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A specialist marketing portal that’s second to none

No-one else knows the business supplies ecosystem quite like we do. We know how to get your brand, messaging and products to exactly the right people, and deliver the best results you’ve probably ever seen* There are two big reasons why…
  • Our 20 years spent connecting with buyers, end users and decision makers, and wholesalers, dealer groups and office product resellers across the world of workplace products.
  • Our extensive asset library and dynamic communications portal, known as the ICM Marketing Portal.

Bringing together vendor and dealer group content, product catalogues, automated
individual dealer branding, and ecommerce integration, our online marketing portal is used
by partners such as 3M, Nestle, Reckitt and Durable.
This means that we can help you deliver the right marketing content directly to your
audiences in one complete, end-to-end, measurable solution.

Continual investment in your success

We work non-stop to keep marketing quality high, consistently investing in new functionality and cleansing dealer data, so your marketing campaigns are compliant, personalised and relevant.

We’re achieving this approach while driving the numbers, with results way above industry
averages.

On email marketing alone, we sent an average of 1.2 million end user emails for our office
product resellers every month last year.

These achieved open rates and click through rates (CTRs) to dealers’ webstores that are
significantly above industry norms.

Capturing leads through the marketing funnel

We devise and deliver activities throughout the marketing funnel – creating collateral that will help your brand ultimately generate quality leads:
  • Top of the funnel – creating awareness and growing demand for your brand and products through engaging content, blog posts, social media, infographics, videos etc.
  • Middle of the funnel – lead nurturing activities such as paid advertising, email marketing, case studies, social media, offers and discounts
  • Bottom of the funnel – where leads can be converted, using demos, sales collateral, testimonials and product reviews
funnel marketing prospects to sales
  • Blog posts
  • Social Media
  • Infographics
  • Paid Advertising
  • Case Studies
  • Social Media
  • Demos
  • Sales Collateral
  • Shopping Carts

What do our clients have to say?

Energizer

*In just three InControl campaigns, Energizer built connections with over 250 resellers. These campaigns saw our emails achieve fabulous open rates and click throughs that were well above our expectations.

Toby Thurlow at Energizer: 

“InControl have really supported the Energizer brand, not only to provide reseller marketing assets that are fit for use but by creating some fantastic end user marketing campaigns with amazing results.”

“This is testament to the work inControl Marketing have done to support resellers to clean up their databases and only send emails to good marketing contacts.”

“inControl Marketing have personally helped me to better understand the requirements of both trade and end user customers. It’s been a real pleasure working with the team.”

Just Office

just office air purifiers

“In one year, InControl Marketing created 141 different vendor campaigns for Just Office’s end user database. This included over 100,000 individual emails achieving superb open rates.”

Mark Rostock, Owner, Just Office: 

“We find inControl Marketing’s portal the most user friendly on the market.”

“The amazing results we have achieved in the last 12 months are a testament to the great content that’s been created by the InControl team and their help in ensuring our customer database is good.”

“Not only do InControl provide us with the toolkit to market to our customers, but they listen to our wider requirements and work with us to help develop our offering and partnership with
our chosen service providers.”

“The InControl team have been ‘unsung heroes’ over the years. They are an absolute gem within our industry, providing what no one else can, which is linking up the supply chain and supporting us as resellers.”

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ISO QSL Cert ISO 9001
ISO QSL Cert ISO 27001
Haddonsacre Business Centre Unit 12 Station Road Offenham, Evesham WR11 8JJ

T : 01386 257757
E : sales@incontrolmarketing.co.uk
support@incontrolmarketing.co.uk

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Two types of email marketing – Sales Activation and Brand Building

There’s two types of email marketing – Sales Activation and Brand Building

The first type, a Sales Activation email is ideal for short term growth byway of a sales uplift to satisfy an existing demand. What they don’t do is typically create a longer term demand, whereas the second type of email; a Brand Building email is for longer term growth by creating a demand and capturing it when the recipients are more ready to buy further into the future.

The answer to the obvious question is do both! Find a balance.

Generally, and it is a generalisation, that a mature business can afford to invest in brand and future sales, where a less mature or new business needs sales and hence lean towards sales activation.

Are the recipients In-Market and Out-Market?

In-Market; is the recipient ready to buy?  Out-Market means they’re not ready to buy.

Amazon Deal of the Day type emails are aimed at recipients who are identified as being In-Market, or ready to buy so get sent sales activation emails usually based on rational win, free or save type promotions e.g. win a bike, a freebie would be to enter a draw for a weekend away, or a simple save 20%. The Metrics for the campaigns are based on number of emails sent, number opened, number clicked, number of sales and profit giving us a benchmark ‘cost per lead’. Store and compare each to give an average. 

Brand building is when you see a meerkat promoting an insurance product. It’s based far more on emotional responses. They repeat, repeat, repeat with consistent messages to a broader less targeted audience, i.e. the audience isn’t ready to buy (Out-Market) but you want your branding to build recognition. Branding metrics are based on recall. 

Next time you sit and watch the ads on telly – think of this and they’ll never be the same. Tell the children and they’ll just look at you even more strangely than they did before! It’s the ads that seemingly don’t make a deal of sense!

The purpose of a brand is to help people make faster decisions. A brand is a mental shortcut and aims to capture a share of mind. See share of mind in 3 distinct aspects:

  1. Fame – is the most valuable – Apple, Amazon – everyone thinks of the brand all of the time.
  2. Salience – mid range share of mind. You think about the brand in a buying situation – I’m hungry; I know I’ll go for a KFC.
  3. Awareness – we all talk about awareness but in effect it’s the lowest form, or least valuable of share of mind as it’s only recalled when they see or hear the brand. 

