It is no secret that in the tech industry, the highest ROI for marketers are programs that drive sales through the channel.  After all, the channel is the extended sales force that is in front of end-users and taking orders for tech companies.  In my view from the corner cube, I’ve seen many channel programs and I’ve learned some valuable lessons about what is effective and what is a waste of time.  The first thing that I want to mention is that even though large tech companies drive most of their business through the channel, the marketing managers within those tech companies don’t seem to really understand what the channel is (who actually sells their products) or what drives the channel.  My first suggestion to any tech company that wants to do a channel focused marketing activity is to identify the channel segment that they are going after.  More often than not, high-tech companies think of the “the channel” as this huge list of thousands of dealers and VAR’s, but they don’t understand the different tiers or sub-segments of the channel.  The channel is this all-encompassing description of dealers, partners, consultants, distributors and retailers that all have the ability to sell products.  The channel is so big in many cases, and the partners come in so many shapes and sizes, that it is sometimes difficult to narrow the focus of your marketing effort. 

Here are a few quick things to keep in mind when doing channel marketing:

1) Target and go after a segment of the channel - Research your product/service and understand which segment of the channel can help you reach your goals.   Will you target enterprise, mid-market or SMB resellers? 

2) Communicate – Reaching your channel segment can be very difficult because the tech industry deludes them with newsletters, offers, contests, promotions, trainings every single day.  That is why you need to understand how your segment consumes information.  Do they prefer email, or do they get so much everyday that you’ll get looked over?  Do they read newsletters?  What about Twitter or RSS feeds from your channel portal?  What about direct mail?  Some channel partners are huge and have marketing departments and you can work with them to communicate your messages and some are small shops that like to send their reps to webinars.  I’ve had good luck with interactive communications that are fun and provide a challenge, such as online puzzles and games that provide information about the product.  The best way to understand how to communicate to your segment is to ask them or to use an agency that is an expert with the channel. 

3) Incentives – Programs that are focused on the channel often contain incentives to help drive an action.  Most of the time, it is to drive the awareness and education of a product and to provide incentives to learn about the product as well as incentives to sell it or at least show the product to the end user.  The incentives must be done correctly, preferably with a push and pull element that will help them to learn about the product and to get the product in front of their customers in the most efficient way possible.  No one likes complicated, especially the channel.  Sales contests, SPIFFs and rebates are a few of the popular way to provide incentives to the channel.  Make incentives that are relevant to the audience.   I like to talk to the sales managers at the channel partners to get their take on what the best incentives will be.  Cash equivalents like AMEX gift cards are always good, but maybe those are overused and the team is more apt to sell more products if they can win a trip to Mexico.  The RIGHT incentives are very important.

If you are a marketing person at a high tech company that focuses on the channel, you probably know the 3 tips that I provided above.  In that case, make sure that you are working with experts that have either been in the channel themselves, or get out and spend some time with channel salespeople.  Go on sales calls with them, shadow them and see how they consume content.  You’d be surprised to see how much information they get every day, yet how frustrated they are that they can’t find what they are looking for.  This is due to the very large and somewhat unorganized channel portal sites that every tech company has.  Those portals are often overstuffed with outdated information and information is hard to find. 

I would also suggest that when you do get help from an agency, that you use one that has done a lot of channel work over the years and really understands the segments and how the channel operates.  Many agencies advertise “channel marketing” because they did a few brochures that went to the channel.  Look for one that has done multi-layered campaigns and ask to see some of the results of those campaigns. 

If you are an agency, I would always look to be as focused as possible when it comes to the channel.  Wide-spread campaigns and activities are difficult to pull off because one-size does not fit all when you are talking to 1000’s of resellers and distribution partners.  Many tech companies just don’t seem to have the resources to program manage channel campaigns and I think that the opportunities are there to not only architect great channel focused activities that are targeted, measurable and very effective, but also to manage them.  The channel is a great place to apply strategy and to build solutions that will help you to increase your revenues and margins.  Lastly, don’t do it if you can’t measure it.  The channel is all about selling and if you are only focused on awareness, then good luck because the channel only wants to do activities that will make them money and make their customers buy more from them.

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FEBO Consulting, LLC is a small business consulting firm that specializes in helping business owners grow their businesses and increase their overall bottom line. Located in Tampa, Florida, FEBO works with businesses in the Tampa Bay Area, as well as nationwide. Our specialty is working with small to medium businesses and home-based businesses whether they are starting up or have been in business for over a decade.

FEBO’s Services:

• Business Development

• Internet Marketing

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• Incentive Marketing

• Web Design & Hosting

• SEO (Search Engine Optimization) & SEM (Search Engine Marketing)

• MLM Landing Pages

Expectations

We believe that customer satisfaction is built around mutual trust and knowledge sharing. If we agree to work together, you can expect us to share our functional and thought processes with you unlike many firms which believe in hoarding their knowledge in order to keep billing a client.

