marketing to build a reputation with the channel - resellers, vars and system integrators
TRANSCRIPT
Resellers…and how to attract them
B2B Marketing InTech
• B2B tech PR consultancy• 30 years old• Entirely commercially-focused• Insight-driven• The Thinking Man’s Agency – PRCA
• Head of Business Technology• 10 years in channel-focused programmes for
UK B2B tech companies
Who are we?
• We lost patience• Different objectives and audiences require different
tactics• We created our own Audience Insight initiative –
Catalyst
One size does NOT fit all
• Very few tech vendors only sell direct• Lack knowledge of audience, or resources to market to
them• Lack of sales resource• New sector or geography
• Need to actively attract channel partners
• But this isn’t the same as marketing for direct sales leads
We decided to find out HOW it’s different
Marketing to the channel
ChannelHow resellers operate
Understanding the channelHow often are you actively seeking out new vendors?
Constantly
At least once a quarter
At least once every six months
Annually
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
We tend to simply "stumble across" vendors
Enabling inclusion on a particular consortium / framework etc.
Plugging a hole for a particular commercial opportunity
Need to evolve / grow the current portfolio
Customer / market demand
Looking for competitive advantage
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
What triggers the search?
How frequently do you sign up a new vendor?
Less frequently than annually
Annually
At least once every six months
At least once a quarter
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Conclusions
• Resellers are on a continual hunt for new tech vendors
• Their searching is constant, targeted and purposeful
• They are looking for specific vendors for specific customer / market needs
So how does a vendor make sure of inclusion on the short list?
Understanding the channel
What to doWhat Messages, Content &Channels to use
Influential MessagesMessage Score /10
The technology’s specs and performance 9.74
Customer demand for tech category 9.19
Vendor’s company stability 8.92
Provision of support structure 8.46
Customer demand for specific brand 8.06
An attractive commission structure 7.42
Deal registration process and protection of leads from vendor’s direct sales 7.32
The vendor’s development roadmap 6.62
Local support resource 6.03
Strong training programme 5.67
Marketing toolkits 5.36
Local sales presence 4.85
Credibility
Commercial Collaboration
Support
ChannelChannel Score /10
Peer recommendation 8.61
Word-of-mouth 8.05
Distributor recommendation 7.53
Industry events and trade shows 7.24
Industry analysts 6.75
Internet search 6.31
Trade press coverage 5.79
National press coverage 4.44
Social media 4.02
Networks
Profile & Discoverability
Ineffective
ContentContent Score /10
Case studies 8.24
Analyst reports 7.71
Commentary in industry media 7.35
White papers 6.95
News announcements and press releases 6.54
Webinars 5.95
Video 5.57
Blogs 4.63
Social media posts 3.97
Evidence
Thought Leadership
Social Media
Rich Media
Momentum
What not to do
Don’t just issue press releases on version updates and senior hires. Show me what you think!
Don’t claim to be the “next best thing” – tell me what you’re going to do, who agrees with your plan
and how you are accountable
Don’t bash competitors – be
more subtle!
Many tech companies list features as if they’re the only vendors that offer them. Much better to show
me benefits, value and differentiators
Don’t rebadge old ideas as innovative. Be genuinely insightful. A picture of a cloud doesn’t make it a cutting-edge service!
I don’t download whitepapers unless they are
genuinely impressive. Too many are copy and paste jobs and have no depth
Too much reliance on quality not
quantity of messages
• Emphasise credibility – specs, customer demand & stability
• Does your programme clearly support and profit the channel?
• Influence networks and build profile via• Trade events• Analysts• SEO• Trade media
• Case studies and analyst reports are the most important pieces of content, but must be supported by white papers thought leadership and regular announcements
How to build a programme
• Similarities:• Low rank of national media and social• High rank of networks and peers
• Differences:• IT buyers rely on search far more than the
channel• IT buyers want white papers and thought
leadership more than case studies and market evidence – the reverse is true for the channel
• Industry analysts and their reports are far more important to the channel than to IT buyers
How does this compare to direct?
