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Priya Ramamurthi

AMA: Okta Head of Product Marketing, Platform, Priya Ramamurthi on Partner Product Marketing

November 10 @ 10:00AM PT

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  1. Is partner PMM a dedicated function and why is that the case or not? What's the line between partner PMM and partner marketing?

    Priya Ramamurthi
    Priya Ramamurthi

    Okta Former Sr. Director Platform Product Marketing • 4y

    That’s a great question. Let me start with some background. In many traditional large organizations, partner marketing teams up with system integrators (SIs), large area resellers (LARs)/licensing solution partners (LSPs) and a variety of resellers. These would make the bulk of your partner sales. Hence organizations focused on the relationship with the best SIs, LSPs and resellers. Independent software vendors (ISVs) only played a minor role. In today’s SaaS world, organizations realize that ma ...Read More

    2,618 Views
    6 requests

  2. What partner marketing KPIs are you goaled on?

    Priya Ramamurthi
    Priya Ramamurthi

    Okta Former Sr. Director Platform Product Marketing • 4y

    Generally speaking, partner marketing influences sales pipeline and revenue. Not different from product marketing in this aspect.

    With each partner, there should be specific quarterly and annual goals to influence this. Details related to conversion rate based on campaigns planned make these goals operational.

    There can often be additional goals based on MDF funds given out for specific launches.

    1,453 Views
    3 requests

  3. What's the longer term health of having a career in doing partner PMM?

    As someone who used to be in partner marketing (on the product marketing team), I found career options to be more limiting than being a straight up PMM and my combined experience makes me a great fit for Partner PMM roles, but I hesitate making the jump into those roles

    Priya Ramamurthi
    Priya Ramamurthi

    Okta Former Sr. Director Platform Product Marketing • 4y

    SaaS companies start by selling to customer with their existing sales teams. Partnerships increase product stickiness thus increasing adoption and retention, driving long-term growth. Partner PMM is a requires someone who can wear many hats 1. Product marketing – core product marketing skills including messaging positioning, content creation etc. 2. Partner marketing: Understand co-marketing and be able to build external relationships within the partner ecosystem 3. Collaboration & Execute: ...Read More

    2,107 Views
    3 requests

  4. What are your lessons learned about successfully going to market in a partner's ecosystem?

    Priya Ramamurthi
    Priya Ramamurthi

    Okta Former Sr. Director Platform Product Marketing • 4y

    I follow the following steps to drive a successful GTM motion with partners. Be Strategic: Every partnership does not necessarily warrant the same effort. Develop tiers for each partner type. Set strategic goals for each tier. Collaborate: Deep collaboration with product, business development and sales is a must-have for any partner product marketing plan to succeed. This is in addition to other collaboration across the rest of product marketing and marketing. Plan: Develop a calendar based on l ...Read More

    1,458 Views
    3 requests

  5. How do you structure PMM support for partners specifically? Is there a dedicated role, distributed, any tips?

    Priya Ramamurthi
    Priya Ramamurthi

    Okta Former Sr. Director Platform Product Marketing • 4y

    If partnerships are a focus for the organization, partner PMM as a dedicated team is crucial. Within the team, there can be individuals supporting for technology partnerships, cloud alliances and traditional SIs, LSPs & resellers. Depending on the organization and the existing and planned partnerships, the number to support each one could differ.

    In addition to the typical partner marketing, there can be additional resources geared towards technical marketing.

    1,965 Views
    5 requests

  6. How do you get buy-in and attention from your partner sales force in order to even enable them?

    Priya Ramamurthi
    Priya Ramamurthi

    Okta Former Sr. Director Platform Product Marketing • 4y

    In order to get the best attention from the sales teams, it is important to create a plan in conjunction with them. Early buy-in drives engagement through the process. Also, as with any product marketing engagement with sales, it is an ongoing collaboration and discussion to apply the best learnings and keep the feedback loop going.

    981 Views
    2 requests

  7. What are the pros/cons to including a partner in a marketing campaign/asset?

    Can you do too much partner marketing vs standalone?

    Priya Ramamurthi
    Priya Ramamurthi

    Okta Former Sr. Director Platform Product Marketing • 4y

    Partner marketing can be a huge growth driver for the business, if prioritized. With the right partnerships, co-marketing and co-selling can drive a significant part of organizational revenue.

    I would think about partner marketing early during the GTM cycle to ensure coverage with the right partners based on product/feature releases.

    1,078 Views
    2 requests