The key is to get your brand considered. Famous brands are always considered. Their ads tend to be distinctive, memorable and even weird, but they are consistent.

B2B ads are typically much too forgettable – aim for fame 😊 

Does it need to be rational or emotional? Head or heart, features and benefits?

In-Market Sales Activation leans towards rational in contrast to Out-Market Branding can be far more emotional. 

Emotional triggers:

  • No one ever got fired for….
  • ….. your partner in a tough world
  • We know it’s lonely at the top …
  • Fear of missing out
  • Champion of the entrepreneur
  • Humanity in a tech obsessed world

And finally, do businesses grow most by customer acquisition or customer loyalty?

The simple truth is that big brands get big by selling to as many people as possible.

There will always be churn; people move jobs, move companies, retire, change priorities, so if you focus solely on customer loyalty then that’s a mistake.  LinkedIn stats show that 40% of people change their jobs, company, or industry every 4 years.

Customer penetration, land and expand, etc.  can offset the problems of churn, but acquisition is key.

A broad strategy combining both is most effective. So have a plan to focus efforts on new business and to encourage existing customers to buy what they can.

The old chestnuts still hold true that customer experience is key as is the quality of the product and support. 

inControl Marketing white logo
ISO QSL Cert ISO 9001
ISO QSL Cert ISO 27001
Haddonsacre Business Centre Unit 12 Station Road Offenham, Evesham WR11 8JJ

T : 01386 257757
E : sales@incontrolmarketing.co.uk
support@incontrolmarketing.co.uk

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Benefits of managed reseller marketing campaigns

Benefits of managed reseller marketing campaigns

As a reseller, you understand the crucial role marketing plays in driving business growth and success. Effective marketing campaigns help you reach your target audience, showcase your products or services and, ultimately, boost sales. However, creating and executing these campaigns can be time-consuming and resource-intensive, especially if you lack a dedicated in-house marketing team.

That’s where managed reseller marketing campaigns come in.

These campaigns are designed and executed by experienced marketing professionals on your behalf, allowing you to benefit from their expertise and resources.

Outsourcing your reseller marketing efforts allows you to focus on your core business activities while still ensuring your marketing messages reach the right people at the right time. This blog looks at some of the benefits… 

Access to marketing expertise

When you partner with a managed reseller marketing campaign provider, like InControl Marketing, you gain access to a wealth of marketing expertise and experience. Our reseller marketing experts have a deep understanding of the latest marketing trends, strategies and best practices, which we can leverage to create effective campaigns tailored to your specific needs and goals.

Marketing is a constantly evolving field, with new technologies, platforms and techniques emerging all the time. Staying on top of these developments can be a full-time job in itself. It’s not always feasible for resellers to dedicate the necessary time and resources to keep up.

You can ensure that your campaigns are always utilising the most up-to-date and effective strategies by working with an outsourced marketing partner, giving you a competitive edge in your market.

We also have experience working with a wide range of businesses and industries, which means we can bring a fresh perspective and new ideas to your marketing efforts. We can help you identify untapped opportunities, refine your targeting and develop creative solutions to challenges you may face.

Consistent branding and messaging

Maintaining a consistent brand identity and messaging across all your marketing channels is crucial for building trust, recognition and loyalty among your target audience. However, achieving such consistency can be challenging, especially if you’re managing multiple campaigns across different platforms and channels, or for other products, services or vendors.

Managed reseller marketing campaigns help ensure all your marketing efforts align with your brand guidelines and messaging. Your campaign provider will work closely with you to understand your brand identity, values and voice, and ensure that these are reflected consistently across all your campaigns.

One of the key benefits of working with a managed campaign provider is access to a comprehensive library of pre-made marketing assets. These assets, which can include email templates, social media graphics, landing pages and more, are designed to be fully customisable to your brand. You can save time and effort while still ensuring that your campaigns maintain a professional and cohesive look and feel by starting with these proven templates.

Your campaign provider will also ensure that your messaging is consistent and on-brand across all channels. Whether it’s email, social media, content marketing or paid advertising, we’ll work to create a seamless and integrated experience for your target audience. This consistency helps build familiarity and trust with your brand, making it easier to engage your audience and drive conversions over time.

Improved campaign performance

One of the key advantages of working with a managed reseller marketing campaign provider is the data-driven approach they take to optimise your campaigns for better performance. Advanced analytics and reporting tools provide deep insights into how your campaigns are performing and identify areas for improvement so you can make data-informed decisions to enhance your results.

With a managed campaign, you’ll benefit from continuous monitoring and analysis of your marketing efforts. We’ll track key metrics such as open, click-through and conversion rates and more, giving you a clear picture of what’s working and what’s not. We’ll use this data to identify trends, patterns and opportunities for optimisation, ensuring that your campaigns are always performing at their best.

Whether it’s refining your targeting, tweaking your messaging or optimising your landing pages, we’ll continuously test and iterate to improve your results over time. This data-driven approach ensures that your campaigns are always adapting and evolving to meet your target audience’s changing needs and preferences.

With a focus on continuous, data-driven improvement, you can achieve better results, higher engagement and more significant ROI for your reseller business.

Scalability and flexibility

Another key benefit of managed reseller marketing campaigns is the scalability and flexibility they offer. As your business grows and evolves, your marketing needs will also change. It’s crucial to have a solution that can adapt to these changes seamlessly.

