PTC, a firm that offers product lifecycle management tools, has launched an e-mail newsletter program for its value-added resellers (VARs), enabling them to deliver material from a central content database.
It relies on Total Channel Communications, a service being announced today by e-mail vendor IMakeNews, Inc. (IMN). All content and data will be stored at IMN.
In development for several months, the system will facilitate VAR newsletters in several countries and languages, including China, according to Greg James, senior director, worldwide channel marketing for PTC.
PTC has almost 350 VARs. They serve small- and mid-sized businesses, firms with sales of $500 million and less.
A small number of VARs already had “regular, localized customized newsletters that they would send on a regular basis,” James said in an interview. But they varied in quality—some were PDF attachments sent by e-mail.
According to Fish, the resellers can now distribute the e-zines under their own masthead to their customer lists, using IMN’s analytics to track response. The newsletters will link to customized landing pages.
The material includes white papers, case studies, best practices, tips on using PTC’s software, Webcast schedules and other items. The resellers can access and choose the material with a few mouse clicks, and add it to one of three templates available to them, adding their own logos, articles and messages, according to IMN CEO David Fish.
One of the main requirements for the system was that “it had to be easy,” said James.
The program was introduced last week at a PTC sales meeting in Orlando. The firm reassured the VARs, who are reluctant to share data on customers, that their data will be housed at IMN and that PTC would not have access to it. Reaction from the VARs was positive even before the event, James said.
However, there will be only a small number of licenses available at first.
“It’s a function of how many licenses I want to purchase because I’m covering the costs,” James said. “Also, I wanted to keep it manageable—I didn’t want to take on 350 signups all at once.”
The VARS will be in complete charge of their own newsletters. However, PTC might offer input if they are sending them too frequently or infrequently, Fish said. Frequency now ranges from bi-weekly to quarterly.
In addition, PTC may recommend content about particular product modules.
“We’d recommend they include an article about it, and include a banner that we’ve also posted into the library,” James said.
PTC, a $750 million company, also offers an “external” e-zine called PTC Express. It goes to almost 250,000 customers and prospects.
IMN, of Waltham, MA, serves clients like Shell Oil, Wachovia, CitiStreet and ING.
