Partner Marketing OS · Types
Each partner type has a distinct marketing motion. Most companies run three to five types, not all of them. For each type: what they are, what partner marketing means for them, and the signature metrics. Use your business model and go-to-market motion to pick the types that fit.
Every activity is either to-partner (recruit, enable, motivate) or through-partner (co-market to the end customer). Name which one you are doing before you start; blurring the two is the most common cause of failed programs.
Send you leads; do not sell or deliver. Make referring effortless: a who-to-refer one-pager, a referral link or portal, a simple reward. Low-touch, high-volume. Metrics: active referrers, referrals, referral→SQL rate, reward ROI.
Performance-based promoters paid per lead or sale. Provide creative, tracked links, a portal, a compelling commission, and disclosure compliance. Self-serve at scale via an affiliate platform. Metrics: clicks, conversion, CPA, revenue per affiliate, active-affiliate %.
Resell your product, often with services, and own the customer. Support with co-branded demand gen, sales tools for their prospects, MDF for local campaigns, and tier benefits. Metrics: partner-sourced pipeline, deal-reg volume, MDF ROI, certified/active reps, attach rate.
Aggregate and supply many downstream resellers (a tier-2 relationship). You market to the channel: recruit and enable their reseller base, run channel campaigns, and supply distributor-portal content. Metrics: active downstream resellers, sell-through, distributor-attributed pipeline.
Build integrations or joint solutions and appear in each other’s ecosystems. Market with joint solution briefs, marketplace listings, co-authored content, joint webinars, and launch moments. Metrics: integration installs/attach, co-sourced pipeline, joint-content engagement, mutual referrals.
Design and implement solutions for (often enterprise) clients as trusted advisors. Support practice-building, co-authored thought leadership, executive events, and named-account co-marketing. Metrics: certified consultants, joint ABM pipeline, practice revenue.
Deliver services using your product for clients. Provide a directory, client-facing co-marketing kits, certification, and lead routing. Metrics: active agencies, client accounts managed, directory-sourced leads, certified staff.
Operate your product as an ongoing managed service, recurring and multi-tenant. Give them ‘service-in-a-box’ marketing kits so they can sell a service, not a SKU, plus multi-tenant enablement and (for MSSPs) security and compliance proof. Metrics: clients/seats under management, sell-through, partner-led net revenue retention.
Large mutual relationships — cloud and platform providers, category leaders — where you co-sell and co-market at scale. Build a joint value proposition, co-sell readiness, marketplace transactability, flagship events, and executive alignment. Metrics: co-sell pipeline and wins, marketplace transactions, alliance-influenced revenue, competency attainment.
Transactional listings (cloud marketplaces, app stores). The marketplace is a channel with its own search and merchandising: optimize the listing, drive reviews, use marketplace-funded campaigns and private offers, and win featured placement. Metrics: listing views, conversion, marketplace-sourced revenue, rating.
OEM/embed: your product inside theirs; enable their go-to-market and decide ‘powered-by’ branding. Advocates/ambassadors: individuals who evangelize — fuel them with recognition, early access, and amplification. Metrics: embedded usage/revenue; advocacy reach, referrals, content created.