With a managed campaign, you can easily scale your marketing efforts up or down based on your business needs. Whether you’re launching a new product, expanding into a new market or simply looking to increase your brand awareness, you can quickly adjust your campaigns to meet your goals. This scalability ensures your marketing efforts are always aligned with your business objectives, no matter how they may change over time.

Moreover, managed campaigns offer the flexibility to adapt quickly to changing market conditions or new opportunities. In today’s fast-paced business environment, being able to pivot and respond to new trends or challenges can be the difference between success and failure. With a managed campaign, you’ll have the agility to adjust your marketing strategy on the fly, whether it’s capitalising on a new trend, responding to a competitor’s move or shifting your focus to a new target audience.

This flexibility is precious for small and medium-sized resellers that may not have the resources or bandwidth to manage a full-scale marketing team in-house.

In short, the scalability and flexibility offered by managed reseller marketing campaigns can be a game-changer for your business. Being able to adjust your marketing efforts quickly and easily based on your changing needs and goals will help ensure your marketing is always responsive, agile and adaptable, without the need for a significant investment in internal resources.

Cost-effectiveness

The cost of building and maintaining an in-house marketing team can be prohibitive for many small and medium-sized resellers. Hiring, training and retaining marketing professionals with the necessary skills and experience can be a significant investment, and one that may not always pay off in terms of results.

Partnering with a managed reseller marketing expert can avoid many of these costs and challenges. Rather than investing in an internal team, you can outsource your marketing efforts to a team of experts who already have the knowledge, skills and tools needed to create and execute effective campaigns.

Managed campaign providers often have access to advanced marketing tools and technologies that may be out of reach for individual resellers.

These might include sophisticated email marketing platforms, social media management tools, analytics software and more. Leveraging these tools as part of your managed campaign allows you to benefit from their capabilities without the need to invest in them yourself.

Additionally, managed campaign providers can often achieve economies of scale that individual resellers cannot. By working with multiple clients and running campaigns on a larger scale, they can often secure better rates on advertising, media placement and other marketing expenses. As a result, you may be able to achieve a greater return on your marketing investment by working with a managed campaign provider than you could on your own.

Stronger vendor-reseller relationships

One of the often-overlooked benefits of managed reseller marketing campaigns is the positive impact they can have on your relationships with your vendors. Partnering with a managed campaign provider helps foster stronger collaboration, trust and alignment between your business and the vendors whose products or services you resell.

When you work with a managed campaign provider, you’re not just outsourcing your marketing efforts – you’re also creating a unified approach to marketing that can benefit both your business and your vendors. Aligning your marketing strategies, messaging and branding with your vendors’ goals and objectives creates a more cohesive and effective marketing presence that benefits everyone involved.

And demonstrating your commitment to marketing and promoting your vendor’s products or services helps build trust and credibility. They’ll see that you’re invested in their success and willing to put in the effort to drive sales and growth. This can lead to stronger, more productive relationships over time, with benefits such as better communication, more favourable terms and even exclusive opportunities or promotions.

In addition, by working with a managed campaign provider that has experience in your industry or niche, you can often tap into their existing relationships and networks. They may have connections with key vendors, thought leaders or influencers in your space that you can leverage to build your own relationships and expand your reach.

How can inControl Marketing help?

In today’s fast-paced and competitive business landscape, effective marketing is more important than ever for resellers looking to stand out and succeed. However, creating and executing effective marketing campaigns can be a daunting challenge, particularly for small and medium-sized businesses with limited resources and expertise.

That’s where InControl Marketing can help. We can create and manage your email campaigns and digital marketing activities for you, promoting your products and services to customers and prospects.

So, if you’re a reseller looking to take your marketing efforts to the next level and drive real business growth, exploring our managed marketing campaign services is a smart move. Partnering with InControl means tapping into the power of effective, efficient and results-driven marketing – without the need to build and maintain an in-house team.

So why wait? Book a demo today and join our growing community of successful resellers and vendors.

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ISO QSL Cert ISO 27001
Haddonsacre Business Centre Unit 12 Station Road Offenham, Evesham WR11 8JJ

T : 01386 257757
E : sales@incontrolmarketing.co.uk
support@incontrolmarketing.co.uk

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The anatomy of an effective landing page

The anatomy of an effective landing page

As an independent reseller, you know that driving online sales is crucial to your business’s success.

The humble landing page is one of the most powerful tools in your marketing arsenal. This page hooks visitors in and helps convert them into customers.

But, creating an effective landing page requires a strategic approach and an understanding of your target audience.

In this blog, we’ll dive into the key elements that make up an effective landing page. By understanding and implementing these elements, you can create landing pages that not only grab your visitors’ attention but also persuade them to act – whether that’s making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter or requesting more information.

Whether you’re new to landing page design or looking to optimise your existing pages, this guide will give you the insights and tools you need to succeed. 

Clear and compelling headline

A clear and compelling headline can be the difference between a visitor staying on your page and bouncing off to a competitor’s site.

Your headline should achieve two main goals:

  • Grab the visitor’s attention: Use strong, action-oriented language that speaks directly to your target audience. Make it clear what your page is about and why it matters to them.
  • Communicate the main benefit or offer: Your headline should convey the primary benefit or unique selling proposition of your product or service. What makes it different from other options on the market? How will it solve your customers’ problems or make their lives better?

For example, your headline might be something like ‘Streamline your purchasing with our one stop solution – save time and money today!’.

This headline grabs the visitor’s attention with action-oriented language (Streamline your purchasing…) and communicates the main benefits of the product (saving time and money).

