Partnership Unpacked

Artificial intelligence is transforming the way brands market, advertise and partner with one another. AI platforms are disrupting traditional approaches with data-driven personalization, automation and scale.

But many companies are struggling to leverage AI's full potential. Partnerships that seemed obvious on the surface have failed to generate results, while opportunities to collaborate with complementary AI providers are overlooked. Without a clear strategy for determining the right partners, structuring agreements and generating concrete outcomes, even the most advanced AI technologies will leave value on the table. This threatens to widen the gap between AI-forward innovators and the rest of the marketing field.

What’s the next step for brands?

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 of experts at strategic partnerships, channel programs, affiliates, influencer marketing, and relationship building… oh, and you get to learn too! Subscribe to learn how you can amplify your growth strategy – with a solid takeaway every episode from partnership experts in the industry.

Many marketers find themselves struggling to form impactful partnerships that enhance their brands and drive growth. In today's crowded and fast-changing marketplace, the need for strategic collaborations with complementary partners has never been greater.

Yet for most brands, a lack of expertise in evaluating potential partners, structuring beneficial agreements and measuring tangible results has left partnerships underperforming or failing to meet expectations. Those that figure out how to properly select partners based on alignment, negotiate mutually valuable terms and manage partnerships to maximize synergy will gain a significant competitive edge. But without a clear roadmap for effective partnering, many brands will miss opportunities to turbocharge growth through strategic collaborations.

That’s exactly what our guest today, Tom Armitage, is going to talk to us about.

After spending a decade on the agency side, supporting over a hundred brands with their campaigns, Tom now serves as Senior Marketing Manager for Smith.ai, providing thought leadership and lead generation to a brand that’s leveraging AI extensively. He has taught as an adjunct professor for eight years on market research and social media marketing, and brings us a unique perspective on how to approach partnerships in today’s environment.

Partnership Unpacked host Mike Allton talked to Tom Armitage about:

♉️ How brands can identify good potential brand partners

♉️ How to structure successful strategic partnerships

♉️ How AI is having an impact on marketing & partnerships

Learn more about Tom Armitage

• Connect with Tom Armitage on LinkedIn

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

• Smith.ai
• Subscribe to the show calendar: agorapulse.com/calendar
• Learn more about Agorapulse with a free demo

Full Notes & Transcript: https://www.thesocialmediahat.com/blog/how-this-saas-company-navigates-ai-and-partnerships-w-tom-armitage/

Brought to you by Agorapulse: the #1 rated social media management solution.

Music by Jumbo, "Peripheral" (feat. Plum Soul)

Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton

Every once in a while, there’s an advancement in technology so profound that it impacts every aspect of human life and productivity. Automotives. Airplanes. Computer processors. And now, Artificial Intelligence... AI.

While AI isn’t new, recent developments have vastly improved and accelerated mainstream adoption of AI capabilities and enhancements - so much so that it can be, admittedly, overwhelming to keep up and understand how it’s impacting areas of importance to us, such as partnerships and influencer marketing.

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 of experts at strategic partnerships, channel programs, affiliates, influencer marketing, and relationship building… oh, and you get to learn too! Subscribe to learn how you can amplify your growth strategy – with a solid takeaway every episode from partnership experts in the industry.

Have you ever ridden Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress?

It’s a serene and relaxing ride in Tomorrowland that capers through the decades of American innovation and development, from electricity and refrigerators, to virtual reality and voice assistants.

The pervading character, voiced by the same narrator of The Christmas Story, always remarks after each decade on how much progress they’ve made and how easy they have it now.

Imagine what we will be saying soon about how artificial intelligence has become a part of our everyday lives - particularly when it comes to business processes like content creation, optimization and, yes, even influencer marketing and partnerships.

Wondering how AI can and should be a part of your organization?

That’s exactly what our guest today, Jeff Fransen, is here to help us with.

Jeff has been in the influencer marketing space for over 9 years and has worked with brands like NASA, Uber and Topps!

He now leads partnerships and alliances for Affable.ai, an award-winning influencer marketing SaaS solution that helps marketers run fast and intelligent campaigns, built on Affable’s proprietary AI and machine learning technology.

Partnership Unpacked host Mike Allton talked to Jeff Fransen about:

♉️ How AI is changing influencer marketing

♉️ Ways AI can positively impact partnership development

♉️ Where influencer marketing and partnerships are headed with AI

Subscribe to the show calendar: agorapulse.com/calendar

Learn more about Jeff Fransen

• Connect with Jeff Fransen on LinkedIn

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

• Affable.ai
• Subscribe to the show calendar: agorapulse.com/calendar
• Learn more about Agorapulse with a free demo

Full Notes & Transcript: https://www.thesocialmediahat.com/blog/understanding-the-impact-of-ai-on-influencer-marketing-and-partnerships-w-jeff-fransen/

Brought to you by Agorapulse: the #1 rated social media management solution.

Music by Jumbo, "Peripheral" (feat. Plum Soul)

Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton

85% of respondents to a recent survey by Converge reported that brand visibility is the overall goal for content amplification. At the same time, the majority of those surveyed reported they had neither the time nor the resources to accomplish what they wanted.

That’s a problem.

CMOs today understand the importance of content marketing for establishing brand authority and driving traffic & sales, but for some reason there’s always a roadblock between content creation and content amplification, resulting in missed opportunities.

