Partner Marketing

Partner Marketing

Overview

This skill covers B2B partner marketing strategy and execution, including how to structure partnership programs, run co-marketing campaigns, build influencer and agency relationships, leverage partner data, and measure partnership success. All practices are sourced exclusively from Exit Five podcast guests across 13 episodes. No general marketing knowledge has been added beyond what guests explicitly recommended.

Organizational Structure for Partner Marketing

Assign ownership before you have a dedicated team. At mid-market stage, assign partner marketing responsibility to one person within product marketing who has a genuine passion for partnership work. This person should own co-marketing with integration partners, webinars, and lead-sharing arrangements, and should know how to measure success (e.g., net new leads from partner channels). Do not leave partner marketing unowned while waiting to fund a standalone department. (Source: Jeff Hardison, Episode #335)

Report partnerships into marketing, not as a standalone business unit. Partnerships should report to the CMO or, ideally, have a Chief Ecosystem Officer at the C-suite level alongside the CMO and CRO. Avoid creating partnerships as an independent business unit that interfaces separately with marketing, sales, and customer success — this creates silos and disconnects partnerships from go-to-market strategy. If C-suite visibility isn't possible, place partnerships under marketing. (Source: Jared Fuller, Episode #174)

Embed partnerships as an overlay across all marketing functions, not as a separate channel. For each campaign, identify trusted voices and companies your customers already know, and attach those partners across social media, content, demand gen, and events. Make partnerships a day-to-day operational practice rather than a siloed activity. Include partnership strategy in each marketing function's quarterly and annual planning. (Source: Jared Fuller, Episode #174)

Defining Your Partnership Approach

Distinguish nearbound marketing from co-marketing. Nearbound marketing means integrating trusted partner voices into your own marketing narrative across email, social, podcasts, content, and events — you are amplifying their voices as part of your audience's trusted ecosystem. This is different from co-marketing two products together with a "better together" story. Nearbound leverages your existing database and partner databases to build trust and reach at low cost. (Source: Jared Fuller, Episode #174)

Prioritize "done with you" agency partners over "done for you" partners. When selecting agency partners, favor those that use a model where the customer sees and uses your product alongside the agency, rather than agencies that use your product invisibly on the customer's behalf. "Done with you" ensures customers build product knowledge, grow with the agency, and experience your brand directly. It also prevents partners from hiding your product from customers. (Source: Domi de Saint-Exupéry, Episode #332)

Build deep partnerships with a small number of key opinion leaders rather than shallow relationships with many. Work with 5–10 key opinion leaders (KOLs) per business segment. These partnerships should include product usage and testing, advisory board participation, sponsored webinars, podcast appearances, customer references, and product feedback. This mirrors successful KOL strategies in medical device, pharma, and manufacturing industries and creates more value than transactional, wide influencer campaigns. (Source: Chris Walker, Episode #139)

Structuring Partnership Programs and Incentives

Create tiered commission structures that align partner incentives with customer success. Structure your partnership program with tiers: Tier 1 partners (large outbound agencies that drive significant customer lifetime value) receive lifetime commissions because they increase LTV and retention, not just demand capture. Other partners receive a fixed commission (e.g., 25%) for one year. Tier 1 LTV is typically more than double standard LTV, which justifies the lifetime commission. (Source: Domi de Saint-Exupéry, Episode #332)

Structure agency referral partnerships with double incentives. Find partners — agencies, publishers, service providers — where the partner makes money from the client AND receives compensation from you for the referral. For example, an implementation agency can sell their services and require the client to use your platform, then receive a referral fee from you. Also identify tech partnerships where you are an essential solution to each other (e.g., payment processors for affiliate payouts). (Source: Michael Cole, Episode #212)

Build dedicated agency recruitment and enablement as a core growth lever. Once you reach sufficient scale, create a dedicated team to recruit and enable agencies to sell your product. Attend agency-specific conferences to book meetings and recruit partners. Provide agencies with case studies, co-marketing opportunities (such as joint award submissions), and referral compensation. When agencies win industry awards using your product, they amplify that win to their other clients, creating authentic reach into new customer segments. (Source: Michael Cole, Episode #212)

