In this section, you will find
What is Channel Marketing?
Types of Channel Marketing
What is Channel Marketing Software?
Benefits of Channel Marketing Software
Features of Channel Marketing Software
How to Choose Right Channel Marketing Software
Channel Marketing is a type of marketing strategy that relies on third parties to grow and scale the business. The third party, referred to as channel partners, help in taking the products and services to the market. Channel Marketing is an important growth strategy that is adopted by both large and small businesses.
Learn what is Channel Marketing, how it works and how to choose the right Channel Marketing software.
Updated By Cuspera
Last updated: Mar 16, 2022
An enterprise solution for managing and optimizing channel partner performance
Impartner PRM is an Enterprise Partner Relationship Management solution, for managing and optimizing Channel partner performance in Channel Marketing and Sales. The software is security compliant and integrates seamlessly with Salesforce and other CRMs and can also play the role of a CRM in case needed.
The software enables repetitive task automation, partner onboarding automation, has a simple User Interface, provides rewards based on partner performance and analysis and insights on indirect sales. The portal creation tool is provided with customizable design templates that enable White labelling, allowing business branding with logos and color schemes. The Velocity Onboarding process provides mobile optimized web application forms that seamlessly integrate with the CRM.
The Business Intelligence feature provides insights on the actions that bring in Revenue, the Program Compliance Manager automates assigning of tiers to qualifying Channel Partners and Partner Locator helps identify best fit Partner based on Geography, Verticals and other criteria.
Vendor: Impartner Software
Company Size: 101-250
HQ Location: 10619 South Jordan Gateway, Suite 130, South Jordan, UT 84095, US
Financials: Series A
ZiftONE - Zift Solutions
ZiftOne is an Enterprise Channel Management platform that connects and simplifies channel sales, marketing, and operations for indirect sales organizations. It is designed to connect channel leaders, partners, and customers and turn their channel programs into real business growth engines. It integrates seamlessly with established systems and infrastructure to speed time-to-sales, create an exceptional partner experience, and provide faster ROI.
It's a platform that’s built by Marketing and closed by Sales and ultimately responsible for managing the buyer’s journey. Some of ZiftOne’s benefits include expand and accelerate the pipeline activity, launch a marketplace for the partners, get a full view of the channel with easily integrated systems, help partners thrive in a virtual sales environment, and so on.
Some of the features of ZiftOne are gain pipeline visibility, establish marketing attribution and ROI, manage deal lifecycles, reach and retain new customers, leverage co-branded content, get personalized content and solution recommendations, and many more.
We use and leverage Zift technology to help us facilitate better business processes with our partners and really engage with those partners.Skillsoft
Vendor: Zift Solutions
Company Size: 101-250
HQ Location: 30 Montgomery St, Jersey City, New Jersey 07302, US
Financials: Series B
Retail Marketing Platform
Promoboxx is a Channel Marketing Platform that helps to deliver best practices, performance insights, enablement and support to drive retailer engagement and continuously improve business outcomes. It aligns with the retailers and increases local awareness and drives sales. It is dedicated to helping retailers become stronger marketers every day.
Promoboxx makes marketing with the retailers streamlined, scalable, trackable, and super easy. It uses a campaign-based approach to keep the local messaging consistent. Provides an easy enrollment flow to get the retailers promoting the brand. Brings in complete retailer and campaign tracking. Supports the retail partners at scale and focuses time towards other activities and increases visibility in local markets.
Some of its features include drives sales with local marketing campaigns, experience widespread retailer adoption, gain visibility with reporting and tracking, save time with scalable local marketing, increase exposure with local ads, and more.
Vendor: Promoboxx
Company Size: 51-100
HQ Location: 500 Harrison Ave, Studio 3R, Boston, MA 02118
Supply Chain Management Solutions to Transform Your Business
E2open is an end-to-end supply chain management software with the power to transform the company by efficiently bringing goods to market, winning in the face of disruptions and gaining a complete step-change in performance. It helps to gain agility, resiliency and efficiency for strategic decision-making and execution.
