More and more independent software vendors (ISVs) are making the choice to target other ISV accounts as part of their business development strategy. While some select software companies as an end-user customer vertical, others are interested in ISVs to become embedded/integration partners.
White-labeling or “OEM’ing” your product is a great way to ensure growth, especially when end-user markets become stagnant. Yet most marketers are not savvy when it comes to promoting such partnership opportunities for a plethora of reasons.
First, there is a ton of misunderstanding about the definition of an ISV. Some people label ISVs as software publishers, yet this term can create even more confusion as bespoke application developers may be lumped into this category. A pure ISV is a company who owns the intellectual property of the solution they sell to an end-user customer as their core business activity. Using this definition helps eliminate the risk of accidentally including Managed Services Providers, System Integrators, or Value-Added Resellers into the mix, or accidentally targeting large enterprise accounts with large teams of internal developers.
Second, most marketers are very focused on building messaging based on end-user value propositions that are geared towards explaining the “what’s in it for me” for potential customers. While this type of content is great for your standard audience, it is not adapted for an ISV one who will need a much greater level of detail around the benefits of integrating your product into theirs and what it will do for their end-user customers.
Third, there are many misconceptions about ISV-OEM marketing including the fact that because it is a highly niche focus, there is little benefit in spending budget to target potential partners. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, OEM partnerships generate far more revenue over time than most end-user customers ever will, so investing in this will pay off.
So, that being said: how can you ensure the successful deployment of your ISV marketing strategy? Here are some things to consider…
Find Reliable ISV Data
Accessing reliable data on ISV accounts is not an easy undertaking. Many data brokers cannot segment for pure-players, and provide little to no guarantees that the data you purchase will match your exact criteria. Most come with complicated or convoluted subscriptions and only allow you to download a limited amount of data before you need to pay exorbitant amounts of money on a monthly basis. While difficult to purchase data from a third-party vendor, it is possible if you know where to look. Step one is to make sure that your definition of an ISV is clear (as mentioned earlier) since the term can mean different things to different people. Next, define the segmentation/fields you want data on. This may include: company size, business model, vertical/horizontal offer, geographical location, etc. It’s important to have a look at the data you already have that may match that criteria; conducting an audit of what you have will help you determine what you are missing. Once you have done those things, you can elaborate your strategy to acquire the datasets you need, whether by using online sources of market intelligence or manually searching for it yourself using tools like LinkedIn.
Create ISV Tailored Content
ISV-specific use-cases, case studies or success stories will not only help you attract inbound leads, but will also help your sales reps nurture prospects with compelling content that resonates with the target audience. Clearly demonstrating the benefits of an OEM partnership will help you show the value of your offer as it relates to ISVs. This is especially useful if you have already have wins within certain verticals, and brand names you can showcase that will cultivate interest by other players within the same vertical solution offering. Building landing pages around keywords you want to rank for and providing a combination of gated and ungated content will help you capture opt-ins and continue the conversation both on and offline. Content is king when it comes to creating visibility for your ISV-OEM program; starting by conducting an audit will enable you to gain visibility on what assets you have and what you need to create so that you use your resources wisely.
Create a LinkedIn ISV Showcase Page
While your main LinkedIn Company Page communicates with a global audience, a dedicated Showcase Page for ISVs would promote the specific content you’ve created, resulting in an enhanced experience for followers. A Showcase Page is a great resource for your brand champions/endorsers on LinkedIn to help you expand and grow your network of ISV prospects. Such endorsers may include current ISV partners or your internal sales representatives. Posts on the LinkedIn Showcase Page can be shared on personal LinkedIn profile feeds to maximize outreach and increase the number of people who like and follow the page.
Get Help from the Experts
When you are unsure about how to get started, or what to do next, the best thing to do is seek help from the experts. Many software marketers believe that outsourcing ISV-OEM campaigns is impossible, but if you are committed to the success of the relationship (with an outsourcer), the relationship will be a success. ISV Marketing experts can help guide you through the strategy development process, support content creation and message building efforts, as well as help you help promote your program across channels in order to generate qualified leads. It’s worth hiring an agency that comes well-recommended since ISV-OEM marketing is a rare skill-set that many outsourcers have no experience with. Asking your agency for client references will help ensure that you’ve chosen the right one to work with to help you build your ISV offer.
Conclusion
ISV-OEM marketing doesn’t have to be complicated even though generating highly qualified leads won’t happen overnight. Focusing on the value you bring to ISVs and their end-user customers is key as you build your strategy and promote your OEM partnership program; keeping that at the forefront of everything you do will help guide you toward success.