For B2B influencer partnerships, solve a specific business problem first — then enable content. Rather than paying influencers for sponsored posts, identify a specific growth challenge they face and use your product to solve it collaboratively. Work closely with them to build solutions, launch, and measure results. Once they've experienced real value, they'll authentically promote the product because they've proven it works. This requires more time upfront but generates authentic advocacy. (Source: Bruno Estrella, Episode #180)

Transition successful influencer pilots to long-term retainer partnerships. After a successful one-off influencer campaign, move to retainer-style relationships where influencers commit to posting 8–10 times per year when you have new campaigns or initiatives. In B2B, purchase cycles are long and repeated exposure builds familiarity and trust over time. The influencer becomes a recurring voice for your brand rather than a transactional relationship. (Source: Jess Cook, Episode #321)

Co-Marketing and Events with Partners

Co-host events with non-competitive adjacent companies to reach a shared customer base. Partner with companies that serve the same customers but offer non-competitive products or services. Split costs 50/50 and leverage both companies' networks. This works especially well when your own customer base is small or when customers are competitive with each other. Shared events create memorable moments, generate social media content, and build relationships with prospects who can be influenced by adjacent partners. (Source: Sandra Rand, Episode #265)

Co-host events with complementary companies to share the promotion burden and expand reach. Instead of bearing full responsibility for promoting and executing an event alone, partner with a complementary company (same audience, no direct competition) to co-host. This splits the marketing lift, expands your reach to their audience, and often reduces costs — for example, hosting a joint event at a partner's office rather than renting a separate venue. (Source: Kera Wright, Episode #124)

Leverage partner co-marketing for joint field events to expand reach and split costs. Identify strategic partners who share your target customers and prospects. Co-host events to access their customer base, leverage their brand awareness, and split event costs. Plan on-site meetings with shared customers and develop a joint follow-up strategy. This expands reach and reduces per-lead acquisition cost. (Source: Kristina DeBrito, Episode #227)

Use partners to amplify your brand in geographies where you lack direct presence. When you have strong relationships with partners — built through training, product manager access, and ongoing support — they will organize events and webinars with you, allowing your brand to reach geographies where you have no direct presence. This builds brand awareness and credibility through trusted local partners. (Source: Domi de Saint-Exupéry, Episode #332)

For physical products, use a diversified event mix including trade shows, alliance partner events, and company-hosted roadshows. Physical product marketing should include: (1) major trade shows (e.g., Infocom, ISE); (2) alliance partner events (e.g., Zoomtopia, Microsoft Ignite); (3) company-hosted roadshows that can be co-branded with partners to drive attendance. This reaches different customer segments and builds relationships with both end customers and channel partners. (Source: Priscilla Barolo, Episode #302)

Host live podcast takeovers at events featuring partner podcasts and hosts. At your events, create dedicated time slots for live podcast recordings featuring partner podcasts and hosts. This gives partners a platform to reach your event audience, multiplies your event's content output, and creates shareable content for both your podcast and theirs. Partners benefit from live audience exposure and cross-promotion; you benefit from additional content and the prestige of featuring well-known voices. (Source: Jared Fuller, Episode #174)

Partner-Driven Content Strategy

Build content by systematically interviewing partners and agencies in your ecosystem. Create a content strategy centered on interviewing the agencies, vendors, and partners your target customers already work with. A small team can generate significant traffic by interviewing hundreds of partners over a year. This approach requires no paid advertising and builds affinity with both the partners you feature and the customers who consume the content. (Source: Jared Fuller, Episode #174)

Extract and distribute partner-created content across multiple owned channels. When partners create content for your audience, do not limit it to one channel. Distribute it across podcast, newsletter, social media (YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter), and events. This multiplies reach and impact while building trust through repeated exposure to partner voices. The partner benefits from multi-channel amplification; your audience sees consistent, trusted voices across your ecosystem. (Source: Jared Fuller, Episode #174)

Consult with sponsors on narrative and messaging before featuring them. Before featuring a sponsor in your media (newsletter, podcast, event), conduct a kickoff call to help them craft their narrative for your specific audience. Actively consult on what message will resonate with your readers or listeners. This positions you as a strategic partner rather than a media vendor, increases sponsor satisfaction, and produces better content that audiences actually engage with. (Source: Jared Fuller, Episode #174)

