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The Partner marketing programs are also expanding to give support to relationships with new categories of partners. “I think that our worlds are now coming together,” says Liz Fuller from Citrix. “Customers are really demanding it. I cannot begin to imagine being a customer and then saying, ‘I understand everything that I need to possibly address every single pain point.’ It is our job to do that, and that is where partners really come in.”

Virtual events must evolve

The shutdowns that occurred in the year 2020 have shifted a lot of marketing activity to digital channels. In events perhaps even more than any other tactic. But ramping up the virtual events capabilities carried its own set of challenges for the partner marketing community. Fortunately, there were some of the silver linings. Early on, customers were all flooded with a range of virtual events to select from. And much of the exhibitor messaging all sounded the same. Recognizing this as a problem, the savvy partner marketing teams then saw an opportunity for them to start a collaboration with their alliance partners. Just to develop truly differentiated and an unified value propositions to help better serve the needs of their constituencies.

Although we are currently beginning to see a revival of in-person events for this 2021. Panelists anticipate a hybrid model that will develop with a mix of digital and in-person activities. Thus offering the audiences more flexibility to learn and also to engage as they prefer.

“Going forward, even if we are having an in-person event. We will still want to reach out to all of those customers and those partners that are all around the world. So, this hybrid engagement will be a very critical piece of our own strategy,” notes NVIDIA’s Robin Wolf.

The fundamentals of successful partnerships still remain a constant
Despite the plenty adjustments that was made across partner marketing practices in the past year, the key elements of a strong, successful partnerships that still remains essential to success, including:

1. You and your partners must know what your goals are individually, but you must also explicitly identify where you can complement each other. Be very clear with your partners about what you want to achieve together, also how you will want to do it and how you will resolve any differences.
2. Trust. Your partner must know and be pretty sure that they can rely on you. Build a comprehensive strategy and a plan, set your expectations and then meet or exceed those goals that has been set down.
3. You and your partners have to work well together. This begins by jointly identifying and developing the strategies that will help you to reach your goals together. Share data and also use it collectively to inform the partnership and to also make educated decisions as a team.

Increasingly, the tech companies see the benefits of them partnering in their go-to-market strategies. The partnerships allow them to better pursue revenue opportunities and also to deliver solutions much more effectively for their clients. At the heart of many of these relationships there sits partner and the alliance marketing teams. Teams that are working hard just to develop their specialized programs that ensure success for all partners.

Naturally, the TechTarget has been strengthening its capabilities to be of support to our customers’ efforts in this area. As part of these their efforts, Michael Latchford, who is the VP of Strategic Alliances and Partner Marketing Services. Recently sat down with just three of the partner marketing executives – Kristin Heisner (Commvault), Liz Fuller (Citrix) and Robin Wolf (NVIDIA). Just to get their insights on how they are building the successful alliance strategies. Amid them facing a constantly changing landscape. Here we have some key themes from their discussion.

There is power in supporting your partners’ digital marketing needs

For all the three panelists, one of their teams’ first priorities early in the year 2020. When all-the digital interaction all of a sudden became a “thing” – was to simply determine how they could have continuity in scaling their programs. To give and effective support to their partners. This grew to include everything from the setting up of a new resources to the providing additional education and the developing new go-to-market tools.

“One of the things that we heard very loud and clear from our partners was: ‘We are having one digital person. One. What then can we do? How can you help us?’” says Kristin Heisner of the Commvault. “So, for us all that meant really training them on our best practices even in a virtual environment.”

Their reinvigorated support, whatever its form, expands the core concept of partner marketing while staying laser-focused on the mission. To develop strong alliances in which all parties benefit. While all these new support resources will certainly evolve the moving forward. The panel members are all feeling that this focus on support will still remain strong.

Partner marketing’s organizational importance expands

All of the panelists report a strong program growth in the past year and also confidence. That this trend is not likely to slow. As expansion of the alliance partnerships within the tech industry is being driven largely by the customer demand. Partnering as a whole, and also the partner marketing teams that support it. Are all recognized as very vital to many tech organizations’ go-to-market strategy. They have become really essential to growth. As a result of this, we see many teams now investing more to help the partnerships succeed.

