Taking on the possibilities and potential of a reseller program gets you involved in a number of new pursuits. Training is provided by your partner, but marketing is up to you, and this article helps you get started planning your reseller marketing.

First Steps for Reseller Marketing

Reseller marketing can actually begin while you are shopping around for the reseller program you want to choose. As you search, have these considerations in mind:

• What kind of customer do I want to serve? What products and services (and what combinations of products and services) can I offer that a) will be particularly attractive to this type of customer and b) that no one else is offering this customer or that I can offer differently and better and/or more cheaply than what is currently available?

• What kind of reseller marketing budget can I afford? Do my budget limitations mean that I should plan to implement my venture into reselling step-by-step, instead of all at once? If so, what are the first steps I should take?

• What kind of advertising are the people who I will soon call competitors using? What should I do similarly and what are the costs of those things? What can/should I try doing differently and how much will that cost?

• Should I lay groundwork for my reseller venture even before entering the partnership by, for example:

• securing a domain name and parking it

• building a website (or having a website built)

• beginning to increase website traffic with some combination of a) an aftermarket domain; b) unique content; c) keyword marketing?

• Stay aware of any guidelines that your partner provides for reseller marketing. For example, if you are required to rename products, coming up with a scheme for doing so may be challenging, and also integral to the success of your reseller plans. How you then spread the word about this will involve creating a whole marketing campaign—a different situation than if you are using an affiliate marketplace and can freely link to product information and reviews on your partner's website.

At some point, your questions should be answered and your ideas should cohere as a marketing plan.

Further Steps for Reseller Marketing

As a reseller, your marketing efforts are made easy by partnering with a quality, well-run provider. Every advantage they have—from 24/7/365 technical support to well-planned and laid out websites—is an advantage you can claim in your marketing. Other steps include the following:

• Use whatever it is you are going to resell until you know it well, not only relying on the provider's training programs, but also on your own experience and insight. The more you know, the better you can meet your customers' needs.

• Use all the elements of search engine optimization to optimize your website to increase traffic.

• Plan a controlled roll out of your reselling business. Don't overwhelm yourself.

• If some area is not your strong suit—whether web design, copywriting, or keyword choosing—hire an individual or company to assist you. For example, Constant Contact can help you keep in close touch with your customers.

Sources

constantcontact.com

Related Article: Reseller Affiliate Programs >>