Storyblok Partner Program: Then. Now. Future
Storyblok is the first headless CMS that works for developers & marketers alike.
I've been with Storyblok for close to 6 months now and have had the pleasure of working with the Partner Team and our partners as a Content Specialist. As you can imagine, I have learned a lot about our Partner Program, but being the type of person that wants to dig deeper and know every detail of the story, it was time to interview our VP of Partners, Barry D'Arcy. So, if you are like me, you’ll definitely enjoy this interview as Barry takes us through the history of Storyblok's Partner Program and gives us a sneak peek into what's coming.
Before coming to Storyblok, Barry had the opportunity to be on the other side of the table by being part of the team at our partner agency Together Digital for 5 years. As Barry explains, working on client project delivery and ensuring projects are completed on time and on a budget while matching or exceeding client expectations has given him the ability to empathize with agencies and understand all their pain points. Being with Storyblok since the beginning of 2021 has made it possible for Barry to build the Partner Program and team from the ground up and solve many problems for multiple solution agencies and clients.
Barry tells me that the official launch of the program was in 2019 and Together Digital, where Barry was part of the team, was one of the first official joiners. However, in the Spring of 2021 was the ‘Big Bang’ launch of the Storyblok Partner Program when the partner benefits were updated to encompass the program and re-introduced to the public.
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Why a Partner Program?
Barry D’Arcy: "We wanted agencies to be more than just Storyblok users. We wanted to give them something different: to have their own product and their own way of doing things where they can manage many projects, many internal users, and have the freedom to build spaces that don’t need to be licensed from the very start. We wanted to have a program that could support our partners in building projects more efficiently, which is a very important KPI for an agency. We want to support agencies globally to be able to build their business on top of Storyblok through support, education, and technical and sales enablement.
Agencies have had a massive impact on expediting our go-to-market by delivering more projects quickly and effectively. Working with a strong network of agencies really allows Storyblok to shine to both audiences and we couldn’t be happier about that."
As many of our case studies will suggest, Storyblok has truly managed to increase the efficiency of our partners. Projects that used to take agencies months or even years to complete can now be done within weeks with Storyblok. No wonder this was our key objective when starting the program.
When asked about the current state of the program, Barry tells me that he is delighted with the engagement of our partner network. When he joined in 2021, Storyblok had about 350 partners and at the moment that number is close to 1100 globally, a number that grows daily. The Partner Certification, which enables partners to get listed on our website with their competencies and case studies, has also been very successful and brought about a lot of joint projects. Lastly, the Partner Team has grown massively in the past year and Partners can now enjoy a dedicated Partner Success Manager who is, in a way, an embedded team member at the agency as they work hard to support the agency in all aspects of their growth with Storyblok.
There is a massive multiplier effect in being able to engage our partners and educate them on everything around Storyblok. By investing in our partners and supporting their growth, we keep growing and increasing the number of Storyblok projects, customers, case studies, etc.
Storyblok’s features are indeed what sets the CMS apart from its competitors. However, Barry points out that Storyblok has a unique Partner Program where agencies are welcomed to join and never judged on their size or profitability. Storyblok doesn’t impose registration rules or fees, nor do we require a certain number of sales to qualify as a Partner.
We like to level the playing field and give everyone the same starting point. We strive to support our partners with growth rather than expect them to bring growth to us from day one.
You mentioned partner benefits. What are some of your favorite and most valuable ones?
Barry D’Arcy: "The key benefit and differentiator are the dedicated Partner Success Managers, who are committed to supporting our partners and their growth. Another one of my favorites, and a very well-received one, is free development spaces with free agency team members.
If you are creating many projects and have many users, it can be very costly, but not with Storyblok. Here, we offer a Partner Portal that allows agency team members to collaborate, create projects, and hand them over when the project is ready. "
For a complete list of partner benefits, visit our website.
What does the future of the Partner Program, and Storyblok as a whole, look like?
Barry D’Arcy: "Before we reveal what’s on the horizon, let me remind everyone of our recent announcement for the $47 million in Series B funding. This funding will be used to accelerate how we build the CMS for the 21st century and expand our team. Therefore, we will be launching V2 of Storyblok this year, an all-new, faster, more intuitive CMS packed with new features designed to shape the future of digital storytelling. In addition, we are expanding the team and plan on bringing the number of employees from around 170 today to 330 by the end of 2022. This will enable us to serve our customers even better and allow our product to evolve faster and iterate quicker."
Barry talked about the expansion of the partner team, too. The team currently consists of 3 business groups: Partner Enablement, Partner Growth, and Partner Success. Each team is embedded with the other with a constant feedback loop and collaboration. Future hiring will be designed to support the growth of not just our registered partner network but also our certified partner group, a journey that will evolve constantly as we learn from our awesome partners.
Future focus will also be placed on Storyblok’s Technology Ecosystem, which was launched on June 20th, 2022. It's a curated collection of tech solutions that can be integrated together, with Storyblok at the center. The goal is to create an ecosystem with other technology vendors, strengthen both products’ features and competitiveness, and offer a best-of-breed solution for both of our customers.
Lastly, Storyblok’s Certified Partners can enjoy an annual co-marketing budget, in which the company is investing a large amount of money. Stay tuned for more info about this investment and make sure you complete your certification process in time.
