Messaging Framework

Messaging framework and consistent communications significantly increase worldwide marketing program uptake and ROI

The Challenge

How do I drive effective, consistent execution of a worldwide marketing program and increase partner participation?

A program manager at a global software company needed to increase local effectiveness in small business marketing across multiple countries and regions. While the company was doing well overall in the small business market, the program manager knew that targeted communications improvements could drive greater success. She wanted to formalize the existing marketing communications approach, strengthen marketplace perceptions of the company and better serve individual customers.

A small business partner specialist program had been launched to help small businesses find the best partners for their needs. But local execution was inconsistent across regions, reducing the program ROI and undercutting the benefits of centralized management.

Touch was engaged to design and build a better marketing communications and messaging framework as well as drive consistent execution across multiple countries. Specific objectives included:

  • Reduce program fragmentation through centralized project management
  • Enable localization within a standard marketing communications governance and messaging framework
  • Localize implementation of the program for additional countries and regions
  • Improve the partner understanding of program requirements and benefits
  • Drive field communications, adoption and support
  • Increase the quality of program reporting and the accessibility of program data

The Approach

Align field activities with program standards through a messaging framework and marketing communications

  • Provided qualitative and quantitative analysis of program metrics to drive insight into possible enhancements
  • Offered recommendations on how to consolidate reporting metrics to provide the greatest return on investment
  • Built a clear, organized process to streamline field reporting of marketing communications effectiveness and cost
  • Articulated and positioned partner requirements and benefits to drive the greatest support and adoption within the channel
  • Authored communications that provided visibility into project status and progress
  • Drafted executive communications that drove support across multiple executive, cross-group and field stakeholders

The Result

Increased partner participation, consistent communications and execution, and a measurable ROI

  • Generated greater field adoption and support of program changes
  • Improved consistency in small business segment marketing communications
  • Better targeted solutions across multiple countries and regions
  • Consolidated metrics with greatly improved accuracy and insight
  • Drove significant increase in program uptake by small business partners

Touch brought the expertise, methodologies, and discipline to help us align stakeholders who spanned multiple organizations and countries who all had a vested interest in the success of the program.