Could partnerships play a role here?

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 of experts at strategic partnerships, channel programs, affiliates, influencer marketing, and relationship building… oh, and you get to learn too! Subscribe to learn how you can amplify your growth strategy – with a solid takeaway every episode from partnership experts in the industry.

I mentioned at the outset that 85% of marketers report brand visibility is the overall goal for content amplification, and according to research from LiveRamp, that brand awareness is the metric which matters most to marketers.

And yet, 75% of those same respondents said they’re not spending enough time on content amplification. Lack of time being the #1 reason.

And that makes sense, doesn’t it? Once we’ve spent so much time ideating, researching, and creating a piece of content, it’s a relief to simply get it published, or see our team get it published.

But therein lies the problem. Mark Schaefer once said that, essentially, if no one sees our content, it’s worthless. We should be heavily invested in promoting and amplifying the content we’re creating, but if we’re already time-strapped, what are we supposed to do?

That’s exactly what our guest today, James Tennant, is going to talk to us about.

James has spent years creating content and working with businesses and organizations around the world, including the likes of eBay and Universal Studios. In his drive to help brands with their content strategy, he founded Converge - a platform that helps B2B businesses significantly grow their readership among their target market.

Partnership Unpacked host Mike Allton talked to James Tennant about:

♉️ The strategic importance of content amplification
♉️ How to measure the ROI of content amplification
♉️ Where partnerships can further amplify content and raise awareness

Learn more about James Tennant

• Connect with James Tennant on LinkedIn
• Connect with James Tennant on Twitter

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

• Converge
• 2022 Content Amplification Report
• Subscribe to the show calendar: agorapulse.com/calendar
• Learn more about Agorapulse with a free demo

Full Notes & Transcript: https://www.thesocialmediahat.com/blog/how-partnerships-can-fuel-content-amplification-to-drive-brand-awareness-w-james-tennant/

Brought to you by Agorapulse: the #1 rated social media management solution.

Music by Jumbo, "Peripheral" (feat. Plum Soul)

Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton

You have a new partner! That’s awesome!

What’s next?

How do we make sure that the partnership and the relationship continues forward in a positive, constructive way? How do we set this partner up for success and, at the same time, make sure that our time is spent as efficiently as possible so that we can bring on more and more partners and drive more revenue?

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 of experts at strategic partnerships, channel programs, affiliates, influencer marketing, and relationship building… oh, and you get to learn too! Subscribe to learn how you can amplify your growth strategy – with a solid takeaway every episode from partnership experts in the industry.

And today is going to be fun because we’re talking about a topic that’s of keen interest to me personally - how to scale a robust partner program and create a predictable revenue engine driven by partners.

Maybe that sounds good to you but maybe, like me, you’ve struggled to build a sustainable program. Maybe you’ve had a few too many instances where you brought on a new partner but nothing ever materialized. Or maybe you know that many of your prospects are already working with your partners, but you haven’t been able to successfully bring them into your sales process yet.

That’s what our guest today, Rob Rebholz, is here to help us with.

He has founded a SaaS company, Superglue, that’s devoted to helping CMOs and partnership leaders scale their partner-led revenue but, before that, Rob was in the trenches building another SaaS business where he learned the in’s and out’s of strategic partnerships. At that business, over 70% of the revenue was partner-driven!

Partnership Unpacked host Mike Allton talked Rob about:

♉️ How to properly onboard partners

♉️ The challenges CMOs and partnership leaders face trying to co-sell

♉️ What opportunities AI and automation bring to scale

Learn more about Rob Rebholz

• Connect with Rob Rebholz on LinkedIn
• Superglue

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

• Subscribe to the show calendar: agorapulse.com/calendar
• Learn more about Agorapulse with a free demo

Full Notes & Transcript: https://www.thesocialmediahat.com/blog/how-cmos-and-partnership-leaders-can-scale-partner-onboarding-and-co-selling-w-rob-rebholz/

Brought to you by Agorapulse: the #1 rated social media management solution.

Music by Jumbo, "Peripheral" (feat. Plum Soul)

Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton

You’ve likely heard the phrase “Success breeds success,” but you may not have heard the full quote from Felicity Kendal where she said, “Success breeds success, and failure leads to a sort of fallow period.”

I found that interesting because, often, success too can lead to a sort of fallow period. A time where we thought we should be thrilled and celebrating our victories but perhaps found ourselves even more overwhelmed. Even more stressed. And struggling even more with imposter syndrome.

If you’ve ever achieved success and then still wondered what the heck you’re doing there and what you’re supposed to do next… you’re not alone.

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 of experts at strategic partnerships, channel programs, affiliates, influencer marketing, and relationship building… oh, and you get to learn too! Subscribe to learn how you can amplify your growth strategy – with a solid takeaway every episode from partnership experts in the industry.

Think about the last time you accomplished a big goal at work - maybe you launched a really successful campaign, or perhaps you brought in a huge partner deal. Or maybe… just maybe… you managed to book an interview with a celebrity author and speaker.

That was great, wasn’t it?

But what happened next?

Were you expected to accomplish even more the next time? Did you wonder if you could? Did you question yourself and wonder how you managed to get that point at all?

That’s Wonderhell, and that’s what Laura Gassner Otting is here to help us with.

