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What's in a Channel Marketing Bill of Materials?
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What’s in a Channel Marketing BILL OF MATERIALS?
description
While the Pragmatic Marketing Framework defines roles and responsibilities across the typical functions within a marketing organization, there’s still the question of what specific content and materials are needed to successfully execute campaigns in the modern world. But what, specifically, is needed for content? The list of items created for one campaign always seems to be different than the one before and the one after. And content for channel partners is often an afterthought. What we typically end up with are random acts of content. In a perfect world, we would have a standard Bill of Materials (BOM) that we use as the blueprint for every campaign. A standard BOM would ensure we all start with the same expectations every time we launch a campaign and that the needs of our partners are addressed. We would measure the impact of our content and compare the impact across campaigns. In the following pages, I’ll give you my take on what I believe is needed as a standard Bill of Materials, focusing specifically on the needs of your Channel Marketing efforts. I’ll start with the to-partner materials that enable your channel and then discuss what’s needed along the Buyer’s Journey of Awareness, Consideration, and Decision.
Transcript of What's in a Channel Marketing Bill of Materials?
What’s in a Channel Marketing
BILL OF MATERIALS?
“It’s time to stop the random acts of content!
Using a standard Bill of Materials, you can better
leverage resources, improve collaboration, and
produce more successful campaigns.”
Mike MooreVP, Channel Strategy at Averetek
Click to Tweet this quote
Table of ContentsIntroduction
Chapter 1: Campaign Brief
Chapter 2: To-Partner Content
Chapter 3: Awareness Content
Chapter 4: Consideration Content
Chapter 5: Decision Content
Chapter 6: Non-Standard Bill of Materials
Chapter 7: Measurement
Conclusion
IntroductionWhile the Pragmatic Marketing Framework defines roles and responsibilities
across the typical functions within a marketing organization, there’s still the
question of what specific content and materials are needed to successfully
execute campaigns in the modern world.
But what, specifically, is needed for content? The list of items created for one
campaign always seems to be different than the one before and the one after.
And content for channel partners is often an afterthought.
What we typically end up with are random acts of content.
In a perfect world, we would have a standard Bill of Materials (BOM) that we
use as the blueprint for every campaign. A standard BOM would ensure we all
start with the same expectations every time we launch a campaign and that the
needs of our partners are addressed. We would measure the impact of our
content and compare the impact across campaigns.
In the following pages, I’ll give you my take on what I believe is needed as a
standard Bill of Materials, focusing specifically on the needs of your Channel
Marketing efforts. I’ll start with the to-partner materials that enable your
channel and then discuss what’s needed along the Buyer’s Journey of
Awareness, Consideration, and Decision.
I hope this helps. Enjoy!
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Mike MooreVP, Channel [email protected]
Before we begin…All content suggested in this eBook should be produced for use by your channel partners.
That means it can’t have an overpowering look, feel, and sound of your brand or voice in the
content.
• If the content looks too much like the vendor and doesn’t allow for the expression of the
partner brand, partners won’t use it.
• If the content is written in the vendor’s voice, partners won’t use it.
It’s just that simple.
So what does content look and sound like when it is produced for your partners rather than
you?
• The Look
• Leave a placeholder for the partner’s logo at the top of the page
• Your brand or partner badge should be smaller and if the asset is a landing page,
it should be located at the bottom
• The color scheme should be neutral or allow for easy customization to match the
partners’ color palette
• The Voice
• Statements and references made in the content should sound like it comes from
the partner rather than the vendor. For example, a sentence might begin with
“As an Averetek partner, we talk to clients on a daily basis…” and so on. Putting
content in the partner’s voice shouldn’t require a lot of work but this nuance can
make all the difference in adoption.
Finally, please don’t give your channel partners a compressed folder full of Adobe files that
they don’t have the software and training to work with. Stick with easy to use and edit
formats or give them an easy web-based tool to customize the content.
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Chapter 1: Campaign Brief
A key piece of any campaign BOM is the Campaign Brief that summarizes the
campaign and identifies some of the key attributes that will help your internal
and external audiences understand where this campaign fits and if it’s right for
them.
Completing this brief is an important first step in defining your campaign.
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Campaign Attribute Description / NotesCampaign Name Title that will display to your channel partners.Why use this campaign? Presented to the partner in any place that shows a brief
summary of the campaign.Campaign Description A longer description of the campaign purpose, the bill of
materials, how best to leverage the campaign elements, etc.Buyer’s Journey Stage Is the campaign designed to address the Awareness,
Consideration, or Decision stages of the Buyer’s Journey? Or
does the campaign support more than one stage?Target Audiences Helps the partner understand which audiences the campaign
is positioned for.Target Vertical Industries Helps the partner understand which vertical industries the
campaign is positioned for.Target Market Segments Helps the partner understand which market segments the
campaign is positioned for.Target Product or Solution Helps the partner understand which products or solutions
this campaign is designed for.Language Language the campaign materials are localized in.Activation date Start date.Expiration date End Date.Geographic restrictions Regions, divisions or countries the campaign is available in. Competency restrictions Partner certifications, competencies or authorization the
campaign is available to.Keywords Branded keywords partners can use to find the campaign in
search.
