Executive Summary Companies that sell their products and services through resellers, dealers, distributors and other channel partnerships know that the lifeblood of their sales and profits rests on the quality of their channel relationships. Yet, due in large part to the complexity of their distributor networks, traditional marketing automation software has not provided these companies with the benefits enjoyed by other marketing and sales organizations. Until now. A new breed of marketing automation software that combines the best features of asset management, marketing automation functionality and Sales Enablement capabilities is emerging, specifically to address the challenges of channel partnerships. We call it Channel Marketing Automation. This How-To Guide is designed to help companies with reseller, dealer and distributor networks to empower their channel partners with the tools, information and technology they need for revenue growth and profitability by using Channel Marketing Automation. This 6-page guide includes the following sections: What is Channel Marketing Automation? Channel Marketing Automation Benefits Best Practices for Channel Marketing Automation Vendor Selection Criteria To read the full guide, join us as a member at http://www.demandmetric.com/user/register

1. How-To Guide
Channel Marketing Automation:
Empowering Your Channel Partners for Profitability and Purpose
By Clare Price, VP of Research
February 2014
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Companies that sell their products and services through resellers, dealers,
distributors and other channel partnerships know that the lifeblood of
their sales and profits rests on the quality of their channel relationships.
Yet, due in large part to the complexity of their distributor networks,
traditional marketing automation software has not provided these
companies with the benefits enjoyed by other marketing and sales
organizations. Until now.
A new breed of marketing automation software that combines the best
features of asset management, marketing automation functionality and
Sales Enablement capabilities is emerging, specifically to address the
challenges of channel partnerships. We call it Channel Marketing
Automation.
This How-To Guide is designed to help companies with reseller, dealer
and distributor networks to empower their channel partners with the tools,
information and technology they need for revenue growth and
profitability by using Channel Marketing Automation.
© 2014 Demand Metric Research Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

2. How-To Guide
WHAT IS CHANNEL MARKETING AUTOMATION?
At Demand Metric, we define Channel Marketing Automation as the
strategies, technologies, tools and best practices used to optimize channel
partnerships for better performance and profitability.
Channel Marketing Automation goes beyond traditional marketing
automation known for lead generation, nurturing and scoring to include
asset management and Sales Enablement functions. This integrated asset,
automation and enablement system approach allows companies to
maintain control over their brand while providing maximum marketing
and sales support and flexibility to their channel partners.
CHANNEL MARKETING AUTOMATION BENEFITS
Channel Marketing Automation offers the following benefits to your
organization’s channel partners:
 Improves partner engagement by automating marketing tasks,
giving them the right marketing and sales materials to present your
products and services to their customers.
 Maintains corporate brand integrity across multiple channel
partners while giving partners the flexibility to personalize their
content and sales materials.
 Accelerates content marketing and delivery with a fully automated
asset management system.
 Empowers channel sales teams by directly connecting them to the
marketing materials they need, exactly when they need them.
 Creates channel incentives through multi-tiered marketing and
sales automation.
 Increases channel demand generation by automating your partners’
lead generation, scoring and nurturing programs for them, giving
them more time to sell for you.
 Generates and tracks partner leads to avoid channel conflict and
evaluate the strength of your channel.
© 2014 Demand Metric Research Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

3. How-To Guide
 Enhances your channel partners social sharing and influence
marketing with social media syndication tools.
 Increases visibility and insight into channel partners’ performance.
 Measures activity and results so you know what campaigns are
working and why.
BEST PRACTICES FOR CHANNEL MARKETING
AUTOMATION
Demand Metric recommends six best practices to ensure success in
developing a Channel Marketing Automation program:
1. Profile. Create a profile or persona that represents each distinct
type of channel partner. Focus on the business success criteria of
your channel. Do you know what makes them successful? How do
they run their business? What are their key challenges and
obstacles? The better you know your channel partners and their
business, the better your Channel Marketing Automation strategy
will be.
2. Engage. We recommend two best practice steps for engaging
channel partners here. The first is to invite some of your top
channel partners, those who are already your best ambassadors and
top performers, to help craft your channel marketing strategy. This
assures that your strategy is developed with partner needs at the
forefront. The second step is to engage your entire network with
communication and connection. Share your Channel Marketing
Automation plans, in detail, with all your partners as soon as
possible, giving them time to prepare and setting the stage for the
education phase.
3. Educate. Develop a detailed education and roll out plan for your
entire channel. Channel partners will undoubtedly have varying
degrees of technology skill and knowledge. A solid education plan
that explains the new marketing automation system, showcases the
benefits and provides step-by-step instruction on usage will ensure
your Channel Marketing Automation investment provides a solid
ROI.
© 2014 Demand Metric Research Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

