The digital landscape is undergoing a significant transformation. With the impending obsolescence of cookies, we’re witnessing massive change in how marketers target audiences—especially in the realm of B2B tech purchasing. As cookies and traditional audience targeting mechanisms become less reliable, many of the tried-and-true tools that channel marketers have relied upon, such as intent data and third-party data, are quickly losing their relevance.
However, rather than lament the loss of these tools, it’s an opportunity to rethink how we engage with tech buyers and adapt to this changing environment.
The Challenges of Traditional Targeting Tools
Let’s be clear: the tools that are being phased out—like intent data and third-party data—were never a perfect solution to begin with. Their effectiveness has always been a point of contention, particularly when it comes to their reliability, accuracy and recency with the crux of related issues being tied to flawed ID systems.
As these traditional data methods lose their potency, tech vendors must pivot to strategies that are more aligned with how today’s buyers research, evaluate, and purchase technology solutions. In short, tech vendors must meet tech buyers where they are in order to influence their purchase decisions.
The Shift: Partner Websites as a New Strategic Asset
So, where does this leave technology vendors who are looking to maintain or increase their reach in an increasingly fragmented market? The answer is simpler than many realize: your partners’ websites.
These digital assets are arguably the most underutilized resource in the channel marketing toolkit today. If you’re an IT vendor, your partners’ websites likely represent the most untapped opportunity for driving influence in the tech buying process. Here’s why:
- Unmatched Audience Reach
On average, a partner website sees approximately 1,185 unique visitors per month—90% of whom are tech buyers. That means your partners’ websites are not just random digital properties; they are prime real estate where tech purchasers already go to research, evaluate, and decide on solutions. When you invest in making your brand and product content highly visible on these partner sites, you gain access to this audience without the need for invasive data targeting or expensive paid media campaigns. You are essentially reaching the exact people you want to target—without the need for cookies or external data.
- Influence Over the Purchase Decision
Another critical point to consider: partners have significant influence over the tech purchasing decision. In today’s ecosystem, the average partner works with 20 vendors, some of whom are your direct competitors. Moreover, tech purchasers typically engage with an average of 7 partners throughout their buying journey. This extensive web of influence underscores the importance of ensuring that your content is consistently visible across your entire partner network.
By embedding your messaging directly within the partner ecosystem, you ensure that your solution is part of the broader consideration set. This can have a profound impact on your ability to drive through-partner influence. Additionally, such a strategy doubles as an excellent partner enablement initiative, fostering stronger relationships with your partners while simultaneously empowering them to advocate for your solutions.
For a deeper understanding of the impact of through-partner marketing, I encourage you to read this insightful analysis from Canalys: Link to Canalys Analysis.
- Reduction of Purchase Friction
By marketing through your partners’ websites, you are meeting tech buyers where they already are—on a platform they trust and engage with regularly. Not only does this reduce friction in the purchasing process, but it also accelerates the buying cycle. Tech purchasers can learn about your offerings, compare solutions, and make purchasing decisions—all within the same ecosystem. This seamless experience significantly lowers barriers to conversion and leads to faster, more efficient sales cycles.
The Problem of Manual Processes—and the Solution
Historically, one of the key challenges of executing through-partner marketing at scale has been the manual nature of the processes involved. Both vendors and partners have had to navigate complex portals, upload content manually, and constantly manage content updates across various channels. This often results in broken processes, inefficiencies, and missed opportunities.
However, the landscape has changed dramatically in recent years, thanks to the rise of AI-powered automation. With the right technology in place, it’s now possible to fully automate the process of distributing and optimizing content across your partner network. By leveraging AI, you can streamline your through-partner marketing efforts, significantly reduce operational costs, and ensure consistent, high-quality content delivery—without the heavy lifting.
This is exactly the problem ChannelBridge.AI was built to solve. With ChannelBridge.AI, you can automate the entire through-partner content delivery process, empowering your partners to keep your brand and products top of mind with minimal effort on their part, and zero extra burden on your marketing team. It’s a win-win scenario that maximizes impact with minimal effort.
Conclusion: Embrace the Partner-Driven Future
As we move away from cookie-based targeting and embrace a more partner-driven approach to reaching and influencing tech purchasers, it’s crucial for IT vendors to rethink their strategies. Partner websites represent an enormous, untapped opportunity—one that, if leveraged correctly, can dramatically improve your go-to-market effectiveness, increase sales velocity, and foster stronger, more productive partner relationships.
With the right strategy and tools in place, your partners’ websites could become the most powerful asset in your marketing arsenal, providing you with direct access to tech buyers while sidestepping the challenges of traditional targeting methods. The future of tech marketing is here, and it’s time to adapt.
Ready to get started? Reach out to learn how ChannelBridge.AI can help you take advantage of this opportunity today.