Download the Campaign Brief in Excel
Chapter 2: To-Partner ContentTo-partner content is focused largely on answering the questions– “What’s in it
for me, and why should I care?” in the context of your partners.
Partners care most about campaigns that lead them to building pipeline. But to
get to pipeline, we first need to build Awareness. Partners will likely need a
great deal of coaching on the execution of Awareness-building campaigns as
well as Consideration campaigns that lead directly to pipeline.
You must also explain how your partners can win against the competition as
they represent your product in the market.
The following content is recommended to support your to-partner efforts:
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Content DescriptionPartner Value Proposition
Presentation
A concise presentation that explains how this
campaign will help your partners make money. If the
campaign doesn’t lead directly to making money, you
should explain how this campaign leads to another
campaign that helps them make money.Campaign Guide / Playbook A document that explains how to use the campaign
for its intended purpose.Campaign Training A training presentation (live or recorded) that delivers
the partner value proposition and tells the story of
the campaign guide.Battlecard / Competitive Guide A document, usually 1-2 pages, that helps your
partners understand how to win against the
competition.Frequently Asked Questions A question and answer guide that attempts to
address the most common questions your partners
are likely to have about the campaign.
Download list in Excel
Chapter 3: Awareness ContentJust as you must build Awareness for your company, so must your channel
partners. Too often content for channel partners is product-focused, which
aligns with the Consideration stage of the Buyer’s Journey, not the Awareness
stage.
Content in the Awareness stage should be focused on the pains of the buyers
you’re trying to reach. It should not talk about your product or service or your
partners’ products or services. The content should talk about what you and
your partners have learned through helping companies eliminate their pain.
The content should be used to attract and convert strangers into prospects.
The following content is recommended to support the Awareness content
needs of your channel partners:
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Content Description LinksVideos Videos that educate potential prospects about pains they are
experiencing and what you and your partners have learned
about solving these pains.
How To
Infographics Interesting and informative visuals that talk to buyers’ pains
using statistics and facts to attract interest.
How To
EBooks Short-topic writing that speaks to a pain and potential solutions How ToBlog Articles Blog articles should focus on one topic and be 400 – 600 words
in length.
How To
Curated Lists “Top 5” or similar lists are popular because they are easy to
read and drive higher click-rates.
Tips
Copy Blocks Partners use blocks of text from you and combine them with
their own original writing to produce new content.
Tips
Web Content Web content that drives interest and good search ranking for
target keywords.
Tips
Social Media
Copy Blocks
Partners are busy, but if you give them blurbs to use on their
social networks they’ll use it.
Tips
Keywords Search optimization is built largely around driving for ranking
with specific keywords. Provide keywords to help your partners
focus.
How To
Download list in Excel
Chapter 4:
Consideration ContentAs your partners have built Awareness for you and your partners with the
content offered in the previous stage, it’s time to move on to the Consideration
stage where your partners will propose a solution to the prospects they’ve
attracted. The solution messaging will likely involve your products, services, or
solutions and the value-added products, services, or solutions of your channel
partners.
The following content is recommended to support the Consideration content
needs of your channel partners:
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Content Description LinksInfographics Interesting and informative visuals that speak to how
you solve buyers’ pains using statistics and facts to
shift their buying stage from Awareness to
Consideration.
How To
EBooks Short-topic writing that speaks to a pain and how you
solve this pain with your product.
How To
Playbooks A more creative take on an eBook, a playbook uses a
sports metaphor to guide prospects through the
solution they’re evaluating.
Example
Guides Another eBook variation that moves prospects along a
path that leads to your solution.
Example
Landing page A page with a form designed to capture visitor
information, usually related to an offer.
How To
Email templates Ready-to-send email copy and layout, usually to drive
to the aforementioned landing page.
Tips
Quizzes and Widgets A quiz or other interactive widget for the partner to
use on their site, designed to drive engagement.
How To
Newsletters Content fragments that your partners can insert into
their to-prospect newsletters.
How To
Trial Products A trial version (try before you buy) that prospects can
use to become familiar with your product.
Example
Download list in Excel
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Content Description LinksWebinars A solution-oriented presentation with a strong call to
action designed for web delivery along with
associated registration/landing page and email assets
(registration confirmation, thank you for coming, sorry
we missed you).
How To
In-Person Events A solution-oriented presentation with a strong call to
action designed for in-person delivery along with
associated registration/landing page and email assets
(registration confirmation, thank you for coming, sorry
we missed you).
Tips
Demo Videos A demo video can be used to showcase the benefits of
your product, both on the web and at events.
Example
Demo Script and Content A script and any demo content needed to deliver a
professional demonstration of your product.
How To
Whitepapers Longer than an eBook, a typical whitepaper goes into
great detail about a specific problem, the solution,
and the steps to implement the solution, all from a
customer’s point of view.
How To
Web Content Web content about your solution that the partner can
use in their product or solution showcase of their
website. You may choose to deliver this through a
content syndication engine.
Tips
Keywords Keywords for this stage should be aligned with the
shopping behavior prospects exhibit in their journey.
