As a content marketing company, we know how crucial content marketing is to successful B2B selling. That’s why we are happy when Hubspot stands on the same soapbox! Check out 10 Benefits to Consistent, High-Quality Content Marketing, which reiterates the fact that content marketing should play a major factor in your sales process. Aren’t you glad you have access to a platform that makes content marketing easy?!
From the PartnerOn Team
The Transformation of Social Posts
Q: Why did the computer show up late to work?
A: It had a hard drive
Have you noticed that the posts on social media that stand out often ask a thought-provoking question or even use humor to catch your attention? They are posts that make you stop and think, are something you can relate to, or something you can respond to. If so, you have discovered what many companies know is important- social engagement!
Social engagement is the final frontier. We are on a voyage to understand how to help convert the world of social from being just billboards in the cloud to builders of unique opportunities. Of course, there are a number of thoughts on this. If you Google creating social media engagement you will get many answers, from adding humor to beautiful photos to asking questions. But, what is the answer that can help technology resellers?
The Current State of Affairs
The best that we can do is share with you our experiences straight from reports that are generated from the over 24,000 users who share content through our application. Our audience is B2B companies that provide solutions for improving the workflow of a business’s data and information.
First, we can examine clicks by types of content being shared. The number of posts relates to the number of users that selected a type of content to share, which is then aggregated into impressions and clicks. As you can see the top three types of content that garnished the best CTRs are Solution Briefs, Thought Leadership, and Analyst Reports.
We also can look at the top topics of interest. First, what partners want to share, and second what customers are most interested in reading.
- Partners are promoting secure remote work first over all else. That top promoted article called “Work remotely, stay secured” was promoted the most, and received a .6% click through rate.
- The Red Hat product guide was a highly used piece of content and that received a 1% click through rate.
- The highest rated customer topic across the board (based on click through percentages) was content referencing Security Solutions and Edge/Hybrid Computing models.
Leveling up
Currently, we are working on taking the content to the next level to generate more than just clicks. Our goal is to now create reactions. Reactions help us identify who is interested in the topic as much as it shows us the user is receiving information they need.
Here are the tactics we are testing:
- Shorter social messages
- Messages without links to content outside of LinkedIn (we believe the LinkedIn algorithm favors content that doesn’t click out).
- We are going to publish content that asks for a reaction to get the consumer to participate in the conversation. The reaction could be based on getting a like, or a celebration, or a posted conversation.
As we test these tactics the goal is to provide the users access to the data that demonstrates interest from the consumer. These tests will create what we call the Social MQL, and will help the users of our application convert more content into opportunities and sales. And yes, as we test these different content types we will test humor…
Three Database Admins walked into a NoSQL bar. A little later, they walked out because they couldn’t find a table.
An SEO couple had twins. For the first time, they were happy with duplicate content.
A computer engineer, a systems analyst, and a programmer were driving down a mountain when the brakes gave out. They screamed down the mountain, gaining speed, and finally managed to grind to a halt, more by luck than anything else, just inches from a thousand-foot drop to jagged rocks. They all got out of the car.
The computer engineer said, “I think I can fix it.”
The systems analyst said, “No, I think we should take it into town and have a specialist look at it.”
The programmer said, “I think we should push it back up the hill and see if it does it again.”
Why not capture the attention of your customers with some humor? Let’s face it, we could all use a break to stop and smile. Whether it’s through humor, or a thought-provoking question, if your post can get a reaction, that is valuable information you can use to better understand your audience and what they relate to. It’s like the interests section on your resume- it’s there in order to help your audience connect with you. Living in a world of virtual handshakes, these types of connections are crucial to business success.
Meet the PartnerOn Users
PartnerOn serves up content to some of the best technology partners in the world. Over 24,000 partners are engaged with content from top vendors. Leveraging the content to create new deals, like a $140,000 security upgrade from Palo Alto Networks.
These partners are not just selling technology, they sell solutions that bring robust advancements to their clients. So how do these partners categorize themselves?
More than a role or title…
These partners have shared amazing stories of success with us. Take, for instance, the company that built its own IP on top of Dynamics TMS for Business Central. They shared,
“Sold a “plug & play” interface, so the customer is able to manage inbound, outbound and transfer freight while reducing operating costs and increasing margins.”
We heard from another company that also built on top of a Dynamics implementation:
“The leading name in amphibious excavators uses Dynamics ERP for its digital transformation journey”
There are numerous stories like these broken down by the below areas, and so much more.
What do all these technology partners have in common? What drives their success? Well for one, they all leverage the content marketplace from PartnerOn. They not only engage in the content, but they also use the reports to target and accelerate deals.
Having an engaged partner base is a never-ending challenge, but one that can be supported through clear expectation setting. By ensuring that every week the partner is offered a stream of content to learn from and share with their audience, the partner not only comes to expect fresh content, but relies on the content to fuel their business. Additionally, this weekly cadence ensures that partners and customers together are kept informed and when a purchase decision is made, the right solution is selected.
With over 24,000 partners globally and distribution programming with TD SYNNEX and Arrow, PartnerOn is the leading global provider of a content marketplace. For more information on how to engage please contact PartnerOn@ContentMX.com
New Feature: Quick Tour
The PartnerOn Platform has a lot of great features that can help make your marketing strategy easier. We have always taken user feedback into consideration and have implemented some really great features due to users like you! Recently, we have implemented another new feature. Head on over to your account and sign in to view the newly created Quick Tour!
This Quick Tour can be found on your main dashboard, in your Modify Profile settings, and on your Network Connections page! Each of the three pages has sequential steps for getting started on the PartnerOn platform. If you’re worried about what to do next, don’t worry any longer! Follow the steps of the quick tour to get yourself fully set up to start sharing content.
