Vonage looks for the right Assets when Partnering with other Brands
I recently had a chat with Dan Morton, the Director of Partner Marketing at Vonage about their Partnership Program and what they look for when partnering...Here is what he had to say....
What does the Vonage Partnership Marketing Program provide to the Partner and to their Customers?
Simply put…Revenue, a relevant and unique market offering to their end-customers, and an added value to their existing product or service. It’s all about creating a win-win situation. Typically, there is no cost to the partner brand to integrate an offer form Vonage and we are flexible in the fact that we leverage whichever customer touch point they have. Partners can expand their business by adding a new revenue stream and offer something that their competitors do not have.
Can you provide some examples of how your Partners have leveraged the Program?
We’ve partnered with brands like United Airlines and Hewlett Packard. In the first case, our offer was featured in their loyalty programs where members could use their points toward Vonage. In the case of HP, we have bundled the service on their computers. With high speed penetration at an all-time high, it’s an opportunity for those who are buying a new computer to get a new phone service at the same time and we have given them a special offer for being an HP customer. The offer is promoted through a Desktop Icon embedded on the machine and the customer gets 2 Months Free of Vonage. We also include Marketing Collateral in the box and promote the offer online at their portal.
Do other Phone Companies have similar Partner Programs?
Because our competitors in the traditional land line or cable space are typically regional players, it’s difficult for them to partner with other brands and leverage this strategy to acquire new customers. Also, prospective partners want to have heard of you and with our huge marketing efforts, they already know of Vonage when we call on them. It’s more challenging for local VOIP providers to partner with national brands due to their lack of brand awareness and limited geo-coverage.
What types of Partner Brands are you looking for and why?
It’s not so much the Brands, but more how they communicate with their customers. Obviously, we look for sizeable opportunities that are highly relevant and timely, but more importantly, we want to partner with brands that have many customer touch points available and the kinds that we think will have the best results for the partnership. As you’re well aware from running Geyser Marketing in addition to your previous experiences, it’s quite an effort to set-up a new partnership, so you need to be selective and ensure that the opportunity has lots of legs. Shopping Centre Kiosks, Retail Store Fronts and Call Centers are examples of the types of active customer communications vehicles that we like to leverage. Passive channels are generally less costly to implement, but the flipside is that they don’t produce great results.
What does the Vonage Partnership Marketing Program provide to the Partner and to their Customers?
Simply put…Revenue, a relevant and unique market offering to their end-customers, and an added value to their existing product or service. It’s all about creating a win-win situation. Typically, there is no cost to the partner brand to integrate an offer form Vonage and we are flexible in the fact that we leverage whichever customer touch point they have. Partners can expand their business by adding a new revenue stream and offer something that their competitors do not have.
Can you provide some examples of how your Partners have leveraged the Program?
We’ve partnered with brands like United Airlines and Hewlett Packard. In the first case, our offer was featured in their loyalty programs where members could use their points toward Vonage. In the case of HP, we have bundled the service on their computers. With high speed penetration at an all-time high, it’s an opportunity for those who are buying a new computer to get a new phone service at the same time and we have given them a special offer for being an HP customer. The offer is promoted through a Desktop Icon embedded on the machine and the customer gets 2 Months Free of Vonage. We also include Marketing Collateral in the box and promote the offer online at their portal.
Do other Phone Companies have similar Partner Programs?
Because our competitors in the traditional land line or cable space are typically regional players, it’s difficult for them to partner with other brands and leverage this strategy to acquire new customers. Also, prospective partners want to have heard of you and with our huge marketing efforts, they already know of Vonage when we call on them. It’s more challenging for local VOIP providers to partner with national brands due to their lack of brand awareness and limited geo-coverage.
What types of Partner Brands are you looking for and why?
It’s not so much the Brands, but more how they communicate with their customers. Obviously, we look for sizeable opportunities that are highly relevant and timely, but more importantly, we want to partner with brands that have many customer touch points available and the kinds that we think will have the best results for the partnership. As you’re well aware from running Geyser Marketing in addition to your previous experiences, it’s quite an effort to set-up a new partnership, so you need to be selective and ensure that the opportunity has lots of legs. Shopping Centre Kiosks, Retail Store Fronts and Call Centers are examples of the types of active customer communications vehicles that we like to leverage. Passive channels are generally less costly to implement, but the flipside is that they don’t produce great results.
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