E2open unlocks the potential of all the channels and takes performance to the next level, reducing the cost of goods sold by leveraging trade agreements and duty savings programs. It also helps to plan and execute the movement of goods anywhere in the world with the agility and resiliency to respond rapidly to changes. It assists to gather data from various partners and develop an AI-capable supply chain.
E2open features include getting a pulse on the market, improving forecast accuracy and preparing for future demand. Coordinate business processes and optimize financial goals and performance. Establish end-to-end control over the supply network and production. Export and import confidently, leveraging trade agreements and duty savings to reduce costs. Make smart decisions based on decision-grade data and field-proven AI, and more.
Vendor: E2open
Company Size: 1001-5000
HQ Location: Austin, TX
Through-Channel Marketing Automation Platform
SproutLoud is a Marketing Resource Management platform that increases speed to market, partner participation and Brand compliance across the Reseller network. It handles campaign management for local Resellers, and creates workflows for Brand management. It can be deployed in industries such as Manufacturing, Insurance / Finance, Travel / Hospitality, Retail and more.
SproutLoud MRM platform includes Ad Builder and Digital Asset Management, enabling quick local ads, managing creation of marketing assets, brochures and other marketing materials for brands and Channel partners with templates that are customizable and brand-compliant. Its Ad Flexing technology enables quick changes in size and ad content without affecting the design or aspect ratio.
SproutLoud also provides integrations with a world-wide network of Marketing services helping in cost optimization for vendors in placing customized, brand-compliant local ads. The Funds Management feature tracks market spend along with display of funding options provided to partners. The Marketing analytics dashboard provides ROI on marketing campaigns and partner engagement metrics.
Vendor: SproutLoud Media Networks
Company Size: 101-250
HQ Location: 15431 SW 14th Street, Sunrise, FL 33326, US
Financials: Private
Channel Management Software - Inventory & Pricing | Model N
Model N Channel Management Software that expands market reach, improves margins and enhances channel inventory and pricing processes. Increase visibility into channel design registrations, while improving ease of doing business and rewarding the channel correctly.
Model N Channel Management Software integrated channel management brings the best of inventory and pricing processes design registrations, price protection, stock rotation, ship and debit and inventory aging accurately delivered by aligned and enriched POS and inventory data from partners.
Key features include Design Registration, Ship and Debit Processing, Claims Processing, Channel Inventory, Price Protection, Stock Protection, and Inventory Aging. Design Registration enables channel partners to register designs and create activities. Ship and Debit Processing automatically validate channel sales data against authorized debits.
Model N’s new out-of-the-box SaaS offering works perfectly for emerging and midmarket companies like Keryx. We are now managing all of our institutional, purchase-based, channel, and managed care contracts, as well as incentives in a single system.Matthew Gray
Executive Director of Financial Planning & Analysis
Keryx
Vendor: Model N
Founded: 1999
Company Size: 501-1000
HQ Location: 777 Mariners Island Boulevard, Suite 300, San Mateo, CA 94404. USA.
Financials: IPO
Multi-Location Marketing Platform & Localized Marketing ...
MarketSnare is a local marketing automation platform that empowers marketers to efficiently scale local marketing programs across many locations through unique centralized tools. It creates, manages, and localizes a brand and marketing through a network of local websites – all using one central interface.
MarketSnare combines advanced technology and managed services, to empower multi-location marketers to efficiently deploy, scale, and automate tasks across many geographic markets and locations to maximize marketing results. It controls the content on a network of websites while allowing local facilities their measure of control. MarketSnare enables each facility’s website to rank high in local online searches, as well as in the surrounding communities, and ultimately converts browsers to buyers.
MarketSnare features include Brand and legal compliance, local sales support, engagement and reputation, external integrations, micro relevant digital ads, local marketing analytics, enterprise flexibility, local SEO management, efficient scalability, advanced localization, and centralized control.
Vendor: MarketSnare
HQ Location: 3213 Stellhorn Rd, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46815, US
B2B Digital Catalogue Software
aWorkbook is a B2B digital catalog software that helps to present the product information in an easily accessed format that supports the sales conversations during video conferences. aWorkbook, navigates the buyers through product ranges and include all brand materials available, including videos, images, and 3D renderings.
