AI in Channel Marketing: What You Need to Know
The world of channel marketing is on the cusp of a revolution, and the driving…
Evolving With the Ecosystem: Is With-Partner Marketing Up for the Challenge?
We often talk about to-partner marketing, where suppliers create materials and…
Partner Onboarding 101: Tips for Building Lasting Partnerships
Effective channel partner onboarding is the cornerstone of successful partnerships.…
7 Tips for a Successful Partner Ecosystem Strategy
Partner ecosystems are growing in popularity, with almost a third of total global…
5 Key Metrics for Effective Channel Partner Engagement
When it comes to channel business partnerships, success hinges on more than just…
Sharing is Caring: The Importance of Data-Driven Collaboration
In our engagements, we often see vendors missing a critical boat: They don’t share…
How Building Materials Companies can Maximize the ROI of their Marketing Programs
In the building materials industry, marketing is critical for generating brand…
5 Keys for Building Materials Manufacturers to Build Partnerships and Maximize Sales
Maximizing Sales Through Distributors In order to be successful in the building…
How Artificial Intelligence (AI) Has Changed Channel Marketing in 2023
Marketing, and by extension channel marketing, has undergone a radical…
3 Channel Marketing Mistakes Building Material Manufacturing Companies Make and How to Avoid Them
You have a good product, but your sales aren’t growing. You are calling on the…
Breaking Ground: Launching Disruptive Products in the Building Material Manufacturing Industry
Creating a truly innovative, disruptive product is the Holy Grail for any company,…
Personalizing Dealer Portals for Building Material Manufacturers
Your building materials partners’ sales people are, in a very real sense, the face…
How Do Partner Programs Create High-Quality Channel Marketing Programs?
Setting up a channel marketing strategy to successfully motivate partners is one of…
Getting the Right Balance: To-, Through-, and For-Partner Channel Marketing Strategies
Originally Published: February 22, 2022 Without a tie-in to overarching…
Introducing Portal Posts
To-partner communications is key to building partner engagement and to making sure…
ZiftONE Expands Digital Communication
New Co-Brandable Videos, Improved Through-Partner Social Media and To-Partner…
Product Update: Social Media Administration
Looking for a way to help your partners gain followers, sell your products, and…
8 Fundamentals of Through-Channel Marketing Automation
Through-channel marketing is vital to sales partner relationship…
Create a New Relationship Avenue with Virtual Events
As we’ve all seen, COVID-19 has drastically changed the landscape of the channel.…
Zift Solutions’ Virtual Event Campaigns Integrate the Webinar Experience
CARY, N.C. – Jan. 18, 2022 – Zift Solutions, a leading provider of partner…
How to Build Your 2022 Forecast: Go Ask Your Customers!
Picture this: You’re a salesperson. Your sales manager has given you marching…
Speaking of Value-Add: What Differentiates Your Product
It’s one of the oldest concepts in the channel: Distinguish yourself from the…
The Questions to Ask for Channel Partner Success in 2022
Time now for partying, presents, and planning. Holiday season, yes, but also the…
7 Ways the Best Channel Programs are Budgeting for 2022
Simplified, effective budgeting can be achieved when the right tools power…
The Key to Your Channel Marketing Strategy? Preparation
It’s a four-letter word many people don’t like to hear used, but it’s critical to…
10 Steps to Achieve Channel Marketing and Sales Alignment for Your B2B Company
Sales and marketing alignment increases the power of marketing’s…
Built for Success: Sales and Marketing Alignment Best Practices from Channel Leaders
Sales and marketing alignment is a challenging but worthwhile pursuit…
How to Create a Channel Partner Marketing Program: 7 Steps to Increase Pipeline
Successful channel marketing doesn’t just happen. It takes planning,…
11 Channel Marketing Best Practices to Engage Partners and Earn Mindshare
Ah, channel partners—you gotta love ’em. They bring your company business on a…
