Estimated learn time: 3 minutes, 57 seconds
From 2015 to 2020, MapTiler doubled the variety of nations the place it has prospects. The Swiss-based SaaS firm now helps governments, enterprises, and SMBs in over 120 nations by offering maps API for internet and cellular builders.
I chatted with Tom Armitage, MapTiler’s Senior Technical Author, about how MapTiler makes use of strategic partnerships to develop its international buyer base.
1. Use Associates As Native Gross sales Companions
MapTiler maintains developer documentation in English — and because the main enterprise language all through the world, this works effectively for many of its customers.
“However there are components of the world that wish to do enterprise another way,” Tom defined. “Perhaps the documentation for builders is nice, however they’d prefer to be bought to by a salesman that speaks their language.”
That is when Tom’s workforce seeks out associates who can function native MapTiler specialists. By understanding a area’s native language and tradition, these strategic companions generally is a one-stop store for localized advertising and gross sales help.
MapTiler has seen vital development in income in nations with lively affiliate partnerships. As an illustration, since they onboarded an affiliate accomplice in Japan, their gross sales within the nation have elevated by over 300%.
Be aware: MapTiler Makes use of FastSpring’s Affiliate Advertising and marketing platform to simply observe affiliate gross sales and pay out their companions. Be taught extra about how one can acquire entry to a community of 10K+ international affiliate accomplices and improve income in new markets.
MapTiler makes some extent of being at developer-focused and different tech conferences to unfold model consciousness. “We’ve got a really lively workforce of individuals which can be on the market making connections on a regular basis: speaking to individuals and telling them about how our fantastic cartography can enhance their merchandise.”
However the workforce additionally makes use of in-person occasions to search out associates and type strategic partnerships with different corporations.
Conferences and different business occasions are helpful if you wish to solid a large web and see who’s curious about working collectively. However if you’re in search of one thing particular, that’s the place social media can even assist.
“If we all know that there’s a rustic that requires this stage of service, we take a look for who may be capable to supply that service to us. Generally they only come to us through our web site, however we additionally unfold the phrase by social media that we’re in search of affiliations with corporations.”
MapTiler maintains a partnership web page on its web site for events and is all the time looking out for brand new companions.
3. Make Certain Your Pricing and Checkout Are Localized
Should you’re utilizing associates to extend gross sales in a neighborhood area, guarantee that customers can simply try utilizing their most popular language, foreign money, and fee strategies. This can make your companions’ jobs rather a lot simpler.
MapTiler makes use of FastSpring’s branded checkout platform to localize pricing and the checkout expertise, together with calculating and gathering VAT, GST, and gross sales tax.
Per inner analysis, we discovered that displaying native currencies and fee strategies can improve native conversions by as much as 50%.
4. Determine Your Champion Customers
“Each on occasion, we get a champion person that actually likes what we’re doing. They actually get us, and we get them,” Tom defined.
That is particularly helpful when the champion person is an influencer of their market. “That can actually assist promote your merchandise with out it being any form of paid relationship.”
MapTiler’s workforce encourages these champion customers by ensuring they’re well-supported on the product. However additionally they guarantee that sharing and selling is a two-way avenue.
“In the event that they’re a blogger or one thing like that, then we’ll clearly be sharing and serving to them unfold the phrase about what they’re doing, as effectively.”
5. Make It Actually Simple to Get Began
An enormous a part of MapTiler’s success is how user-friendly the platform is. Tom’s workforce has spent numerous vitality creating help supplies that make it simple for a brand new firm to get began and for present customers to search out new makes use of for the platform.
“You come on our web site, you’ll discover numerous details about the best way to develop, combine, and use the maps in your personal providers: masses and a great deal of code snippets and code samples.
Utilizing a product-led development (PLG) mannequin, there are free tiers for all three of MapTiler’s subscription choices designed to supply “fast wins” for brand new customers.
Whenever you join MapTiler Cloud, “there’s a code pattern you could drag and drop straight into no matter it’s that you simply’re doing so to in a short time, very merely get began.”
If you’re curious about including maps to your web site or apps, you possibly can get a free trial.