When crafting your headline, keep it short and sweet. Aim for around 10-20 words. Avoid using jargon or technical terms that might confuse or alienate your audience. Use clear, concise language that’s easy to understand at a glance.

You might also consider using a sub-headline to provide additional context or reinforce your main message. A sub-headline can be a bit longer than your main headline, but it should still be concise and focused on the benefits of your product or service.

Finally, don’t be afraid to test different headlines to see what resonates best with your audience. Try A/B testing different variations and monitor your conversion rates to see which ones perform best.

A clear and compelling headline sets the stage for a successful landing page that engages your visitors and drives conversions.

Engaging visuals

Visuals play a crucial role in creating an effective landing page. High-quality images and videos can help capture your visitors’ attention, demonstrate your product or service in action, and enhance the overall design and user experience.

When selecting visuals for your landing page, it’s essential to choose images and videos that are relevant to your product or service and that resonate with your target audience.  

Showing your product being used in real-world scenarios helps your visitors imagine themselves using it and experiencing the benefits for themselves. This can be especially powerful for complex or technical products that might be difficult to explain through text alone.

In addition to product-specific visuals, consider using icons and graphics to enhance the overall design and user experience of your landing page. These might include using background images to create a specific mood or atmosphere or incorporating visual elements like infographics or illustrations to break up text and make your page more visually engaging.

When using visuals on your landing page, it’s essential to strike a balance between visual interest and page load speed. Large, high-resolution images and videos can slow down your page load times, which can negatively impact your conversion rates. To avoid this, optimise your visuals for web use by compressing files and using appropriate file formats.

Finally, don’t forget to include alt text for all of your images. Alt text is a short description of an image that helps search engines understand what the image is about. Screen readers also use it to describe images to visually impaired users. Including relevant alt text will improve your landing page’s accessibility and search engine optimisation (SEO).

Concise and persuasive copy

While visuals are important, the copy on your landing page is where you really have a chance to persuade your visitors to take action. To be effective, your copy should be concise, persuasive and focused on the benefits of your product or service.

One common mistake that many businesses make is focusing too much on features rather than benefits. While it’s important to highlight the key features of your product, it’s even more important to explain how those features will benefit your customers. For example, rather than simply listing the technical specifications of a product, focus on how those specifications will make your customers’ lives easier or help them achieve their goals.

When writing your copy, use short paragraphs and bullet points to break up the text and make it easier to read. Most people scan web pages rather than reading them word-for-word, so make sure your key points are easy to find and digest.

It’s also important to address any common objections or concerns that your visitors might have. For example, if you’re selling a high-priced item, acknowledge the investment and explain why it’s worth the extra cost. If you’re promoting a new or unfamiliar product, provide social proof in the form of customer reviews or testimonials to help build trust and credibility.

When it comes to your copy’s tone and style, aim for a warm and conversational voice that speaks directly to your target audience. Use ‘you’ and ‘your’ to make your visitors feel like you’re talking directly to them. Avoid using jargon or technical terms that might be confusing or off-putting.

Finally, don’t forget to include a strong call-to-action (CTA) in your copy. Your CTA should clearly state what you want your visitors to do next, whether that’s making a purchase, signing up for a free trial or requesting more information. Use action-oriented language and create a sense of urgency to encourage your visitors to act right away.

 

Social proof and trust elements

Trust is everything when it comes to making a purchase or taking a specific action online. Visitors to your landing page need to feel confident that your product or service is reliable, effective and worth their investment. One of the best ways to build trust and credibility is by incorporating social proof and trust elements into your landing page design.

Social proof is based on the premise that people are more likely to take a specific action if they see others doing the same thing. Showcasing customer testimonials and reviews on your landing page provides visitors with real-world examples of how your product or service has helped others achieve their goals. Consider including photos or videos of your customers alongside their testimonials to make them feel more authentic and relatable.

In addition to customer reviews, you can also display trust badges and certifications on your landing page. These might include logos from well-known industry organisations, security badges that demonstrate your commitment to data privacy, or awards and recognition from respected publications or associations. Displaying trust signals prominently on your page helps visitors feel more confident in their decision to work with you.

Finally, consider highlighting any notable clients or partners that you’ve worked with in the past. If you’ve provided services to well-known brands or organisations, featuring their logos on your landing page can be a powerful way to build credibility and demonstrate your expertise.

When incorporating social proof and trust elements into your landing page, it’s essential to be authentic and transparent.

Don’t use fake reviews or testimonials. Make sure any certifications or badges you display are legitimate and up-to-date. Being honest and upfront with your visitors builds a sense of trust and loyalty that will serve you well in the long run. 

Mobile responsiveness

In today’s mobile-first world, ensuring your landing page looks and functions well on mobile devices is essential. With more and more people accessing the internet on their smartphones and tablets, a mobile-responsive landing page can make the difference between a successful conversion and a missed opportunity.

To create a mobile-responsive landing page, start by using a responsive design template or framework that automatically adjusts to different screen sizes. This will ensure that your page layout, images and other elements look great on any device without requiring separate versions of your page for desktop and mobile.

In addition to responsive design, it’s also important to optimise your page’s loading speed and performance on mobile devices. Mobile users are often on slower connections or have limited data plans, so a page that takes too long to load can be a major turnoff. To improve your page’s loading speed, consider compressing images, using fewer large files or videos, and using a content delivery network (CDN) to serve your page content more efficiently.

Making forms and CTAs easy to use on smaller screens is another vital consideration for mobile-responsive landing pages. Traditional web forms can be challenging to fill out on a mobile device, so consider using mobile-friendly form designs that are easy to tap and complete with minimal typing. Similarly, make sure your CTA buttons are large enough to be easily tapped with a finger and use clear, concise language to encourage visitors to take action.

