Channel Partner Marketing: A B2B Guide

With a focused and collaborative approach, partnerships with ISVs can unlock new potential, drive mutual growth, and help you grow into new markets. Then attend industry events, webinars, and online platforms where ISVs are likely to showcase their solutions. Acknowledge and incentivize VARPs through a structured reward partner channel marketing program, ensuring they are motivated to continue referring clients your way. Use industry networks, attend relevant conferences, and leverage online platforms to identify potential VARP. Identifying and partnering with VARPs involves taking a thoughtful and nuanced approach, given their unique customer relationships.

Since their power is in their scale, regularly communicate with distributors to gather market insights, monitor inventory levels, and address any operational or logistical challenges. Like always, leverage your professional networks and industry associations to get recommendations for reputable distributors in your industry. To find these types of channel partners, research industry-specific directories and databases for your target market or geographic region.

The platform wins with new clients, the partner gets ongoing business, and the customer has an easy journey from start to finish. Like typical referral partners, value-added referral partners (VARPs) refer clients to your business. You can also work with VADs to develop new solutions for your customers. Then, provide comprehensive training and certification programs to ensure VADs have the necessary expertise to support and promote your products effectively.

Why a Strong Channel Partner Marketing Strategy Matters

From the start, collaborate closely with VADs to understand their technical capabilities, market reach, and target customer segments. To find value-added distributors, leverage your existing vendor and manufacturer relationships to ask about VADs in their network. "We chose Impartner over other solutions because they're visionary and they're market leaders. We needed a solution that was future proof." Once you've identified potential partners, set up a meeting to discuss their areas of expertise, their breadth of services, customer base, and alignment with your business goals. To start, look for those who already specialize in serving your industry.

Essential Elements of Partner Marketing

"There's just so many things at your fingertips that other platforms didn't offer." Learn how tech leader, Illumio, used Impartner to level up their partner management efforts for their VARs and other types of channel partners in the following video. VARs tailor their solutions to meet customer needs, often by combining different products into comprehensive bundles. Keep up with frequent and transparent communication to resolve any potential issues related to inventory, delivery, or product quality.

• Propolis helps you to shape your marketing strategy, while building the skills and effectiveness of your team; all with the express goal of delivering business growth.
• Channel partnerships offer a dynamic avenue for businesses to amplify their reach, tap into new markets, and leverage collective expertise.
• System Integrators (SIs) build complex solutions using products from multiple vendors.

Since these partners are experts at what they do, they often operate in specific niche industries. For example, in the healthcare industry, system integrators play a vital role in implementing electronic medical record (EMR) systems for practices. These types of strategic partners integrate different hardware and software components into a cohesive solution.

Finally, seek recommendations from your existing network, including vendors, customers, and industry associations, who may have experience working with these types of channel partners. Also leverage online directories and platforms that list MSPs, such as technology-specific marketplaces or MSP associations. As a global finance company, Mambu's network of MSPs and other service partners needed on-demand training and assets to better support their customers. "It's our partners' one-stop shop. It's everything that they need at their fingertips. The tool is just so robust, and it really helps set the standard." For example, MSPs in the financial sector can offer managed security services, monitoring client networks for potential cyber threats and providing real-time protection against attacks. Managed service providers (MSPs) offer outsourced IT services and manage clients' technology infrastructure, applications, and systems.

Create a ROI-Driving Partner Experience

And, since these will be complex rollouts, look for system integrators who have a proven track record, any relevant certifications, and a portfolio of successful projects in your industry. Also leverage referrals from your existing network, including vendors, customers, and other channel partners, who may have worked with system integrators in the past. Attend technology conferences, special events, and exhibitions focused on system integration, where you can network with potential partners and learn about their capabilities.