Are you thinking about launching a partner marketing program on TUNE? Great! That means you are already in productive conversations about the start of your program. But have you thought about what to do before a kickoff call and onboarding takes place?  

Helping brands successfully launch programs on TUNE, we sometimes hear things like I wish I had known that before I started, or I didn’t think to ask about that before launching. The “that” in these statements can vary from which team members are needed, to how much time it will take based on the brand’s offering and objectives. In any case, having a proactive approach to launch can be valuable – which is why it’s the next topic in our onboarding blog series. In this post, I am going to share what I have seen work well and what has helped many programs take onboarding to the next level.  

TUNE Onboarding Series 

A Quick Introduction
Is Customized Onboarding Right for You?
What to Expect During the First 30 Days
How Onboarding and Customer Success Teams Work Together
Supporting Long-Term Success After Launch

Now that we have covered several checkpoints during the onboarding process, let us step back 30+ days and talk about what you can be doing to support a successful onboarding before it starts.

Get Ahead with a Head Start 

The time before a program launch is a busy one for most teams. If I could share an “easy button” to hit, that would be ideal. (As a mom of two little kids, I could use that button several times a week.) Unfortunately, even though we all want it, it has yet to be invented.  

While it is not a push of a button, having a clear direction on the steps below will give you an early advantage and make this initial stage a little easier by having the right information. This includes the following:  

• Have a clear strategy and goals  
• Assign the right team  
• Plan for technical resources  
• Research tools  

Let’s look at each of these factors in more detail. 

Have a Clear Strategy and Goals 

Before launching your program, it is important to know what an indicator of your brand’s success will look like. This includes having a good idea of your offering and what the priority goal is (growth, number of partners, conversions, etc.). Writing down an outline of your vision can help ensure confident, purposeful direction at launch, saving you from spending precious time trying to decide these things after the contract has been signed.  

That said, you have access to a very experienced team at TUNE that is happy to help you further discuss these items and finalize any setup details during the onboarding process.  

Assign the Right Team 

Who is going to own this program for the brand? While team resources may be limited or smaller (some have internal resources or an agency to support), the most important thing is having the right team to drive a new program launch. Unlike some other channels, affiliate needs time and attention in the initial stages to become the profitable channel that many see it become. This means a dedicated team or lead to drive new partnerships, run negotiations, discuss ongoing program optimization, gather feedback from partners, know the data, and much more.  

Planning for this investment of program resources upfront is often a huge indicator of how quickly a program can start to see growth and partner activation. Now, this does not mean that a good team is the only thing needed for success, but it is a sizable portion of what we see when we look at strong programs.  

Plan for Technical Resources 

This can vary from having an internal dev team or third-party tech lead. The biggest advantage here is having a technical resource with time to support the initial launch requirements. While this can be difficult because pipelines and project deadlines are miles long these days, pushing for this resource upfront is an advantage. It can help you launch faster and with more accuracy. Of course, your results will vary depending on the brand and the complexity of the campaign.   

Research Tools 

While TUNE is a robust platform with a lot of features to help you succeed in the long term, we also look to other experts to enhance your growth. For example, we work with a tool called Publisher Discovery to support your recruitment strategy. Knowing what your specific goals are in advance (growth, number of partners, conversions, etc.) will help you determine which tools or areas of focus are going to be the biggest priority as you get ready to launch. Recruitment tends to be a common one, so being ready to invest in the right tools to start can help get the right partners in the door earlier in the launch timeline. Waiting to do this later can often leave money on the table. It is never too early to start conversations with potential partners.  

On Your Mark, Get Set …

I hope this provides some insight or things to ask before launching your program with TUNE. If you have any questions or want to learn more about how to best succeed, reach out to onboarding@tune.com.   

Read the rest of the TUNE Onboarding Series 

A Quick Introduction
Is Customized Onboarding Right for You?
What to Expect During the First 30 Days
How Onboarding and Customer Success Teams Work Together
Supporting Long-Term Success After Launch

The contract has been signed on the dotted line, and your team is ready to set up your partner marketing program. As with any new technology, education is needed to understand the foundational components of the tool and take full advantage of how you can use it to optimize your launch process.  

This is where TUNE’s customized onboarding approach can help set you up for long-term success!  

In our onboarding series thus far, I have covered A Quick Introduction to TUNE Onboarding and How to Determine If Customized Onboarding Is Right for Your Team. In this post, I’ll be sharing a glimpse of what to expect from your month of onboarding.   

The TUNE Onboarding Experience 

Setting up a partner marketing program is an exciting time. We want to continue that momentum into the onboarding experience with a customized approach that’s focused on providing insight into the foundational building blocks of the platform.

A month in the life of TUNE Onboarding includes:    

• A strategic kickoff call with a dedicated onboarding manager  
• Overview of launch plan and objectives  
• Onboarding resources and checklist  
• Weekly training sessions over 30 days   
• A fun team that “gets it” and will provide a 10 out of 10 onboarding experience – both managers come from leading teams and driving affiliate strategy across several verticals on the agency side.  

Customized Experience 

• We understand that no two companies are alike, which is why we work to gain a deep understanding of your goals and strategies. Based on these insights, the onboarding team works to further customize the onboarding experience so that we focus on what is most critical to your program.   

Microlearning Approach  

• We understand that it may feel daunting to learn a new tool, which is why we implemented a microlearning approach focused on the building blocks needed to navigate and understand the platform.  
• These sessions include but are not limited to an overview of your account dashboard, tracking setup, partner flow, advanced tools, payment solutions, and more. Since we get to know our brand partners so well, we strive to set curated sessions as needed so that we are always learning about what is most relevant for your program.  

Dedicated Support with Long-term Success in Mind 

• The onboarding experience is high engagement to support long-term success. In addition to the team’s partnership and support, you will have guides along the way to apply learnings in between training sessions.  

The Best Next Steps  

If you have any questions or if you are interested in more information on how our onboarding team can help your business succeed, feel free to reach out to Shandi Michno at shandi.michno@tune.com.

Read the rest of the TUNE Onboarding Series

A Quick Introduction
Is Customized Onboarding Right for You?
How Onboarding and Customer Success Teams Work Together
How to Get Ahead Before Onboarding Starts
Supporting Long-Term Success After Launch

Launching a partner marketing program may seem like a daunting task. When you’re learning how to use new software at the same time, it can be a lot to take on. TUNE is here to help! 

In my first post, I covered a quick introduction to TUNE Onboarding. In this post, I’m sharing a few tips on how to decide if customized onboarding is a good fit. 

When to Use Onboarding 

Do you have a new affiliate program, or are you looking to refresh a current program? These are common trends that lead many of our customers to add onboarding to their account. (Onboarding comes included with our Scale plan and select Custom plans.)  

Throughout my years in SaaS customer success, I’ve seen three main scenarios that usually signal a need for customized onboarding:  

Starting a New Program  

When starting a new program, most users seek guidance for: 

• optimized setup and platform strategy 
• direction for how best to use new tools  
• recommendations on platform use  
• strategies for long-term success  

Looking for More Education  

Sometimes, individuals who are using a platform feel they are not fully taking advantage of it. These users: 

• want to optimize platform use  
• need additional help on tools  
• are looking for advanced training 

Optimizing an Existing Program  

If a program hits a plateau, or a business wants to pursue new opportunities or markets, many users request additional assistance to: 

• discover proven methods to improve setup 
• master advanced tools and reporting  
• receive partner onboarding recommendations  

Benefits of Saying Yes to Onboarding  

Plenty of existing clients have seen the success of growth by taking advantage of TUNE Onboarding. You can check out our customer stories to see how brands like Credit Sesame grew their revenue and customer base by switching to TUNE. Or, head over to my previous post to read some testimonials about our onboarding program.   

The Best Next Steps  

If you feel any of the above describes your position, added onboarding might be the best fit to help your program grow. Feel free to reach out to me, Shandi Michno, at shandi.michno@tune.com with any questions or for more information on how our onboarding team can help your business succeed.  

Read the rest of the TUNE Onboarding Series

A Quick Introduction
What to Expect During the First 30 Days
How Onboarding and Customer Success Teams Work Together
How to Get Ahead Before Onboarding Starts
Supporting Long-Term Success After Launch

Ever wonder what it’s like to go through the onboarding process with TUNE? Wonder no more! As the Senior Product Onboarding Manager, it’s my job to make sure you get started off on the right foot. In this blog post, I’ll explain a little more about what that means at TUNE.

TUNE Onboarding: The Basics

TUNE Onboarding was born out of the desire to help our clients launch on TUNE, maximize all available tools, and support program growth. Whether migrating an existing program or starting a brand new one, we know how critical this initial stage can be. Our goal was to create a white-glove approach to onboarding with dedicated resources to help clients achieve their launch goals. We are excited to say, TUNE Onboarding has been doing that and more.

We start with a strategic kickoff call to understand our client’s brand and goals. By aligning on what is important, we are able to use a proven launch process that is also tailored to each client’s business model. This, combined with an onboarding outline and resources, gives clients a clear path to successfully launch in TUNE.

A key factor to this success is the strong relationship we build with each client during the TUNE onboarding process. Remote work has us all relating to one another like never before. Whether comparing creative backgrounds on Zoom, or sharing coffee together on Monday morning, we strive for collaboration with a good mix of fun along the way.

Benefits of the TUNE Onboarding Program 

Initial results from our onboarding program have indicated it is a valuable asset for brands looking to get up and running with TUNE. The key benefits we have heard and continue to see from the TUNE onboarding process include:

• Maximizing Account Setup: By understanding your business objectives from day one, we are able to optimize setup and ensure all tools are taken advantage of.  
• Strategic Program Recommendations: Getting to know your brand and your goals allows us to identify new opportunities and recommendations that can help maximize setup. 
• Faster Time to Launch: Having a dedicated resource to guide direction during launch produces a faster launch time, so that you can quickly start driving revenue in TUNE.  

What TUNE Clients are Saying

We thrive on feedback here at TUNE. This is why we include a client survey post-onboarding. The goal is to understand the client experience, note valued feedback, and take action to continuously improve the TUNE onboarding program.

Some feedback we have heard over the last year:  

“The onboarding team was excellent. They were organized, responsive, and provided so much help and information.”  

“The onboarding team was super helpful and quick to answer any questions we had.”  

“The onboarding team was very responsive to my questions and were able to adapt onboarding sessions based around my industry experience.” 

“The transparency and availability of the team were supreme assets to the onboarding. They were clear, reliable and patient. I can’t imagine having done this without them.” 

“The team was extremely knowledgeable, professional, and helpful.”  

Let’s Connect

If you are interested in TUNE Onboarding or want to better understand how it can help you succeed with TUNE, feel free to reach out to me, Shandi Michno at shandi.michno@tune.com. My colleague Emily Ersbak and I will also be sharing lots more about TUNE Onboarding right here on the blog. Check back often for new information, best practices, and success stories.

Are there any specific topics or questions you would like to see in the future? Let me know in the comments below!

TUNE Onboarding Series

A Quick Introduction
Is Customized Onboarding Right for You?
What to Expect During the First 30 Days
How Onboarding and Customer Success Teams Work Together
How to Get Ahead Before Onboarding Starts
Supporting Long-Term Success After Launch