The E-commerce marketplace or also know as the online e-commerce marketing is a place or a website where you can find different brands of the products. Coming from multiple of vendors, shops or even person showcased on the same platform. This OmniChannel model has so far be proven to be one of the most profitable business in the web eCommerce

But for all of their advancements, the ecommerce marketplaces also has return us to principles that can predate the internet. The pioneers who have prophesied a radical shakeup of business ignored the complexities that is involved in transacting online. Across the multiple countries and the jurisdictions. The marketplaces cannot function without the intermediaries. They are needed to make the ecommerce fairer. To get a small “stall” noticed and to also make sure the payment and delivery happens between the parties and the countries.

Creating a Successful Customer Journey

The Omnichannel is the future of the retail and it is, by definition, an inclusive concept. Thus, well-frequented the ecommerce marketplaces are vying for the tenants. From the retailer’s perspective, what really matters is whether the platform, right. From the marketing concept to the crediting of the seller’s account to the shipping, is well constructed.

A key to this, regardless of how the marketplace’s size is, are processes that can facilitate the customer journey at every step of the way. From browsing to checkout to the delivery. Of course, the simpler and the smoother for the customer. The more complex it will be for the interaction between the retailer’s IT systems, the platform and the service providers.

Marketplaces and Payments

By the cooperation with a networked payment services provider (PSP), the smaller marketplaces can now offer the optimal choice of payment methods. Without them having to become a financial services provider or becoming a fintech or acquiring a banking license. In this division of labor, the software from the marketplace and the PSP interlock. For each of the connected retailer, the PSP maintains a separate ledger account. Where it has to match with the incoming payments and credit card authorizations from a wide variety of sources against the receivables. The PSP is also very able to divide a customer payment among several of the sellers.

This happens just behind the scenes, so regardless of how many of the sellers’ products they are selected and put into the shopping cart. The customer will just simply see a total price. Large marketplaces such as the Amazon set this up by themselves, but smaller marketplaces can work with a payment specialist to make it happen.

The key driver is the network effect. The Google and the Facebook understood early on that so many people appreciate just a single point of contact to find everything. And that model should work best if you make it easy for everybody to feel part of a community. Every of the new member of a community attracts others, and the web also expands organically. The ecommerce marketplaces are a very essential piece of this puzzle.

The ecommerce marketplaces illustration cart and the keyboard feature

In theory, it has never been easier to gain entry to ecommerce. Investments and the fixed costs are marginal because everything is now very much available “on demand” or “as a service.” Digitization even allows people now to run an online business right from their bedroom without even renting large warehouse space. Let alone them going into debt to build up an inventory.

The flip side of it is that an off-the-shelf ecommerce shop can just get lost in the online traffic. Without the marketplaces and the SEO knowledge, sellers have limited chances of an acceptable ranking in the search engine results. A single product that is in a single shop in the infinite expanse of the web is unlikely to be found very easily.

Those who are only just thinking of the ecommerce marketplaces of the major American and their Chinese operators. When they consider the global platform economy overlook opportunities this business model also offers a medium-sized and also smaller companies. Retailers or service providers whose offerings can complement each other can learn possibly from the big players. And then they can serve their customers better together rather than just independently. From close, the exclusive partnerships to a loose cooperation, there are still so many possibilities with an ecommerce marketplace.

The Market Place

The notion of a one-to-one marketing is a myth in most of the cases. Which is why the retailers are now benefiting so much from the ecommerce marketplace model. This not only delivers all of the infrastructure and the processes but a wide variety of customers as well. If a retailer’s products are set right and the prices are really competitive, there is a good chance of you piggybacking onto an established player.

What might something as this look like? A good example to explain with is a vertical marketplace. The basic principle works for all of thesectors in which a product has to be assembled or has to be installed by a craftsman. A bathroom specialist operating nationally or operating internationally. In cooperation with the local tilers and the installers might be a good candidate for this model.

Global Opportunities

An ecommerce marketplace offers merchants opportunities also to increase the cross-border sales. In Germany, for example, there are about 73 large and even small online marketplaces. Selling physical products, just according to the business information portal iBusiness. The UK, the France, the Spain and the Poland also have significant players. Alternative versions have also sprung up such as the classified ads and the community site Gumtree. Which was bought by the eBay in the year 2005 and has since expanded to the U.S., connecting the local buyers and the sellers all over the world.

Valassis also has recommended in the report that brands concentrate messaging on the “familiarity, the consistency, the reassurance and the authenticity.”​ Given that many consumers’ are lingering concerns about safety and their uneven optimism for the future.

According to the survey that was carried out, only 39% of the baby boomers believe that the life will “return to normal this year.” While about 55% of the millennials and about 59% of the millennial parents feel the same.

