Jul/Aug 19 - ChannelVision Magazine

Seven out of 10 respondents, mean- while, now include co-branded collater- als in their outreach mix. The increasing importance of con- tent marketing, digital or otherwise, also is quantified in the importance channel executive are placing in partner usage of co-op/MDF dollars. “While uptake among resellers is still fairly limited, brands are pushing incentive programs featuring branded digital content to engage consum- ers – and measuring which resellers stack up,” said the 360Insight survey. Not so surprisingly, respondents cited email (83 percent) and events (78 percent) as the tactics they spon- sor most frequently. But when it comes specifically to ROI, “respondents ranked an equal blend of digital and traditional methods at the top of their lists,” said 360Insight researchers. This can be seen in usage figures, as well, where equal numbers utilize direct mail and social syndication (59 percent), while both video and print advertising are used by 51 percent of respondents. As might be expected during any period of transformation, there ap- pears to be some confusion among respondents when asked about their forward-looking metrics, note 360In- sight researchers. Nearly 60 percent of respondents claim half or more of their metrics are forward looking, yet only a third claimed they could highly predict program outcomes on an annual basis. Less than half (44 percent) said their revenue outlook a year out was highly predictable, while only 42 percent said the same for quarterly forecasts and just 19 percent for monthly forecasts. “These results suggest that many brands are still learning what can be derived from forecasting – and when,” concluded the study. Perhaps this lack of clarity partly explains the increased usage of non- revenue-based KPIs among channel managers. After all, revenue numbers certainly illuminate how a program is doing but don’t necessary indicate how a program will do down the road. o channel management Top Non-Revenue KPI Scoring Usage Among Adopters Engagement 67% Co-op/MDF usage 60% Pipeline size 53% Pipeline growth 53% Customer satisfaction 47% Deal registration 40% Margins 40% Enablement/Certification 40% Renewal rates 33% New logos sold 33% Program participation rate 33% Sales resources utilization 33% Demos 33% Source: 360Insights Top Sponsored Marketing Tactics in Channel Email 83% Events 78% Co-branded collaterals 71% Direct mail 59% Social syndication 59% Website development 54% Print advertising 51% Video 51% Display advertising 51% Content syndication 46% Search advertising 46% Microsites 44% Retargeting 34% Source: 360Insights Source: IDG, Mase Traffic Analysis of E-commerce Portals Source: Radware Challenges Source: IDG, Mas Source: Radware How accurately are you able to predict future channel program performance? Source: 360Insight 0 25 50 75 100 1.5% 83.9% 14.6% 25.1% 70.3% 4.6% 34.0% 58.6% 7.5% 0.8% 99.0% 0.3% 9.5% 86.0% 4.4% Home Page Category Pages Product Pages Login Pages Search Pages Good Bots Generic Humans Bad Bots 22% 53% 25% 14% 56% 28% 19% 47% 33% 0 25 50 75 100 Monthly Quarterly Annually Unpredictable Hit or Miss Highly Predictable Your current IT staffi (level of ongoing s Existing relations Anticipa of i Concerns about Lack of int 49 July - August, 2019 | Channel Vision