Partner Advocacy in B2B: Turning Alliances into Growth Engines

According to the Forrester’s Marketing Survey, 2024, 74% of B2B marketing leaders say their most significant revenue growth over the past 12 months came from their partner ecosystem—not from direct sales or digital ads. Yet, less than half report having a formal partner advocacy strategy in place. This disconnect represents a major opportunity. As competition intensifies and customer trust becomes harder to earn, partner advocacy emerges not just as a marketing channel, but as a strategic differentiator.

Partner advocacy is the practice of empowering and enabling your business partners to actively promote your brand, solutions, and thought leadership to their own audiences. When executed well, it turns partners into influential voices that extend your reach, improve credibility, and accelerate pipeline velocity. Forrester urges B2B marketers to stop treating advocacy as an afterthought—and start building it into the very fabric of their go-to-market strategy.

Traditional marketing channels are no longer sufficient to drive sustainable growth. One of the most overlooked but highly effective strategies is partner advocacy—enabling your partners to become vocal supporters of your brand. According to Forrester, “partner advocacy must become a strategic imperative, not an afterthought.”

What Is Partner Advocacy and Why Does It Matter?

Partner advocacy goes beyond standard partner enablement. It’s about building long-term, trust-based relationships with partners and promoting your solutions within their networks. The goal is to move from transactional alliances to true ecosystem-based collaboration. As highlighted by WebFX, B2B buyers are increasingly influenced by peer recommendations and ecosystem signals, making partner voices more impactful than ever.

A report from GetReditus indicates that companies leveraging partner-driven strategies see up to 43% faster revenue growth than those relying solely on direct sales channels.

Six Strategic Steps to Ignite Partner Advocacy

1. Choose the Right Partners

Not all partners will be good advocates. Look for those whose business models, values, and customers align with yours. High-performing partner programs focus on “strategic alignment over volume,” as emphasised by Partnership Leaders.

2. Co-Create Value

Develop joint value propositions that go beyond reselling. Co-develop solutions, bundle services, or integrate platforms to create customer-centric offerings. This approach reinforces the partner’s emotional and commercial investment.

3. Support With Tools and Training

Provide comprehensive enablement: onboarding kits, sales scripts, demos, certifications. A dedicated partner portal and real-time support significantly increase engagement, as demonstrated in Microsoft’s Cloud Partner Program referenced by Skyword.

4. Activate Through Co-Marketing

Launch joint marketing campaigns, including co-branded content, events, webinars, and podcasts. According to WebFX, these efforts can improve conversion rates by up to 30%.

5. Maintain Constant Communication

Establish feedback loops via QBRS, dashboards, and dedicated partner managers. This ensures alignment and builds trust, as discussed in Partnership Leaders.

6. Incentivise and Recognise Advocacy

Reward partner advocates with access to beta programs, awards, and exclusive co-marketing opportunities. Recognition motivates continued engagement and enhances partner loyalty.

Real-World Success: Cisco Champions Program

A standout example of partner advocacy in action is the Cisco Champions initiative. Cisco created a community of IT professionals and partners who shared their expertise via blogs and social media. As reported by Relationship One, the program generated over 55,000 tweets and 200 blog posts, dramatically increasing Cisco’s visibility and credibility across digital channels.

Measuring the Impact of Partner Advocacy

To optimise performance, track key metrics such as:

• Lead generation and conversion from partner efforts
• Partner-driven content engagement
• Advocate referrals and testimonials
• Partner satisfaction and retention (e.g., NPS)

Advanced programs also use multi-touch attribution and CRM integration to understand the full impact of partner activities, as suggested by GetReditus.

Partner advocacy is no longer optional. It’s a growth multiplier for forward-thinking B2B marketers. With the right partners, co-marketing efforts, and recognition systems in place, you can build an ecosystem that doesn’t just sell your product—it evangelises your brand.