4. How-To Guide
4. Empower. Make sure that your channel partners have the
knowledge, skills and tools to use the Channel Marketing
Automation system effectively. Provide exact details on the kinds
of tools, people talent and business/technology infrastructure each
partner-company needs to have in-house to make the most of the
new system.
5. Incentivize. Provide incentives to use the system through rewards,
rebates or cash incentives. If you want to go a step further, add
Gamification features to your system to increase participation.
6. Measure. Make sure metrics are in place to track the success
and/or potential challenges of your channel partners. Your
Channel Marketing Automation vendor should have a set of
metrics built into their solution. These may require customization
for your channel.
VENDOR SELECTION CRITERIA
Look for the following features and functions when selecting a vendor for
your Channel Marketing Automation solution:
 Asset Management. Unlike traditional marketing automation,
which focuses on demand generation, Channel Marketing
Automation requires corporate brand integrity be protected and
maintained as it is distributed through the channel. Asset
management features like user-access controls, customizable
template libraries, on-demand access to marketing and sales
materials and flexible on and off-line printing options protect your
brand and drive channel sales.
 Lead Generation. Your vendor should support the primary
features of a solid marketing automation system including lead
generation, scoring and nurturing.
 Lead Management. Your vendors’ solution should include
features like lead distribution and registration to help avoid
channel conflict and manage leads effectively.
© 2014 Demand Metric Research Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

5. How-To Guide
 Campaign Management. Your Channel Marketing Automation
system must enable partners to develop, schedule and send
campaigns based on general interest as well as specific
engagement behaviors. Integrating multi-tiered marketing and
sales campaigns into your strategy will give your partners more
options and flexibility.
 Sales Enablement. Features such as mobile presentation apps,
sales portals and sales playbooks will make your partners’ sales
team more effective. Vendors that integrate Sales Enablement
features into their Channel Marketing Automation solutions
provide the best of both worlds – marketing and sales.
 Analytics. Your vendor should provide a core set of metrics and
measurements that provide you with insights into how your
channel is performing against leads provided. Look for a vendor
that offers an intuitive analytics dashboard for visibility,
performance data capture for review and program refinement.
Your vendor’s metrics should enable you to easily track your
partners’ activities and level of engagement. Metrics that also track
collateral effectiveness, which marketing and sales materials are
working best for engagement and conversion, are key to effective
asset management.
ACTION PLAN
1. Evaluate and profile your channel partners to assess their level
of preparedness for a Channel Marketing Automation Initiative.
2. Create a Partner Council of your strongest and highest
performing channel partners to help develop your Channel
Marketing Automation strategy and roll out plan.
3. Use the Vendor Selection Criteria listed above to evaluate
potential Channel Marketing Automation Vendors.
4. Use our Marketing Channel Ranking Tool to help you evaluate
marketing campaigns that will work best for your channel
partners.
© 2014 Demand Metric Research Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

6. How-To Guide
5. Develop your plan with your Partner Council and vendor
partner and use our best practice steps to launch your new
Channel Marketing Automation initiative.
BOTTOM LINE
Your Channel and Distribution Partners are the lifeblood of your
revenues and profits. A new breed of marketing automation software
that combines the best features of asset management, marketing
automation functionality and Sales Enablement capabilities is emerging;
specifically to address the challenges of channel partnerships. Ensure the
success of your channel by investing in a Channel Marketing Automation
solution.
ABOUT THE RESEARCH ANALYST
Clare Price is a Research Director who covers marketing
strategy, strategic communications, sales enablement and
marketing technology. Clare is a former Research Director at
Gartner Group and helped build their Internet Strategies
Services with clients such as Microsoft, IBM, HP, Cisco,
Proctor & Gamble and Wells Fargo.
Her specialties include: brand strategy, brand development,
customer acquisition and relationship development, content and
digital marketing strategy and social media marketing.
ABOUT THE SPONSOR
Mindmatrix is a cutting-edge marketing automation and sales enablement company. Our
platform incorporates all the functions and metrics essential to your sales and marketing
departments into a single software package.
Mindmatrix’s marketing automation platform will help you generate leads, cultivate interest
and excitement about your organization, and ultimately… close sales. From the initial contact
with a potential customer all the way through to their first purchase, and beyond, we have your
sales and marketing teams covered.
© 2014 Demand Metric Research Corporation. All Rights Reserved.