What's the most effective way to scale partner adoption beyond the first few partner engagements that happen?

AUTOMATE AND OPERATIONALIZE ALL YOUR PROCESSES. I cannot state this more emphatically. Often leadership teams think of this as a later stage initiative, and I frequently debate with fellow partnerships leaders on when the right time to introduce partnership ops into the mix. I am an outlier and think it should be one of the first hires. Here's why: Regardless of how long it takes you find your ideal partner profile, the mechanisms needed to support partners are generally the same. We already know we want to track revenue, adoption, lead gen, conversion etc. We also know that the way to increase partner engagement and contribution is to lower the barrier to entry and that ops processes will need to be iterated on over time. So why not start building out those capabilities as much as possible. When we talk about scale, with partnerships already being a 1:many motion, the key here is to replicate those same activities across all partners as much as possible, which cannot be done with only human assist. Plus partner managers are already expected to do too much administrative work. Where do you want their time spent, being ops or driving growth? Here are some examples of things that can be operationalized and/or program managed: Standardize Enablement: Develop repeatable processes, toolkits, and training materials for onboarding and activation. And share them on a regular cadence to your whole partner base. Automate Outreach: Use CRM and marketing tools to run targeted campaigns at scale. Leverage Data: Track performance metrics to identify high-potential segments and optimize strategies. Incentivize Growth: Introduce scalable rewards or co-marketing opportunities for partners who drive adoption. Automate your accounting and reconciliation process Implement automated onboarding of partners Implement standard terms and include volume incentives for referral partners. Consistency, automation, and alignment are key to expanding beyond initial engagements.

Relationship building is key to scaling partner adoption. You want to ensure you are maintaining the relationship as well as continuously enabling your partners. You want to share all successes and all ways to improve with each other and your respective teams. It is also crucial to share what your expectations of your partners are and vice versa. This way you can support each others goals and initiatives, deepening your relationship and showcasing results to your leadership teams.

From my experience, there are two types of partner activation activities: Ad-hoc: Flash in the pan type activations. Email blasts, launches, SPIFFS etc. They can be a great spark to start the fire, but by itself they're meaningless. Embedded processes: customers receive recommendations for different partners as they use the product. These require more investment and long-term commitment to a partner, but yield the best results over time. One example here is our live streaming product StreamYard. We work with massive social media companies, and many of them have featured us in posts or emails. Yet the best lever for sustained partner-led growth are the onboarding flows for new creators when sign up to live stream on a platform. Embedding yourself in workflows of the partner tool works because customers self-select (e.g. by trying to live stream) and are therefore receptive to your pitch.

This, in my opinion, is where a partner program comes into place. A well-designed partner program bakes in recurring activities, continuously keeping you and your partner top of mind and prioritizing each other. When you invest in understanding your partner's motivations, goals, and priorities, and continuously check in to understand how those have shifted or adjusted over time, you will keep yourself in a position to grow the relationship.

My top three are; 1. Mutual case studies with tangible results. 2. Comprehensive documentation and access to marketing resources. 3. Stakeholder mapping. Accountability across all functions to build relationships with their counterparts at the partners organtion. Joint slack channels are hugely beneficial to support this.

Need more context here to fully understand your question. But, my gut reaction to this is to TELL LOTS OF STORIES. If you see success, shout it from the rooftops so that people can see the impact with things that actually matter to them. Case studies with random brands are good, case studies with YOUR CLIENTS/TEAMS are WAY better. Celebrate every win and make sure everyone knows about it. The more proof in the pudding, the more interest and engagement you will get.