A key component of the ‘normal’ life is the indoor activities – many of which were just put on the hold. Or severely were restricted during the height of the pandemic. As the virus was believed to continue spreading more easily indoors than the outdoor.

With this in mind, just only 49% of the consumers that was surveyed in February and in March. That said they were comfortable shopping inside the stores. A figure that climbs only slightly to about 52% of those who are being vaccinated. The percentage then ticks up again slightly for the younger consumers with about 54% of millennials. Reporting that they are currently comfortable shopping inside and just 57% of parents who report the same.

Marketers should try and navigate this divide by them skipping frequent pre-pandemic refrains to the “visit now.” And instead they should remind consumers of the measures they are taking to make the shopping safer, Valassis recommends.

This also can be of great help instill or confirm their consumer trust, which is increasingly influential in the purchase decisions. The survey found out that 76% of the respondents. Agree that they are more likely to buy from a brand or from a store they trust compared to the 71% in 2019.

Focus on the positive

​Retailers and brands also should try and avoid fear-based marketing. And instead they should tailor messages to focus on the positive aspects of changes. That was adopted over the past year, the report adds.

For example, with almost the two-thirds of consumers are reporting that they are content with the staying at home more now. You should focus on how they can enjoy life at home rather than the potential fears associated with going out. And the increased risks of exposure to COVID, Valassis recommends.

The Divergent sentiment is also reflected in the spending intent across the categories. In most of the countries, consumers intend to continue shifting their spending to the essentials. While cutting back on most discretionary categories.

However, in China and in India, spending is now bouncing back beyond the grocery and the household supplies. The Chinese consumers plan to increase spending on their discretionary categories such as the travel and apparel. And suggesting that the country is further along the path to their recovery than other of the countries. In India, consumers have been reported of a higher intent to spend across the categories. As they prepare for an upcoming festivals (Diwali, for example) and the wedding season also, which runs from October to December.

As consumers around the globe are recently adjusting to the next normal. There is a significant variance in consumer sentiment and also the behaviors across countries.

Heading into the fall of the season, there is a renewed sense of caution as the coronavirus cases has soar in parts of the world. While the uncertainty from the COVID-19 has persisted throughout the globe. Its impact has been greatly felt differently across countries. As a result of this, there is significant variance in how the consumers respond to the crisis and how they adapt to the next normal.

About our surveys

While these themes was held true across the 45 countries we have also tracked through the crisis. We focus on a subset of the 13 core countries. That we had to select them because of their economic significance. And the impact that the COVID-19 has had on their populations.

Marketing strategies must have to shift as consumers are now becoming more price-sensitive now than pre-pandemic

While most of the consumers are cautiously optimistic that the life will return to normal this year after experiencing the coronavirus outbreak uprooted. Most aspects of peoples everyday life last year, many remain concerned about the long-term of economic impact of the pandemic. And are now more price-conscious. They are now elevating the importance of communicating deals, the values and benefits, according to new research that was carried out.

A survey of about 1,004 US adults that was conducted by marketing solutions company. The Vericast’s Valassis business and a third-party market research firm reveals that nearly three quarters of the consumers are saying that they increased their savings behaviors during the pandemic. And the 82% plan to continue these practices over the next year.

The Effect of Covid-19

Part of this shift has a reflects to the widespread job losses, the pay cuts, the furloughs and other of the negative financial impacts. That occurred early in the pandemic when the regional lockdown orders disrupted the economy at large. According to The Consumer Optimism Outlook, which revealed that about 49% of consumers said their household income was somewhat negatively impacted by the COVID-19 in 2020. And the “vast majority” of those that are expecting it to continue in 2021.

However, another of the savings driver was the forced closing of leisure activities and the concern for the economic outlook. Which could dissipate as an out-of-home entertainment and the activities resume over the course of this year, the report noted.

Regardless of the impetus for making savings, more consumers are very price-conscious now and it is worst than last year. According to the survey. It found about 31% on consumers that are considering themselves price-conscious. While shopping for consumer packaged goods and groceries for an increase from the rate of 23% in 2020.

Given that money will still continue to be tight for so many consumers and that financial scars will run deep. Researchers are recommending brands “communicate with deals, the bargains and the big benefits.” ​If they really want to successfully engage with the shoppers.

Be Social

Yes, the introverts, this includes you also. If you want your business to start succeeding, you need to be social. As a startup founder, you will need to be outgoing. You have to connect with people in person at the networking events and even online through your social media platforms.