Tips
Copy Blocks Partners can use blocks of text in their own writing,
often combined with their own original writing.
Tips
Interactive Demos Demo content that partners put on their website that
prospects interact with.
Tool
Analyst Reports An analyst report can offer validation of your
proposed solution.
Tips
Data Sheets Product information intended to explain the details of
your product to prospects.
How To
Product Configurator Usually a web or Microsoft Excel-based tool to help
prospects explore the options available for your
product.
Tips
Proposal Template Giving partners guidance on the essential elements for
a customer proposal.
Tips
Download list in Excel
Chapter 5: Decision ContentContent supporting the Decision stage of the buyer’s journey should focus on
moving a prospect from a shopping mentality to a purchasing mentality. The
content should reassure the prospect that they are making the right Decision
by buying your product from your partner.
The following content is recommended to support the Decision content needs
of your channel partners:
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Content Description LinksTrend Reports Reports that validate your solution from a market
perspective.
Example
Press Releases A vendor or 3rd party press release that validates the
solution proposed to the prospect.
Tips
In-Person Events A Decision-oriented presentation with a strong call
to action designed for in-person delivery along with
associated registration/landing page and email
assets (registration confirmation, thank you for
coming, sorry we missed you). This event is usually
smaller and more intimate in this stage of the
buyer's journey.
Tips
Buying Guide Focused on the benefits and options that adopters of
your solution will need to choose.
Example
Case Studies A story of success that another customer has
achieved.
How To
Customer Testimonials Usually a video or live reference to help convince a
prospect to become a customer, peer to peer.
How To
ROI Calculators A tool used to help substantiate the financial
benefits of the proposed solution.
Example
Pricing Guides Describes the pricing model for your solution. How ToSales Offers Discounts and promotions designed to change buyer
behavior – to buy now, to buy more, etc.
Tips
Channel Incentives Rebates or other incentives to motivate your channel
partners.
Tips
Download list in Excel
Chapter 6: Non-Standard
Bill of Materials
The content items recommended in the previous chapters are what we
consider to be a standard channel marketing bill of materials. You may refine
the list to meet the needs of your channel partners and that revised list would
then become your standard BOM.
You should consider what a non-standard bill of materials might look like, if
needed, for your channel partners:
• Mini-BOM or BOM-lite
• You might choose a reduced BOM for initiatives where a full
campaign BOM isn’t needed. For example, in the world of software,
many companies do major and minor updates to existing products.
For a minor product update, you only produce a mini-BOM. The mini-
BOM would likely contain a few key pieces of Consideration stage
content that describes the new features and benefits.
• Expanded or Super BOM
• An expanded BOM might be used when you’re gearing up for a
special campaign that has needs that are greater than your
traditional campaigns. For example, you may choose to create an
expanded BOM if you’re planning a long-running campaign where a
standard BOM might get stale. By expanding the BOM, you can
create multiple versions of some of the assets, or other types of
assets, to keep things fresh and current over the extended time
period of the campaign.
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Chapter 6:
MeasurementAs any Bill of Materials is written, there’s always the question about what
content your channel partners will actually use and what will go unnoticed.
Its important that you plan in advance to have tracking enabled so that you can
determine what content your channel partners are using.
This can be accomplished in a variety of ways. Web analytics tools like Google
Analytics, using a channel marketing automation platform that tracks usage, or
even using a URL shortener service like Bitly can provide real-time insights into
content utilization.
In addition to content cost and utilization metrics, you’ll want to track
traditional marketing metrics to understand the impact of your channel
marketing programs.
We recommend the following Key Performance Indicators:
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Content Downloads Landing Pages Created Emails SentEvents Hosted Training Presentations
Played
Traffic / Page Views / Time
On SiteOpens / Clicks-Through Qualified / Accepted Leads Inquiries/ Database
GrowthForm Submissions Opportunities Generated Social Reach / Fans /
FollowersMentions / Comments /
Shares
Funnel Conversion Closed Deals
Content Development
Costs
Campaign Execution Costs Return on Marketing
Investment
ConclusionBeyond the identification of your standard Bill of Materials and the creation of
the actual content, there are many other Considerations that we haven’t
addressed in this eBook.
Content Delivery: You may choose to deliver all of this content through your
partner portal or through a channel marketing automation platform.
Execution Support: You can utilize a channel marketing automation platform to
support the execution of tactics like landing pages, emails, and events. Or your
partners can execute their activities on their own, with advice and guidance
from you.
We’ll explore both topics in future content from Averetek.
Having a standard Bill of Materials that has broad support across contributors,
consumers, and stakeholders is an obvious need, yet many organizations don’t
have this in place. Hopefully this eBook will help bring your team together, for
the betterment of your channel and your overall business.
And if you need help creating content, please let me know. We’d love to help.
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Mike MooreVP, Channel Strategy at AveretekMike Moore serves as Averetek's Vice President of ChannelStrategy. In this capacity, Mike is responsible for theCompany's corporate marketing strategy and operations, aswell as spearheading strategy and initiatives for Averetek’sgrowing consulting practice. Mike has spent twenty years inthe IT channel as a channel partner and as a channelmarketer for software companies.
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