CHANNEL

MARKETING
AUTOMATION

HOW-TO GUIDE
 Channel Marketing Automation
HOW-TO GUIDE

Companies that sell their products and services through resellers, dealers, distributors and other
channel partnerships know that the lifeblood of their sales and profits rests on the quality of their
channel relationships.

Yet, due in large part to the complexity of their distributor networks, traditional marketing auto-
mation software has not provided these companies with the benefits enjoyed by other marketing
and sales organizations. Until now.

A new breed of marketing automation software that combines the best features of asset manage-
ment, marketing automation functionality and Sales Enablement capabilities is emerging, specific-
ally to address the challenges of channel partnerships. We call it Channel Marketing Automation.

This How-To Guide is designed to help companies with reseller, dealer and distributor networks to
empower their channel partners with the tools, information and technology they need for revenue
growth and profitability by using Channel Marketing Automation.

What Is Channel Marketing Automation?

At Demand Metric, we define Channel Marketing Automation as the strategies, technologies, tools
and best practices used to optimize channel partnerships for better performance and profitability.

Channel Marketing Automation goes beyond traditional marketing automation known for lead
generation, nurturing and scoring to include asset management and Sales Enablement functions.

This integrated asset, automation and enablement system approach allows companies to main-
tain control over their brand while providing maximum marketing and sales support and flexibility
to their channel partners.

2 CHANNEL MARKETING AUTOMATION HOW-TO GUIDE

What Is Channel Marketing Automation?
Channel Marketing Automation offers the following benefits to your organization’s channel partners:

Improves partner engagement by automating marketing tasks, giving them the right marketing and
sales materials to present your products and services to their customers.

Maintains corporate brand integrity across multiple channel partners while giving partners the flex-
ibility to personalize their content and sales materials.

Accelerates content marketing and delivery with a fully automated asset management system.

Empowers channel sales teams by directly connecting them to the marketing materials they
need, exactly when they need them.

Creates channel incentives through multi-tiered marketing and sales automation.

Increases channel demand generation by automating your partners’ lead generation, scoring
and nurturing programs for them, giving them more time to sell for you.

Generates and tracks partner leads to avoid channel conflict and evaluate the strength of your
channel.

Enhances your channel partners social sharing and influence marketing with social media syndi-
cation tools.

Increases visibility and insight into channel partners’ performance.

Measures activity and results so you know what campaigns are working and why.

3 CHANNEL MARKETING AUTOMATION HOW-TO GUIDE

Best Practices For Channel Marketing Automation
Demand Metric recommends six best practices to ensure success in developing a Channel Marketing
Automation program:

Profile
Create a profile or persona that represents each distinct type of channel partner. Focus on
the business success criteria of your channel. Do you know what makes them successful?
How do they run their business? What are their key challenges and obstacles? The better
you know your channel partners and their business, the better your Channel Marketing Auto-
mation strategy will be.

Engage
We recommend two best practice steps for engaging channel partners here. The first is to
invite some of your top channel partners, those who are already your best ambassadors and
top performers, to help craft your channel marketing strategy. This assures that your strategy
is developed with partner needs at the forefront. The second step is to engage your entire
network with communication and connection. Share your Channel Marketing Automation
plans, in detail, with all your partners as soon as possible, giving them time to prepare and
setting the stage for the education phase.

Educate
Develop a detailed education and roll out plan for your entire channel. Channel partners will
undoubtedly have varying degrees of technology skill and knowledge. A solid education plan
that explains the new marketing automation system, showcases the benefits and provides
step-by-step instruction on usage will ensure your Channel Marketing Automation investment
provides a solid ROI.

Empower
Make sure that your channel partners have the knowledge, skills and tools to use the Channel
Marketing Automation system effectively. Provide exact details on the kinds of tools, people
talent and business/technology infrastructure each partner-company needs to have in-house
to make the most of the new system.

Incentivize
Provide incentives to use the system through rewards, rebates or cash incentives. If you want
to go a step further, add Gamification features to your system to increase participation.

Measure
Make sure metrics are in place to track the success and/or potential challenges of your channel
partners. Your Channel Marketing Automation vendor should have a set of metrics built into
their solution. These may require customization for your channel.

4 CHANNEL MARKETING AUTOMATION HOW-TO GUIDE

Vendor Selection Criteria
Look for the following features and functions when selecting a vendor for your Channel Marketing
Automation solution:

Asset Management. Unlike traditional marketing automation, which focuses on demand gener-
ation, Channel Marketing Automation requires corporate brand integrity be protected and main-
tained as it is distributed through the channel. Asset management features like user-access
controls, customizable template libraries, on-demand access to marketing and sales materials and
flexible on and off-line printing options protect your brand and drive channel sales.
Lead Generation. Your vendor should support the primary features of a solid marketing auto-
mation system including lead generation, scoring and nurturing.
Lead Management. Your vendors’ solution should include features like lead distribution and
registration to help avoid channel conflict and manage leads effectively.
Campaign Management. Your Channel Marketing Automation system must enable partners to
develop, schedule and send campaigns based on general interest as well as specific engage-
ment behaviors. Integrating multi-tiered marketing and sales campaigns into your strategy will
give your partners more options and flexibility.
Sales Enablement. Features such as mobile presentation apps, sales portals and sales play-
books will make your partners’ sales team more effective. Vendors that integrate Sales Enable-
ment features into their Channel Marketing Automation solutions provide the best of both
worlds – marketing and sales.
Analytics. Your vendor should provide a core set of metrics and measurements that provide
you with insights into how your channel is performing against leads provided. Look for a vendor
that offers an intuitive analytics dashboard for visibility, performance data capture for review
and program refinement. Your vendor’s metrics should enable you to easily track your part-
ners’ activities and level of engagement. Metrics that also track collateral effectiveness, which
marketing and sales materials are working best for engagement and conversion, are key to
effective asset management.

Bottom Line
Your Channel and Distribution Partners are the lifeblood of your revenues and profits. A new
breed of marketing automation software that combines the best features of asset management,
marketing automation functionality and Sales Enablement capabilities is emerging; specifically to
address the challenges of channel partnerships. Ensure the success of your channel by investing
in a Channel Marketing Automation solution.

5 CHANNEL MARKETING AUTOMATION HOW-TO GUIDE

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