it—typewriters are obsolete. So why would anyone want to use a partner portal built on obsolete software? I’ll have more to say on that later, but before we get into the weeds here, let’s step back for a second and look at the history of partner portals and how they have been built over the years.Past (1985 to 2000)If you were selling through the channel in 1990s, chances are you had an extranet whose purpose was to provide your partners with access to price lists, datasheets, collateral, etc. so that they wouldn’t have to wait for printed materials to arrive. The partner portal software was very basic. Actually, it was essentially a website with external login capabilities connected with some sort of a directory systems that mapped users. That’s about it.Now, during this phase a few companies like Channelware (which actually coined the term “partner relationship management”), Channel Wave and Blue Roads raised millions of dollars in funding to create more sophisticated and functional portals, but they eventually went out of business due to lack of business adoption, lack of complete solution sets, high prices, complicated deployment and a lack of a full web services infrastructure. So despite the fact that several organizations had the right idea, the market was not ready for widespread adoption—or one could argue these companies couldn’t supply what the market needed at that point with their versions of a partner portal software solution.Present (2000 – 2015)Most companies who started in the late 1990s to build and develop partner portal software were not successful and shut down by early to mid-2000s. However, with the explosion of Internet-related businesses in the dot-com boom and the proliferation of enterprise application companies, point solution products tied to incentives management, rewards, rebates, etc. started to evolve. Companies selling through the channel realized that they could use their customer relationship management (CRM) platform to automate some of the workflow as well. So naturally, due to lack of any integrated end-to-end solutions, companies started to patch together partner portal software of various types.However, this patchwork of discrete point solutions created complexity, made the partner experience less than desirable, and made the total cost of ownership unbearable for organizations selling through the channel. Also, due to long buying cycles—and given the past failures of other vendors—very few new vendors for partner portal software entered the marketplace. Most players in the partner portal software space today are left over from the second wave of patched-up solutions and very few have a truly complete vision of what the future of partner portal software will look like.Future (2015-2030)Nils Bohr, a Nobel laureate in physics, was once quoted as saying, “Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future.” Well, we have also heard that the best way to predict the future is to create it. So I’d like to talk about what we at ZINFI believe about the future of partner portal software and what we are doing to create that future. We believe the future of partner portal software requires seven MAGICAL elements. The partner portal software of the future will be…:* Modular: That’s because enterprises are not going to rip and replace their en...

Based on a recent estimate, we believe about 300 or so enterprises have deployed some level of channel marketing automation, and most of these companies have quickly realized a substantial benefit from these investments. If you’re selling through an organization and do not have some level of automation in place, chances are your channel marketing processes are quite antiquated and require substantial upgrades to stay relevant to your partner base. Certainly you can address this by creating homegrown tools, but before you continue to invest further in that direction, and as you look at the year ahead you should seriously consider some of the options that are available in the marketplace for channel marketing automation.

In other posts we have discussed in a great degree of detail some of the core features and functionalities of channel marketing automation, but in this article we're going to focus primarily on the business benefits that you can derive by deploying such a platform. A typical channel marketing automation platform requires an investment of about $100,000 per year. However, when you compare that figure to the total return on investment, the benefits are really quite substantial. We will discuss those ROI-related benefits in greater degree detail throughout this article.

Efficiency of deployment: Speaking of business benefits, one of the most important aspects of channel marketing automation’s impact on an organization is improvement in efficiency—how fast you can get things done and how you can do more with less. When it comes to channel marketing automation, you’re primarily trying to manage a few core activities—for example, lead management and distribution, campaign asset management, co-branding and ROI tracking. It is easier for you to make that happen for hundreds and thousands of partners if you have an automation platform in place. If you don't have one today, chances are you're managing everything via e-mail and your partners have to download marketing content, and then they have to co-brand, and then they have to go educate prospects using their own individual platforms. A properly designed and configured channel marketing platform can integrate these processes, and dramatically impact your efficiency and how you enable your partners to market.

