Whenever we talk about partnerships, it always boils down to cooperation between two or more entities. Whether that’s a couple of brands, a brand and an influencer, or some other combination. And while we might enter into these partnerships with the best of intentions and the highest of hopes… what happens when things don’t go as planned? What do we do when, say, one of the partners doesn’t hold up their end of the bargain? That’s what we’re covering in today’s episode of Partnership Unpacked. W...
Jun 05, 2023•27 min•Season 1Ep. 24
At the Social Pulse Summit: ROI Edition event that I hosted in March, I asked attendees of the influencer marketing panel what their biggest challenges were. 31.8% reported that measuring and proving ROI was their greatest challenge, while 22.7% said finding and working with the right influencers was their Achilles heel. Does that resonate with you? Perhaps you, too, have struggled to find great influencers to work with, the kinds of influencers whom you can rely on to follow-through on campaign...
May 29, 2023•39 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Campaigns. Assets. Tracking links. Reach. These are important concepts when it comes to influencer marketing… but are they missing the point? Is it possible that we’ve gotten so caught up in the output and tactics of influencer marketing that we’ve lost sight of the purpose of the strategy, and the actual outcomes we hoped to achieve? Where should we shift our focus, and how can we make influ ence marketing a more impactful component of our marketing strategy? That’s what we’re covering in today...
May 22, 2023•45 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Are partnerships integrated into every aspect of your company, or are you still working in a silo, struggling to gain traction? Does it seem like you’re the only one who sees how powerful and impactful strategic partnerships can be? Fortunately, you’re not alone. You’re not the only one who needs help communicating and persuading executives and other departments to adopt a partnership mindset and embrace the movement. But how do we move forward? That’s what we’re covering in today’s episode of P...
May 15, 2023•53 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Check this out. 98% of employees use at least one social media site for personal use, but only 50% post about their company. And yet, we know that a recommendation from a friend or family member makes 83% of Americans more likely to purchase that product or service. If word of mouth is that effective, and businesses have a treasure trove of employees and social channels to leverage… why aren’t they? What should that look like? Where do we get started? That’s what we’re covering in today’s episod...
May 08, 2023•30 min•Season 1Ep. 20
The number of enterprises in the marketing agency industry in the United States increased by 12.0% annually between 2017 and 2022. How can your agency stand apart from a growing number of competitors? Through partnerships. Partnerships with other agencies and brands, and partnerships with your clients themselves. Your clients are tired of traditional client-agency relationships that often feel transactional and one-sided. Do you want to learn how to foster a more collaborative and mutually benef...
May 01, 2023•22 min•Season 1Ep. 19
James Cash Penney, founder of the JCPenney franchise in 1898, once famously said, “Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together.” And his is a classic American story of entrepreneurship and growth and expansion. He started as a partial partner in a new store in Wyoming and quickly leveraged his experience and business acumen to open more and more stores, eventually building a nationwide chain. Doubtless that’s the kind of growth and scaling of our businesses, and o...
Apr 24, 2023•35 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Coresight Research has estimated that the US livestreaming market would hit $20 billion last year. Then, by 2026, it will more than triple to an estimated $68 billion in sales. And interestingly, 50% of Millennials trust product recommendations from influencers. So it would seem that combining an influencer with a live shopping event that showcases your brand and product offerings would be a lucrative match. But it’s not as easy as it sounds. How do you get started with live shopping influencers...
Apr 17, 2023•36 min•Season 1Ep. 17
According to a survey by TopRank Marketing, 78% of B2B marketers say that influencer marketing is effective, even with small campaigns. And we know that B2B buyers are more likely to purchase a product or service if it has been recommended by an industry influencer. And yet, influencer marketing is still a challenge and a mystery to many brands. From finding influencers to measuring results, companies report significant challenges. Why is influencer marketing such a big deal for B2B brands? Wher...
Apr 10, 2023•35 min•Season 1Ep. 16
We work with thousands of marketing agencies at Agorapulse and when we asked them what they struggle with the most, the number one answer was always how to grow and scale their agency. But when we drill down, we find that the problems, and the solutions, change as agencies grow. New and boutique agencies struggle with messaging, targeting, and lead nurture. It’s a near-constant battle to keep the pipeline filled and the next project client coming onboard. As agencies grow, however, they often ch...
Apr 03, 2023•46 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Have you noticed how some full time employees are able to simultaneously balance having a side hustle as an influencer? How do they do it? And what about the folks who quit their nine to five and lean into their role as an influencer and full time creator… Does that sound frightening to you, and maybe just a little bit exciting? Because the truth is, the creator economy is booming and there’s ample room for influencers, particularly B2B influencers, whether they’re full time or working on the si...
Mar 27, 2023•34 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Imagine how your business might benefit from partnering with the largest brand in your industry. How would that extend your reach or establish your authority? Whether you’re a solopreneur or the CEO of an established brand, partnering with a company that’s much, much larger than yours is called a Sumo Advantage. But where do you start? That’s what we’re covering in today’s episode of Partnership Unpacked. Welcome back to Partnership Unpacked , where I selfishly use this time to pick the brains o...