She’s a frequent contributor to Good Morning America, the TODAY Show, Harvard Business Review, and Oprah Daily, and has had a profound presence in corporate America for over thirty years. And our friend Mitch Joel writes, “When doubt creeps in (or when the ego wails, ‘You deserve this!’), Wonderhell is here to provide balance and a healthier approach to keep things going in the right direction.” She’s worked in the White House, her own tech start-up, and with the full gamut of mission-driven corporate and nonprofit executives.

Partnership Unpacked host Mike Allton talked to Laura Gassner Otting about:

♉️ How CMOs and Partnership Leaders can more effectively visualize goals and success

♉️ Why it can be so hard sometimes to deal with success and look beyond to the next goal

♉️ What the keys to overcoming failure and impostor syndrome are

Learn more about Laura Gassner Otting

• Connect with Laura Gassner Otting on LinkedIn
• Connect with Laura Gassner Otting on Twitter

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

• Wonderhell: Why Success Doesn't Feel Like It Should . . . and What to Do About It
• Limitless: How to Ignore Everybody, Carve your Own Path, and Live Your Best Life
• Subscribe to the show calendar: agorapulse.com/calendar
• Learn more about Agorapulse with a free demo

Full Notes & Transcript: https://www.thesocialmediahat.com/blog/how-marketing-executives-ride-the-roller-coaster-of-success-w-laura-gassner-otting/

Brought to you by Agorapulse: the #1 rated social media management solution.

Music by Jumbo, "Peripheral" (feat. Plum Soul)

Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton

By now you’ve no doubt seen how incredible generative AI can be at helping to create outlines, emails, scripts and articles.

And the imagery and video that AI is capable of producing is advancing swiftly.

But all of that content is based on creative work that already exists, and that could potentially include your work! Is that something you need to protect yourself against? Where do you even 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 of experts at strategic partnerships, channel programs, affiliates, influencer marketing, and relationship building… oh, and you get to learn too! Subscribe to learn how you can amplify your growth strategy – with a solid takeaway every episode from partnership experts in the industry.

Imagine that you’ve spent countless hours building up an incredible, and valuable, archive of content - whether that’s blog posts, videos, or podcasts - and now suddenly other businesses are using generative AI tools to create content of their own that’s drawing on your work.

Is there anything you can do to safeguard your content, and your audience? Should you really be worried?

And what about when you’re working directly with brands, as an influencer or content creator, how should you approach these relationships?

That’s what Eric Farber is here to help you with.

He is the Founder and CEO of Creators Legal, the first and only DIY Legal Solutions company for the creative industry. He spent decades working as a sports and entertainment attorney and has represented a variety of artists and entertainers such as the Tupac Shakur Estate. Farber started Creators Legal to help those in the creator economy get high level, quality contracts and legal solutions at a reasonable price. And I can’t wait to get his expert help today with everything that's going on with AI and influencer marketing.

Partnership Unpacked host Mike Allton talked to Eric Farber about:

♉️ How AI is impacting creators and influencers today

♉️ How creators and influencers can protect their work

♉️ Why contracts are important, and how to proceed with them

Learn more about Eric Farber

• Connect with Eric Farber on LinkedIn

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

• Creators Legal
• Subscribe to the show calendar: agorapulse.com/calendar
• Learn more about Agorapulse with a free demo

Full Notes & Transcript: https://www.thesocialmediahat.com/blog/how-influencers-can-protect-their-work-despite-the-ai-overlords-w-eric-farber/

Brought to you by Agorapulse: the #1 rated social media management solution.

Music by Jumbo, "Peripheral" (feat. Plum Soul)

Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton

CMOs and Partnership Leaders today are facing increasing amounts of pressure.

Pressure to do more with less.

Pressure to show their stakeholders, internal and external, real results.

Pressure to take their partner programs to the next level.

All the books and courses and webinars in the world can’t help if you don’t have the right mindset. So where do we begin?

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 of experts at strategic partnerships, channel programs, affiliates, influencer marketing, and relationship building… oh, and you get to learn too! Subscribe to learn how you can amplify your growth strategy – with a solid takeaway every episode from partnership experts in the industry.

And after a couple dozen episodes, we’ve covered a lot of ground. We’ve talked about building strategic partner programs, working with influencers, and even how to start up a great affiliate program.

But how are we supposed to accomplish these goals, juggle competing priorities, and keep our personal and professional lives balanced?

That’s what Angus Nelson is here to help us with.

If you want to model the best, why not look to someone who’s worked with executives and brands like Walmart, Coca-Cola, Disney and Adobe! I’ve known Angus for years and have always been impressed with his knowledge and style, and couldn’t wait to bring him on to share his years of best practices as an executive strategist.

Partnership Unpacked host Mike Allton talked to Angus Nelson about::

♉️ How to overcome issues plaguing partnership leaders like overwhelm and dealing with failure.

♉ Why successful executives still hit plateaus, and what to do about them.

♉️ And how to achieve success, despite all these pressures.

Learn more about Angus Nelson

• Connect with Angus Nelson on LinkedIn
• Connect with Angus Nelson on Twitter

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

• EvolveMen Leadership
• Subscribe to the show calendar: agorapulse.com/calendar
• Learn more about Agorapulse with a free demo

Full Notes & Transcript: https://www.thesocialmediahat.com/blog/how-cmos-and-partnership-leaders-can-adopt-a-winning-mindset-w-angus-nelson/

Brought to you by Agorapulse: the #1 rated social media management solution.