Visibility of partner engagement: Today, if you are offering various types of campaign kits through your partner portal for your partners to download, co-brand offline and market using their own individual systems, you have no visibility into the impact those assets and campaigns are having within the partner base. If, however, you have a channel marketing automation platform in place, you will have complete visibility: how many emails are going out, how end customers are responding to certain assets, how your social media syndication is working, how your web content is working, how effective the events are in terms of driving leads and creating pipeline, and so on. Having that information represents a huge step forward for you in gaining control of the partner marketing process, and that level of visibility empowers you as you try to determine the right level of investment and as you continue to build new campaigns assets and distribute them to your partners.

Control of brand promise: A typical channel marketing automation platform will give you substantial control of your brand image and presence through your partner network. If you allow a partner to download an asset and co-brand it offline, you have no way of controlling what will happen to it. Maybe a brand image will get distorted, or maybe something will get added that is not in alignment with your core brand values. Maybe partners will send something by mistake that doesn't truly represent your company. However, if you have a channel marketing automation platform in place, you can maintain complete control over how these assets are distributed.

Speed of execution: Today,

Based on a recent estimate, we believe about 300 or so enterprises have deployed some level of channel marketing automation, and most of these companies have quickly realized a substantial benefit from these investments. If you’re selling through an organization and do not have some level of automation in place, chances are your channel marketing processes are quite antiquated and require substantial upgrades to stay relevant to your partner base. Certainly you can address this by creating homegrown tools, but before you continue to invest further in that direction, and as you look at the year ahead you should seriously consider some of the options that are available in the marketplace for channel marketing automation.In other posts we have discussed in a great degree of detail some of the core features and functionalities of channel marketing automation, but in this article we’re going to focus primarily on the business benefits that you can derive by deploying such a platform. A typical channel marketing automation platform requires an investment of about $100,000 per year. However, when you compare that figure to the total return on investment, the benefits are really quite substantial. We will discuss those ROI-related benefits in greater degree detail throughout this article.* Efficiency of deployment: Speaking of business benefits, one of the most important aspects of channel marketing automation’s impact on an organization is improvement in efficiency—how fast you can get things done and how you can do more with less. When it comes to channel marketing automation, you’re primarily trying to manage a few core activities—for example, lead management and distribution, campaign asset management, co-branding and ROI tracking. It is easier for you to make that happen for hundreds and thousands of partners if you have an automation platform in place. If you don’t have one today, chances are you’re managing everything via e-mail and your partners have to download marketing content, and then they have to co-brand, and then they have to go educate prospects using their own individual platforms. A properly designed and configured channel marketing platform can integrate these processes, and dramatically impact your efficiency and how you enable your partners to market.* Visibility of partner engagement: Today, if you are offering various types of campaign kits through your partner portal for your partners to download, co-brand offline and market using their own individual systems, you have no visibility into the impact those assets and campaigns are having within the partner base. If, however, you have a channel marketing automation platform in place, you will have complete visibility: how many emails are going out, how end customers are responding to certain assets, how your social media syndication is working, how your web content is working, how effective the events are in terms of driving leads and creating pipeline, and so on. Having that information represents a huge step forward for you in gaining control of the partner marketing process, and that level of visibility empowers you as you try to determine the right level of investment and as you continue to build new campaigns assets and distribute them to your partners.* Control of brand promise: A typical channel marketing automati...

Based on a recent estimate, we believe about 300 or so enterprises have deployed some level of channel marketing automation, and most of these companies have quickly realized a substantial benefit from these investments. If you’re selling through an organization and do not have some level of automation in place, chances are your channel marketing processes are quite antiquated and require substantial upgrades to stay relevant to your partner base. Certainly you can address this by creating homegrown tools, but before you continue to invest further in that direction, and as you look at the year ahead you should seriously consider some of the options that are available in the marketplace for channel marketing automation.

In other posts we have discussed in a great degree of detail some of the core features and functionalities of channel marketing automation, but in this article we're going to focus primarily on the business benefits that you can derive by deploying such a platform. A typical channel marketing automation platform requires an investment of about $100,000 per year. However, when you compare that figure to the total return on investment, the benefits are really quite substantial. We will discuss those ROI-related benefits in greater degree detail throughout this article.

