Five Core Areas for Deploying Channel Marketing Automation
b'What is channel marketing automation? It\\u2019s about automating core channel marketing process steps that allow vendors to recruit, onboard, train, enable and manage their partner network or channel network on a worldwide basis. \\u201cPartner\\u201d refers to resellers, systems integrators, value-added resellers (VARs) and others in the technology or manufacturing channel, or dealers, agents and other types of partners in other industry segments. With the advent of SaaS-based automation software, it is now quite easy to deploy worldwide channel marketing automation in a step-by-step manner. However, to be successful in this effort companies need to think through the core areas they want to focus on first, and then deploy the channel marketing automation tools sequentially.\\nThe most logical way to begin is to align the automation needs with the business needs of the organization. But before we talk about that alignment, let\\u2019s take a step back and take a look at the overall partner lifecycle management, which is independent of channel maturity, but highly dependent on the company\\u2019s ability to drive sales through a channel network. Partner lifecycle management has five basic steps: partner recruitment, partner onboarding, partner training, partner enablement (marketing and sales) and partner management. Let\\u2019s go through these areas step-by-step and see how channel marketing automation can help in each area.\\n\\n\\n \\tPartner recruitment. With partner recruitment, it\\u2019s essential to think about the process\\u2014whether you are recruiting resellers, agents or dealers who are reselling or distributing products from a vendor\\u2014as something similar to the process of acquiring new customers. In today\\u2019s digital marketing environment, recruitment needs to happen using both inbound and outbound marketing techniques. Therefore, channel marketing automation needs to address the core process steps related to search, social media and other online digital marketing, including email and events.\\n\\n\\n \\tPartner onboarding. Once partners have been recruited, they need to go through a set of core steps, a process that also requires automation. Channel marketing automation software should be able guide partners through these steps. The first step in partner onboarding is signing onto business contracts. The partner must agree to the terms and conditions related to the channel program. The next step focuses on putting together business plans so the partner can communicate to the vendor how they will sell, market and support the vendor\\u2019s product or solution. The third onboarding step consists of partner training, and the final step relates to incentives, so that when partners are fully trained in the sales, marketing and technical areas, they can learn about the channel marketing incentives that are available, such as market development funds, rewards and rebates.\\n\\n\\n \\tPartner training. Almost every vendor today involved in B2C or B2B marketing provides enormous amounts of material that channel partners need to go through to learn how to market, sell and provide support for the products and services they are selling. A channel marketing automation platform should be able to provide a complete learning management system with both training and certification management modules integrated into the system.\\n\\n\\n \\tPartner enablement. There are two core dimensions here that channel marketing automation needs to address: 1) marketing\\u2014driving demand and creating brand awareness, and 2) selling\\u2014following up on leads and closing them. Whether we are talking about in-store sales in the B2C environment or face-to-face closing in B2B sales, partners need enablement tools in both their marketing and their sales efforts in order to consistently drive demand and close sales. The right channel marketing automation platform can have a significant impact on these efforts.\\n\\n\\n \\tPartner management. This is probably the most important area of channel marketing automation.'