Mergers, Not Acquisitions: 5 Marketing and Sales Alignment Strategies
Honing marketing and sales alignment strategies can better serve Chief Revenue…
Lead by Example: How to Help Your Partners Achieve Sales and Marketing Alignment
If you aren’t asking it yet, there’s a crucial question to begin raising with your…
Why Your Channel Marketing Collateral Isn’t Working For Your Partners
How many partners do you have in the NFL cities? How do you think their customers…
Proving Your Channel’s Value in 2021 – Your Questions Answered
On December 10th, Zift teamed up with the experts at Vistex & AchieveUnite to…
10 Channel Strategies to Drive Higher Sales & Marketing ROI
There really is no precedent one can draw an analogy from to describe the level of…
Tracking the Winds of Change in Growth Marketing
When I joined my first SaaS marketing organization, the winds of Predictable…
How to Amp Up Partner Engagement Now
The channel is always changing. But it’s changing faster than ever (along with the…
Back to Boot Camp for the Channel
The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed the channel landscape. Before COVID,…
The 3 Cs of To-Partner Communications Amid COVID-19
I learned a new word this week: Infodemic. It’s officially defined as, “An…
Lead Generation Keeping You Up at Night? Your Dream Channel Strategy is Waiting
We’ve all had nights where we lie awake, full of questions. Did I leave the oven…
Up Your Partner Enablement Game with EQ Nurturing
According to Forbes, 70% of global revenue is traveling through third-party…
The Island of Misfit ChanTech Toys: Scenes from SiriusDecisions Tech Exchange 2019
Most of us have attended a tech tradeshow. Row upon row of nearly identical booths,…
The Rise of Modern Marketing in B2B Channels
Not long ago, partner marketing relied on selling a product to a customer with a…
Channel Onboarding, Engagement, & Services: Lessons from Oxford and London
I have longed to visit the UK for years, particularly Oxford and London. These…
How Campaign Management Can Save Time & Resources
Have you ever been in charge of putting all the pieces of luggage in the car for a…
AchieveUnite, Channel Acceleration & the Lifetime Value of Partners
Our Zift Zone Strategic Alliance Program has some standout channel leaders in its…
Rethinking To-Through-For-Channel Marketing
For several years as a research analyst focused on B2B channels, I conducted dozens…
SiriusDecisions Highlights: Leading the Changing Channel
“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” – John C.…
UX Best Practices for the Channel
Sign into the solutions or platform you’re using to manage your channel program.…
Views from the Summit: The Best of Channel Marketing
One of the best parts about working at Zift is celebrating our customer successes!…
Make Yourself Heard: The Importance of Social Media Branding
Having a social media presence as a business is a no-brainer. The influx of…
SEO in 2019: 4 Paths to Success
It’s 2019, and SEO strategies have changed (for the better). Gone are the days of…
Email Deliverability: How to Land in Contacts’ Inboxes
You draft. You revise. You test. And test again. And test some more, just for good…
WeChat: The Social Media Giant You Should Be Paying Attention To
“So, what’s the deal with WeChat?” That was the question among coworkers and I…
Misalignment Mayhem: Defeat Your Channel Challenges
What problems are hitting your channel program hard? Do you feel up against the…
The Art of Social Listening
You’ve got your social media accounts set up on the usual suspects: Twitter,…
Think Again: Using Predictive Analytics and ABM to Your Advantage
How can you implement Account-Based Marketing (ABM) and make smarter, more…
Not So Dazed and Confused: Refining Your Messaging to Partners and Customers
We’ve all received a text and immediately thought to ourselves, “What?” Just that:…
5 Examples of Click-worthy Trends for Partner Communications
Writing content partners will actually engage with is harder than it sounds,…
5 Marketing Best Practices for Your Channel Program
Recently, I presented at Viavi’s Americas Partner meeting, and I’ll be covering…
When Trucking Meets B2B Marketing
Breaker one-nine, this here's the Rubber Duck, You got a copy on me Pigpen? C'mon.…