Music by Jumbo, "Peripheral" (feat. Plum Soul)

Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton

In the early 2000’s, when I was the sales manager for a local IT company in Ohio, I needed to meet and build relationships with other business owners in the area so that when they had an IT need come up, like upgrading their server or expanding their network, my company and I were top of mind.

So I attended weekly breakfast networking meetings, and showed up at fundraisers and other community events. I spent time getting to know the people in my community.

Fast forward to today and most of us are now focused on global ecommerce and building communities of followers, connections, clients and partners - people who may not live or work anywhere near us. It’s a digital community, and that presents a challenge when it comes to relationship building.

How are we supposed to develop deep, personal relationships today with people we may never meet face to face?

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 of experts at strategic partnerships, channel programs, affiliates, influencer marketing, and relationship building… oh, and you get to learn too! Subscribe to learn how you can amplify your growth strategy – with a solid takeaway every episode from partnership experts in the industry.

And today we’re talking about one of the core tenets of partnership - relationship building. But as I mentioned, so many of us are focused on building relationships on a global stage, relying on digital tools and digital networks, that we lack the capability and benefit of face-to-face meetings and in-person exchanges.

Ironically, it was at an in-person event where I met today’s guest, Raquel Borras, and she is an absolute treasure when it comes to social networking.

Raquel is the marketing manager for New American Funding and the host of her own YouTube Channel, Raq The Boat where she’s creating fantastic content for and with kids - and that aligns with her mission for RAQVISION, a safe social network for youth. What I love about Raquel is her unparalleled passion and enthusiasm, which is demonstrated in her role as Chief Excitement Officer of True To You Branding. She’s been helping others understand how to develop personal brands that are true to them on social networks, particularly LinkedIn, which lead to real connections, real community, and real conversations. And I couldn’t be more excited to have her and her expertise in the studio with me today.

Partnership Unpacked host Mike Allton talked Raquel Borras about:

♉️ How to build personal relationships even on digital platforms

♉️ Why LinkedIn in particular is so powerful for personal branding

♉️ Top strategies and common mistakes for CMOs and other executives

Learn more about Raquel Borras

• Connect with Raquel Borras on LinkedIn
• Raq The Boat on YouTube

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

• Subscribe to the show calendar: agorapulse.com/calendar
• Learn more about Agorapulse with a free demo

Full Notes & Transcript: https://www.thesocialmediahat.com/blog/using-linkedin-to-foster-real-relationships-partnerships-w-raquel-borras/

Brought to you by Agorapulse: the #1 rated social media management solution.

Music by Jumbo, "Peripheral" (feat. Plum Soul)

Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton

Robin Dimond once said to me, “Partnerships are a long term relationship. You don’t expect to wife up right away. Same thing with a partnership. You have to work that relationship and really get to know them on every level.”

But in today’s world of short form video and voice texting and Slack messages… how do we really get to know partners and potential partners? Are long term relationships really that important?

Isn’t it easier and more efficient to focus on processes and workflows and other aspects of the business that can be scaled, and aren’t so individualized?

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 of experts at strategic partnerships, channel programs, affiliates, influencer marketing, and relationship building… oh, and you get to learn too! Subscribe to learn how you can amplify your growth strategy – with a solid takeaway every episode from partnership experts in the industry.

Do you feel like your partners care about you? Would they go out of their way to help you or work with you if you needed them?

How do we move purely transactional exchanges into long-term relationships where brands and influencers can collaborate more fully? And what’s the ROI for these kinds of partnerships?

That’s exactly what our guest today, Jessika Phillips, is going to talk to us about.

Jessika IS the Queen of Relationship Marketing. She founded NOW Marketing Group in 2010 with only a laptop and vision to give people with heart an upper hand, and over the ensuing years she’s demonstrated time and again how powerful relationships can be. From building a Forbes-recognized Agency Partner, to assembling the annual Social Media Week Lima event that’s packed with the most incredible marketing experts and speakers.

And I can’t wait to get her help us unpack the importance and relevance of professional relationships.

Partnership Unpacked host Mike Allton talked to Jessika about:

♉️ What Relationship Marketing is, and how to integrate it into your brand activities.

♉️ How the Relationship ROI Flywheel can help you build community & advocates.

♉️ Tips on how to build relationships with other brands and influencers.

Learn more about Jessika Phillips

• Connect with Jessika Phillips on LinkedIn
• Connect with Jessika Phillips on Twitter

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

• NOW Marketing Group
• Subscribe to the show calendar: agorapulse.com/calendar
• Learn more about Agorapulse with a free demo

Full Notes & Transcript: https://www.thesocialmediahat.com/blog/how-relationship-marketing-can-strengthen-all-your-partnerships-w-jessika-phillips/

Brought to you by Agorapulse: the #1 rated social media management solution.

Music by Jumbo, "Peripheral" (feat. Plum Soul)

Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton

Imagine who a few of the biggest brands are in your industry. Got a few companies in mind?

Now imagine you’re responsible for working with them on partnerships that measure revenue in the millions of dollars.

Where do you start? How do you keep on top of it all?