* Efficiency of deployment: Speaking of business benefits, one of the most important aspects of channel marketing automation’s impact on an organization is improvement in efficiency—how fast you can get things done and how you can do more with less. When it comes to channel marketing automation, you’re primarily trying to manage a few core activities—for example, lead management and distribution, campaign asset management, co-branding and ROI tracking. It is easier for you to make that happen for hundreds and thousands of partners if you have an automation platform in place. If you don't have one today, chances are you're managing everything via e-mail and your partners have to download marketing content, and then they have to co-brand, and then they have to go educate prospects using their own individual platforms. A properly designed and configured channel marketing platform can integrate these processes, and dramatically impact your efficiency and how you enable your partners to market.

* Visibility of partner engagement: Today, if you are offering various types of campaign kits through your partner portal for your partners to download, co-brand offline and market using their own individual systems, you have no visibility into the impact those assets and campaigns are having within the partner base. If, however, you have a channel marketing automation platform in place, you will have complete visibility: how many emails are going out, how end customers are responding to certain assets, how your social media syndication is working, how your web content is working, how effective the events are in terms of driving leads and creating pipeline, and so on. Having that information represents a huge step forward for you in gaining control of the partner marketing process, and that level of visibility empowers you as you try to determi...

Lately there has been a lot of buzz about channel management automation, which comprises partner relationship management, channel marketing automation and channel sales management. However, since this is a relatively new area of business process automation, the definitions are not always clear to channel marketing professionals. In this article we will discuss briefly what channel marketing automation is all about and describe the many business benefits it can provide.

Definitions

Channel marketing automation focuses on automating two groups of activities for organizations selling via a channel network. The first group of activities is focused on “marketing to the partners” or what we call “to-partner marketing automation” and the second group of activities focuses on “marketing through the partner” or “through-partner marketing automation.” Let’s review briefly how each of these works.

To-partner marketing automation – The goal for these activities is to recruit, engage and excite partners so that they are aware of a vendor’s programs, policies, people, etc. Here are the areas in which you can deploy channel marketing automation for to-partner marketing activities:

Partner recruitment: If you are trying to recruit new partners into your company or existing partners into new programs, you need a set of marketing automation tools to drive these programs. This is where various inbound and outbound marketing activities can be integrated and automated end-to-end to drive results.

Partner engagement: Let’s say you have rolled out a new product or a new program, and you need to train your partners to be aware of those programs. You very likely have a learning management system (LMS) in place, but you still need to drive partners to these training session. A channel marketing automation platform can help you do that.

Partner management: If you have an incentives management infrastructure in place, from time to time you will roll out special incentives, rewards or other programs. Instead of relying on your direct marketing team to send out communications, having access to a channel marketing automation platform with to-partner marketing automation capabilities gives you the means to seamlessly manage your partner base by integrating your channel marketing automation platform with your incentives management capabilities.

Through-partner marketing automation – The primary focus for through-partner marketing actives is on enabling your partners to build their pipeline by leveraging your marketing assets and programs. The following is a brief summary of how you can deploy channel marketing automation for through-partner marketing activities:

Inbound marketing automation: Most channel partners do not have digital marketing capabilities in place—especially when it comes to optimizing search marketing. This is where integrated (search, syndication) tools can greatly enhance your partners’ abilities to generate leads from their prospect and customer base.

Outbound marketing automation: While most partners know how to do telemarketing or events, they rarely take a structured approach to nurturing their installed base or prospects who are in the mid-market and enterprise category and have a long buying cycle. This is where email marketing automation with multi-touch drip campaign capabilities transforms marketing into a process rather than an event.

Core Requirements

In order to drive both to-partner marketing activities and through-partner marketing activities, you will need a robust channel marketing automation platform with at least the following core features:

Partner lead management – This allows you to distribute leads to partners; it also allows partners to upload their own records for demand generation activities.

Campaign content management – Using this module you can build “market-through” (end-user facing) campaigns using various digital tactics and allow your partners t...