Keep in Touch: The Importance of Launching Campaigns When Rebranding
Technology innovations and the expanding global economy have led to rapid…
Two Sides, One Reality: Overcoming Branding Changes in the Channel
Marketing isn’t easy in B2B channels. Branding efforts can be even tougher.…
Channel Visions: Partner Engagement & ROI
If there’s one thing marketers are passionate about, it’s data to back up…
Marketing Misalignment in Manufacturing: Lessons Learned from the MAPI Summit
I recently had the opportunity to lead a series of round-table discussions…
Three Tips to Navigate the Changing Channel
If you’ve been in channel marketing for more than a couple of years, you’ve…
One and Done? Not in Channel Marketing
As the NCAA Final Four draws to a close with the National Championship…
The Importance of Providing Partners with Relevant, Engaging Content
Channel marketing has undergone a dramatic transformation in recent years.…
Rules of Engagement: Getting and Keeping Partners Engaged
There exists a type of partner that companies dream of working with - the…
Five Tips to Organically Grow Your List
The lynchpin of a good digital marketing campaign is your list. The hunt for new…
Digital Advertising KPIs: Your Keys to Measuring Performance
No matter what content you create and/or what platforms you are using, setting…
Time is Money: Why Channel Tools Matter
Tegile Systems knows how to build and sustain strong channel partner relationships…
SiriusDecisions Summit 2017: Must See Channel Sessions
We just touched down in Vegas and are ready to roll at SiriusDecisions Summit 2017.…
Dispatches from Dell EMC World 2017 Global Partner Summit: 3 Best Practices for Digital Marketing in the Channel
Photo courtesy Sarah Locke @Social4Sarah This week, I had the privilege of speaking…
Part 2: Overcoming Account Based Marketing Obstacles in the Channel
In my previous Channel Chatter post, I explained why Account-Based Marketing (ABM)…
Overcoming Account-Based Marketing Obstacles in the Channel (Part 1 of 2)
The Holy Grail of sales has long been the warm lead. It’s far easier to sell to…
One is the Loneliest Number
At a recent event, I overheard a supplier talking about demand creation and…
The Manufacturing CMO ‘Must-Do’ List [Infographic]
When you’re already behind the curve, there’s no time for a traditional ‘To-Do’…
Blending the Art & Science of Digital Marketing
Blending the art and the science of digital media marketing means staying ahead of…
Want to Grow Your Leads? Automate, Automate, Automate
Leads are the lifeblood of your business, the fertile soil in which revenue grows.…
A Manifesto for Marvelous Marketing Analytics Reporting
Today’s marketers are swimming in data from multiple sources, including their CRM,…
Demystifying the Digital Advertising Channel
While digital advertising as a viable marketing tool has been around for years now,…
Writers of the Lost Art: Email Subject Lines
The email subject line. It’s what stands between you and your beloved reader.…
The Shrinking Sales Cycle: How to Win the Online Content Game
The beloved sales cycle -- the time it takes someone to move from the Awareness…
Content Marketing & The Buyer’s Journey
What if you could target each of your partners' customers -- not just based on…
What Makes Them Click? Digital Ads in a Noisy World
Eighty percent of smartphone owners check their phones each morning before brushing…
Channel Marketing Enablement: Moving the Herd
In Laz’s latest Channel Chatter post, he highlights key points from his new…
Top 10 TED Talks for Marketers & Connecting with People
TED talks are a great source of inspiration and knowledge. Though they only became…
Assessing Channel Marketing at the SiriusDecisions EMEA Summit
Last week, I attended the SiriusDecisions EMEA Summit in London, a two-day event…
Why Channel Sales Leaders Should Care About Channel Marketing Automation
For the past several years as a research analyst, I had a front-row seat watching…
6 Steps to Consider Before Purchasing & Implementing a TCMA Solution
At Zift, I get the opportunity to work closely with organizations interested in…
Does Blogging Still Fit in Today’s Marketing Mix?
Blogging was one of the first digital marketing tactics to really take off. In…
Successful Channel Marketing Begins with an Effective Marketing Campaign & Collaboration
While the lion's share of pressure to generate sales typically falls to the channel…
5 Reasons Your Marketing Should Be Denied a Summer Vacation
While we hope your marketing team is enjoying some deserved vacation time this…
What Channel Marketers Can Learn from Pokémon Go
Image source: The VergeBehavior is a funny thing. Marketers know this as well as…
Your Email Marketing Journey and the Danger of Being Blacklisted [Infographic]
Cisco recently published the infographic “What’s Your Online Health and…
Channel Organizations: Why You Need to Market Your Marketing
In both B2B and B2C marketing arenas, channel marketers often have to work with a…
More Social Media Savvy: The Other Content that Drives Results
Mixing up the types of content you use can be an effective way to re-energize your…
How to Maximize Your Social Media Channel Efforts
Choosing the right social media channel for your marketing efforts involves…
6 Email Marketing Best Practices to Generate More Leads
Why is my email open rate so low? Why aren’t my email campaigns producing any…
Making the Most of the Modern Marketing Experience
Zift’s President and CEO Ken Romley, along with our resident Oracle Marketing Cloud…
4 Ways to Align your Sales and Marketing Teams
Does your organization suffer from a tenuous relationship between your sales and…
Channel Marketing Success Cornerstone #3: Content Development & Execution
Zift’s latest eBook uncovers The 4 Cornerstones of Channel Marketing Success. In…
How Often Should You Update or Rebuild Your Website?
You’d be hard-pressed to come across a business in 2016 that does not have their…
The 4 Cornerstones of Channel Marketing Automation Success (Part 1 of 4)
Channel Marketing Automation (CMA) promises a host of benefits, from time savings…
What Are Your Website Analytics Telling You?
In today’s digital world, there is data surrounding almost everything you do as a…
Stepping into the Social Media Arena with Confidence
Zift welcomes guest blogger, Stacy Madden, Marketing Manager of Greenlight Group, a…
Email Marketing: 7 Tips to Help You Avoid the Dreaded Spam Filter
NOTE: Read this blog post in its entirety once for yourself, the “savvy email…
Adapt or Die: How Retargeting Is Helping to Evolve Channel Marketing
Is it a bit coincidental that almost every website you're visiting is advertising…
4 Common Email Marketing Mistakes SMBs Make (And How to Fix Them!)
Contact lists can make or break your email campaign. So maintaining a healthy…
How to Prove the Value of Social Media Marketing
As a marketer, it can be difficult to prove the value of your social media…
Marketing Iteration Intelligence: If At First You Don’t Succeed
“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,” or, in marketing terms, if your…
3 Simple Steps for Solving the Partner Content Conundrum
When channel partners clamor for content, Content Syndication can seem like…
The Power of Many
We are pleased to have Laurel Burton, Vice President of Marketing at Faction, as a…
Content Marketing: 5 Quick Tips For Producing Great Content
To remain competitive, you need to be heard above your competitors. The continuous…
Marketing Win-Wins Take Careful Planning and Expert Advice
One of the hot topics I've been hearing a lot about this year has been how to make…
Channel Visions: Making Channel Marketing Work with Heather K. Margolis, CEO of Channel Maven (Part 3 of 3)
In Part 3 of this Channel Chatter series, we continue sharing highlights from our…
Channel Visions: Making Channel Marketing Work with Heather K. Margolis, CEO of Channel Maven (Part 2 of 3)
In Part 2 of this Channel Chatter series, we continue sharing highlights from our…
Channel Visions: Making Channel Marketing Work with Heather K. Margolis, CEO of Channel Maven (Part 1 of 3)
In this Channel Chatter series, we’ll deliver highlights from our recent interview…
Video Brings Channel Marketing to Life
Online video has moved front and center into the daily lives of nearly everyone –…
Why Did My Email Campaign Fail?
With the digital world rapidly moving, it’s no surprise that the quantity of emails…
High Performance Channel Marketing Secret #6: Work Where Your Partners Work
Zift’s latest eBook is Unlocking the 6 Secrets of High Performance Channel…
High Performance Channel Marketing Secret #5: Count on Measurement
Zift’s latest eBook is Unlocking the 6 Secrets of High Performance Channel…
High Performance Channel Marketing Secret #4: Provide Campaigns to Existing Base
Zift’s latest eBook is Unlocking the 6 Secrets of High Performance Channel…
VerticalX Podcast: Best Practice Channel Marketing
I recently had the opportunity to join hosts Sterling Bailey and Marilyn Cox as a…
High Performance Channel Marketing Secret #3: Evangelize Modern Marketing
Zift’s latest eBook is Unlocking the 6 Secrets of High Performance Channel…
High Performance Channel Marketing Secret #2: Support Multi-Tactic Campaigns
Zift’s latest eBook is Unlocking the 6 Secrets of High Performance Channel…
A Blueprint for Channel Success: Segmenting Partners (Part 1)
Building a successful channel program is a lot like building a house. This blog…
A Blueprint for Channel Success (1 of 4)
Building a successful channel program is a lot like building a house. This blog…
High Performance Channel Marketing Secret #1: Classify Partners by Potential
Zift’s latest eBook is Unlocking the 6 Secrets of High Performance Channel…
Handing Over the Keys
Zift is handing over the keys to success with a new eBook: Unlocking the 6 Secrets…
Making a Mark at Marketo’s 2015 Marketing Nation Summit™
With big name celebrities like John Legend and Arianna Huffington here at the…
Channel Marketing: A Measure of Selflessness
In today’s competitive environment billions of dollars annually are poured into…
An Inside Look at Oracle’s Modern Marketing Experience
Everyone’s heard the old saying, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” Well, I’m…
How Often Should SMBs Post to Social Media
Social media has taken a front row seat within the channel marketing arena. It not…
If Content is King, Quality is the Ace
“Content is King” has undoubtedly become the marketing catch phrase of the past…
Crawl, Walk, Run: A Proven Approach to Channel Marketing Success
I see it happen all the time. A well-intentioned supplier decides this will be the…
What Matters Most for High Performance Channel Marketing
I’m pleased to introduce Service Director of Channel Management Strategies for…
One Game-Changing Channel Marketing Trend For 2015
2015 arrived faster than many of us expected! If you haven’t already done so, now…
7 Secrets of Lead Nurturing Success
Bob Lamkin recently joined Zift Solutions as part of the Marketing Advocate…
What Tops Your Channel Marketing To-Do List for 2015?
As 2014 draws to a close and planning ramps up for 2015, channel marketing leaders…
A New Era for Channel Sales and Marketing
Our industry is experiencing a new era – and so is Zift Solutions. We recognize…
3 Proven First Steps For Increasing Lead Generation in the Channel
We are excited to have guest blogger, Heather Margolis, Founder and President at…
Powering Partner Perspectives with Content Syndication
Photo by David Blaikie Of course today’s channel partners know that they need…
Boost SEO with Content Syndication
Content syndication is not only an effective tool for vendors and partners, it can…
Content Syndication: A 360-Degree View of the Channel
With today’s buyers spending nearly 70% of their time doing online research before…
Turning Leads Into Opportunities With Zift
Join us in welcoming guest blogger, Brent Clouse, VP of Marketing for…
Email Marketing: Kick Through the Noise
So, I will admit it. I’m a huge soccer (err, football or futbol) fan and there is…
One Size Does NOT Fit All: The Vital Importance of Email List Segmentation
Your product or service is the best on the market. You've got a large email…
3 Reasons Why B2B Companies Should Use PPC to Grow Sales [VIDEO]
Is Pay-Per-Click (PPC) a part of your marketing mix? Hopefully you're nodding. If…
6 Steps to Getting Started With Social Media
Illustration by Gerardo Obieta Is your business on social media? Even though social…
The Balancing Act: Making Global Marketing Work
Image by Pixabay Last week I participated in the Marketo Marketing Nation virtual…
How to Create a Fantastic Email Newsletter in 5 Easy Steps
The inimitable Helen Hayes once said, “We relish news of our heroes, forgetting…
Stop Trying to Boil the Ocean!
A former colleague of mine used to always say, “It’s impossible to boil the ocean!”…
How You Can Drive Better Marketing Results by Selecting the Right Tactical Mix
Are you finding it tougher than ever to transform prospects into customers? That’s…
Stop the Marketing Madness!