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 of experts at strategic partnerships, channel programs, affiliates, influencer marketing, and relationship building… oh, and you get to learn too! Subscribe to learn how you can amplify your growth strategy – with a solid takeaway every episode from partnership experts in the industry.

Back in our very first episode with Dr. Mark Brigman, we talked about how there are many different kinds of partnerships, and that has set the premise for this entire show. Sometimes we’re talking about influencers and affiliates, other times, clients or employees.

Today, we’re talking about brand partnerships - a very specific kind of brand partnership where there is tremendous amounts of revenue involved, and incredible pressure to succeed.

Are you interested in sourcing seven figure deals with partners? Do you want help navigating how to forge relationships and proactively communicate to all stakeholders?

That’s exactly what our guest today, Kevin Kim, is going to talk to us about.

He spent years working for big brands like Google, AdWeek, and Bizzabo, forging partnerships - with both internal and external stakeholders. Kevin’s passion for adtech, advertising, people and community led to him managing over $65M in revenue at Google, and I want to know how he did it and what he learned.

Partnership Unpacked host Mike Allton talked to Kevin about:

♉️ Tactics to drive and achieve high performance revenue goals

♉️ How to manage external C-Suite and internal stakeholders with ease

♉️ The kinds of partnerships and relationships you should focus on

Subscribe to the show calendar: agorapulse.com/calendar

Learn more about Kevin Kim

• Connect with Kevin Kim on LinkedIn

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

• Google
• AdWeek
• Bizzabo
• Subscribe to the show calendar: agorapulse.com/calendar
• Learn more about Agorapulse with a free demo

Full Notes & Transcript: https://www.thesocialmediahat.com/blog/how-this-strategic-partnership-leader-managed-65m-in-revenue-at-google-w-kevin-kim/

Brought to you by Agorapulse: the #1 rated social media management solution.

Music by Jumbo, "Peripheral" (feat. Plum Soul)

Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton

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.

Welcome back to Partnership Unpacked, where I selfishly use this time to pick the brains of experts at strategic partnerships, channel programs, affiliates, influencer marketing, and relationship building… oh, and you get to learn too! Subscribe to learn how you can amplify your growth strategy – with a solid takeaway every episode from partnership experts in the industry.

So, my question for you is this: why aren’t you using contracts and other legal tools as part of your partnership operations?

Is it because you don’t think you need to? It’s too hard? Too expensive? Too confusing?

What do you think might happen if you aren’t considering legal ramifications, and something does go sideways?

That’s exactly what our guest today, Colin Levy, is going to talk to us about.

Colin’s legal career focuses on the intersection of business, technology, and law, and he is a strong advocate for legal technology. He is on a mission to educate and inspire others about the endless possibilities that legal tech has to offer. He is the Director of Legal and Evangelist for Malbek, a leading Contract Lifecycle Management company, and an Advisor for Proxy, a leading legal workflow management platform, and he’s here to help us sort out how legal can be of help in this fast-paced world of technology and partnerships.

Partnership Unpacked host Mike Allton talked to Colin Levy about:

♉️ What Legal Technology is & why CMOs and Partnership Leaders should care

♉️ How Legal Tech helps partnerships

♉️ What happens if we ignore Legal Tech

Learn more about Colin Levy

• Connect with Colin Levy on LinkedIn

• Connect with Colin Levy on Twitter

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

• Subscribe to the show calendar: agorapulse.com/calendar

• Learn more about Agorapulse with a free demo

Full Notes & Transcript: https://www.thesocialmediahat.com/blog/why-legal-tech-matters-in-partnerships-w-colin-levy/

Brought to you by Agorapulse: the #1 rated social media management solution.

Music by Jumbo, "Peripheral" (feat. Plum Soul)

Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton

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 campaigns and drive real revenue.

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 of experts at strategic partnerships, channel programs, affiliates, influencer marketing, and relationship building… oh, and you get to learn too! Subscribe to learn how you can amplify your growth strategy – with a solid takeaway every episode from partnership experts in the industry.

As I mentioned at the outset, brands today that want to take advantage of how successful influencer marketing can be have a couple of challenges - namely, where to find influencers, and how to measure the success of their efforts.

I know that’s something I’ve struggled with!

That’s exactly what our guest today, Justin Levy, is going to talk to us about.

Justin Levy is currently head of influencer marketing and community for Demandbase. As part of his role, he leads a private community, Revenue Circle, that’s designed for senior executives in sales and marketing roles. Previously, he led social marketing at ServiceNow, global social media for Citrix, and assisted in the launch of a social media agency that worked with Fortune 500 brands.

Partnership Unpacked host Mike Allton talked to Justin Levy about:

♉️ Where to find B2B influencers

♉️ How to engage B2B influencers strategically

♉️ What today’s influencer marketing leaders need to keep in mind

Learn more about Justin Levy

• Connect with Justin Levy on LinkedIn
• Connect with Justin Levy on Twitter

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

• Subscribe to the show calendar: agorapulse.com/calendar
• Learn more about Agorapulse with a free demo

Full Notes & Transcript: https://www.thesocialmediahat.com/blog/how-saas-companies-find-and-leverage-b2b-influencers-w-justin-levy/

Brought to you by Agorapulse: the #1 rated social media management solution.

Music by Jumbo, "Peripheral" (feat. Plum Soul)

Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton

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 influence marketing a more impactful component of our marketing strategy?

