Business savvy that looks at the next 10 years, rather than the next 10 weeks, is the new vogue in the current economic climate. Your agency and its distribution partners, whether they are individual sites or ad networks, have to make the right short-term moves to position the company for long-term growth. In today's world it is absolutely paramount that your current distribution partners have years of experience in making online campaigns successful and measure up to the below criteria. Just as you wouldn't trust just anyone to babysit your infant, you don't want to hand over your clients' brands without making sure that your partners share the same commitment you and your clients have to a successful future:
Depth of experience
When examining past customers and campaigns of a particular distribution partner, it's easy to look at the list on the resume alone. But what kinds of campaigns have they actually run? How is their account management track record? Do they deliver the kind of consistent results that make you look good to your clients?
"Finding partners that have successfully run and optimized many thousands of campaigns is not easy to do," said Joseph Dumont of Questus. "But those are the ones you want. And you also want to see some consistency. Running two successful campaigns is great, but if the two before it and the one after it didn't have the right results, how much can you really trust the distribution?"
Reviewing the resume and checking it against the projects mentioned -- via phone calls, some online research, or insider feedback forums -- can ensure that you're getting a partner with a long track record of results.
Long-term vision vs. short-term gains
A potential distribution partner might be great at helping to shape up your team for upcoming specifics -- beating a competitor in next month's ratings, wowing the crowd at a conference -- but unless those short-term goals fit into your client's long-term growth model, they could come with hidden costs or problems. "It's like Time or The Economist writing a cover feature on Paris Hilton's latest antics," said Dumont. "They'll get a lot of web hits and sell a lot of magazines that one week, but it'll obviously hamper them in the long run by making them look like opportunists rather than solid journalists."
In today's market, everything is about planning for the future. If you're bringing a new distribution partner in for a short-term project, make sure that they are clear on your long-term objectives and committed to working within that framework. That means, for instance, some flexibility in price and placement is optimal in a tough economy, provided it fits into a long-term game plan. And a truly valuable partner offers new and interesting ideas on how to keep the momentum going even after a campaign end date. "Proactive creative development is a huge asset," said Dumont. "Look for a partner who can bring that to your company and take some of the work load off of your plate."
Good chemistry as a group -- "the intangibles"
Some things just come naturally, and a good partnership is one of them. A sense of trust can come with years of experience -- and also from a gut instinct. Two people can have a mutually beneficial partnership, but it only reaches that next level if there's a real fluidity to their interactions. There should be willingness on both sides to keep growing and keep talking about new ideas. You don't want to be working silently side-by-side. Avoid a distribution partner that behaves like the next-door neighbor who waves hello but never says much -- go for a group whose employees are easy to engage and eager to go the extra mile to make things happen.
Bryan Everett is the executive vice president at Kontera.
