How well have you planned your content distribution on partner sites to help buyers?
You have to fish where the fish are and often it is at another company’s website. Providers need to make their content available that matches the buyer’s steps at their partner’s websites. If planning has been applied that involves distribution and measurement, providers can collect solid data on the value of that partner site, messaging traction and the performance of their content.
Do Not Confuse Brand Value With Buyer Value
Companies really should focus on being partners when it benefits a common set of buyers. Too many times, providers join up because of the brands involved, but the result is little added value to the buyers. This can be expensive and shows a lack of buyer consideration by both companies. The worst part of this is the energy could have been directed at a better partner opportunity that helps buyers progress.
You Have to Own Demand Creation
I have been in too many meetings where the provider confused their role with what the distribution partner is willing to do. Companies sometimes rely on their distribution partners as their core strategy with little demand creation. Those conversations still make my head spin. It is up to the provider and their marketing team to create demand for their products and content. Setting up camp with a partner and thinking they will always be pushing your solutions is folly. It takes strong demand on the provider’s part and that is why the provider must choose partners carefully. For instance, channel partners enjoy product agnosticism which makes it is easy to replace a provider who does not create demand.
Business Content is Similar to CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods)
If you had a CPG offering, it is pretty much table stakes that you constantly improve. Consider your content in the same manner to constantly raise your game to get the buyer what they need at the right time of impulse consumption. If you had a CPG product, you would be concerned about product, price, placement and promotion. In the case of content, I would equate Price to Time. Buyers are time-starved and at certain points in their process, the content can chew up valuable time if content is weak. A poor use of time comes at a price to the buyer and adds cost to their perception of the brand.
