We were chatterboxes this past year — and for good reason. We had a lot to share. Let’s take a look at the most popular posts of 2018 in a good old-fashioned top ten countdown:
10) Inside Zift Q&A: Meet Krista Fuller and Her Passion for Product Marketing
We talked to VP of Product Marketing Krista Fuller about her vision for Zift and Product Marketing into 2019. She had a lot to say on both topics as well as her love for working with channel professionals:
“That’s one of the parts of the channel I like best: People invested in the channel, like my fellow Zifters, tend to work well with others. Whether it’s nature or nurtured by industry, people in the channel are very good at networking. Channel programs do a lot with a little, so it makes sense that the people behind them are good at connecting the networking dots to get what needs to be done, done.”
9) What the Channel Can Learn from Veterans
For Veteran’s Day, we turned to Sales Director and Vet Sean Lardo, who offered some insight on how companies like TrainOurTroops are helping veterans gain a foothold in the civilian marketplace — and what assets vets bring to the channel. “Soldiers think differently. We’re five steps ahead. We know 100 percent of every plan fails. And we know how to prepare for every variability. This mindset, which comes from serious training and experience, can be an incredible asset (particularly in the channel). It can also be tough to translate into a civilian career.”
Our coverage of the SiriusDecisions Summit back in May was a big hit. Between Lisa Hyatt’s fun coverage of “cigars, a broken toe, and a dance-off to some Michael Jackson jams with a total stranger,” there were some serious insights on Zift’s presence at the Summit, emerging channel trends, and our run-ins with channel friends new and old.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is firmly in place now, but earlier this year, there was panic among those affected by the ruling as they got their houses in order for total compliance. Cameron Sutton wrote a short and sweet summary of what GDPR means in layman’s terms, and defined some head-scratching terms like “right to be forgotten” and “personal data.”
6) Pamper Your Partners by Putting Them First
Keeping partners happy doesn’t mean funding a spa trip. You can soothe stresses just as easily by taking some of the ideas in this blog and running with it. The most important take-home? “One of the toughest aspects of managing a channel marketing program is trying to keep partners happy and engaged. Putting partners first is one of the best decisions you can make for your program. However, it’s easy to misinterpret what your partners are asking for and replace it with what you think partners are asking for.” Read the article for more specific ideas for cultivating partner zen.
5) When Trucking Meets B2B Marketing
“Powerful mythology surrounds truckers and the trucking imagery in general.” So when our longtime customer Mack Trucks started tapping into the imagery in trucking through a modern B2B campaign series involving an interactive experience, we sat up and paid attention. B2B marketing can be modern and slick while still staying true to their industry — learn how in the blog.
4) The Importance of Providing Partners with Relevant, Engaging Content
“The purpose of content is engagement.” True, right? It’s a little more complicated than that, though: There is a difference between available content and the content partners want to engage customers. Cameron Avery offers his insight on balancing the line between a thoughtful, authentic and relevant piece of content and sales-focused content that often ends up lying on the wayside.
3) Don’t Just Take Our Word for It
Zift CEO Gordon Rapkin wrote this blog when Zift was recognized as a Leader in both The Forrester Wave™: Partner Relationship Management, Q4 2018 and The Forrester Wave™: Through-Channel Marketing Automation, Q2 2018.
And while everyone does stop to listen when Gordon steps to the mic, even industry analysts agree, “Zift is the only channel technology provider recognized as a Leader in both PRM and TCMA — and capable of delivering end-to-end Enterprise Channel Management.” Read the full blog to find out how Zift does more for channel organizations than anyone else.
2) How Zift Became the Global ChanTech Standout: What’s Next and What’s In It For You
Gordon Rapkin’s blog posts both rated big this year. His summary of our 2017 accomplishments and Zift’s roadmap for the year ahead got the second-most page views for our blog this year. 2018 has turned out to be a huge year for Zift in terms of what we’ve accomplished, as you can see from the other blog posts on this list and from our press releases. As he says in the blog, “we’re far from done.”
And the number one blog post for 2018 is… (drumroll, please)
1) Rules of Engagement: Getting and Keeping Partners Engaged
This blog, with its focus on offering simple tips to increase partner engagement, wins the prestigious title of 2018’s Most Viewed Channel Chatter Post. It’s a small but mighty post, packed with tips for better partner engagement such as: “Encourage engagement with incentives for each tier of partners — whether they’re top performers or only occasionally make use of your collateral.”
Keep up with Channel Chatter and discover your favorites as they’re published. We’ve got a ton of great posts waiting for you. Here’s to the top Channel Chatter posts of 2019!