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 of experts at strategic partnerships, channel programs, affiliates, influencer marketing, and relationship building… oh, and you get to learn too! Subscribe to learn how you can amplify your growth strategy – with a solid takeaway every episode from partnership experts in the industry.

A century ago, influencers were nothing more than celebrities who were paid to endorse brands. And while there’s nothing inherently wrong with sponsorships and paid endorsements, the question is, is that true influence?

Isn’t there arguably more influence in the friend, family member, or neighbor, who gives us a personal recommendation upon which we immediately act and make a purchase? Can that same level of trust be transferred to an online personality, and can a brand really tap into that?

That’s exactly what our guest today, Jason Falls, is going to talk to us about.

He’s the author of three books, including “Winfluence: Reframing Influencer Marketing to Ignite Your Brand” from our friends at Entrepreneur Press, and the widely-downloaded Winfluence podcast. He’s the Executive Vice President of Marketing at CIPIO.ai, a community influencer marketing platform, and he’s graced countless stages to help others understand his distinctive approach to influencer… or influence… marketing.

Partnership Unpacked host Mike Allton talked to Jason about:

♉️ The key mistakes brands make today with influencer marketing.

♉️ Why a different approach to influencer marketing is essential.

♉️ How to measure success and ROI using this approach.

Learn more about Jason Falls

• Connect with Jason Falls on LinkedIn
• Connect with Jason Falls on Twitter

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

• Winfluence: Reframing Influencer Marketing to Ignite Your Brand
• Winfluence podcast
• CIPIO.ai
• Subscribe to the show calendar: agorapulse.com/calendar
• Learn more about Agorapulse with a free demo

Full Notes & Transcript: https://www.thesocialmediahat.com/blog/how-to-think-differently-about-influencer-marketing-w-jason-falls/

Brought to you by Agorapulse: the #1 rated social media management solution. Sign up for a free demo at https://www.agorapulse.com/contact/ 

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 Partnership Unpacked.

Welcome back to Partnership Unpacked, where I selfishly use this time to pick the brains of experts at strategic partnerships, channel programs, affiliates, influencer marketing, and relationship building… oh, and you get to learn too! Subscribe to learn how you can amplify your growth strategy – with a solid takeaway every episode from partnership experts in the industry.

And I have to admit, that’s exactly what I’m going to be doing today. At Agorapulse, I’m responsible for our affiliates, our influencers, our channel partners, our brand partners, and our tech partners. I know that partnerships could be having an even greater impact on our revenue and customers if we better integrated tools and processes and mindsets beyond marketing into sales and customer service.

But I need help. Maybe you do too.

That’s what Jared Fuller is here to help us with.

He was the VP of Sales & Business Development for PandaDoc, and the Senior Director of Global Partnerships at Drift, where he built Drift/Adobe Alliance from zero to Adobe Partner of The Year. Jared is the co-founder of PartnerHacker and the host of PartnerUp, The Partnerships Podcast, and recently assumed the role of Chief Ecosystem Officer at Reveal, an indispensable tool for partnership teams.

Partnership Unpacked host Mike Allton talked to Jared Fuller about:

♉️ His perspective on partnerships and nearbound as a GTM strategy

♉️ How partnership managers can use tools to work with other teams and demonstrate ROI

♉️ Ways that new and struggling partnership managers can develop their capability and reach

Subscribe to the show calendar: agorapulse.com/calendar

Learn more about Jared Fuller

• Connect with Jared Fuller on LinkedIn
• Connect with Jared Fuller on Twitter

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

• PartnerHacker
• PartnerUp
• Reveal
• Subscribe to the show calendar: agorapulse.com/calendar
• Learn more about Agorapulse with a free demo

Full Notes & Transcript: https://www.thesocialmediahat.com/blog/how-to-create-a-partnership-movement-in-your-company-w-jared-fuller/

Brought to you by Agorapulse: the #1 rated social media management solution. Sign up for a free demo at https://www.agorapulse.com/contact/ 

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 episode of Partnership Unpacked.

Welcome back to Partnership Unpacked, where I selfishly use this time to pick the brains of experts at strategic partnerships, channel programs, affiliates, influencer marketing, and relationship building… oh, and you get to learn too! Subscribe to learn how you can amplify your growth strategy – with a solid takeaway every episode from partnership experts in the industry.

I shared a moment ago that nearly every employee of your company has at least one social account, but that at least half aren’t talking about your brand online in any way.

That’s a problem, right?

The solution, though, is a bit tricky. We can’t force employees or our audience members to talk about us. And it’s not always easy, either. Do we send an email? A Slack message? Tag ‘em on company posts? How do we track whether they even do anything?

That’s exactly what our guest today, Rachel Stephan, is going to talk to us about.

Rachel is an event marketing strategist, event tech startup founder and industry speaker on topics that cover event marketing and influencer marketing. When meeting planners and association professionals need to get more butts in seats, they call Rachel! She is a force to be reckoned with, whipping up creative solutions to event marketing challenges for 22+ years. Challenges… and opportunities… that apply to every business with employees.

