TO, THROUGH AND TOGETHER: HOW MARKETING ADDS SIGNIFICANT VALUE

Mention marketing and it’s highly likely that first thoughts centre on rather generic aspects such as advertising, PR, and generally creatively angled communications. Mention marketing to Exclusive Networks’ marketing director, Jennie Rogers, and whilst in her unassuming words it may not be “rocket science”, there is certainly a lot more science than art these days, especially when it comes to the value partners can tap into to boost their business prospects and pipeline.

There are, according to Jennie, two fundamental elements to marketing at Exclusive Networks referred to as ‘to’ and ‘through’, with both subject to the same rigourous planning and execution. “We have a clear duty as a business to ensure our partners are up to speed with all that is happening within Exclusive Networks and with our vendors in order that they are passing on best advice and knowledge to their customers. However, at the heart of everything is ‘knowing your customer’ and having an understanding of their needs, both as a business and the people within it, so that we are relevant and can deliver value.” The marketing team is closely aligned to others at Exclusive Networks, unsurprisingly the closest relationships are with the sales and vendor alliances teams. Responsibilities are split between vendor marketing where campaigns are targeted to current partners and potential new ones and brand marketing that informs and updates all partners of services, programmes, events and developments at Exclusive Networks. “All campaigns have clear objectives and strategies and when marketing to our partners it is vital for us to know their preferences and interests. Being relevant is critical if we are to have true value” added Jennie. An array of sophisticated tools to implement campaigns are the backbone of both sides of the marketing team. Communicating in a smarter, more intelligent manner is an ongoing process. We need tools that allow us to efficiently capture their needs and preferences and share information across sales and marketing, allowing us to accurately plan and execute campaigns, all so we are co-ordinated and joined up in our communications and messages to partners.”

As well as keeping partners abreast of all relevant events, promotions and programmes – whether Exclusive Networks or vendor – the true value marketing can have for partners is when joint campaigns are planned to help boost and build the partners own customer relationships. The ‘through’ side of the team’s responsibility is geared to supporting partners in their business goals. Many partners access this valued service and those who are most committed value marketing as much as other services like technical, finance and professional managed ones. “We’ll have a clear objective at the outset of any joint campaign, we don’t do ‘off-the-shelf’, we sit with and get to understand the needs of the partner and then plan accordingly. Whether it’s generating new customer leads from a specific sector with a particular vendor or technology, or deepening relationships with existing customers, the plan is clear from the outset so all the teams, here at Exclusive, the partner and the vendor, are aligned and clear on responsibilities.” Once signed-off the campaign starts to roll out and involves the most appropriate blend of activities from the marketing arsenal – telemarketing, direct mail, advertising, email, digital and social elements, live events or online webinars – that will deliver the desired results. Campaigns are geared to engaging a partner with more customers, “partners trust the process to deliver results that are specific to them. Everything is closed loop meaning everything is measured and effectiveness assessed. We can change tack if needed or continue to execute if all is going well”. By working together partners are enabled to extend their reach and presence in their specific markets, where leads and interest is generated and worked by all according to the initial plan. “We look to help build our partners’ presence and capabilities in their markets and create a pipeline of incremental business to work. The latter is ultimately the acid test as it is the true measure of return and shows the marketing investment pays off. Our partner marketing programmes have generated many thousands of leads over the years and currently there are over 200 live projects in a pipeline of potential business valued somewhere in excess of £8m.” That’s a lot of potential incremental business that would not necessarily have been visible without access to ‘the marketing science’ only Exclusive Networks provides to partners.

To find out more about how to benefit from value added marketing services simply get in touch and start the conversation.

CALL YOUR ACCOUNT MANAGER OR EMAIL ACCELERATEDMARKETING@EXCLUSIVE-NETWORKS.COM