Channel Management Software
Top Rated Products
(1-1 of 1)
All Products
(1-25 of 172)
Explore recently added products
Learn More About Channel Management Software
What is Channel Management Software?
Channel Management software facilitates indirect sales by providing tools to manage third-party marketing. It is marketing automation applied to channels and is also known as through-channel marketing automation or distributed marketing. It enables brands to connect with their channel partners, offering customizable content experiences and co-op advertising management, empowering channel partners to support a company’s marketing activities and assets. It helps communicate the value of your products and services to your channel partners and through your channel partners. Channel Marketing Automation (TCMA) software helps to streamline marketing workflows by automating marketing processes.
Closely related, Partner Relationship Management (PRM) software establishes portals to communicate and exchange information and content between a company and its partners. This helps streamline workflows further and optimizes partner relationships. PRM software is leveraged to provide a more effective approach to channel marketing.
Most channel management software supports integration with an organization’s CRM and ERP systems. CRM software vendors are increasingly incorporating channel management software features into their products.
Major users of channel management software include manufacturing, financial services, technology, education, and healthcare companies. Cloud-based, SaaS implementations are becoming the dominant deployment model. Many vendors now provide mobile access to channel management functions.
Channel Management Software Features
Channel Management software often includes a wide range of features:
- Campaign Management
- Co-Op Advertising
- Multiple Channel Configurations
- Through-partner model
- To-partner model
- With-partner model
- Channel Analytics / Marketing Metrics / Reporting
- Content Management and Sharing
- Incentive Management
- Social Promotion
- Inventory Control
- Lead Management
- Order Management
- Partner Management
- Pipeline Management
Channel Management Software Comparison
Key points to consider when purchasing channel marketing management software include:
- Partner Readiness – Can your downstream partners readily leverage your solution? Each distribution channel will have different technological capabilities and varying degrees of readiness and willingness to adopt new technologies. Some capabilities such as showcasing your products should be easy to implement, others such as integrated campaigns may only be supported by your more sophisticated partners.
- Marketing Channel Strategies – Are you a B2B or B2C business, or both? These require different marketing channel strategies. Evaluate the product features to ensure they readily address the needs of your specific market.
- Integrations – Do you need to integrate this software with existing systems such as PRM, CRM, or ERP? Make sure the channel marketing management platform you invest in can easily integrate with the other systems of record you already use.
Pricing Information
There are two main pricing models channel marketing management vendors use: perpetual license and subscription.
The older, more traditional perpetual license model is common with on-premises deployments. It involves paying an upfront fee for a license to own the software. The cost of one-time licensing fees can range from $2,000 to over $24,000 for basic installations.
The subscription pricing model is commonly used for SaaS applications. Vendors typically charge by the employee or per user, per month. Prices for subscription plans can start as low as $30 a month and range up to $295 a month or more.
Related Categories
Frequently Asked Questions
What does channel marketing management software do?
What are the benefits of using channel marketing management software?
Benefits of using channel marketing management software include:
- Increased Revenue
- Customers can connect and purchase through their preferred channels
- Increased customer engagement
- Higher conversion rates
- Reduced customer acquisition costs
- More Consistent Branding
- Better alignment with brand messaging across all partner channels
- Better communicate the value of your products and services to your partners and customers
- Improved inventory management
- Improved customer account management
What are the best channel marketing management software products?
Here are some of the more popular channel marketing management software products: