Marketing channel strategy is made up of a series of decisions and structures that an IT vendor or manufacturer creates and makes. The purpose of these strategic moves is to reach your ultimate end-user or MSPs. It may sound simplistic but knowledge and mastery of these techniques will spell a world of difference for your company.
In-Depth Understanding of Marketing Channel Strategy
The MSP ecosystem is a vast and competitive one and IT vendors are well-aware of this scenario. Ensuring leverage over your competition is a game-changer. However, it requires numerous techniques to make it happen. One of the things that can give you an edge in the MSP environment as an IT vendor is your channel strategy.
What is marketing channel strategy? Why do you need it in the first place? How do you use it to your full advantage? What are the different types of channel strategies to look into? These are just some of the most important questions you need to answer before embarking on this essential task.
Marketing Channel Strategy Simplified
In a simple explanation, a marketing channel strategy refers to your plan of action, techniques, or steps in reaching your target. For IT vendors, it is your strategy to reach a potential MSP partner. The vast and growing competitive market is where the real challenge begins. How will you be able to effectively and efficiently reach your customer or partner given the overflowing competition?
This is where you need an excellent marketing channel strategy that yields visible results. It is, however, easy to get sidetracked and overwhelmed with so many options available. You need to make sure that you choose the tactics and channels that have the most impact. Your main goal here is not only to reach your target MSPs. You also need to ensure that your time, money, and energy are spent wisely and efficiently.
Marketing Channel Strategy Example
So, exactly what strategy should you use to maximize a marketing channel for your IT products and solutions? Will these tactics help you reach the right MSP partner and convince them to collaborate with you?
The good news is that you do not need rocket science in order to be successful in your task. In fact, choosing the most expensive and flashiest marketing channel may not necessarily be the only way. You can even spend fewer resources and get the same quality results to reach your goals. How?
Right Channel, Right Choice
The secret to successful strategic moves in maximizing marketing channels lies in focusing on the right ones. The growth of your IT business in the surging MSP community is vital and guaranteed with this strategy in tow. You need to learn where to direct your attention and effort in utilizing a marketing channel strategy that makes the most impact.
Things to Know about Marketing Channels
Marketing channel strategy is always about finding the most effective ways to put your IT products and solutions out there. It is knowing and using the best tactics for your brand exposure to potential MSP partners. You can either use direct or digital channels depending on your marketing campaign and goal. For some marketers, combining both types of marketing channels likewise work.
B2B companies such as IT vendors typically use “indirect” or “direct” marketing channel techniques. Using these in the MSP community helps you build revenue by reaching the right MSP partners that can boost your sales. Direct sales, for instance, is the simplest approach. It enables you to directly sell or make transactions to possible MSP partners. Indirect sales need intermediaries or “channel partners” for sales purposes.
No One-Size-Fits-All Strategies
Modern IT vendors realize the importance of flexibility in the ever-changing MSP ecosystem. There is not one absolute strategy that will definitely work on all companies. You can use different methodologies to channel your brand or solutions and reach your target market.
Choosing the right marketing channel is the first strategic move to successfully reach your partnership goals. However, it can also create remarkable MSP partner experiences, building brand reputation. Here are some of the examples of marketing channels:
Adapting your channel marketing tactics to utilize social media is a timely and relevant strategy with tangible results. You can use social media marketing to create deeper connections with your target partners. Suit your marketing strategy using this channel based on the specific language and preference of the MSP. IT vendors can easily and actively promote their brands or solutions through social campaigns. It allows them to engage with their potential MSP partner on a more personal level as well.
The MSP environment is a competitive one. Thus, you can’t just wait around for your potential MSP partner to find you. IT vendors must not just rely on their online content or posts as well as in-person or store ads. Using email marketing is one of the proven and tested marketing channel strategies today. Mail-based channels allow IT vendors to send messages as well as nurture and maintain relationships with partners. You do this through ongoing, consistent, and valuable interactions. However, this marketing channel strategy takes time to build trust and brand awareness in the MSP ecosystem.
Even with the modern MSP communities, the traditional marketing channel strategy options are still proven effective. Retail and eCommerce have been across industries for decades now. Retail includes creating a website or opening a local physical location where your products and services are available. IT vendors use eCommerce to market their solutions or programs due to the nature of their products.
This option is an upgrade to your marketing channel strategy especially if you want to focus on brand awareness. It is quite effective especially if you are new to your niche or industry. You can work with marketing affiliates or PR partners that will work on putting your brand out there. Secure media coverage using numerous channels to drive attention towards your IT company. Build your brand in the right MSP community and reach your intended target right away.
Factors in the Selection of Marketing Channels
So, which marketing channels are the right ones with the most impact on your IT business in the MSP community? Your strategy in choosing the right marketing channel is to first consider numerous factors. For instance, look into the competitive niche or environment that you are in. Know your potential partners’ habits and how you can reach them effectively. Most importantly, make sure that you use the marketing channel strategy, which will make them heed your call to action.
Always remember that not all channels may be effective and relevant to every MSPs. Thus, social media marketing could be the best channel for one but email marketing is the right choice for another. IT vendors that only have minimal marketing resources to use should make a salient decision. Choose a channel that drives visible results to help you reach your goals.
Strategy #1 – Join an MSP Community
Marketing your IT solutions to quality MSP partners is a daunting task if you want tangible results. The good news is that you have numerous channels to use for your marketing strategy. One of them is joining an MSP community where you can find thousands of MSP partners today. By far, this is the top marketing channel strategy for IT vendors that are dealing with overflowing competitions. MSP communities allow you to find the right partners and initialize and strengthen your network. You can also get valuable insights from other vendors and MSPs with the goal of supporting fellow members.
Strategy #2 – Research the Competition
In-depth knowledge about your industry and whatever is happening in it should be your marketing channel strategy basis. Know what other IT vendors are up to with their ad strategies. Use this knowledge to bolster your success while learning from their mistakes.
Strategy #3 – Learn about Potential MSP Partners
Knowing your competition is only one part of a good marketing channel strategy. Your main focus should be your target market or potential MSP partners. Know and understand them so that you can come up with an effective and powerful marketing tactic. Know which of these marketing channels can expand and extend your reach as well as transform customer experience.
Strategy #4 – Customer-Centered Strategy
With comprehensive knowledge of your competition and target market, strategically choose a channel focusing on the latter. Match the needs of your possible MSP partner to your marketing channel strategy. Your marketing channel should not only ensure customer conversation but also highly your brand experience.
Final Thought
Mastery of the numerous marketing channel strategy is the key to a successful partnership between IT vendors and MSPs. However, before this can happen, it is important that you know the fundamentals of channel strategy. Understand the changing journey and needs of your target MSP market. Use the channel strategy that will help you actively find and connect with them. Join the ForzaDash community to utilize their free tools in boosting your marketing campaign in one of the biggest MSP ecosystems today!