Beliefs and Values

* Each of our clients must become successful if we are to be successful.

* Exceed customer expectations.

* Provide real value in all the work we do.

* Give complete honesty and integrity.

* Be flexible, innovative and responsive.

* Provide leadership to transform thinking, structures and processes to address opportunities and challenges.

* Focus on continuous improvement.

* In the pursuit of excellence, people take pride in doing quality work.

* We believe in placing emphasis on employees’ growth through training and development.

* Teamwork is valued.

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Contact us to set up an initial consultation.

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They say they do. We all talk the talk, but very few companies are proving that they can walk the walk. Since I am violently passionate about digital loyalty, I thought I would do my part to challenge digital marketers to rethink loyalty marketing.

What Loyalty Marketing IS (and what it is not):

1. Loyalty marketing is a method that begins at the beginning of the customer value chain, not the end. It is defined as feelings or attitudes that incline a customer either to return to a company, shop or outlet to purchase there again, or else to re-purchase a particular product, service or brand.

2. A coupon, free shipping and discounts are part of the loyalty mix and defined as incentives. An incentive begins and ends, much like a promotion. Most retailers understand the enormous value of incentives and rely on them to drive the customer through the purchase funnel. An incentive may drive repeat purchases, but it is a one-time event and rarely influences ongoing loyal consumer behavior. Picture it as a hook with no line attached…

3. Rewards and incentives are two different things. Rewards have continuity–an ongoing currency of some type (points, miles, cash) that builds customer loyalty by motivating the consumer into repeat action. We refer to this as the ‘power of accumulation’. A growing asset that, if  properly executed, increases customer loyalty.

4. Retention is often perceived as loyalty, but it has a separate measurement and meaning. Retaining a customer is hard work, loyalizing a customer is even harder. Having a good loyalty program will help lift retention and reduce churn, but many, many internal and external factors impact retention. Loyalty goes beyond retention to develop customers that are advocates and ambassadors for your brand.

As a digital marketer, you have been asked (perhaps very recently given the state of the economy) to come up with ideas for a rewards program that increases customer loyalty and ultimately sales. Immediately you think, a credit card, points program, free merchandise, buy airline miles? The task of developing a loyalty program can be daunting. Loyalty programs require all hands. It is a commitment to the customer everyone in an organization must make.

Here are a few tips to get you going:

1. Know the difference. Knowing the difference between incentive and loyalty for your company is critical as you plan forward. Be clear that you are researching a program not a tactic. I have had many discussions with retailers who give away coupons and deep discounts and say they can’t afford to fund the consumer with some type of reward currency. All these mechanisms answer the call, “what’s in it for me?” What your company can afford to give back to a consumer in value will drive the type of reward currency you develop for your program.

2. Test the waters. A lot of companies start rewards programs without realizing that once customers join, they will require a separate communication strategy that will only be successful if it is highly personalized, well timed and relevant to the customer. A successful rewards program thinks holistically about the treatment of these members. Smart loyalty program marketing is a constant pivot to nurture the best customer while introducing new ones to the program.

3. Get your data house in order. Don’t roll your eyes, believe me, I know this is an amazing challenge. But start by thinking about what critical data you need to operate a rewards program. Yes, even companies with the best rewards programs have 30+ databases…

4. Acquisition IS Retention. It absolutely amazes me that companies are still managing acquisition and retention as two separate departments. Poor customer… Remembering that the customer is the same in both departments is so important. Having messaging reflect a well planned lifecycle program is not impossible. Communicate with the retention folks, they should be well aware of tactics being used to acquire new customers and you will discover that they are an unlimited source of data that will help your acquisition programs succeed.

5. Email is THE Channel. Quick messages through IM, text, display ads, search results etc. do not build long lasting relationships with customers. Don’t get me wrong, they are a critical part of how today’s prosumer communicates and gathers information, but email is the ‘personal phone call’ to members of your loyalty program. Each touch is an opportunity for you to demonstrate how well you know your customer. If your current email provider talks about 360 degree and lifecycle marketing, but can’t show you proof of clients having success– SWITCH! I have kicked the tires of the top email service providers on the market. For my current business, we selected Responsys because they  provide the best end to end solution–built for marketers looking to execute a 360 plan.

Last Word

As digital marketers, we are up against the Economy of One, an empowered and educated customer that wants what they want when they want it. Today’s online businesses must move aggressively to keep customers. If you are spending more time and money on acquisition initiatives than retention and loyalty—find a way to strike a better balance. If you have opened a line of communication with your customers through the social web, you are farther along than you think! Your best customers are there waiting for you to engage them. Ask what would inspire them to shop more frequently. Find out which rewards programs they already belong to and go from there. 

