Resellers Getting Help With Social Media

Social Media Enablement Program specifically aimed at IT resellers

(Press Release) Palo Alto, CA January 29th  The Social Media Academy, leading provider of Social Media Education and Research Services to business customers, today announced the launch of a Social Media Enablement Program specifically aimed at IT resellers.  The goal is to help channel partners acquire social media skills that help them grow their business by better meeting the needs of customers.  Vendors are being asked to sponsor this education as a way to improve the health of their channel.

“Research consistently shows that channel partners that are engaged in the social web are growing their business faster than resellers who are sitting on the sidelines” says Mike Dubrall, Managing Director of the Gilwell Group, a consultancy that specializes in channel productivity.  “Resellers want and need help from their vendors in using social media.  It’s the newest and best tool for B2B communications – and resellers need to understand how it can be used to connect with customers.  Social Media is already deeply entrenched within all kinds of businesses.  It is not going away.”

Under the Channel Social Media Enablement Program, resellers participate in a series of webcasts and complete “homework” assignments that increase their social media footprint.  They also have access to a reseller social media enablement community to share ideas and get feedback.  Social Media tools and training are included in the tuition.  To make it easier, vendors can “sponsor “their entire channel and integrate resellers more closely into the emerging social media strategies of the vendor.

EMC, one of the first sponsors of channel social media enablement, is leading the charge.  “We want our channel partners to have every available tool to grow their business,” says Pete Koliopoulos, Vice President of Global Channel Marketing.  “Customers are active with social media, so EMC is using social media and we want our partners to be right there with us.”   Adds Dubrall, “resellers notice when their vendors are pro-active in helping them grow.  Sponsors like EMC position themselves as channel thought leaders by championing social media use by resellers.”

Social Media use has exploded in recent years and resellers commonly visit popular sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, and even Twitter to get information and stay connected.  Using these sites in a B2B sense is a relatively new concept, but many large organizations have already found that the Internet is a powerful tool for marketing, product branding, and communicating the company message.   Manufacturers spend millions of dollars on Internet marketing campaigns.  Social Media Enablement will soon put resellers into a position to benefit from these marketing investments.

Additional Resources

EMC

Velocity Partner Xchange : http://community.emc.com/go/vpx

Facebook  www.facebook.com/emccorp

YouTube  www.youtube.com/user/emccorp

Linkedin Group http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=2173579

Social Media Academy

Social Map http://xeesm.com/smacad

Mike Dubrall, Gilwell Group

Social Map http://xeesm.com/mikedubrall