Channel Partnerships by the Numbers

How important are channel partner relationships to the average B2B company? Channel Market Report and Demand Gen Report surveyed 111 B2B marketers during the months of December 2021 and January 2022 from a variety of industries and company sizes to learn more about their channel program and the investment they are making in them. It’s a small sample size, but the results are telling.

96% expect to increase revenue directly attributed to business through their partner ecosystems. Nearly one-quarter (24%) leaders expect revenue attributable to channel partners to increase more than 20% Another 42% expect a revenue increase attributable to channel partners of between 11% and 20%.

17% of respondents through channel partners is not very effective. Most (65%) rated their ability in this area as “somewhat effective.”

69% of respondents plan to increase  their budget to support selling and marketing through channel partners. The top three areas targeted for upgrades are partner training/learning management (53%), channel incentive program management (43%) and partner portals (41%). 

79% of respondents use email  to communicate with channel partners, the most common means of keeping them informed. The top five methods of communication are rounded out by online meetings (63%), in-person events (52%), partner portal (52%) and outreach by channel partner account managers (49%). 

The 2022 Channel/Partner Marketing Benchmark Survey was conducted during December 2021 and January 2022. Nearly 60% of respondents were from software and technology companies. You can download the report summary here. (Registration is required.) 

Author

Get our newsletter and digital focus reports

Stay current on learning and development trends, best practices, research, new products and technologies, case studies and much more.