Best of LinkedIn: Channel Marketing CW 23/ 24

Ecosystem players spent the past two weeks doubling-down on partner profitability levers – unlocking vendor funds, tightening enablement, and accelerating co-sell motions, while new tools and community events signalled where the channel is heading next. AI is moving from buzz to practical pilots, but strategic orchestration, not automation alone, remains the growth differentiator.

Date

June 16, 2025

Channel Marketing

Thomas Allgeyer

Methodology: Every two weeks we collect most relevant posts on LinkedIn for selected topics and create an overall summary only based on these posts. If you´re interested in the single posts behind, you can find them here: https://linktr.ee/thomasallgeyer. Have a great read!

‍

Listen to our podcast

Unlocking Vendor Incentive Programs

Recurrent call-outs that Market Development Funds from AWS and Microsoft remain under-claimed; thought leaders urged stricter ROI frameworks and “use-it-or-lose-it” sprint plans
Posts stressed treating vendors as strategic allies – aligning partner KPIs with cloud marketplaces and tapping MDF for pipeline rather than brand awareness alone
Salesforce’s surge on AWS Marketplace was showcased as proof that marketplace-aligned GTM can compress sales cycles and expand reach

‍

Elevating Partner Enablement

Consensus that most enablement content fails because it is product-led, generic, and time-intensive; practitioners recommended outcome-first playbooks and snackable formats
Marketing enablement was positioned on equal footing with sales enablement to ensure consistent value messaging across the buyer journey
Internal “micro-influencers” (sellers, engineers) were highlighted as credible voices to amplify partner propositions organically

‍

Orchestrating Co-Sell & Ecosystem Motions

Founders and channel leads flagged limited visibility into partner performance; calls for unified CRM layers and shared dashboards to expose deal influence and attribution
Thought pieces framed ecosystem-led growth and go-to-network strategies as the next evolution of traditional channel programs
Effective co-sell execution was pitched as existential in an AI-crowded SaaS market – partners that streamline joint pipeline management will outpace peers

‍

Tools, Products, & Program Launches

Ansira rolled out an upgraded social-engagement platform to simplify branded content sharing for affiliates
Affistash released Version 2, promising faster, AI-powered affiliate discovery and segmentation
Coro unveiled the Compass partner program, designed for simplicity, profitability, and white-glove support
A new AI avatar for sales demos and a Partner Benchmark Report for the Microsoft ecosystem expanded the data and automation toolkit available to marketers

‍

AI Pragmatism Over Hype

Multiple voices cautioned that AI is not a “silver bullet”; success still hinges on clear objectives, audience understanding, and disciplined execution
Early pilots showcased AI assisting with targeting and creative variants, but leaders warned against deploying models without strong governance and measurement

‍

Community Signals & Events

Catalyst25 (Seattle), Pax8 Beyond 2025, Channel Marketing Association forums, and Snowflake Summit underscored growing momentum around trust-based ecosystems and platform interoperability
Upcoming webinars and regional meet-ups continue to foster knowledge exchange on affiliate partner selection and partner-first GTM structures

‍

Subscribe to newsletter

Subscribe to receive the latest blog posts to your inbox every week.