Category Archive

In today’s noisy marketing environment, it’s no surprise insufficient channel visibility is a top challenge for technology marketers — ranking right up there with cumbersome processes, according to a 2017 IDG report on the state of channel marketing. This is understandable when you consider that MSPs (managed services providers) are increasingly calling the shots, accounting for a larger share of …

According to  Forbes magazine, Buyer Personas are “semi-fictional characters that personify your ideal customer” They are imperative to having accurate audience insights.“ But what happens when the persona of the buyer changes almost overnight, as it has for technology buyers?  As stated by Gartner in the introduction to their report called Targeting New Buyers of IT, “In a fairly short …

Like any marriage – it takes work. Manufacturers/vendors and partners view their relationship from different points of view, but they both agree it’s an essential association. The View from the Other Side Manufacturers know that their partners are an important part of their sales channel, but it certainly takes a lot of care and feeding.  Partners seem to want everything, and they …

Traditional channel marketing models no longer work. In the past IT departments would install pipes, wires, computers, and storage to support a corporate infrastructure. CIO’s would piece together the required infrastructure based on expert opinions from channel partners representing the OEMs. Thanks in some part to vendor consolidation, a CIO would visit a channel partner’s website, and look for brands …

The B2B buying process for technology has become more complex with longer cycles. In addition, 75% of business buyers told Forrester they conduct more than half of their research online before making an offline purchase.  Technology buyers are controlling their journey through the buying cycle more than the vendors. So how do you reach your audience?  Content. As Brian Clark, …

Demand generation campaigns, syndicated landing pages, whitepapers, webinars, events, MDF. Manufacturers who sell through the channel are offering it all to their partners! But despite all of these tools, actual implementation and performance can vary widely. Upon review of many channel partner companies we work with, we have seen some basic trends.  In particular, in this article, we will attempt to …