Finally, don’t forget to test your landing page on a variety of mobile devices and screen sizes to ensure that it looks and functions as intended.

Testing and optimisation

Creating an effective landing page isn’t a one-time event – it’s an ongoing process of testing, analysis and optimisation. Experimenting with different elements of your page and making data-driven improvements can increase your conversion rates and achieve better results over time.

One of the most powerful tools for landing page optimisation is A/B testing, also known as split testing. With A/B testing, you create two slightly different versions of your landing page and show them to different groups of visitors. Tracking and performance of each version helps determine which elements are most effective at driving conversions, so you can make informed decisions about what to change or improve.

Some common elements to test with A/B testing include headlines, images, copy, form fields and CTA buttons. For example, you might test two different headline variations to see which one resonates better with your audience or experiment with different CTA button colours to see which one gets more clicks.

When conducting A/B tests, it’s important to focus on one element at a time and to run the test for a sufficient period to gather statistically significant data. Avoid making too many changes at once, as this can make it difficult to determine which specific elements are impacting your results.

In addition to A/B testing, it’s also important to regularly analyse your landing page data and make data-driven improvements based on your findings. Use tools like Google Analytics to track key metrics like bounce rate, time on page and conversion rate, and look for patterns or trends that might indicate areas for improvement.

Finally, don’t forget to stay up-to-date with changing user behaviours and preferences, and be willing to adapt your landing page strategy accordingly. As new technologies and trends emerge, what works today might not work tomorrow.

Integration with other marketing channels

Your landing page doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s just one piece of your overall marketing strategy. To get the most out of your landing page, it’s essential to integrate it with your other marketing channels and ensure a consistent, seamless experience for your visitors.

One key aspect of integration is ensuring that your landing page messaging and design are consistent with your other marketing campaigns. If a visitor clicks through to your landing page from an email or social media ad, they should immediately recognise that they’re in the right place based on the messaging and visual elements they see. Inconsistencies can lead to confusion and erode trust, so take the time to ensure that your landing page aligns with the rest of your marketing materials.

Don’t forget to leverage analytics to track and optimise your cross-channel performance. Use tools to track how visitors are arriving at your landing page from different sources, and use this data to make informed decisions about where to focus your marketing efforts. For example, if you find that visitors from a particular social media platform are converting at a higher rate than others, you might choose to invest more resources into that platform to drive even better results.

Integrating your landing page with your other marketing channels and using data to guide your decisions helps create a more cohesive and effective marketing strategy that drives real results for your business.

How can inControl Marketing help?

If you’re looking to build a landing page or need support managing your reseller marketing campaigns, InControl Marketing can help.

Our all-in-one, channel marketing platform streamlines and enhances the reseller marketing experience, enabling stronger, more effective customer connections.

It delivers powerful tools and insights to resellers and vendors, offering a powerful blend of features for efficient marketing. These include a self-serve library with ready-made landing pages, social media assets and emails, and easy-to-use tools for creating custom content. Bespoke studio and managed campaign services are available if you don’t have the time or expertise to create your own.

So, if you’re looking for a marketing platform that excels in flexibility, data handling and integration capabilities, book a demo and let us show you how the InControl Portal can work for your business.

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ISO QSL Cert ISO 9001
ISO QSL Cert ISO 27001
Haddonsacre Business Centre Unit 12 Station Road Offenham, Evesham WR11 8JJ

T : 01386 257757
E : sales@incontrolmarketing.co.uk
support@incontrolmarketing.co.uk

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How to create a memorable reseller marketing campaign

How to create a memorable reseller marketing campaign

As a reseller in today’s competitive market, creating marketing campaigns that stand out and leave a lasting impression on your target audience is more critical than ever.

Memorable campaigns not only help you attract new customers but also foster brand loyalty and drive long-term success for your business.

But what exactly makes a marketing campaign memorable? While there’s no one-size-fits-all formula, several key elements can help your campaigns resonate with your audience and achieve your desired results.

In this blog, we’ll dive into each of these elements and provide practical tips and examples to help you create marketing campaigns that make a lasting impact. Whether you’re a seasoned marketer or just starting out, these strategies will help you take your reseller marketing efforts to the next level and drive more sales and growth for your business.

Define your target audience

A deep understanding of your target audience is the foundation of any successful marketing campaign. Without knowing who you’re trying to reach and what motivates them, your campaigns are likely to fall flat or miss the mark entirely.

The first step in defining your target audience is to identify your ideal customers.

Who are the people most likely to buy your products or services?

Can we identify their demographics?

Where do we find them? 

What are their interests and behaviours?

The more specific you can be, the better.

One helpful exercise is to create buyer personas – fictional representations of your ideal customers based on actual data and research. Giving your target audience a name, face and backstory can help you better understand their needs, preferences and pain points, and tailor your marketing messages accordingly.

To gather the information you need to create accurate buyer personas, start by analysing your existing customer data. Look for common characteristics and patterns among your best customers. Consider reaching out to them directly for feedback and insights.

You can also conduct market research to learn more about your target audience. This might include online surveys, focus groups or interviews with potential customers. Pay attention to the language they use to describe their challenges and goals, as well as the channels and sources they turn to for information and advice.

As you develop your buyer personas, consider creating separate personas for different segments of your audience. For example, you might have one persona for small business owners and another for enterprise decision-makers, each with their own unique needs and preferences.