Mar 20, 2023•43 min•Season 1Ep. 13
73% of B2B marketers cite an increased interest in influencer marketing this year. And that’s good, because it’s been shown conclusively that buyers are eager to make purchases based on the recommendations of influencers and content creators. And yet, there’s still a tremendous amount of confusion and trepidation when it comes to influencer marketing. Is it just for B2C brands? Is Instagram losing it’s luster? Should B2B brands be focusing on TikTok? That’s what we’re covering in today’s episode...
Mar 13, 2023•31 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Over half of B2B buyers say that they rely on industry thought leaders and influencers to stay up-to-date on the latest trends and developments in their field. It’s no wonder then that 59% of B2B marketers say that they plan to increase their influencer marketing budget in the coming year. In an industry that reached $16.1 billion in 2022, influencer marketing has become extremely lucrative, and competitive! Which means there’s a lot riding on every pitch and proposal and presentation from an in...
Mar 06, 2023•43 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Are you by yourself right now? No, I don’t mean are you alone… I mean, are you the only one in your organization managing partnerships? I know I am! And in that respect we aren’t alone… in a recent survey of 664 professionals by Hubspot and Partnership Leaders, 59.6% of the respondents reported having at least one employee working full time on partner operations. The report went on to share some pretty interesting findings with regard to the size of partner ops, the different kinds of partnershi...
Feb 27, 2023•48 min•Season 1Ep. 10
According to our friends at Top Rank Marketing , 86% of B2B brands consider their influencer marketing successful, and 85% say they plan to increase their investment in influencers over the next twelve months. And yet, these same brands continue to report that their biggest challenges lie in identifying and maintaining relationships with key influencers. They’re struggling to find the perfect folks for their programs and, even when they do, all too often, brands don’t have the right program and ...
Feb 20, 2023•38 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Stop me if this sounds familiar. You open LinkedIn on your phone and there at the top of the feed, LinkedIn has recommended a post by the CMO of a huge brand you know your sales team is targeting. You tap on their profile and figure if you could connect with them on LinkedIn, maybe you could strike up a conversation and build a case for your solution. So you smash that connect button and smile at your cleverness. But then, nothing happens. Days go by and your request goes unanswered. In fact, no...
Feb 13, 2023•48 min•Season 1Ep. 8
How’s your affiliate program looking? Have you noticed how most of your affiliate traffic and referrals are from less than 20% of your channel partners? Picture your top affiliate. What would it look like if you had 5, 10, 50 more affiliates just. like. them. But friends… I’ve got a problem. I’m looking at our channel partner program in FirstPromoter and I have to be honest, the vast majority of my affiliates have zero referrals last quarter. That’s not good! It’s not good for my program, and it...
Feb 06, 2023•39 min•Season 1Ep. 7
How would you like the low-down on what B2B influencers are really looking for when they work with brands? Wouldn’t it be nice to know what might make an influencer truly excited to partner with you? All too often, brands approach influencers assuming that they only care about money#, or that the prestige of working with the brand will suffice. And while those things can be important, they’re not the sum of what it means to be an influencer and partner with brands. What else is important? What a...
Feb 03, 2023•38 min
Harvard Business Review found that omnichannel customers spend 10% more online, and a shocking 73% of customers prefer shopping through multiple channels. And Google found that omnichannel customers are worth 30% more! The challenge, of course, is finding ways to create a seamless experience for customers across all of a brand’s channels. Could partnerships play a role? That’s what Robin Dimond is here to help us with. Robin has been marketing and innovating for nearly two decades, and strives t...
Jan 21, 2023•20 min•Season 1Ep. 5
When you're starting out, it can be hard to get clients. It's even harder to keep them happy and coming back for more of your services. The most successful businesses work on fostering relationships with their clients. But how do you build these types of relationships? How can you make sure they grow over time? And what are the best ways to leverage them in order to grow your podcasting business? Our next episode of Partnership Unpacked features Rob Walch, VP of Podcaster Relations at Libsyn. He...
Jan 13, 2023•35 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Influencer marketing is one of the hottest trends in digital marketing today, but it's also one of the most misunderstood. Many brands think that they can just throw money at influencers and call it a day, but that doesn't work for a variety of reasons. That's why we're talking with Nicole Ponce. Nicole is the Influencers Marketing Manager for Semrush. She maintains and grows relationships with experts in the digital marketing community to build long term relationships and collaborations with on...
Jan 13, 2023•40 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Imagine if there were a legion of bloggers that would routinely talk about your business and promote your products and services. Think about how your business might benefit if there were hundreds of articles and resources on other people's sites, talking about your business and sending you referral traffic, leads and sales. Would that help your business and grow your bottom line? If you're anything like me, you've probably signed up for more than a few affiliate programs so you know how it works...
Jan 13, 2023•51 min•Season 1Ep. 2
According to a CMO Council report, 85% of C-level business leaders view partnerships and alliances as essential or important to their business, but only 33% report having a formal partnering strategy in place. That’s astounding! If you’re anything like me, you want to be among that top 33% who are leveraging partners and delivering positive ROI, and that’s why I am starting this new interview series with a bang. I’m talking to one of the leading experts on strategic partnerships, Dr. Mark Brigma...
Jan 13, 2023•31 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Why are partnerships important? What do businesses have to gain from them? How are busy executives supposed to find the time to manage partnerships of any kind? Those questions and more are what we're exploring in this podcast. Listen as your host, Mike Allton, Head of Strategic Partnerships at Agorapulse, sets the stage.
Jan 11, 2023•2 min
