Rethinking Channel Marketing

Channel marketing is an essential part of partnership success. Yet many vendors struggle with effective channel marketing programs. Channel Maven’s Heather K. Margolis joins “The Network Effect” to talk about rethinking channel marketing best practices.

Marketing is an essential part of the channel. Vendors must market to end customers to drive demand for partners. Vendors must market through partners, aiding their marketing programs and efforts. And vendors must also market to partners to raise awareness and excitement for their products and program.

Yet, many vendors struggle with effective channel marketing. While channel marketing is universally recognized as essential, it often remains undervalued and misunderstood. Success in today’s channel requires vendors to fundamentally rethink their approach to partner engagement and enablement.

Modern channel marketing operates along two critical paths: engaging partners effectively and enabling them to reach their customers successfully. However, many vendors continue pushing out monolithic, company-centric messaging while wondering why partner engagement remains low. The key lies in understanding and addressing partner needs rather than focusing solely on vendor priorities.

Partner engagement requires a deep understanding of how partners operate and communicate. While digital transformation has introduced new platforms like Slack and Teams, successful vendors recognize that partners typically lag in adopting new communication tools. The solution isn’t forcing partners onto new platforms but meeting them where they already gather information and conduct business.

Strategic alignment is crucial for effective channel marketing. Vendors need to segment their partner communications based on partner type, size, and business model. A systems integrator handling hundreds of technologies requires different engagement than a specialized solution provider. Understanding these differences allows vendors to tailor their marketing approach, content, and support resources appropriately.

The ecosystem approach is revolutionizing channel marketing effectiveness. Rather than conducting isolated marketing initiatives, successful vendors are partnering with complementary solution providers to create joint content and programs. This approach not only maximizes marketing impact but also provides partners with comprehensive solution messaging that better resonates with customers.

Data-driven decision-making has become essential for channel marketing success. Vendors need to analyze partner engagement patterns, but this analysis must consider broader market context. Smart vendors are using data to understand partner behavior, refine their marketing approach, and measure program effectiveness. This includes everything from e-mail engagement metrics to partner portal utilization patterns.

Resources like market development funds (MDF) remain important tools, but they’re just one piece of a comprehensive channel marketing strategy. The focus should be on creating integrated programs that support partners throughout their entire customer engagement cycle, from awareness through close and delivery.

A person leading the charge in rethinking channel marketing is Heather K. Margolis, president, CEO, and founder of Channel Maven, a leading channel marketing consultancy and partner of Channelnomics. Margolis joins Larry Walsh on The Network Effect podcast to explore the evolving state of channel marketing and provide practical guidance for vendors looking to enhance their partner marketing effectiveness.