I recall my days in the Microsoft Partner Program and the growing privacy restrictions that virtually choked direct communication from Microsoft to its customers.  For a while, if a customer opted-out of any of the multitude of Microsoft newsletters (and there were many), they were removed from all Microsoft newsletters and it was virtually impossible to get them back once they unsubscribed.  Phone communications were pretty much forbidden.  Any contact with customers was highly restricted by a multitude of privacy rules, standards and privacy laws – no wonder customers were feeling out of touch with Microsoft.  You may suffer this same confinement.

Typically managed from a revenue-generating sales division of a vendor organization, the partner channel is not just a revenue source, but also a safe haven for your customer communications.  They are often a welcomed touch by customers seeking local expertise and most importantly, much less restricted.

So how can you deliver messages through partners?  Make is super-duper-easy and relevant.  Partners are always looking for something to talk about with customers; so give them good, interesting and relevant content.  Assemble a flexible newsletter using syndicated content from a good technology news source.  (We tend to prefer Penton Media, they are among the largest and have a multitude of technology angles within their editorial.  They do a great job with custom editorial projects too).  This isn’t the only source, but it might help you get started.

Assemble the content into a predictable cadence and format.  E.g. “The first Monday of the month, we send our partners newsletter fodder…” and give partners simple ways to deliver.  Don’t ask them to spend much time and be prescriptive on how they can set it up on their own or how to blend it with their existing newsletter.  I like to ask partners to include 4 types of content:

• Personal connection to the customer (what is this email, and how is the sender connected to the recipient?  You are getting this because…)
• A technology pulse or trend that you update:  security watches, new technology available, new ways of using technology, new releases on the horizon
• Real-life example of how your clients are benefitting from your solutions - with permission of course
• Special deals of the month:  Where are the hot buys, special offers, etc.  You can find these on your favorite vendors’ web sites.  Don’t over engineer it, just copy and paste them in. 

Great content is really compelling to partners.  Use it as a way to help them be your safe haven for communications to customers.

Call us if you need any help.