Once you have a clear picture of your target audience, use this information to guide every aspect of your reseller marketing campaign. From the channels you choose to the content you create to the offers you promote, everything should be tailored to the specific needs and interests of your ideal customer.

Communicate your unique selling proposition (USP)

Your USP is the key benefit or advantage that you offer that no one else can match.

To identify your USP, start by analysing your products or services in detail. What features or benefits do they offer that are truly unique or different from what’s already available on the market? This could be anything from proprietary technology to a personalised customer experience or a more affordable price point.

As you brainstorm potential USPs, focus on the aspects of your offering that are most relevant and valuable to your target audience.

Remember, your USP should directly address the needs, preferences and pain points you identified when creating your buyer personas.

Once you’ve identified your USP, the next challenge is communicating it clearly and concisely to your target audience. Your USP should be easy to understand and remember, even for someone who’s not familiar with your brand or industry.

To craft a compelling USP statement, start with a simple formula: Our [product/service] helps [target audience] achieve [benefit] by [unique differentiator]. 

As you develop your USP, keep in mind that it should be more than just a catchy slogan or tagline. It should be a fundamental part of your brand identity and value proposition, guiding everything from your product development to your customer service and reseller marketing campaigns.

When it comes to incorporating your USP into your campaign messaging, consistency is key. Make sure your USP is prominently featured in all your marketing materials, from your website and social media profiles to your email campaigns and advertising copy.

Use your USP as a framework for highlighting the specific benefits and advantages of your products or services, and tie those benefits back to the needs and goals of your target audience. The more you can show how your USP directly addresses their challenges and aspirations, the more memorable and effective your campaigns will be.

Developing a strong USP takes time and effort, but it’s one of the most important investments you can make in your reseller marketing strategy.

Choose the right marketing channels

With a clear target audience and USP in mind, the next step is to choose the marketing channels that will be most effective for reaching and engaging your ideal customers. In today’s digital age, there are countless channels to choose from – from social media and email marketing to content marketing and paid advertising – and it can be tempting to try to be everywhere at once.

However, the key to a successful reseller marketing campaign is not necessarily to use as many channels as possible, but rather to select the channels that are most likely to resonate with your specific target audience. This means taking the time to research and understand where your ideal customers spend their time online, what types of content they engage with, and what influences their purchasing decisions.

Start by looking at the demographic data you gathered when defining your target audience.

What social media platforms do they use most frequently?

Do they prefer to consume content from blog posts, emails, videos or podcasts?

Are they more likely to respond to email promotions or targeted advertising?

Once you have a sense of the channels your target audience is most active on, consider which channels are most likely to support your specific campaign goals. For example, if your goal is to generate leads and drive website traffic, you might focus on driving visitors to a sales landing page using email. If your goal is to build brand awareness and engagement, you might prioritise social media posts and content marketing.

As you select your marketing channels, keep in mind that it’s often more effective to focus on a few key channels and do them well, rather than spreading yourself too thin across too many channels.

Once you’ve selected your channels, the next step is to adapt your messaging and creative for each one. While your USP and overall campaign theme should remain consistent across all channels, the specific tactics and formats you use may vary depending on the platform and audience.

For example, on social media, you might focus on creating short, ‘snackable’ content that’s easy to share and engage with, such as images, videos and infographics.

On your website or blog, you might create longer-form content that provides more in-depth information and value to your target audience.

In your reseller email campaigns, you might focus on personalised, targeted messages that speak directly to the needs and interests of each recipient.

Ultimately, the key to choosing the right marketing channels is to stay focused on your target audience and campaign goals, and to continually test and optimise your approach based on data and feedback. Selecting channels that align with your audience’s preferences and behaviours, and adapting your messaging and creative accordingly helps your campaigns stand out, resonate and drive actual results for your reseller business.

Create compelling content

Compelling content that engages, informs and inspires your target audience lies at the heart of any memorable reseller marketing campaign.

Whether you’re creating blog posts, videos, social media updates or email newsletters, your content should be carefully crafted to align with your campaign goals and provide real value to your readers.

The first step in creating compelling content is to develop a content strategy that supports your overall campaign objectives. This means identifying the key themes, messages and calls-to-action that you want to convey through your content and mapping out a plan for how and when you’ll deliver that content to your audience.

As you develop your content strategy, consider using a variety of formats to keep things interesting and engaging for your audience.

While blog posts and articles are an excellent foundation for any content marketing plan, don’t be afraid to mix things up with videos, infographics, podcasts or interactive content like quizzes and polls.

One way to streamline your content creation process and ensure consistency across all your marketing materials is to use an asset library and pre-built templates.

Starting with a set of approved images, graphics and design elements, you can create content that aligns with your brand identity and messaging without having to start from scratch each time.

When creating templates or choosing assets from a library, look for options that are flexible and customisable so you can adapt them to fit your specific campaign needs and goals. And be sure to take advantage of any tools or resources provided by your vendor partner to ensure that your content meets their branding and quality standards.

Ultimately, the key to creating compelling content is to focus on providing value to your target audience.

Every piece of content or marketing collateral you create – digital or otherwise – should be relevant to their needs, interests and pain points, and should offer some kind of insight, advice or solution that they can’t get elsewhere.

Use eye-catching visuals

Incorporating eye-catching visuals into your reseller marketing campaigns is more important than ever in today’s fast-paced, visually-driven digital landscape.

Whether you’re creating social media posts, email newsletters or website banners, strong visual content can help your messages stand out, grab attention, and communicate your brand identity.

The first step in using visuals effectively is to select high-quality images and videos that align with your brand and campaign goals.

This means choosing visuals that aren’t only aesthetically appealing but also relevant to your target audience and the messages you want to convey.

