Variety is the spice of life, and in the channel sales world, that variety is key in making sure your customers can get your product when they want it, and how they want it.
So what is “channel marketing strategy”. A channel marketing strategy is a plan for promoting and selling a company’s products or services through channels. These partners include wholesalers, retailers, distributors, and other types of resellers. The goal of a channel marketing strategy is to reach customers and markets that the company may not be able to reach on its own. It is used to increase the efficiency of the sales process and to reduce costs. The specific tactics used in a channel marketing strategy can vary depending on the type of channel partners involved and the nature of the products or services being sold.
The strategy is defining the goals, tactics and desired outcomes from your channel partners.
In order to make sure that your channel partners are able to properly promote and support your products, you’ll need to make sure that they have the assets and materials to get your product in front of customers who are ready to buy. That is why it is critical to use a marketing platform designed specifically for channel partners.
The Importance of Through Channel Marketing Automation (TCMA)
The best way to ensure that your partners have all of the brand and promotional assets that they’ll require is Through Channel Marketing Automation (TCMA). TCMA allows for consistency across marketing campaigns. Your branding, visuals, and language will stay the same across your partners with TCMA providing them with easy access to your company’s digital assets.
Through Channel Marketing Automation Programs
With a variety of TCMA programs available, it’s important to do your research to make sure the program will work for you in the immediate and long term.
Features
Understanding what comes standardized, or can be upgraded for a fee, in your TCMA platform will give you the big picture of how the TCMA program can help your business. Understanding the intricacies like file management, user access and analytics will help you understand if you’re paying for features that will go unused.
Data and Brand Asset Security
In a digital world, security is paramount. Understanding your TCMA platform’s security measures will give you peace of mind knowing your digital assets are secure… or running for the hills to find a program that will give your data the security it deserves.
Affordability
Money talks, and sometimes it’s the final say when justifying a business expense. Finding an affordable, but effective, TCMA program is worth the extra effort. Don’t pay for features that go unused, while your core business needs are ignored.
Ease of Use
If a TCMA program is too complicated to get the hang of quickly, it simply won’t get used, and will be slashed from the next quarter’s budget. Don’t bounce from TCMA platform to platform; save yourself time and money by understanding what onboarding and training look like, and how quickly you’re able to actively use the program.
Reporting and Analytics
It’s hard to justify marketing expenses if you don’t know their ROI. A comprehensive TCMA program should easily outline your campaigns’ effectiveness, and their overall impact. Proactive reporting helps to facilitate transparency with partners and recognize their efforts and impact.
Deciding to work with channel partners is one of the best things a poised business can do to increase its revenue, without increasing its internal teams. With the extended external workforce comes a unique set of needs to make sure that consistency is maintained across branding and marketing presence. A Through Channel Marketing Automation program eliminates the need for modifying content and loading it into their marketing automation. This helps partners save time and reduces friction. Learn more about xAmplify’s TCMA platform here.