It relies on connecting the right product with the right buyer and allows to tailor product content to match the channel strategies. aWorkbook also helps to create PDF catalogs that provide the option to leave a physical version with a customer or share it with them online making the transaction more fluid and more reliable. It integrates seamlessly with the existing stock system, ensuring to have the latest information whenever required.
Hark acquired aWorkbook.
Vendor: Hark Solutions
Company Size: 11-50
HQ Location: Yeovil Innovation Centre Barracks Close Yeovil, Somerset BA22 8RN, GB
Single Unified Platform for end-to-end enablement of direct sales and partners
Mindmatrix is a channel enablement platform for sales and channel enablement partners to increase sales, cut the turnaround time and increase revenue.
Mindmatrix helps teams in sales onboarding and training, it provides sales automation tools that help sales track, connect, respond to and close leads faster. It offers marketing teams 100% visibility into lead to revenue journey and content usage and campaign effectiveness. It helps in automating email, social media marketing, partner relationship management, channel partner marketing ,partner enablement ad partner concierge services.
Mindmatrix comes with sales playbooks feature which allows you to detail which marketing and sales assets should be used at each step of the sales cycle. Its built-in visibility tools and metrics make it easy to evaluate the training’s effectiveness. Playbooks act like a GPS, providing the clear directions that your salespeople need to reach their ultimate destination closing a lead. It automates mundane yet important tasks such as sending follow-up emails or making social media updates. Mindmatrix allows your salespeople to focus on their leads. It offers detailed reporting and analytics tools that offer marketing teams 100% visibility into lead to revenue journey and content usage and campaign effectiveness.
Vendor: Mindmatrix
Founded: 1998
Company Size: 11-50
HQ Location: 2403 Sidney Street, Suite 150 Pittsburgh, PA 15203
Financials: NA
Marketing operations platform to optimize the impact of budgets
BrandMaker is an enterprise marketing operations platform that equips leading marketers to optimize the impact of their budgets, to apply agile marketing processes, to present a clear, compelling, and incontrovertible view of their performance, and ultimately to command the respect of corporate leaders. It helps with planning, budgeting, work management tools and operations and enables the true orchestration of marketing.
BrandMaker delivers full control and visibility to marketing teams and agencies across all data, with reporting, and analysis. It plans, manages, and optimizes budgets with exceptional agility via real-time reporting and control to maximize campaign performance. It stores, manages, distributes, and monitors content for greater efficiency and performance and also provides the visibility to control the brand usage, ensuring that the content is up to date, within brand guidelines, compliant with local regulations, and ready to be personalized.
Some of its features include campaign planning with actionable reports on assets, content, and budgets, real-time visibility and control over the entire marketing budget, automated collaboration, reviews, and approvals with predefined workflows, managing assets for any content, device, format, or purpose – anytime and managing the brand for improved consistency, compliance, and confidence.
Vendor: Brandmaker
Founded: 1999
Company Size: 101-250
HQ Location: BrandMaker GmbH Rüppurrer Str. 1 76137 Karlsruhe, Germany
Financials: Series C
Channel Marketing is a growth marketing strategy adopted by businesses to grow and scale the business. Channel Marketing involves usage of third parties to sell your products and services to customers. These third party entities are referred to as channel partners. 75% of world trade happens through indirect selling through channel partners.
There are two kinds of channels:
Sales channels focus on sales, not so much on delivery. Sales channels deliver either leads or orders to service partners such as service outsourcing partners, and nothing to do with the actual delivery of products and services. And, then there are Sales channels used to distribute perishables with focus on time to the customers.
Marketing Channels, ironically, are always Sales Channels but not necessarily the other way around. Marketing channels include sales and delivery related to the product or service. A good example of this kind of channel is a retail outlet.
It is also common to think of channels in terms of how far removed the origin of the product or service is from the end customer/consumer.
The direct channel is when the goods flow from the manufacturer to the consumer directly. This channel is not the topic of this article.
Then, there are two or three-tier distribution channels – manufacturer to retailer/wholesaler to the consumer, and manufacturer to distributor to reseller to the consumer. Value-added reselling (VARs) is a variant of this 2nd type of channel. The reseller adds value on top of the original product (such as an installation service). VARs channel is quite popular in the high-tech industry.