Lately there has been a lot of buzz about channel management automation, which comprises partner relationship management, channel marketing automation and channel sales management. However, since this is a relatively new area of business process automation, the definitions are not always clear to channel marketing professionals. In this article we will discuss briefly what channel marketing automation is all about and describe the many business benefits it can provide.DefinitionsChannel marketing automation focuses on automating two groups of activities for organizations selling via a channel network. The first group of activities is focused on “marketing to the partners” or what we call “to-partner marketing automation” and the second group of activities focuses on “marketing through the partner” or “through-partner marketing automation.” Let’s review briefly how each of these works.To-partner marketing automation – The goal for these activities is to recruit, engage and excite partners so that they are aware of a vendor’s programs, policies, people, etc. Here are the areas in which you can deploy channel marketing automation for to-partner marketing activities:* Partner recruitment: If you are trying to recruit new partners into your company or existing partners into new programs, you need a set of marketing automation tools to drive these programs. This is where various inbound and outbound marketing activities can be integrated and automated end-to-end to drive results.* Partner engagement: Let’s say you have rolled out a new product or a new program, and you need to train your partners to be aware of those programs. You very likely have a learning management system (LMS) in place, but you still need to drive partners to these training session. A channel marketing automation platform can help you do that.* Partner management: If you have an incentives management infrastructure in place, from time to time you will roll out special incentives, rewards or other programs. Instead of relying on your direct marketing team to send out communications, having access to a channel marketing automation platform with to-partner marketing automation capabilities gives you the means to seamlessly manage your partner base by integrating your channel marketing automation platform with your incentives management capabilities.Through-partner marketing automation – The primary focus for through-partner marketing actives is on enabling your partners to build their pipeline by leveraging your marketing assets and programs. The following is a brief summary of how you can deploy channel marketing automation for through-partner marketing activities:* Inbound marketing automation: Most channel partners do not have digital marketing capabilities in place—especially when it comes to optimizing search marketing. This is where integrated (search, syndication) tools can greatly enhance your partners’ abilities to generate leads from their prospect and customer base.* Outbound marketing automation: While most partners know how to do telemarketing or

Lately there has been a lot of buzz about channel management automation, which comprises partner relationship management, channel marketing automation and channel sales management. However, since this is a relatively new area of business process automation, the definitions are not always clear to channel marketing professionals. In this article we will discuss briefly what channel marketing automation is all about and describe the many business benefits it can provide.

Definitions

Channel marketing automation focuses on automating two groups of activities for organizations selling via a channel network. The first group of activities is focused on “marketing to the partners” or what we call “to-partner marketing automation” and the second group of activities focuses on “marketing through the partner” or “through-partner marketing automation.” Let’s review briefly how each of these works.

To-partner marketing automation – The goal for these activities is to recruit, engage and excite partners so that they are aware of a vendor’s programs, policies, people, etc. Here are the areas in which you can deploy channel marketing automation for to-partner marketing activities:

* Partner recruitment: If you are trying to recruit new partners into your company or existing partners into new programs, you need a set of marketing automation tools to drive these programs. This is where various inbound and outbound marketing activities can be integrated and automated end-to-end to drive results.

* Partner engagement: Let’s say you have rolled out a new product or a new program, and you need to train your partners to be aware of those programs. You very likely have a learning management system (LMS) in place, but you still need to drive partners to these training session. A channel marketing automation platform can help you do that.

* Partner management: If you have an incentives management infrastructure in place, from time to time you will roll out special incentives, rewards or other programs. Instead of relying on your direct marketing team to send out communications, having access to a channel marketing automation platform with to-partner marketing automation capabilities gives you the means to seamlessly manage your partner base by integrating your channel marketing automation platform with your incentives management capabilities.

Through-partner marketing automation – The primary focus for through-partner marketing actives is on enabling your partners to build their pipeline by leveraging your marketing assets and programs. The following is a brief summary of how you can deploy channel marketing automation for through-partner marketing activities:

* Inbound marketing automation: Most channel partners do not have digital marketing capabilities in place—especially when it comes to optimizing search marketing. This is where integrated (search, syndication) tools can greatly enhance your partners’ abilities to generate leads from their prospect and customer base.