When selecting images, look for options that are clear, crisp and well-lit, with a focus on the key elements you want to highlight. If you’re using stock photos or assets, be sure to choose images that look authentic and natural rather than overly posed or generic.

As you incorporate visuals into your content and creative, be sure to use them strategically to support your overall campaign goals and messaging. For example, if you’re promoting a new product launch, you might use images or videos that showcase the key features and benefits of the product, along with customer testimonials or demonstrations.

When using visuals on social media, pay attention to the specific requirements and best practices for each platform. For example, square images tend to perform well on Instagram, while landscape images are better suited for Twitter and Facebook. Use hashtags and captions to provide context and encourage engagement, and experiment with different formats like carousels and stories to keep things interesting.

Asset libraries like the InControl Portal include images, graphics and other visual content in a range of sizes, styles and formats so you can choose the right visuals for the platforms you’re using. It saves time, hassle, and frustration knowing you can just download and customise the assets you need and that they’re good to go.

Finally, don’t forget to optimise your visuals for different devices and screen sizes. With more and more people accessing content on their smartphones and tablets, it’s vital to ensure that your visuals look great and load quickly on any device.

Offer valuable incentives

One effective way to make your reseller marketing campaigns more memorable and impactful is to offer valuable incentives that motivate your target audience to take action. Whether you’re trying to drive sales, encourage signups or promote a new product or service, the right incentives can be a powerful tool for boosting engagement and conversions.

When planning your incentives, consider using a mix of promotions, discounts and special offers that align with your campaign goals and target audience preferences. For example, if you’re launching a new software product, you might offer a free trial period or a discount on the first year of service to encourage people to give it a try.

As you develop your incentives, keep in mind that the most effective offers are those that create a sense of urgency or scarcity. Setting a time limit on your promotion or limiting the number of available slots taps into people’s natural fear of missing out and encourages them to act quickly.

In addition to creating urgency, it’s essential to ensure that your incentives are relevant and valuable to your target audience. This means taking the time to understand their needs, preferences and pain points, and tailoring your offers accordingly.

When crafting your incentive messaging, be sure to highlight the specific benefits and value that your offer provides. Use clear, concise language that communicates what’s in it for the customer and makes it easy for them to take advantage of the offer by giving clear instructions and a strong call-to-action.

Finally, don’t forget to track and measure the success of your incentives over time. Use analytics and customer feedback to understand which offers are most effective at driving engagement and conversions, and use that data to optimise your approach for future campaigns.

How can inControl Marketing help?

Creating a memorable reseller marketing campaign is no small feat. Following the strategies and best practices outlined in this blog post will set you up for success and drive real results for your business.

While these strategies can be highly effective in driving engagement, conversions, and revenue for your reseller business, it’s important to remember that success rarely happens overnight. Creating a truly memorable and impactful marketing campaign requires continuous testing, learning and adaptation based on data, insights and customer feedback.

Partnering with an expert reseller marketing specialist, like InControl Marketing, can help.

The InControl Reseller Marketing Portal is an all-in-one online platform that supports and boosts reseller marketing activity, enabling stronger, more effective customer connections.

It delivers powerful tools and insights to resellers and vendors, offering a powerful blend of features for efficient marketing. These include a self-serve library with ready-made social media assets, emails and landing pages and easy-to-use tools for creating custom content. We also offer bespoke studio and managed campaign services if you don’t have the time or expertise to create your own.

To find out how our portal can help your business grow, get in touch to book a free, no-obligation demo. We look forward to hearing from you.

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BIC Incentive

BIC winners enjoy a night out with Peter Kay

Sovereign, Aston and James, BOS Office, Just Office, and PP Office all thoroughly enjoyed their night out with Peter Kay when he performed the Birmingham leg of his Live Tour tour at Utilita Arena. An overnight stay. 
 
Great to team up with BIC and Product Promotion Services to deliver on this. I’m told he was brilliant and that was just Kristian from BIC!  
BIC incentive
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Simple steps to successful emails

Simple steps to successful emails

Get your email in the inbox

First things first – get your domain records sorted – SPF, DKIM and DMARC – if they’re a mystery then just ask, but without the foundations your house will collapse so let’s not waste everyone’s time building a spectacular house that will fall over with the first gust of wind. Please get these done because without them your emails won’t get into the recipients inbox.

Get it opened

All you’ve got to work with is the From Name and the Subject Line

Proven subject lines usually fall into one of the below:

  • Create curiosity – have you seen x, I blame y, why did we hand our x, why we paid…, was this you [[FIRST_NAME]]?
  • Offer a particular benefit – saves time, money, lighter, faster, more, less, get the xxx you want and do it in x days, generate x in y days.
  • A level of scarcity – won’t last much longer, while it lasts, limited, deadline, last chance, you’re about to miss out [[FIRST_NAME]].
  • Focus on the result – it achieved x in y time, helped us achieve y, how to reduce y.

Look to develop some go-to’s that you can reuse time and again.

And if you’re life depended on 50% of people opening this email what would I use as a subject line?

Use emojis and personalisation

From Names

Who you send the email from.

Please not Sales and not info – it’s lazy and bad.

If someone is the face of the business then use their name

Alternatively use a name and company name – ‘Geoff from xyz’ is great (if you’re names Geoff)

Use the Pre Header Text aka Second Subject Line

I can hear you now – what’s that then?

icm pre header texts

It’s simply a little intro piece and it reads far better than something like ‘Having trouble viewing this email’ which is the seeming alternative. Don’t waste it

Avoid the purge

What do you do when you first get out of bed?

