Written by Tom Wycks

Delivery Director

In his latest insight piece Tom discusses the importance of adopting an ‘always generating demand strategy’

In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, the partner marketing space has evolved significantly. With the ever-increasing competition for audience attention and loyalty, traditional marketing strategies are often no longer sufficient to sustain and grow a business. This is where ‘always generating demand’ marketing steps in, offering a constant drumbeat of activity that is hyper-targeted, spanning multiple touch-points and platforms, diverse content types, traceable activities, personalisation, and automation. In this blog post, we will delve into the benefits of ‘always generating demand’ marketing in the partner marketing space, exploring how it fosters relationships, personalises content delivery, and ultimately leads to higher sales conversions. 

One of the fundamental benefits of always generating demand activity in partner marketing is the establishment of a constant drumbeat of activity. This continuous presence in the digital sphere keeps your brand top-of-mind for your target audience. 

According to a study by the Content Marketing Institute, businesses that publish consistent content are likely to experience 30% higher growth rates in their audience engagement. This consistency, coupled with relevant and timely content, can significantly boost your brand’s visibility and trustworthiness among partners and customers alike. 

Always generating demand marketing doesn’t rely on a single channel or platform. Instead, it embraces the multifaceted nature of today’s digital landscape by engaging with partners and customers across various touchpoints, such as social media, email, webinars, display banners, and more.

By maintaining a presence on multiple platforms, you increase your chances of reaching potential partners where they are most active. This approach can lead to more significant brand exposure and an expanded partner network.

The digital world is incredibly diverse, and people have varying preferences when it comes to content consumption. Always generating demand activity recognises this and incorporates multiple content types, such as blog posts, videos, infographics, podcasts, and webinars.

By offering a variety of content formats, you can cater to different learning styles and interests within your partner audience. According to the Foundry, in a recent report called “Role & Influence of the Technology Decision-Maker 2022”, the number of decision makers in the buying process has swelled from 16 in 2017 to 20. This expansion comes with new persona preferences on messaging, content type and go – to platforms.

One of the significant advantages of digital marketing is the ability to track and measure every aspect of your marketing efforts. Always generating demand activity takes full advantage of this by providing traceable activity data. 

By leveraging analytics tools and key performance indicators (KPIs), you gain insights into what works and what doesn’t in your partner marketing campaigns. This data-driven approach allows you to fine-tune your strategies, allocating resources to the most effective activities and optimise your ROI. 

A study by Demand Metric found that 65% of companies with reliable tracking and analytics processes have a more effective marketing strategy. Always generating demand’s emphasis on traceable activity ensures that your partner marketing efforts are more impactful and efficiently delivered. 

In the partner marketing space, trust is paramount; it is the foundation that allows successful partnerships to grow. Always generating demand activity fosters relationships by providing constant reaffirmation of your partnership expertise and value proposition.

According to Edelman’s Trust Barometer, 81% of consumers say that they need to trust the brand to buy from them. By consistently delivering valuable content and engagement, you build trust with partners over time.

Personalisation is a key driver of customer and partner engagement. Always generating demand marketing excels in delivering more personalised content by utilising the data and automation to trigger messages at the tight time. 

Jay McBain from Canalys put it perfectly when he said, “Every partner individual walks through the same front door and then requires a hyper-personalised experience with a digital concierge that moves​ them to the right rooms.” 

Partners or customers are more likely to engage when they receive content that is timely and directly addresses their needs or interests. Using the significant data available to us from our always generating demand activity, we can create a customised partner journey that is tailored to them. 

Automation is the backbone of an always generating demand strategy. It ensures that marketing activities happen in the background. Automation tools can schedule social media posts, send personalised emails, and trigger responses based on user behaviour. 

According to a report by McKinsey, marketing automation can lead to a 15-20% increase in sales productivity. By automating routine tasks, your team can focus on strategic initiatives and building relationships with partners. This efficiency and scalability are essential for thriving in the fast-paced partner marketing space. 

Always generating demand isn’t just about maintaining a constant presence—it’s also about staying up to date with partner needs and market trends. By continuously monitoring partner or customer interactions and changes to the industry, you gain a better understanding of the landscape. When compared to a broadcast message, it is agile and reactive to evolving needs. 

A study by Salesforce found that 67% of marketing leaders use data-driven marketing to gain a competitive edge in the market. Armed with this knowledge, you can tailor your messages and offerings to match partner expectations, resulting in higher sales conversions and increased revenue. 

Being “front of mind” for your partners and customers is a powerful position to hold. Always-On Marketing ensures that your brand is consistently on partners’ radars, which can lead to more sales, especially those of high-value products or services. 

A study by Harvard Business Review revealed that businesses that maintained a strong presence in their industry experienced a 6% higher share of wallet from their customers. By extension, this concept applies to partners as well. When partners perceive your brand as the first choice for collaboration, they are more likely to prioritise your offerings and contribute to your revenue growth. 

We recognise the typical structure of Market Development Funds (MDF) do not always allow for long term investment and are focused on shorter 12-week cycles. We are confident that the positive results demonstrated in each cycle will encourage the ongoing investment.  

Our approach centres around building and maintaining momentum, utilising new funds strategically, and emphasising the tangible return on investment (ROI) generated by always generating demand. We want to move away from a stop start campaign and build on our activities. Many of our clients are buying into this way of working, seeing the results, and making ongoing investment a must. 

Always generating demand marketing in the partner marketing space offers a multitude of benefits that can transform your approach to engagement and sales. By providing a constant drumbeat of activity, spanning multiple touch-points, offering diverse content types, enabling traceable activity, building trust through constant reaffirmation, delivering personalised content, leveraging automation, and staying up to date with partner needs, your business can achieve higher sales conversions and maintain a more engaged front-of-mind position within your partner and customer’s network. 

In today’s digital age, where competition is fierce, staying relevant and valuable to your partners is essential. Adopting an always generating demand strategy equips you with the tools and strategies to not only survive but thrive in the dynamic partner marketing space. Embrace this approach, and you’ll be on your way to building stronger relationships, increasing sales, and securing your place as a trusted partner in your industry.