Partnership Unpacked host Mike Allton talked to Rachel about:

♉️ The importance of word of mouth marketing

♉️ Important considerations before partnering with your audience

♉️ How to get started in a way that is measurable and scalable

Learn more about Rachel Stephan

• Connect with Rachel Stephan on LinkedIn
• Connect with Rachel Stephan on Twitter

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

• Snöball
• Influencer Incubator program to nurture up-and-coming influencers
• Subscribe to the show calendar: agorapulse.com/calendar
• Learn more about Agorapulse with a free demo

Full Notes & Transcript: https://www.thesocialmediahat.com/blog/how-to-partner-with-your-audience-to-amplify-your-brand-w-rachel-stephan/

Brought to you by Agorapulse: the #1 rated social media management solution. Sign up for a free demo at https://www.agorapulse.com/contact/ 

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 beneficial partnership with your agency clients? A relationship where the client is more invested, drives more revenue, and is less likely to churn?

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 of experts at strategic partnerships, channel programs, affiliates, influencer marketing, and relationship building… oh, and you get to learn too! Subscribe to learn how you can amplify your growth strategy – with a solid takeaway every episode from partnership experts in the industry.

Now, when it comes to partnerships, there are a lot of different kinds and flavors, as evidenced by all the different topics we cover on this show. There are partnerships with influencers and affiliates, integrations with technology partners, co-marketing initiatives with brand partners, mergers and acquisitions, and of course today’s topic, client partnerships.

And yet, often when I what from brands who want to partner with me, that’s really just a euphemism for sell to me. Should you really talk to your prospects and clients about partnering with them? What should that look like?

That’s what Dale Wilson is here to help us with.

Dale is an online marketing professional combining leadership, analytical, and organizational skills for the performance marketing agency adQuadrant, focused on guiding the agency and its partners toward mutual benefits.

Partnership Unpacked host Mike Allton talked to Dale about:

♉️How partnerships are employed to empower and grow their clients.

♉️Examples of successful agency partnerships.

♉️How partnership ROI is determined and measured.

Learn more about Umair Mansha

• Connect with Dale Wilson on LinkedIn
• Connect with Dale Wilson on Twitter

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

• adQuandrant
• Influencer Incubator program to nurture up-and-coming influencers
• Subscribe to the show calendar: agorapulse.com/calendar
• Learn more about Agorapulse with a free demo

Full Notes & Transcript: https://www.thesocialmediahat.com/blog/how-to-approach-agency-clients-as-partnerships-for-greater-roi-w-dale-wilson/

Brought to you by Agorapulse: the #1 rated social media management solution. Sign up for a free demo at https://www.agorapulse.com/contact/ 

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 our partnership departments, that we’d all aspire to.

Tony Robbins said that, “In business, the definition of “scale” is to increase revenue at a faster rate than costs. Businesses achieve this in a number of ways, from adopting new technologies to finding “gaps” in their operations that can be streamlined.”

How do we find gaps in partnership operations so we can scale and drive more revenue?

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 of experts at strategic partnerships, channel programs, affiliates, influencer marketing, and relationship building… oh, and you get to learn too! Subscribe to learn how you can amplify your growth strategy – with a solid takeaway every episode from partnership experts in the industry.

Now back in episode 10, if you recall, we talked to Asher Mathew and Kelly Sarabyn about the state of partnership operations, and it was particularly interesting how much more successful - and profitable - businesses were who had grown their partner teams and implemented a more advanced tech stack.

But the problem is, you can’t simply hire more people and invest in more expensive tools to grow a program. If you want to scale like J.C. Penney, you need to build on excellence, and that means having terrific systems and Standard Operating Procedures.

That’s exactly what our guest today, Umair Mansha, is going to talk to us about.

Umair brings his experience as an agency consultant and head of marketing/growth at two different brands. He has overseen and executed on all of the inbound channels from SEO to email marketing as well as content strategy to editorial PR. Umair understands the what and how of getting things done. And that’s exactly the kind of expert and attitude we need to help us scale this program.

Partnership Unpacked host Mike Allton talked to Umair about:

♉️ Why brands must develop SOPs for their partnerships.

♉️ How to build great, ROI-driving SOPs.

♉️ What happens when brands do... and don't, use SOPs.

Learn more about Umair Mansha

• Follow Umair on Twitter
• Connect with Umair on LinkedIn

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

• LazyMetrics Inc
• ClickUp
• Asana
• The State of Partnership Ops in 2023 w/ Asher Mathew & Kelly Sarabyn
• Influencer Incubator program to nurture up-and-coming influencers
• Subscribe to the show calendar: agorapulse.com/calendar
• Learn more about Agorapulse with a free demo

Full Notes & Transcript: https://www.thesocialmediahat.com/blog/how-to-scale-partnerships-and-collaborations-using-sops-w-umair-mansha/

Brought to you by Agorapulse: the #1 rated social media management solution. Sign up for a free demo at https://www.agorapulse.com/contact/ 

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? What kinds of events should you arrange? How do you measure ROI?

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 of experts at strategic partnerships, channel programs, affiliates, influencer marketing, and relationship building… oh, and you get to learn too! Subscribe to learn how you can amplify your growth strategy – with a solid takeaway every episode from partnership experts in the industry.

Now listen, we all know how powerful video is for reaching and engaging new audiences, and we all know how effective influencer marketing can be for transferring trust. So it makes sense that integrating influencers into your video - specifically, live shoppable video - should be a successful and lucrative tactic for businesses.

