Turnkey Marketing May Increase Participation

As seasoned marketing professionals, we often develop, plan, and program amazing new marketing programs and technology solutions aimed at meeting every single need that has ever been verbalized as a pain point. There is no doubt that technology bridges the gap between marketing and sales, but do we overcomplicate it to the extent that the channel partner (often the local small business owner) doesn’t adapt to using it? By some estimates, over 50 percent of funds allocated to channel partners go unused, which is surprising in today’s budget-conscious economy.

For sure, today’s marketers need a technological stack of tools to deliver better leads, which in turn help the sales team close more deals. If you have ever launched a co-op marketing program that seemed easy to participate in, then wondered why your channel partners didn’t immediately jump at the opportunity to order advertising and marketing materials, you are not alone. Many national brands offer to share marketing investment with their channel partners, yet the actual usage of the co-op funds earned is often low. Why are co-op funds being left on the table?

Sometimes simple is better, and a geographically-customized turnkey marketing program that bundles marketing solutions together can lead to greater field marketing participation.

Our company is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, and we have decades of experience in field marketing. For some companies, the right solution to keep local partners engaged and increase field participation is to strategically bundle marketing tactics together and as a result, simplify. Using your company’s co-op program to execute advertising programs with a turnkey package solution may increase participation in your field program. The turnkey concept lets the channel partner decide how much to invest in a marketing package, yet leaves the media mix up to the marketing team.

Strategic America has a solution. Metis is our proprietary order site platform that can be customized for your company’s turnkey marketing program. It’s a powerful tool that our team uses to strategically set up multiple turnkey options that fit as many geographical areas as needed. And while you’re simplifying with this turnkey solution, we can implement a cross-channel media mix that fits different geographies.

Field marketing doesn’t need to be complicated. But it does need to provide effective solutions for you and your channel partners.