Channel Partner Marketing

For physical products sold through channels, invest in continuous co-marketing and relationship building — not one-time agreements. When selling physical products through distribution channels, channel marketing is a major part of the marketing mix. Success requires continuous relationship building and co-marketing programs with partners. Budget and plan for ongoing programs that keep your company top-of-mind with channel partners. Do not sign a partner and expect passive awareness to follow. (Source: Priscilla Barolo, Episodes #302 and #193)

Sponsorship and Media Partnerships

Bundle sponsorships across multiple channels instead of selling individual placements. Package sponsorships to include multiple touchpoints across owned channels — for example, 2–3 webinars, 3 months of podcast ads, 3–4 newsletter placements, and social media amplification. This increases sponsor ROI and retention because sponsors see measurable customer acquisition rather than CPM-based reach metrics. Sponsors are more likely to renew and expand because they experience direct pipeline impact. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #174)

In early stages, barter media placements for reach rather than requiring cash sponsorships. When launching a media company or newsletter, trade sponsorships (media placement for audience access) with established companies that have relevant email lists. For example, trade a podcast sponsorship for a newsletter feature to a 15,000-person list. This builds reach without requiring upfront cash from sponsors and gives you access to new audiences to grow your own list. Transition to paid sponsorships once you have proven reach and engagement. (Source: Jared Fuller, Episode #174)

Partner Data and Measurement

Use partner data platforms to access intent signals for acquisition and cross-sell. Use partner data platforms (e.g., Crossbeam, Reveal) to access intent signals from partner ecosystems. Apply this data at scale to identify both new acquisition targets and cross-sell opportunities within existing customer bases. This provides a third-party intent signal that complements first-party and web intent data. (Source: Kris Rudeegraap, Episode #159)

Multiply marketing reach by leveraging partner databases alongside your own. When you partner with other companies on content or campaigns, you gain access to their email lists and audiences. By featuring partners in your content and distributing that content to both your database and theirs, you multiply your reach at minimal cost. Partners benefit from exposure to your audience; you benefit from exposure to theirs. (Source: Jared Fuller, Episode #174)

Measure partnership success across multiple dimensions, not just direct pipeline. Do not measure partnerships solely by direct revenue or pipeline generated. Instead, measure: (1) partner attach rate — revenue from customers who use both your product and the partner's; (2) brand lift and awareness; (3) content engagement and reach; (4) event attendance and lead quality; and (5) long-term customer retention. This prevents partnerships from being treated as a direct-response channel and captures the full value of trust-building and network effects. (Source: Jared Fuller, Episode #174)

Where Experts Disagree

No disagreements were identified among the contributing guests on this topic.

What NOT To Do

• Do not leave partner marketing unowned. At mid-market stage, assign it to a specific person within product marketing rather than treating it as everyone's responsibility or waiting to fund a dedicated team. (Source: Jeff Hardison, Episode #335)
• Do not create partnerships as an independent business unit that interfaces separately with marketing, sales, and customer success. This creates silos and disconnects partnerships from go-to-market strategy. (Source: Jared Fuller, Episode #174)
• Do not measure partnerships solely by direct pipeline. This undervalues the trust-building, brand lift, and retention effects that partnerships generate. (Source: Jared Fuller, Episode #174)
• Do not run one-off influencer campaigns and expect lasting impact. B2B purchase cycles are long; repeated exposure through retainer-style relationships is required to build familiarity and trust. (Source: Jess Cook, Episode #321)
• Do not pay B2B influencers for sponsored posts without first establishing real product value. Authentic advocacy comes from influencers who have experienced genuine results with your product, not from transactional post payments. (Source: Bruno Estrella, Episode #180)
• Do not prioritize "done for you" agency partners where your product is invisible to the end customer. This prevents customers from building product knowledge and weakens your brand. (Source: Domi de Saint-Exupéry, Episode #332)
• Do not sign a channel partner and expect passive top-of-mind awareness. Channel marketing requires continuous co-marketing investment and relationship building. (Source: Priscilla Barolo, Episodes #302 and #193)
• Do not try to work with many influencers in a shallow, transactional way. Build deep partnerships with a small number (5–10 per segment) rather than pursuing width over depth. (Source: Chris Walker, Episode #139)
• Do not sell sponsorships as individual, a la carte placements. Bundle across channels to give sponsors measurable pipeline impact and increase renewal rates. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #174)

Sources