All the typical marketing focuses on direct marketing such as consistent brand experience, 4 A’s of marketing, demand generation, and others apply to channel marketing as well. Channel marketing is then about using marketing automation, campaign management, social media management, content management, lead generation and management to channels. However, you have two kinds of an audience here to deal with – Channel partners that must be aligned to your marketing strategy, as well as the end customers.
Channel marketing is focused on communicating the value of your products and services to, with, through, and for channel partners
Here are some of the terms that are commonly used.
Multi-channel Marketing- Multiple, but separate communication channels are used between the customers and the business.
Cross-channel Marketing- Multiple and connected communication channels are used between the customers and the business.
Omni-channel Marketing- Multiple and interactive communication channels are used. Not only these multiple channels are connected and communicate with each other, but they work seamlessly and simultaneously together to provide the customers with a unified experience across channels. The customer can be shopping at an e-commerce site, later continue the shopping in a retail store, and the experience will still be seamless.
Many other kinds of marketing can broadly be considered channel marketing. You can refer to them in the Cuspera Guides section. Some of them are listed below:
Affiliate Marketing is where an affiliate earns a commission for marketing somebody else's products. The sales are tracked via affiliate links from one website to another.
Partner Marketing is popular in the high-tech sector. Partner marketing is about a joint Go-to-Marketing program between two or more companies. Nike and Apple collaboration is an excellent example of Partner Marketing
Alliances Marketing is very similar to Partner Marketing, but it tends to be deeper than the latter – from a strategic, time-horizon perspective. It can lead to joint ventures too.
Channel Marketing Software is part of Marketing Automation applied to Channels. It helps empower channel partners to align with and leverage all types of marketing activities and assets of your brand including marketing automation, messaging, advertising, demand generation, and so on to drive the sales through the partner reach. Channel marketing is a significant part of the ‘Through-Channel Marketing Automation’ (TCMA) framework created by Forrester analyst Jay McBain in 2017.
The other elements of channel management, such as Partner Relationship Management (PRM), are related to the channel marketing software but are not part of the same.
Some of the business activities/processes addressed by the channel marketing software include Marketing metrics, Content sharing, Contest & awards, Loyalty planning, Social promotion, Channel visibility, Partner playbooks, Lead Management (nurturing, scoring, passing and tracking), Campaign management, Customer experience. They can also address a variety of partner channel configurations such as Through-partner, To-partner, and With-partner models.
Cross-channel advertising software is a related category of software with an exclusive focus on advertisements across multiple digital channels, be it search, display, social, or other digital media. It may also seamlessly integrate with DSPs, ad networks, and so on.
With this cross-channel effort, one can connect with customers multiple times through their preferred channels, expand the brand reach across all targeted demographics, and reduce marketing costs by choosing the most cost-effective channels for each demographic.
The first benefit of Channel Marketing is about an increase in sales. Properly implemented Channel Marketing makes it possible for all of your customers and consumers to connect with their own favorite channel. Enabling customers to choose their channel increases your revenue, customer base, consumer engagement, and conversion rate and lowers customer acquisition costs.
The second benefit is about aligning and enabling your channel partners and allowing them to build on top of your own messaging, branding and demand generation within their local markets for successful customer experience. This alignment will help in ensuring consistent customer expectations across all the channels, assisting in turn marketing optimization but also the growth imperative.
The third benefit is about meeting customer expectations. More than 2/3rds of customers prefer an integrated marketing approach giving them the freedom from being constrained to a channel.
In summary, Channel Marketing can help in increasing speed to market, reducing the costs, and enabling brands to optimize the marketing spend based on better insights. Those teams that can align their marketing across different channels will likely outgrow the market.
Some of the most prolific users of channel marketing software are:
Manufacturing. Education, Financial Services, Internet, Technology, Software, Healthcare, Business Services, Logistics, Marketing, and Creative Agencies.
Both the brands and their channel partners benefit from a channel marketing software deployment as it helps the corporate marketing efforts to support the unique needs of the partner’s reach. It will also improve the marketing ROI as the partners may not be fully equipped or have the requisite bandwidth to drive the marketing on their own.