* Outbound marketing automation: While most partners know how to do

Rock and roll musicians, and the industry that has grown up around it, have always been perceived as trailblazers. Innovative ideas and expression have always been a big part of the development of popular music, and getting broader acceptance has been a challenge that has motivated musical acts and performers to come up with new ways of getting the word out. One important marketing method that grew out of the music industry is the use of loyal followers to help spread the word about a band or act. That’s where the concept of the “street team” came from, after all—and if you really think about it, this was one of the first true forms of channel marketing.

What is a street team? In the music industry, it’s a group of fans and followers who help spread awareness of a performer or act through local and regional efforts. Corporations and major brands are now starting to pick up on the concept and develop their own “street teams” to help promote and market their own products. Let’s take a look at what makes up a street team from an operational standpoint, what makes teams successful and how channel marketers can learn from them.

Any given act might have local street teams set up in various cities across the country or even the world. Street team members are, first and foremost, advocates of the act. Their role is to go out and create brand awareness and adoption. In fact, very organized regional teams have often established guidelines and strategies, and they train or “onboard” other members in these approaches. Typically, they distribute marketing materials, which are either self-generated or provided by the performer, and those materials are sometimes co-branded. They also are likely to handle sales in a localized way—say, by running a merchandise booth at a local performance or festival. Furthermore, team members are often incentivized or compensated for their efforts and allegiance with offers of free tickets, merchandise, rewards and so on. They can even petition the act to create their own “deal,” perhaps negotiating for a local appearance at a particular venue.

Is this starting to sound familiar? Not only are street teams often quite successful as a grass-roots, localized and dynamic resource, but they also operate in ways that reflect many of the core principles that form the basis of partner or channel marketing.

So, what specific street team principles can we apply to channel marketing?

Focus on direct one-to-one customer base engagement. Regional teams or networks are local to the customer base of that geography, and they are engaging with the target audience in a more in-person and close-touch way than global vendors who do business out of central hubs. They collect feedback and audience reaction to the act or brand and use that feedback to adjust their efforts, tactics and approaches—often passing this information back up to the act themselves, or networking with other regional teams to share insights for success. Unfortunately, these same activities are not often seen in traditional corporate channel marketing or partner marketing. Partner portals and channel platforms often lack a mechanism to pass insights back up to vendor—let alone share marketing insights and success stories with other partners in the network. “Boots on the ground” engagement in various global areas is very useful in gaining valuable metrics and insight, and this tactical data can help focus and empower the collective local success of a brand. Intranetwork sharing of best practices can only help the OEM to develop a more powerful channel by providing successful methodologies as demonstrated by high-performing partners.

Pull regional success up to global efforts. To elaborate on the discussion above: When local or regional paths to success have been identified, sharing with other partners to strengthen their efforts is great. But the vendor or OEM itself should pull this methodology up to analyze and adapt to the global chann...

Rock and roll musicians, and the industry that has grown up around it, have always been perceived as trailblazers. Innovative ideas and expression have always been a big part of the development of popular music, and getting broader acceptance has been a challenge that has motivated musical acts and performers to come up with new ways of getting the word out. One important marketing method that grew out of the music industry is the use of loyal followers to help spread the word about a band or act. That’s where the concept of the “street team” came from, after all—and if you really think about it, this was one of the first true forms of channel marketing.

What is a street team? In the music industry, it’s a group of fans and followers who help spread awareness of a performer or act through local and regional efforts. Corporations and major brands are now starting to pick up on the concept and develop their own “street teams” to help promote and market their own products. Let’s take a look at what makes up a street team from an operational standpoint, what makes teams successful and how channel marketers can learn from them.

Any given act might have local street teams set up in various cities across the country or even the world. Street team members are, first and foremost, advocates of the act. Their role is to go out and create brand awareness and adoption. In fact, very organized regional teams have often established guidelines and strategies, and they train or “onboard” other members in these approaches. Typically, they distribute marketing materials, which are either self-generated or provided by the performer, and those materials are sometimes co-branded. They also are likely to handle sales in a localized way—say, by running a merchandise booth at a local performance or festival. Furthermore, team members are often incentivized or compensated for their efforts and allegiance with offers of free tickets, merchandise, rewards and so on. They can even petition the act to create their own “deal,” perhaps negotiating for a local appearance at a particular venue.