If you have any suggestions or feedback for us about your user experience, please send an email to support@contentmx.com. We appreciate any and all input! We value the user experience and look forward to tailoring it towards your needs.
Visit our Knowledge Base to learn more about Getting Started in tandem with the Quick Tour.
Subscribe to ParterOn Journal to make sure you never miss a thing!
The Battle of Influence
Organizations are continuing to press partners into marketing ecosystems that offer singular value. While the new and growing market, as seen by Microsoft, IBM, Google, AWS, and others, is working collaboratively or alongside some of the 15,000 SaaS providers
During an interview with CRN, Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, refers to this new movement: “Microsoft wants partners to transform from pure resellers focused on a single product to trusted advisers delivering managed services and creating innovative solutions atop multiple offerings from Microsoft’s increasingly intertwined portfolio.”
Satya wants SaaS providers and partners to see that engaging in their ecosystem is the optimum maneuver in the battle of influence over the customers. But, is the influence supported by programmatic marketing support? Are SaaS providers who enter the ecosystem able to create a dialogue with the influencers that drives the sale?
DEMANDGen Report shares thoughts on the importance of the marketing programs needed to effect the battle of influence. Influencers and buyers need to be targeted early and often, or else opportunities will be missed.
A great example of a marketing program from IBM lies in ARROW’S CURATED CONTENT. IBM helps educate and engage influencers by discussing the value of 3rd party offerings and how together they achieve the greater goal. They do this as part of a 52-week stream of content with weekly episodes engaging the influencers on the benefits of collaboration and helping them share the needs with their prospects.
IBM shares its marketing materials on Curated Content alongside other providers such as Palo Alto Networks, Red Hat, Dell, and Gigamon.
Take a look at this IBM collaborative stream of content connected to VMWare.
Step one to this program is to define “The Why”: “IDC finds that by 2024 90% of enterprises will embrace integrated hybrid cloud/multi-cloud tools and strategies to support different applications and use cases.”
Step two: Content that supports the statement.
It’s one thing to present the problem, but providing content that shows it is a valid concern, elevates partners’ capability to be a resource for solutions.
At the PartnerOn Journal, we offer the following diagram, to help providers think through how they will meet the desired outcome.
The equations is: Connect + Educate + Outreach + Content = Revenue
Real-life examples of these opportunities exist within TD SYNNEX and ARROW
As SaaS providers, suppliers, technology vendors, continue to think through the changing marketplace, a new dynamic will be forming. Where single vendor or solution content marketplaces will fail to offer the partners and SaaS providers their desired outcome. The organizations that work to be part of a larger solution center, will find themselves winning the battle of influence.
Using team collaboration to get ahead
It’s September! We cannot believe how fast the summer flew by. The fall is bolting in at full speed, and now planning should really be coming into focus. We have been doing our best to prepare our users for the most successful Q4 experience. It’s time to move on to our next step! While still in the preparation phase, you should be in consistent communication with your marketing team about what methods work best for your business. We’ve talked about planning, networking, and posting, but now it’s time to dive into thinking about your internal team!
With the world changing by the minute, and the internet becoming more utilized by audiences of all ages, you should always be thinking about what can make your strategy the Next Big Thing. Collaboration and teamwork are of utmost importance when planning for success. Collaboration is key because it promotes a wider range of ideas, consistency, and a community feeling, all while gathering alternate perspectives from a diverse range of individuals.
The Importance of Collaboration
Wider Range of Ideas– Team collaboration provides the opportunity for everyone to bring something to the table. Not every person has the same way of thinking, meaning the more diverse your team is, the more ideas will be created. Most people will not have the same shared experience, this alludes to the workplace and personal life. Maybe one of your team members has a passion for social outreach, and another team member likes to crunch numbers and analyze data. Having team members who have different focuses provides a larger opportunity for more ideas to be produced.
Consistency– Working as a team provides the means for consistency with planning, and execution of the plan. Having team members on the same page is important for efforts to not be duplicated. This can pertain to network sharing, making sure your audience isn’t getting bombarded with multiples of the same content. You also don’t want to post something completely out of left field and then have your audience wondering what they are reading. Having an overall consistent purpose helps maintain a clear future path. Audiences often rely on consistency, meaning they are relying on your team to provide that. Be consistent!
Community Feeling– A feeling of togetherness is super important for productivity, responsibility and overall atmosphere. Having shared responsibilities means holding each other accountable. This provides more flexibility, as well. You can monitor bandwidth, distributing workloads as needed. Team members will have the ability to step up and take tasks off each other’s plate. This helps with productivity and efficiency. A sense of community ensures mindfulness, helping team members finish tasks on time, because they care about the implications even if it doesn’t pertain to their individual self. This will overall create a healthier work atmosphere.
Alternate Perspectives– Perspective is important. Collaboration presents the chance for multiple perspectives to be taken into consideration. Do you have employees from different locations across the world? Take time to listen to their beliefs and viewpoints. All cultures operate differently. Your marketing plans for the United States may have to be different from your plans for Southeast Asia. Take others experiences and implement them into your strategies. Prepare to educate yourself with understanding and empathy. Everyone is different, so different responses are permitted.
Luckily, our platform can help you with learning team collaboration! We provide “Download This” assets for your internal team. These assets consist of pitch decks, pro-tips, and other helpful resources to help your marketing team become more efficient with knowledge in the products you sell. Use the “Download This” assets as a conversation starter with your internal team! Keep resources and expertise flowing while you collaborate alongside each other.
Visit our Knowledge Base to learn more about Pro-tips and Downloads. Use these resources with your internal team to get ahead of the curve!
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