Here are some examples of features of a Channel Marketing Software product:
With the increased visibility of data across all the channels, AI is helping brands understand customer behavior and personalize at scale. Building personalized, content-rich campaigns and customer journeys is now possible with AI-enabled Channel marketing software by themselves or as add-ons.
One of the biggest challenges for marketers will be understanding the connected customer journey across all touchpoints and how best to interact on a personal, content-rich level.
According to Forrester, less than 17% of the organizations have an effective Channel Marketing Automation in place. It indicates the need to assess the organizational readiness to deploy the channel marketing software.
The stakeholders involved are from multiple companies. Their readiness, as well as capabilities, need to be taken into account. As an example, some of the large partners, such as Ingram-Micro, may have their own in-house marketing automation tools. Yet, some of the smaller partners may have a rudimentary or no automation of any kind. Making both the types of partners leverage the solution calls for implementing parts that can benefit both from day one. One such example will be content syndication to showcase your products on their website with ease. At the other extreme, it may be difficult to get alignment on activities such as integrated campaigns.
When selecting the channels, please consider both the dimensions – the distribution and marketing channels.
B2B and B2C companies can sell through multiple channels that may include:
B2B businesses and marketers need different marketing channel strategies than B2C businesses because of the fundamental difference in their customer/consumer base. Some of these channels are:
Combining these two dimensions of distribution channels and marketing channels for your industry and go-to-market motion will help you determine the elements the Channel Marketing Software should support.
One would also prioritize any integration with the existing systems such as CRM, Partner Relationship Management (PRM), etc.
It is essential to evaluate whether the particular channel marketing software has any vertical, geo, or other kind of a focus that makes it more suitable for your needs.
Finally, evaluate whether the benefits of AI in the selected software provide excellent ROI.
Closed-loop analytics and AI will accelerate measurement across the channel. These analytics will be particularly important to measure the ROI as well as Optimization efforts.
Usage of Chatbots will go up across the channel.
Digital marketing advances, in turn, help create new opportunities for targeting, personalization, and optimization.
AI and big data are helping brands understand customer behavior and personalize-at-scale.
Cloud-based offerings will become mainstream for many channel programs going forward.
Channel marketing goes hand in hand with Channel sales enablement tools – which are becoming available, allowing interactive product demonstrations, so on.
Not only would the ideal tool have access to all product lines, but unlimited users will have access 24/7, online or offline, anywhere in the world, providing a universal experience regardless of location or platform. …
Channel marketing can drive an upside of 15% to 30% in revenue.
Multi-channel marketing can generate up to 25% increase in conversion rate per business2community.com
Multi-channel customers also spend 4X compared to single-channel consumers per business2community.com
Businesses that adopt omnichannel strategies achieve 91% greater year-over-year customer retention rates compared to a business that doesn’t, according to a survey conducted by Aspect Software.
Companies with extremely strong omnichannel customer engagement retain, on average, 89% of their customers, compared to 33% for companies with weak omnichannel customer engagement. (Aberdeen Group)
Omnichannel shoppers have a 30% higher lifetime value than those who shop using only one channel. (Google)
Stats show that brands using three or more channels in an automation workflow can generate great results (per Clickz.com):
Get AI-generated right fit software based on peer experience in just a minute.
An enterprise solution for managing and optimizing channel partner performance
Impartner PRM is an Enterprise Partner Relationship Management solution, for managing and optimizing Channel partner performance in Channel Marketing and Sales. The software is security compliant and integrates seamlessly with Salesforce and other CRMs and can also play the role of a CRM in case needed.
Vendor: Impartner Software
Company Size: 101-250
HQ Location: 10619 South Jordan Gateway, Suite 130, South Jordan, UT 84095, US
Financials: Series A
ZiftONE - Zift Solutions
ZiftOne is an Enterprise Channel Management platform that connects and simplifies channel sales, marketing, and operations for indirect sales organizations. It is designed to connect channel leaders, partners, and customers and turn their channel programs into real business growth engines. It integrates seamlessly with established systems and infrastructure to speed time-to-sales, create an exceptional partner experience, and provide faster ROI.
