How to Increase Partner Adoption for Your Web Marketing Package in a Co-op Marketing Program

hands in 150x150 How to Increase Partner Adoption for Your Web Marketing Package in a Co op Marketing ProgramIf you go back to any of my posts in Empowerkit’s blog, the main message I share with you is that you need a local web marketing strategy. This is simply because a targeted partner presence online is imperative to engage local audiences, strengthen your brand online and improve lead generation in a platform where your customers are constantly looking for and sharing information! Google backs up this statement by saying 97% of consumers search for local businesses online! There’s a lot of market for you, your partners and your company in the world wide web.

It’s easy to appreciate that a local web marketing strategy is great for business, but what good is it if your partners aren’t taking advantage of it?

It happens time and time again: corporate includes a web marketing package in their co-op marketing program but, given the lack of training, support and the time constraints partners have, many don’t opt-in, and the overall local strategy for the company suffers. Another common scenario is that corporate offers these tools but partners don’t ever find out about them!

In this post I’ll go over the other part of the equation: getting your partners to see the benefits of web marketing and convincing them to opt-in. I’ll share some tips and tricks on how you can communicate and get them interested so they, along with your brand, can venture and take your business into virtual waters!

5 Basics to Improve Partner Adoption

1. Explain the Benefits

By presenting real numbers and success stories to your partners, you’ll easily pique their interest on a local web marketing package that they can opt-in on. Explain what’s in it for them, and it’s more probable that they’ll be inclined to try it out.

2. Detail What’s Expected of Them

At the same time, questions may start to arise like “what role will I play in this strategy?” Setting clear goals and letting your partners know what’s expected of them is the best way to make sure that you’re all on the same page and working towards the same objective.

3. Provide Training

Now that it’s clear what they’ll be gaining and what they should be doing, it’s time to explain HOW they should do it. Share best practices and be sure to set a clear example of how to approach this new marketing strategy!

4. Offer Assistance

Maintaining an online marketing strategy is hard work! Your partners may need a helping hand once in a while so they don’t get frustrated and leave their partner sites to die! Be sure, give your partners a hand by providing content templates, and/or taking over once in a while!

5. Be There for Support

Tied in to the point above, not only do you have to reach out to them, but you be there when they need you. Partners need ongoing support so they can fulfill what’s expected of them (strategies change, goals are forgotten, partners may get confused over time, etc.).

Means of Promoting Partner Adoption

Email

Have corporate send emails to all your partners letting them know about the opportunity to grow their business through a web marketing package in your co-op marketing program. Share the benefits, responsibilities of each side (corporate and partners) and how they can start gaining an online presence! It’s easy, quick, and a surefire way that all your partners will get the message!

Call

At the same time, one-on-one calls may be in order. Be it via Skype or by phone, a more personal approach can be more effective to get partners to sign-up because you’re calmly explaining what a partner marketing strategy is about and how they can leverage it. Plus, if any questions come up, you’re right there to answer them.

Docs

PowerPoint presentations, webinars, documents, and other shareables can provide information to your partners on why and how they should opt-in for your web marketing package. They are a reference that they can keep with them and look back on to answer some questions. Plus, they’re easy to move around and can be handed over to new partners once they enroll (just make sure to update them as the strategy changes).

Corporate Site

Another way to reach out to your partners and let them know that you have a web marketing package in your co-op marketing program, is through your corporate site! You can include a snippet that overviews the package in your “Benefits” page for new recruits. At the same time, you can add an opt-in option in your sign-up flow; this way, when a partner joins in, they can choose a package and get their site right away!

How Empowerkit Can Help

logo 150x150 How to Increase Partner Adoption for Your Web Marketing Package in a Co op Marketing ProgramAs you may know, Empowerkit is an intuitive partner marketing tool that allows your partners to build sites and market themselves online, while providing corporate with control over the general message of the strategy.

Moreover, Empowerkit is a service provider that is focused on improving your brand’s visibility online: partners will be able to hand over to us the tasks of content marketing, social media managing, business listings submissions, among others. Our team is available to offer assistance and support for partners looking to better their lead generation online!

Plus, we can help you in the partner adoption portion as well! We can call, email and produce a strategy for your company so partners are inclined to opt-in on your web marketing program and improve the overall ROI for your brand!

Conclusion

What good is a partner marketing strategy when no one works on it? Make sure your partners get on board so they and your company can reel in the benefits! Not only should you lure them in to opt-in but also prepare them for success! Remember that a segmented and poorly designed strategy can only reel in mediocre results, so define clear goals and give your partners the knowledge and the tools so they can jump in and improve their business!

Have any questions about this post or Empowerkit? Let us know in the comment section!

October 7, 2013

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