Every now and then the Channel Maven  Consulting Team comes across a new product or service that would benefit the channel and we always enjoy sharing!. We recently spoke with Huy Nguyen, VP of Sales of PointBurst on how they are a benefit to the channel.

Channel Maven: What makes PointBurst unique for the Channel and differentiates you from other social media management platforms?

Huy Nguyen: We are driving social media through channels and affiliates with the ability to syndicate the message through resellers. The call to action on the back end can drive the sale through the individual partner. This keeps the conversation through the reseller level. For example with Windows 8 there was no call to action to say you should buy through our authorized reseller. PointBurst helps enable the sale through channel partners to bring them in on the sale. Let’s you schedule action content to go out to your reseller so it sounds like it comes from the reseller. We are connected with this reseller 3 different ways, so we can push out three types of content.

Additionally vendors have the ability to review “Partner Reach” and see which partners are engaging with the content and how far it is spreading. You are able to choose which groups to push certain content thought, for example providing content for partners only in a certain tier level.

Channel Maven: Can partners choose whether they want post sent through their social automatically through publisher settings or can review each post?

Huy Nguyen: Yes, they can receive notification through email or their mobile device. Partners can see reporting, unique links for each post, called Impact, which includes retweets, replays, comments, shares all added together + likes.

Channel Maven: Who is managing the content for your clients?

Huy Nguyen: For curating content it depending on the client – if vendor like Microsoft they would choose what new goes into the library and partners can access that library*. This content is customizable, allowing vendors to hashtags and shorten post for Twitter, post to LinkedIn company pages, groups (if you’re an admin), and on a personal profile, set expirations dates for posts. Partners cannot edit post language; we recently released the ability for partners to add their own commentary.

* If you need help curating interesting and engaging social media content be sure to learn about Channel Maven’s Social Medial Amplification Program as one of our Social Media Programs.

Channel Maven: Who is your ideal client?

The ideal clients for PointBurst are organizations that are looking to expand their exisitng social media efforts beyond the audience that “likes” or “follows” them on a social network and create a channel program that drives interaction to their partners and internal teams.  In the technology channel, we primarily partner with manufacturers, distributors, and member community organizations who want to add social media communication to their internal team strategy or provide more value for their reseller channel programs.  Most of the organizations we work with already have excellent marketing communications strategists, channel marketing program managers, and social media advisors.  We are not looking to displace any of those relationships and we simply partner together and consult on how to use the PointBurst tools to create a winning program for the channel.  Our ultimate goal is to create a win-win program where organizations can reach an exponentially larger audience through their partners voices and their partners can reap the benefits of individualized social interactions and build a solid social presence, without all the heavy-lifting on their own.

Final Thoughts from The Channel Maven Consulting Team

Both inside the channel and out it is clear that new media, including social media, is not a fleeting trend but rather a true marketing and communication tool that should have a sound strategy and active management. Social media management tools such as PointBurst are helping manufacturers step-up their channel marketing through their partners, by streamlining the process. How are you streamlining your social media management process? Have you used PointBurst or another tool? Please leave a comment below to let us know what works and what does not

The post Control the Conversation with Social Media Management – An Interview with PointBurst appeared first on Channel Maven Consulting.