International brands and OEMs communicate every day with a large network of partnered retailers. Thoughtfully connecting with hundreds of retail locations is a logistically complicated task and sharing digital assets for social media consumption is no different. Driven by the need to share content with partners, brands usually turn to Digital Asset Management software or DAMs- dashboards that consolidate asset sharing in a centralized system where brands add and update multimedia content that retailers can share to their social media accounts. Commonly used for co-op marketing programs, DAMs are conceptually strong but don’t translate to practical application.
Retailers are occupied with running their businesses. And while many retailers can foresee the long-term benefits of co-op marketing, that doesn’t negate the cost of participating: their time. Identifying exactly how participation strains retailers can be difficult because they often don’t voice their complaints. It’s easier for them to simply stop participating. We can pinpoint roadblocks to retailers by examining where in the process they’re required to complete potentially difficult tasks.
Manual Publishing: Giving retailers access to content only removes some of the burdens of participating in co-op marketing. They still need to customize the provided media in a way that appeals to their local customer base. Publishing can pose problems too. With multiple platforms to manage, technical literacy is a necessity. Retailers don’t always have the time or social media expertise to stay on top of a publishing schedule.
ThumbStopper is a content distribution solution built to address the common frustrations brands and retailers experience when using Digital Asset Management software with new features that prioritize accessibility:
So how does it work?
Brands collaborate with ThumbStopper to create educational materials that introduce the program to retailers in branded language that they will understand. The ThumbStopper team then reaches out to designated retailers to let them know that a brand they sell is launching a program to help retailers bolster their social presence and drive engagement. Our enrollment process ensures that retailers are presented with the opportunity to learn how the program will benefit them before the onboarding process begins.
Our customer success team handles onboarding and is dedicated to providing a seamless and informative experience. Due to our team’s ability to administer individual assistance, retailers don’t have to be tech-savvy to participate. And when they need guidance on navigating the social media landscape, our experts are always ready to help.
After retailers are enrolled, ThumbStopper enables brands to intelligently syndicate social media content to the appropriate retailers and social media platforms. Brands might promote in a particular region, exclude locations not carrying a certain product, shift content distribution based on seasonal purchase patterns, or dispense content according to retailer feedback on inventory.
But best of all, the program is completely hands-free for retailers. No more keeping track of login credentials or tedious processes to create their own posts. Once brands indicate which retail locations should receive specific content, it’s automatically scheduled to post on their pages. For retailers who don’t have time to manage social media accounts, it’s the perfect solution to reach their local customers with high-quality, multimedia content about the products they want to see.
Your brand is familiar with retailers who prefer to have more oversight in brand relations, whether that’s marketing initiatives or inventory decisions. Retailers who are already posting regularly to their social media accounts may want to have more input on what your brand publishes on their pages. ThumbStoppers’ granular controls support a balance between brand and retailer; brands can indicate priority posts that retailers cannot opt-out of and retailers can cancel posts they don’t think will resonate with a local audience. Ultimately, brands make the decisions that guarantee the most important content reaches the entire retailer network.
An international OEM that partnered with ThumbStopper saw its program goals exceeded in the pivotal adoption phase. The numbers speak for themselves: the brand anticipated 250 retailer enrollments in the first 90 days but actual enrollment in that time frame was 594 retailers. Bypassing the critical barrier of dealer adoption that prevents DAMs from being effective enabled the brand to immediately begin syndicating content. It resulted in an impressive 364% increase in organic reach within the first six months of launching the program.
DAMs are the industry standard for co-op marketing programs, but the evidence shows that it’s time to leave them in the past. ThumbStopper transforms content distribution for the modern brand to utilize automation that benefits them and their retailers.
To learn more about what ThumbStopper can do for your brand, book a demo.