The evolution of B2B partner marketing and what you need to know now
Partner marketing best practices are never static. At least not the ones worth following. They’re constantly on the move, evolving for new market conditions, technologies, audience insights, campaign objectives, channel possibilities, and content styles.
At Knack, our focus is partner channel activation. In our recent e-book, Driving Growth Through Your Partner Ecosystem Now, we describe how changes in buyer preferences are requiring stronger connections between lead generation and pipeline conversions. As a result, software vendors must retool and revisit their to-, with-, and through-partner marketing strategies and tactics.
Three keys to success in partner marketing strategy - now.
1. Sales and marketing alignment. When vendors equip partners with the resources and techniques they need to achieve joint KPIs, assemble agreed upon ideal customer profiles (ICPs) supported by sales intelligence, and assist with end-to-end customer journey mapping (from campaigns to content, nurture, sales enablement, and customer marketing), revenue aspirations move closer to reality. Alignment is our most frequent recommendation based upon daily interactions with B2B software vendors and partners who are striving to build long-term customer bonds and do more with less (see Figure 1 below).
2. Commanding the mid-funnel. This is typically where we find the biggest gaps in the partner marketing activities of most technology brands. In a market featuring fewer upper-funnel entrants than just a few months ago, successful businesses must devote overdue attention to the customers and leads they already have, supported by high-quality content to validate claims and establish trust. We see this as a focal point for partner enablement and a trend that will continue for the foreseeable future (see Figure 2 below).
FIGURE 1
FIGURE 2
3. Systems thinking to accelerate lead flow at scale. Succeeding in the new B2B marketing ecosystem requires acting strategically and at scale. With markets in hypercompetitive mode, domain expertise and repeatable actions (driven increasingly by AI) are necessary ingredients for ROI. As illustrated below and in the e-book, there’s no substitute for a B2B partnership strategy and execution plan where each component improves the efficiency and effectiveness of the program as a whole.
Best-in-class partner marketing pivots on validation and trust
For vendors and their partners, the quality bar for MQLs is going up because resources exist only for the highest-probability leads. These leads require outsized focus because buyers and users have more information at their fingertips—in more formats and channels—than ever before. And they’re exceptionally hard to convert.
Throughout the e-book, we note how lead conversion requires an interconnected system of shared and aligned engagements. For example, mid-funnel success requires delivering ideas that complement upper-funnel activities and allow buyers to dive deeper into why and how a solution will offer unique value to them. Assets such as customer stories, case studies, product and solution reviews, and industry insights perform best when aligned to meet the “build trust through proof” mentality of today’s buyers.
As a vendor, you want to activate your partners
We emphasize the importance of helping partners look at the world through their customers’ eyes and think two steps ahead. For example, if partners are able to grab their customers’ attention early, how will they validate their offer and earn the trust needed to convert? What types of content will they need to maintain a customer conversation over time? Are they prepared to earn conversions without as much participation from sales because buyers don’t want as much participation from sales? In other words, are they ready for a marathon rather than a sprint? Ready to sustain their demand-gen activities while investing extra effort mid-funnel to drive conversions and effective sales handoffs?
Driving Growth Through Your Partner Ecosystem Now offers recommendations and observations that will help vendors and their partners answer these questions and emerge stronger as the next wave of technology buyers enters the market.
Optimize your partner ecosystem
Our goal at Knack is to support vendors and their partners in every way, whether by filling gaps in your marketing strategies or staff, making your path to market quicker and easier, or helping your campaigns stay compelling, compliant, and relevant. We’re more than a B2B tech marketing agency. We’re trusted partners in helping our clients build long-term customer bonds and drive repeatable, scalable results.
Download your copy of the e-book today.