Sometimes you would have already done your homework and you know the right people that you need to know. Fortunately, you would be ahead of a lot of people. And this is not to say that you should stop networking because your mom’s friend’s uncle’s sister-in-law knows someone that knows someone high up, you need to close that gap and continue meeting and also learning people, this will benefit you mainly in the long run.

If you do not, just keep going. Either way, you having the ability to form new relationships and to nurture and maintain the existing ones is essential for the vitality of your business.

Planning is Everything

Remember that planning is very essential? Well, I hope you know it is. We all are aware of how most things work out when there is no planning. There are always different issues that will present themselves. Sometimes they may be small, but also, there are times it is big, and really, do you care to even start risking that with your business?

The never-ending list of the extensional details must be accomplished before you can start the successful launch of a new business. You need to build a business plan, set goals, and do not skip steps because they are tedious. Strategic grunt work is really crucial and it is the needed step to get progress, but you will also be forced to select tasks for specialists as your business matures.

You’re Not Alone

And you need to remind yourself that. It is a little too easy for you to get sucked into the stress of being a startup founder. There will be your good days and even bad days, and to be honest with you, those bad days might just show up one after another, so it is essential for you to surround yourself with a proper support system. Whether it be your loved ones, your employees, and particularly other startup founders and like-minded professionals, listening to the advice they give and using them as a shoulder to lean on is not only just a good idea, but it is necessary.

And do not forget, you will need to check your ego at the door before you enter the world of startups.

You Can’t Do It All

Just because you would rather do it all by yourself does not mean you should. Do not take this the wrong way, everyone is not great at everything. You should focus your time and energy on your talents. The rest is where you can then ask for help. Finances are not many people’s strong traits, so you need to bring in an accountant. Be humble and ask for help when you know that you need it. Outsourcing can be an affordable way for you to manage tasks and delegate work.

Before you go and start hiring, do an analysis of how much time you will save by hiring a specialist and then calculate what you will earn with the time that has been liberated in your schedule.

Takeaway

If you only have to leave with just one thing after reading this article, it should be, do not give up. Ever. And also, plan. Plan so much that even your plan’s plan has a plan. You will thank us in the end… You’ve got this!

Now here we have something that will never fail us if it is done correctly, the email marketing. 80% of the small businesses rely on the email as their primary customer growth and their retention channel. But the critical advice that we cannot stress enough is for good email marketing. There are so many things that will make you to end up in spam, like the rest of them. For you to benefit from the email marketing, you want it to be personal, you should always have a CTA and make sure you have a click-worthy subject line.

When was the last time you took a look at your phone? Are you reading this blog on your phone right now? My point here is, we look at our phones a whole lot. Like, constantly! So SMS marketing is another good way that you can reach your consumers. But people’s phones are in their personal bubbles, so you have to be smart with getting permission, exclusive to the content that you are sending them, and also reaching out to them at the right time.

So, we have the social media, the email marketing and the SMS—this is one sturdy foundation for a marketing plan. But why not make it much stronger? We agree! Adding the customer reviews and the referrals are a great way for you to get a more prominent brand voice behind your company. And do not forget, that also goes for word of mouth too.

Start with Sales
I know, it sounds somehow silly. But, obviously, every startup founder that is here is to make that moola. This is just specifically about making that first sale of your goods or your services! The structure is just as important as your goals themselves. Set as many goals, the small and big, both matter as much as the other.

When anyone asks me questions like what specific goals should I set? I say SMART ones.

To make sure that your goals are clear and they are reachable, each one should be:

1. Specific (simple, sensible, significant)
2. Measurable (meaningful, motivating)
3. Achievable (agreed, attainable)
4. Relevant (reasonable, realistic and resourced, results-based)
5. Time-bound (time-based, time-limited, time/cost limited, timely, time-sensitive)

Clean Your Budget
Yes, I know I may be sounding as your mother, but it is time for you to clean your budget! The cleaner the budget, the better the chances of your success. Being organized with your finances, having a solid understanding of your taxes, and also setting a rainy day fund are all things that will make up a clean budget.

A common mistake that new business owners make is that as long as they can lay their hands on a big enough wad of money, they can just plop it into a business checking account, and it will surely satisfy all the expenses. This is so very wrong and it is far from being wise. If you are not an expert at budgeting, you will have to enlist the help of someone who is. It is crucial to have a super detailed budget before you even spend a single penny.