Vendor: Zift Solutions
Company Size: 101-250
HQ Location: 30 Montgomery St, Jersey City, New Jersey 07302, US
Financials: Series B
Retail Marketing Platform
Promoboxx is a Channel Marketing Platform that helps to deliver best practices, performance insights, enablement and support to drive retailer engagement and continuously improve business outcomes. It aligns with the retailers and increases local awareness and drives sales. It is dedicated to helping retailers become stronger marketers every day.
Vendor: Promoboxx
Company Size: 51-100
HQ Location: 500 Harrison Ave, Studio 3R, Boston, MA 02118
Supply Chain Management Solutions to Transform Your Business
E2open is an end-to-end supply chain management software with the power to transform the company by efficiently bringing goods to market, winning in the face of disruptions and gaining a complete step-change in performance. It helps to gain agility, resiliency and efficiency for strategic decision-making and execution.
Vendor: E2open
Company Size: 1001-5000
HQ Location: Austin, TX
Through-Channel Marketing Automation Platform
SproutLoud is a Marketing Resource Management platform that increases speed to market, partner participation and Brand compliance across the Reseller network. It handles campaign management for local Resellers, and creates workflows for Brand management. It can be deployed in industries such as Manufacturing, Insurance / Finance, Travel / Hospitality, Retail and more.
Vendor: SproutLoud Media Networks
Company Size: 101-250
HQ Location: 15431 SW 14th Street, Sunrise, FL 33326, US
Financials: Private
Channel Management Platform to connect, interact and transact across the ecosystem
Vendor: NowApps Technologies
Company Size: 11-50
HQ Location: #221, 3rd Floor, 7th Main, Above Kotak Mahindra Bank, HRBR 2nd Block, Kalyan Nagar, Bangalore - 560043, INDIA.
Creates real-time connections with the websites, social media profiles, advertising accounts & CRMs of resellers
Vendor: Channext
Company Size: 11-50
HQ Location: Ravenoord 236 3523 DB Utrecht
Channel Management Software - Inventory & Pricing | Model N
Model N Channel Management Software that expands market reach, improves margins and enhances channel inventory and pricing processes. Increase visibility into channel design registrations, while improving ease of doing business and rewarding the channel correctly.
Vendor: Model N
Founded: 1999
Company Size: 501-1000
HQ Location: 777 Mariners Island Boulevard, Suite 300, San Mateo, CA 94404. USA.
Financials: IPO
Multi-Location Marketing Platform & Localized Marketing ...
MarketSnare is a local marketing automation platform that empowers marketers to efficiently scale local marketing programs across many locations through unique centralized tools. It creates, manages, and localizes a brand and marketing through a network of local websites – all using one central interface.
Vendor: MarketSnare
HQ Location: 3213 Stellhorn Rd, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46815, US
FLOW | Partner Automation
Vendor: TIE Kinetix
Company Size: 251-500
HQ Location: Breukelen
Financials: IPO
B2B Digital Catalogue Software
aWorkbook is a B2B digital catalog software that helps to present the product information in an easily accessed format that supports the sales conversations during video conferences. aWorkbook, navigates the buyers through product ranges and include all brand materials available, including videos, images, and 3D renderings.
Vendor: Hark Solutions
Company Size: 11-50
HQ Location: Yeovil Innovation Centre Barracks Close Yeovil, Somerset BA22 8RN, GB
Single Unified Platform for end-to-end enablement of direct sales and partners
Mindmatrix is a channel enablement platform for sales and channel enablement partners to increase sales, cut the turnaround time and increase revenue.
Vendor: Mindmatrix
Founded: 1998
Company Size: 11-50
HQ Location: 2403 Sidney Street, Suite 150 Pittsburgh, PA 15203
Financials: NA
Marketing operations platform to optimize the impact of budgets
BrandMaker is an enterprise marketing operations platform that equips leading marketers to optimize the impact of their budgets, to apply agile marketing processes, to present a clear, compelling, and incontrovertible view of their performance, and ultimately to command the respect of corporate leaders. It helps with planning, budgeting, work management tools and operations and enables the true orchestration of marketing.
Vendor: Brandmaker
Founded: 1999
Company Size: 101-250
HQ Location: BrandMaker GmbH Rüppurrer Str. 1 76137 Karlsruhe, Germany
Financials: Series C