But wait. How are we supposed to produce live shopping videos? And how do we find influencers who can handle this new medium? Is this really a good idea?

That’s exactly what our guest today, Geoffroy Robin, is going to talk to us about.

Geoff is the Partner and Chief Operating Officer at Livescale, one of the top live shopping platforms in the world. Livescale makes Live Streaming Shopping possible for retailers and influencers, and it’s used by big brands like L’Oréal and Lancôme.

He’s spent over twenty years in the digital ecosystem as an entrepreneur, innovation enthusiast, and a passionate voice for emerging technologies, and he’s a wealth of knowledge when it comes to live shopping and the utilization of influencers.

So you know I’ve got a ton of questions for him, so let’s get started.

Partnership Unpacked host Mike Allton talked to Geoff about:

♉️ How Live Shopping has evolved for influencers and brands alike.

♉️ How brands can track ROI from influencers and live shopping events.

♉️ Where brands are getting influencer marketing right... and wrong!

Learn more about Geoffroy Robin

• Follow Geoffroy on Twitter
• Connect with Geoffroy on LinkedIn

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

• Livescale
• Why So Many Brands Fail At B2B Influencer Marketing w/ Lee Odden
• Influencer Incubator program to nurture up-and-coming influencers
• Subscribe to the show calendar: agorapulse.com/calendar
• Learn more about Agorapulse with a free demo

Full Notes & Transcript: https://www.thesocialmediahat.com/blog/how-to-leverage-live-shopping-influencers-to-grow-sales-w-geoffroy-robin/

Brought to you by Agorapulse: the #1 rated social media management solution. Sign up for a free demo at https://www.agorapulse.com/contact/ 

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? Where are they going wrong, and how can they achieve and measure success?

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 of experts at strategic partnerships, channel programs, affiliates, influencer marketing, and relationship building… oh, and you get to learn too! Subscribe to learn how you can amplify your growth strategy – with a solid takeaway every episode from partnership experts in the industry.

Listen, as B2B CMOs and marketing executives, we have a real challenge facing us. A few years ago at a conference it was said that, “Empathy with customer needs and understanding the questions they have during the journey from awareness to purchase is essential for creating valuable content. Content Marketing must not only inform, but also engage and even entertain to create valuable experiences between customers and brand information.

How are we supposed to empathize, understand, inform, engage AND entertain?

That’s what influencers excel at, and that’s why Lee Odden, who made that statement, is here to help us.

In 2001, Lee co-founded the TopRank Marketing agency which has become the top B2B marketing resource, regularly ranking as one of the most influential marketing blogs on the web by Content Marketing Institute, Ad Age, and more.

On top of leading influencer marketing campaigns for major brands like SAP, Lee is an incredible B2B influencer himself and someone I’ve admired for years as a global speaker, prolific blogger, and author of the book, “Optimize.” He is, without a doubt, one of the foremost experts on B2B influencer marketing, and you know I couldn't wait to pick his brain.

Partnership Unpacked host Mike Allton talked to Lee Odden about:

♉️ Why influencer marketing is such a game changer for B2B brands

♉️ How to find and nurture great B2B influencers

♉️ How to measure the ROI of influencer marketing initiatives

Learn more about Lee Odden

• Follow Lee on Twitter
• Connect with Lee on LinkedIn

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

• Top Rank Marketing
• Influencer Incubator program to nurture up-and-coming influencers
• Subscribe to the show calendar: agorapulse.com/calendar
• Learn more about Agorapulse with a free demo

Full Notes & Transcript: https://www.thesocialmediahat.com/blog/why-so-many-brands-fail-at-b2b-influencer-marketing-w-lee-odden/

Brought to you by Agorapulse: the #1 rated social media management solution. Sign up for a free demo at https://www.agorapulse.com/contact/ 

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 change their revenue model to a recurring proposition, which is a great help to cash flow. But that introduces a new challenge to agencies: churn.

If you’ve got a problem with too many customers canceling or not renewing, how do you reverse that? How can partnerships help?

That’s what we’re covering in today’s episode of Partnership Unpacked.

And while we often talk about partnerships as a growth channel - leveraging affiliates or influencers, for example, to introduce our brand to new audiences - there’s another terrific application for partnerships. And that is to increase customer satisfaction and stickiness, and thereby reduce churn.

What does that mean? How does it work for marketing agencies? What are some examples?

That’s exactly what our guest today, Rachel Nulman-Schapiro, is going to talk to us about.

Rachel is an ambassador to small business and agency communities for vcita, a tool savvy agencies are using for everything from client management to email marketing. She’s in a position to help and advise them because she’s been in their shoes, having started a marketing agency of her own in college.

And today she’s going to help us understand how to leverage partnerships to reduce churn and keep our cash flow positive.

Partnership Unpacked host Mike Allton talked to Rachel Nulman-Schapiro about:

♉️ Whether it's truly possible to have partnerships with paying clients.

♉️ How agencies can leverage partnerships.

♉️ How to measure the ROI of client partnerships.

Full Notes & Transcript: https://www.thesocialmediahat.com/blog/how-agencies-leverage-partnerships-to-combat-churn-w-rachel-nulman-schapiro/

Brought to you by Agorapulse: the #1 rated social media management solution. Sign up for a free demo at https://www.agorapulse.com/contact/