Is this starting to sound familiar? Not only are street teams often quite successful as a grass-roots, localized and dynamic resource, but they also operate in ways that reflect many of the core principles that form the basis of partner or channel marketing.

So, what specific street team principles can we apply to channel marketing?

* Focus on direct one-to-one customer base engagement. Regional teams or networks are local to the customer base of that geography, and they are engaging with the target audience in a more in-person and close-touch way than global vendors who do business out of central hubs. They collect feedback and audience reaction to the act or brand and use that feedback to adjust their efforts, tactics and approaches—often passing this information back up to the act themselves, or networking with other regional teams to share insights for success. Unfortunately, these same activities are not often seen in traditional corporate channel marketing or partner marketing. Partner portals and channel platforms often lack a mechanism to pass insights back up to vendor—let alone share marketing insights and success stories with other partners in the network. “Boots on the ground” engagement in various global areas is very useful in gaining valuable metrics and insight, and this tactical data can help focus and empower the collective local success of a brand. Intranetwork sharing of best practices can only help the OEM to develop a more powerful channel by providing successful methodologies as demonstrated by high-performing partners.

* Pull regional success up to global efforts. To elaborate on the discussion above: When local or regional paths to success have been identified, sharing with other partners to strengthen their efforts is great.

Rock and roll musicians, and the industry that has grown up around it, have always been perceived as trailblazers. Innovative ideas and expression have always been a big part of the development of popular music, and getting broader acceptance has been a challenge that has motivated musical acts and performers to come up with new ways of getting the word out. One important marketing method that grew out of the music industry is the use of loyal followers to help spread the word about a band or act. That’s where the concept of the “street team” came from, after all—and if you really think about it, this was one of the first true forms of channel marketing.What is a street team? In the music industry, it’s a group of fans and followers who help spread awareness of a performer or act through local and regional efforts. Corporations and major brands are now starting to pick up on the concept and develop their own “street teams” to help promote and market their own products. Let’s take a look at what makes up a street team from an operational standpoint, what makes teams successful and how channel marketers can learn from them.Any given act might have local street teams set up in various cities across the country or even the world. Street team members are, first and foremost, advocates of the act. Their role is to go out and create brand awareness and adoption. In fact, very organized regional teams have often established guidelines and strategies, and they train or “onboard” other members in these approaches. Typically, they distribute marketing materials, which are either self-generated or provided by the performer, and those materials are sometimes co-branded. They also are likely to handle sales in a localized way—say, by running a merchandise booth at a local performance or festival. Furthermore, team members are often incentivized or compensated for their efforts and allegiance with offers of free tickets, merchandise, rewards and so on. They can even petition the act to create their own “deal,” perhaps negotiating for a local appearance at a particular venue.Is this starting to sound familiar? Not only are street teams often quite successful as a grass-roots, localized and dynamic resource, but they also operate in ways that reflect many of the core principles that form the basis of partner or channel marketing.So, what specific street team principles can we apply to channel marketing?* Focus on direct one-to-one customer base engagement. Regional teams or networks are local to the customer base of that geography, and they are engaging with the target audience in a more in-person and close-touch way than global vendors who do business out of central hubs. They collect feedback and audience reaction to the act or brand and use that feedback to adjust their efforts, tactics and approaches—often passing this information back up to the act themselves, or networking with other regional teams to share insights for success. Unfortunately, these same activities are not often seen in traditional corporate channel marketing or partner marketing. Partner portals and channel platforms often lack a mechanism to pass insights back up to vendor—let alone share marketing insights and success stories with other partners in the network. “Boots on the ground” engagement in various global areas is very useful in gaining valuable metrics and insight, and this tactical data can help focus and empower the collective local success of a brand. Intranetwork sharing of best practices can only help the OEM to develop a more powerful channel by providing successful methodologies as demonstrated by high-performing partners.* Pull regional success up to global efforts. To elaborate on the discussion above: When local or regional paths to success have been identified, sharing with other partners to strengthen their efforts is great.