"March Madness” may work wonders for basketball fans, but the same can’t be said…
Rethinking Lead Distribution to Transform Opportunities into Real Revenue (Part 1 of 4)
It’s time to rethink lead distribution and the importance of partner pipeline…
3 Key Steps to Building Effective Marketing Campaigns (Part 2 of 4)
As we shared in our previous post, Times have Changed: The Evolution of the Sales…
Social Media – The Root of Modern Marketing [Infographic]
Tap into your channel partners network using social media Think social media…
6 Critical Areas to Ensure Partner Marketing Success
Think you're doing a great job providing channel partners with the marketing assets…
Bottom Up Approach to Channel Marketing
Businesses today are increasingly placing the responsibility of driving sales on…
JumpStart Your Marketing!
Evolving Buyers Customers are becoming more dynamic; conducting their own product…
And the Winner in Marketing is…
Winners Who Know How To Combine The Right Stuff Earlier today Gartner and 1to1 gave…
3 Ways Shared Analytics Helps Gain Control & Visibility into Your Channel
Gain Insight Into Your Channel Not too long ago, the direct sales teams, internal…
6 Easy SEO Tips for Channel Partners
We understand that most channel partners we work with have limited time and…
How 2013’s Emphasis on Marketing Effects Partner Programs
Data Driven Marketing Comes Of Age If you’ve been following the press about…
16 Landing Page Tips to Improve UX and Conversions
Last week, we talked about ways to increase leads and conversion rates. This post…
Have You Changed Your Attitude Toward Content Creation & SEO Yet?
I know; more harping on about content creation. But, many businesses still don’t…
3 Effective Ways To Increase Leads & Conversion Rates
You have just seconds to convince someone that your web page is worth reading.…
Create a Rising Brand that Lifts Your VAR’s Boat
Strong Brands Provide The Wind Behind Your Partners' Sales Today we would like to…
Marketing Automation Opens New Distribution Doors
Partner Enablement Can Be The Key To Promoting Effective Use Of Your Products Today…
Marketing Certification: A Best Practice in Channel Marketing
Is the money you're spending on offering partners a marketing program working…
Communication And Automation Are The Keys To Successful Channel Marketing
Leveraging Technology to Mobilize Partners Managing channel partnership…
Channel Marketing Programs Need Marketing
Channel Programs Need Launching This is one of those eat your own dog food things.…
2012 Best Practices In Channel Marketing
Partners Can Bolt Faster Than You Think In 2012, it's become clear that channel…
Track The Metrics That Really Matter
Right Metric, Right Result While often treated as an expense by the finance…
Megamergers Point Toward The Future Of Channel Marketing
How Mergers Changed Channel Programs Innovation and adaptation are the two true…
2012 Will Be A Better Year for Marketing Effectiveness
2012 Marketing Success Requires Leveraging New Developments The statistics on the…
Proactively Manage Brand’s Reputation in Social Media
Be Careful What You Promote Social media in the B2B channel marketing landscape is…
Sharing: The Key to Successful Channel Marketing
Sharing the Good Stuff When it comes to channel marketing, we all want to maximize…
Working With Your Channel Marketers On Your Social Media Efforts
The relationship between social media and channel marketing for the B2B marketplace…
The Most Effective Way For B2B Companies To Build Their Email Lists
Building an email list is important to any company. Having a way to connect with…
The Case For Email Marketing
A Few Keys To Making Email Work Email marketing often gets a bad rap. Companies are…
5 B2B Facebook Pages Worth Copying
This is just a short entry reviewing a post from Jeff Bullas that highlights uses…
Ad Retargeting: An Underused But Powerful Marketing Tool
Ad Retargeting - Efficient Messaging to Targeted Audience There are many tools out…
Review of IDC Paper: Data.com: The Fuel for High-Performance B2B Marketing and Sales Engines
Letting You Know The SkyIs Blue Overall: 2/5 stars – marketing 101 information…
Effective Use of Social Media for Small Business [Case Study]
In this video the owner of River Pools and Spas talks about how social media turned…