Coffee, loo, snooze, mix of all of the above, and check and delete emails?

Timing is key.

Too busy to engage and open emails, so delete, delete, delete.

Send or schedule emails to go after 10.00 and not too late in the evening.

Know your customers.

Engagement is the key

Get it in the inbox, get it opened, get it read, get it engaged with getting click throughs.

Click throughs are leads.

A single Call to Action (CTA) is ok, but four works better.

Use images as links.

More links equals more clicks, and more clicks is more leads.

Use images better

People click on images.

Images set as video image work really well.

Use gifs to spice up the email.

And above all make the email interesting and useful.

Keep your name in front of your customers to stay in their consideration. 

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Generate Leads Through Email

Generate Leads Through Email: Tips For Writing Good Sales Emails

We want our marketing read and engaged with…. right?

We all know that breaking through to your target audience when you’re up against everything else that hits their inbox can be tough. The foundation of strong performance with email marketing  is content – from the subject line to the body of your email, you have to be concise and persuasive.

Less is often more in email

Encourage a prospect to open and read your message by making everything about the process easy. A reader shouldn’t have to try to figure out what you mean, and no one wants to read more than one or two short paragraphs  when they open an email. In fact, some experts recommend limiting your message to one or two powerful sentences.

Spend time on your Subject Lines

You should be aiming for the reader to think “Yes, that seems like something I want to know more about.” Avoid gimmicks such as all caps or a row of punctuation, and use a subject line that identifies the content as simply and powerfully as possible. There’s more on Subject Lines here.

Subject lines must be enticing but honest. They should provide an idea of what’s inside, but not give the whole package away. The point of a subject line is to encourage the recipient to self-identify as a relevant reader.

Personalise appropriately

 

Email is a person-to-person communication, so craft messages with that in mind. Put some personality into emails, and whenever possible, put a name and contact information at the bottom. Customise emails with the names of your recipients when possible, but do so appropriately. Most individuals today can tell the difference between a personalised email and a fill-in-the-blank mailer.

Let’s show you how to easily add personalisation to your emails

Create a straightforward, simple Call To Action (CTA)

No matter how creative your subject line is or compelling your content, if you don’t provide instructions for the reader, they can’t become a conversion. Include a CTA in every email, whether you want the reader to click a link, make a phone call, or respond to the message. Make sure the call to action is short and easy to follow – the reader won’t have a lot of time!

Want more on effective CTAs? Click here

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The key to Email is Deliverability

Get your emails into the recipients inbox and then get it read and engaged with - what could possibly go wrong?

If you can do this the ROI is unmatched, so you can’t ignore email.

So, here’s what you need to know.

The actual return of your email program is going to be impacted by a number of factors:

You, we, them, we all have a sender reputation that in an ideal world should be cherished, but we all know it’s not an ideal world. Your sender reputation and deliverability are linked. Your sender reputation is determined by domain and IP reputation, as well as your engagement and authentications, and is how ISPs determine how trustworthy you are. 

So send like a spammer and your reputation will diminish along with your deliverability.

It’s a process

1. Keeping bad email addresses out of your email list helps prevent spam traps that could get you blacklisted. Before you upload a list get it verified by a third party checker like Emailable.com. They’ll tell you the naff ones and the ones they see as ‘risky’ and you shouldn’t upload them.   

2. Be very wary of free email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, BT etc.) and job role based email addresses (info@, sales@, accounts@ etc.) If you’ve bought a list and it’s loaded with these then you’ve bought a pup and I wouldn’t touch it with your barge-pole. Saying that using bought in lists is against our Anti Spam Policy but we know it goes on.  

3. Set up your email authentications – SPF, DKIM and DMARC records on your sending domain’s DNS records. These tell the internet that they are your emails and they’re genuine (very important). On that note it’s best to use a separate domain for sending marketing emails in order to protect your corporate domain name.

4. Monitoring how recipients engage with your emails is also important to ensure your list is not sending ISPs signals that will negatively impact reputation. Do not persist in sending to people who consistently do not open your emails – they’re a damaging waste of time and you should ‘suppress’ them to take them out of your lists.   

5. Maintain a clean email list so go for a minimum bounce. We used to report these and now we’re reporting and managing. Some will be unsubscribed and some suppressed. 

Monitor and reacting to metrics to adapt your strategy as protocols evolve. Long winded way of saying don’t send rubbish. Good email marketing policy is sensible policy; you’ll see the number of contacts fall, but the number of opens go up and the levels of engagement. 

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ICM driving customer engagement

ICM driving your customer engagement with the ongoing Deliverability Project

…. and on it goes 

The ongoing Deliverability Project; the aim of which is to drive your engagement with your contacts. 

To date we’ve taken various actions that have happened in the background to drive improved email deliverability, however we’ve now reached the stage where our actions may well draw your attention. 

The reasons for us acting are to help you to improve your communications, your online presence and move towards improved compliance.

The next step is …. we intend to suppress contacts who consistently don’t open your emails. 

Why? Simply, they’re doing you more harm than good. In terms of best practice, legislation, online reputation and probably spam reports.

You may well see a drop off in the number of contacts being sent to, but you should see a higher open rate and an increase in the level of engagement. 

These contacts have been suppressed and not unsubscribed. This means you can bring them back to your live lists, see Fig1

 

Contact-Suppression
 

Fig1

If you do want to bring the con tact back then our advice would be to change the type and nature of the email you send to them.

If you have any questions or queries, please ask.

We hope that you view this as a proactive and positive action to help your email marketing efforts.

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