Respectfully,

Kitt

Upcoming Blog Topic:

Words of Wisdom for Today’s Digital Marketer

There’s a lot of talk these days about the effectiveness of email marketing. Doing a quick google search will reveal thousands of consultants offering e-books and reports that range anywhere from $50 to a couple thousand for flushed out programs.

Yes – email marketing is all that and a bag of chips. With the exception of signing up for a MetaFlavor.com account it is probably the most cost effective approach to building your business.

Here’s how it’s done.

1. Build a list

Building a list isn’t too difficult. Successful operators usually offer some sort of incentive such as a free appetizer or dessert in exchange for an email address. The way I tell my clients to go about it is simply having a table tent that offers, “Go to www.restaurantname.com and join our email club for a free dessert for your next visit.” This is non-intrusive and offers a direct incentive. On your web site in addition to collecting their email address also ask for their birthday and an anniversary date. Make these two optional.

2. Manage and grow your list.

Depending on the size of your list you can manage it yourself or have a company like Fish Bowl help you out. While you can look to the outside for help… to begin with I’d simply organize your list using an excel spreadsheet. To conform to CAN-SPAM regulation, if you’re going to be running your campaigns yourself make sure you don’t email more than 19 addresses at a time without having an opt-out option.

3. Run campaigns

When? Holiday’s and on important days like superbowl sunday. What is a good frequency? While it may sound counter-intuitive I recommend no more than once every two weeks. This is enough times to get in front of your guests without tempting them to report you as spam because they get hit every other day with an offer. This helps your image in that you don’t look desperate and don’t come off as needy, it also means that when they do receive a promotion from you it’s more valued because they don’t receive one everyday.

I know, I know. Another article about phones but I came across this really cool article and had to share. Autoblog.com has an article about Ferrari and their special edition phone.

I think this is AWESOME. Honestly, if I spent that much money on a Ferrari, I think I’d want a limited edition phone. But even if I didn’t buy a $300,000 exotic car – if I bought a 2000 Honda Civic, or a new LED light bulb, what if I got something with it?

Maybe there’s a new water recycling service and its going to raise the cost of my utilities by $20 a month. That’s a lot of money. But what if I got something in return? What if i got an online subscription to treehugger.com if I was interested? (Free) What if my city was recognized as a leader in water conservation? (cool) What if everyone got a new LED light bulb since their city is now environmentally conscious? ($) OR – what if there was a survey sent out, and everyone that responded – a tree would be planted in a part of the city. If my bill was going up on utilities, or anything for that matter, and money is tight, a free anything – even just some recognition - would be AWESOME.

Whatever it may be, people want to know they’re getting value for their investment – trust me, they would appreciate it.

With Halloween being right around the corner, it’s hard to skip over some type of discussion about candy. If you’re saying to yourself, ‘why is candy showing up on a legitimate marketing blog’, then perhaps we need to take a closer look at the power of chocolate.

Not everything needs to be a profound or prolific insight into the essence of branding. Of course, you’ll get plenty of that here too. Sometimes it’s good to chat about the nuts and bolts…..or should I say nuts and nuggets….of marketing.

Plain and simple, most people like candy. Even the ones who don’t can appreciate it. Yes, yes. I know there’s a few of you out there who adamantly vow to never touch the stuff – so be it. For the rest of us, it offers an instant trip down memory lane, a 3 o’clock pick-me-up or a surefire way to be a child’s hero.

From the bank teller and dentist lollipop giveaway to the Andies Candies treat after a meal at the Olive Garden, candy is just one of those things you can count on. Here’s a look at some other ways to ‘sweeten’ your marketing efforts (yeah, I went there. So what.)

• Customized M&M’s. Pick your corporate colors, add your logo and voila – instant sales tool.
• Chocolate Stamping with Branded Wrapper. Most promotional companies offer a vast array of edible options. You can imprint your logo right into a chocolate bar. Add a key brand message to the wrapper and now you have a promotional asset for your campaign.
• Custom Mold. I once saw a plastic shoe company hand out little gummy jelly shoes at a tradeshow. Turns out, they were tiny edible replicas of the real shoe. The packaging had the URL and a coupon. Many candy factories will allow custom molds.

So, do I think you’ll sell a Lexus because you had a candy dish at the sales office? No, of course not. But, do I think a nice box of Godiva chocolate with a handwritten thank-you card to the new owner will create a positive lasting impression…..you bet!

Today’s post is brought to you by the candy corn. Invented in 1880 and made from corn syrup, honey and sugar, the candy corn has become  iconic with Halloween. Whether you love em or hate em…..you have to envy its mass recognition and staying power.