Setting up a channel marketing strategy to successfully assist partners to develop leads and drive business is one of the most important steps a vendor can take to ensure the success of its partner program. You not only need great tools and materials, but you need structure, leadership, and follow-through.

For those getting started, here are eight crucial steps to follow when building a channel partner marketing program:

1. Lead Channel Marketing Programs with Purpose
2. Map Your Channel Marketing Communications
3. Allocate Your Channel Marketing Spend
4. Develop Your Channel Marketing Assets
5. Deploy Your Channel Marketing Assets (and Keep it Simple)
6. Test, Refine, Repeat Your Channel Marketing Programs
7. Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment with Channel Marketing
8. Get Feedback from Partners on What’s Working and What’s Not

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Lead Channel Marketing Programs with Purpose

When building or updating your partner marketing program, remember that successful channel partners lead with their core value proposition, and you should do the same. Show them how you will solve their customers’ challenges with your offerings, just like you would if marketing directly to your end users.

Map Your Channel Marketing Communications

Channel marketing must target a range of decision-makers in different layers of your distribution channel.  Sometimes, you  will want to market to partners directly; sometimes, you may also have to target a a gatekeeper (like in a distributor/reseller setup, for example), but more typically, you will be developing marketing programs for your partners to market your offerings to their potential customers.

In any case, your channel partners will likely not be a homogenous group – make sure you plan your channel marketing communications to address each type of partner you have, along with the various specializations and pain points they might typically address.

Allocate Your Channel Marketing Spend

There’s no magic formula to determine the perfect amount to spend on channel marketing. Many variables enter into the budgeting discussion, including geography, the contribution of the market segment to overall revenue, historical partner engagement, etc. The key is to incentivize the outcomes you want and then focus on enabling those outcomes through channel marketing tactics.

Develop Your Channel Marketing Assets

What good is putting intention behind your channel marketing strategies if the material you provide isn’t up to snuff? Focus on delivering exceptional content (in various forms) that really moves the needle and helps convert. Furthermore, make sure to pair your materials and tools with the appropriate parts of the customer journey to enable your partners to nurture buyers through the buying proccess..

Deploy Your Channel Marketing Assets (and Keep it Simple)

When it’s time to deploy the channel marketing assets you’ve created, you must have a plan beyond sticking them in an asset library. Ensure your strategy includes a plan for walking partners through what you’re providing. Help them understand how these assets can help them convert leads and drive revenue.

Test, Refine, Repeat Your Channel Marketing Programs

To maximize ROI, ongoing refinement of your channel marketing program is tantamount. Select a few KPIs for marketing-qualified leads (MQLs) and sales-qualified leads (SQLs) in your program and correlate them to particular campaigns or stages in the pipeline. Do a little digging to determine what content, materials and tools are repeatedly driving business for partners – and then amplify the winning strategies and tactics.

Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment with Channel Marketing

Just like technology, marketing must continually innovate to be successful. Testing and measuring marketing campaigns reveals which tactics are working, but it also pinpoints areas of opportunity to kick campaigns up a notch. The best marketers are constantly evolving and experimenting with their craft – and you should too. Don’t be afraid to try something new and collaborate with your channel partners to test the market.

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Get Feedback from Partners on What’s Working and What’s Not

In addition to collecting quantitative data about your tactical successes, seek qualitative feedback from partners on what’s working and what isn’t. They can help you refine your materials based on what’s resonating with customers on the front line or help you identify gaps in your strategy.

Looking for help in your channel marketing efforts? A partner relationship management platform with through-channel marketing automation could be the answer.  With solutions specific to your channel marketing needs, you can meet each of the eight steps listed in this article to create a high-quality program that captures partner mindshare.