Recently, Marketing Vogue engaged with Partner Marketing executives Angela Motiani (Head of Partner Demand Generation at Klaviyo), Kristina Onyon (Director of Partner Marketing at Cloudflare), and Rachna Gupta (VP of Marketing at HashiCorp) to discuss building partner pipelines and driving demand with and through partners.
This conversation revealed a wealth of strategies that partner marketers can use to empower their partners in driving demand and building pipelines. Here are ten essential best practices to consider in your partner demand generation strategies:
- Treat Partners as Extensions of Your Marketing and Sales Teams
Successful partnerships rely on collaboration. Kristina emphasizes the importance of integrating partners into holistic solutions and nurturing prospects over the long term. When partners succeed, so do you. - Leverage Intent Data to Inform Marketing Strategies
Intent data can be invaluable for targeting ideal customer profiles (ICPs) and personalizing marketing efforts. Angela highlights its role in uncovering customer challenges and preferences, while Rachna stresses that personalized content yields better ROI than generic messaging. - Ensure Value Propositions are Clear and Tailored
Understanding your customers is key. Rachna points out that effective value propositions address specific customer challenges rather than simply listing solution features. - Translate Value Propositions into Joint Messaging and Positioning
Value propositions must inform messaging across partner teams. Rachna advises collaborating closely with your product marketing team to ensure consistency and clarity in the messaging. - Amplify Messaging Through a Multi-Partner Approach
Rachna suggests that customers often seek comprehensive solutions. Collaborating with multiple partners to co-create messaging and host events can strengthen your collective offering. - Utilize Tools to Support Partner Success
A robust marketing technology stack—typically including a marketing automation platform, CRM, and partner relationship management (PRM) system—is essential. Rachna emphasizes that tools should empower users, not the other way around. - Co-Create Connections Through Peer-to-Peer Experiences
Kristina advocates for personalized outreach to senior executives through thought leadership and peer-to-peer programs, which can differentiate partners in the marketplace. - Leverage Campaign-in-a-Box Tactics
Angela notes the complexity of partner marketing and the importance of providing prepackaged, customizable campaigns. These should focus on customer needs and allow for flexibility to cater to partner solutions. - Create Strategic Follow-Up Plans
Effective follow-up is crucial for success. Angela recommends defining stakeholder responsibilities and adopting a phased approach to ensure coordination across teams. - Include Partners in Your KPI Approach
Angela highlights the importance of defining success early and tracking relevant metrics. Regularly review and optimize based on comprehensive data analysis to enhance performance.
These best practices can help drive effective partner marketing strategies and foster successful partnerships.
