How to deliver channel incentive communications that add value

Your audience is surrounded by more messages, platforms and distractions than ever before. In that environment, your channel incentive communications need to act as a performance lever to break through, create clarity and give participants a reason to act.

Strategy, technology, awards and program design can’t engage participants and deliver value if participants don’t understand what is being asked of them, why it matters or what they can achieve.

Based on ITA Group’s experience designing channel incentive programs, we recommend prioritizing and modernizing your communications strategy so it connects the program to key behaviors and turns objectives into momentum.

How channel incentive communications motivate partners to act

Relevance, not frequency, is what moves partners to act. A message sent ten times still gets ignored if it doesn't speak to the person reading it.

Segmentation by audience, role, region, etc. makes sure every message is relevant and actionable. Personalization takes it further by making the program feel like it was built for specifically for that partner and makes their work easier.

Communications should show partners exactly where they stand, tie the program directly to what they can earn and make the next steps obvious.

That is especially important in channel environments where partners are juggling multiple vendor programs, their own sales goals and high workloads. They simply aren’t waiting around on a program email. If a communication piece isn’t instantly relevant, it will just add to the noise.

Related: Partner marketing: Weaving best practices into to-partner, through-partner and with-partner marketing

Research before building a communication strategy

Motivation isn’t one-size-fits-all. A strategic channel incentive communication plan starts with understanding each audience’s motivators. 

ITA Group’s channel experts often see programs underperform when the communication strategy doesn’t understand what motivates each unique partner audience. We pinpoint these specific motivators and build the program communications around them. That’s the difference between a program that looks engaging versus one that actually changes partner behavior. 

If participants can’t see how the program connects to their day-to-day priorities, even the strongest reward structure gets ignored. 

That’s why your initial research should clarify partner types, roles, selling environments, common barriers and preferred ways of receiving information. 

• What will your participants get out of the program?
• What are the KPIs the program is trying to achieve?
• Where are participants currently seeing messaging and communications?
• How can you build on that?

Developing a partner incentive program communications strategy

Once objectives and audience insights are identified, build a communication plan that supports behavior change over time. A practical plan should define what each audience segment needs to do, what message will move them, which channels are most likely to reach them and how success will be measured.  

Three areas deserve special attention. 

1. Personalized segmentation by partner type and role

Each group has different priorities and different influence over your business results. Segment communications by role, performance level, market, product focus or stage in the partner journey.  

2. Integrated omnichannel communications

A one-channel approach is too easy to miss. Use a deliberate mix of email, text, portal messages, video, physical tool kits, sales enablement materials and internal social or community tools when they fit the audience. The point is to show up where participants already pay attention.

Brand alignment also matters. Independent sales reps connect the program experience back to your products and your company. Communications should feel recognizable, credible and useful, not like a generic marketing campaign. Clear, practical messaging usually works harder than clever creative that takes time to understand. 

3. Cadence and frequency

Participants need repeated exposure throughout their engagement journey before they act. Build a cadence around personalized milestones, earning opportunities, performance status and moments when a reminder can change behavior.  

ITA Group recommends using cadence to create accountability: tell participants where they stand, what they can still earn and what action will have the greatest impact before the next deadline.

Turn channel partner engagement into measurable incentive results

Communications are a crucial element of any successful channel incentive solution. The best plans make it easy for partners to understand the program, see their progress and act. ITA Group keeps partners performing by continuously analyzing engagement and fine-tuning the program to sustain participation.

If communications are only used at launch and closeout, the program is likely leaving engagement on the table. Treat every message as a chance to reduce friction, reinforce value and move participants one step closer to the desired result. 

Discover how ITA Group built a program’s multichannel communications strategy that led to $6.9M in sales from newly engaged sales reps.