Not investing in your list

By you not investing in the upkeep of your list, it is possible for you to miss out on potential opportunities to connect with prospects or subscribers. This can look like not adding to your list when you are receiving new contacts or keeping bad contacts on your list.

The bounce rate and the spam score are also important metrics, especially because the email service providers look at them too. This reflects poorly on your business, so it is a good practice for you to evaluate your list regularly and to remove the inaccurate email addresses!

Not paying attention to details

Going on and on about the proofreading of your emails might sound like a broken record. But if we all are aware that it is something we should do, why do we still struggle with it so much at this time?

Take the extra time you have to pay attention to the details in your email, like your grammar and the links. It will show when you don’t! One of our favorites? When the preheader of your email still reads the: “view this email.” It proves that you did not care enough to dot your I’s and to also cross your T’s.

You need to have created an email checklist that you will walk through every single time right before you start pressing the send. It should cover the basics but also it should include a step to read the email out loud before you start sending it on its way. It is amazing the things you catch when you take the time to read it out loud!

Make it focused on you, and not your customer

This one is very true for any marketing tactic but shows up a lot in the emails. It is really easy to start every sentence with the “we” But instead, you should try to eliminate every mention of your company in the first sentence or your first paragraph. Make it more about your reader, and the difference will show in the content that you write!

You can start by reworking some of your sentences. Instead of the, “We are excited to celebrate the grand opening of our new space!” you can write “You are invited to a grand opening celebration!”

Doing this keeps your readers at the center of your communication and also shows them just how valuable they are to your business!

Not optimizing for mobile

Mobile is not just the future. It is simply the reality when it comes to your email marketing. Up to 70% of your readers are making use of the mobile device and will be reading your email on their mobile device. That means the mobile should be your primary focus when you are writing and designing your email.

At the very least, make sure that you are sending a test email to your phone before you start to hit send!

Not providing valuable content in your emails!

This final mistake to be made might be most costly in the long run. If your emails are not providing any valuable information that your readers want, you will struggle with your email marketing, no matter what your strategy! You should learn to add value to their lives with the content that you share and you will be on your way!

Begin with the strategy and start creating a plan that uses your emails to accomplish your marketing goals! Then be sure that your strategy helps you to avoid these common mistakes you might face with your lists, your designs, and your cadence.

Not personalizing your emails

On a similar note, it is a miss if you do not personalize your emails. If you have already segmented our lists and you have created them carefully, you will have some valuable information like your contacts’ first and the last names of your contacts. Why don’t you address the email to them?

In most of the email platforms, it is easy to add personalized fields like your contact’s first name. This personal touch gives them a sense of belonging, it shows that you care—and it will increases open rates.

It is also been shown that emails that comes with personalized subject lines are about 26% more likely to be opened than those without.

So it is not only for you to create a better experience for your subscribers, but you also increase the likelihood that they will read your content. This bus simply a win-win situation.

Sending too many emails

You do not want to be the LinkedIn of the year. By having avaliable a strategy and a written email calendar, you can now possibly navigate the emails that you send and you can make sure you are not overwhelming your prospects or your users with communication.

Plus, your marketing team might even not be the only one sending emails to your potential customers on a given day! What if they are also are receiving email communication from the sales or from your support team? This adds up and can even leave a bad taste in the mouths of your customers.

Pro Tip: Make sure that you think about any of your automated emails that a customer might be enrolled in, too. If they are receiving an automated welcome emails or a monthly newsletters, you will want to make sure that you track that on your calendar as well!

Not sending any emails

This is just the other side of the coin to the sending of too many emails. There is nothing worse than for you having a great email list and for you never communicating with them!

Not only does this decrease credibility if you ever have hope to email this list in the future, but you are also missing an opportunity for you to share valuable information with these subscribers. If you have created your list correctly, these people have simply opted in just to receiving communications from you! It is missing a valuable opportunity to start sharing insights and stories with them about your business and what you stand for.

Inconsistent email design

It is okay if your branding and your design have changed and have evolved over time. That is normal and probably that is a good thing! But it is a miss if you do not update that design in your emails. Especially when it comes to your automated emails! If you are simply sending emails on a consistent basis, you will want to use them as a tool that is an addition to your overall brand experience, not to detract from it.

Now go back to your long list of emails (planned and the automated) right from the first mistake and then make sure that the design is consistent! This does not mean that every email will look the same, but you just have to make sure that you don’t have an old company logo or outdated header!