Building Brand Partnerships with LinkedIn’s Lara Brownlow

Let's be honest. Not every business partnership clicks instantly. But when they do, they're a marketing dream come true.

Today, strategic brand collaboration has become key to breakthrough marketing. Leveraging buyer intent data with precision targeting turns scattered marketing efforts into laser-focused strategies. That's not just networking; that's marketing alchemy. And with over a billion users, LinkedIn proves that the right partnership can amplify your reach exponentially.

I'm not just saying this off the cuff; we have experts talking. 

In my latest conversation with Lara Brownlow, head of channel sales and partnerships at LinkedIn, she emphasizes the importance of building brand partnerships, how marketing leaders can leverage them, the future of channel sales, and why AI might be your best friend. 

For marketers, the message is clear: collaboration isn't just about who you know but how strategically you can grow together.

This interview is part of G2’s Professional Spotlight series. For more content like this, subscribe to G2 Tea, a newsletter with SaaS-y news and entertainment.  

Deep Dives with Lara Brownlow

So, we’ll start by getting to know you a little better. Tell us about your professional journey and how you came to LinkedIn.

I've been really blessed to have a hugely rewarding career in offline and online media that's gone on for over 20 years now. After a brief stint in PR, where I managed nationwide campaigns for Mary Kay, I landed a position in advertising with one of Australia’s largest radio networks. It was a real learning moment for me out of university to understand the challenges marketers were facing and the opportunities in a very fast and very live medium.

After working for a couple of the leading radio networks, I was very eager to move into the online space, and Facebook had just launched an office in Australia. So I stalked my way into an interview there one Friday afternoon, and then a few weeks later, I was able to start working for Facebook. 

That was a really transformative time in my career. I learned about going deep into digital advertising and about the tech ecosystem that makes digital marketing work. 
One day, I got a LinkedIn message from a recruiter here at LinkedIn about a job opportunity. They were searching for someone to help develop their agency ecosystem, and I was thrilled by the prospect. 

Cut to 11 years later, I am still as inspired and passionate about the work we do at LinkedIn. I'm proud to be part of building our business, driven by a mission and values that resonate deeply with me. 

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Knowing that you are personally very active on LinkedIn, what's a surprising fact about you that most people wouldn't know from looking at your LinkedIn profile?

While you won't find this on my LinkedIn profile, many of my close friends know that I have a passion for singing. Whether it's karaoke, singing in the shower, or belting out tunes in the car, I love it all — much to the occasional dismay of my kids, who aren't always keen on listening to my concerts. 

I even studied creative arts briefly in university, dreaming of a career on stage. However, life had other plans, and I found my calling in marketing and advertising technology instead.

Having a career on stage would have been challenging! But then again, I’m sure so is your current role. Tell us about the key challenges you encounter when managing channel sales and partnerships at LinkedIn.

There are a few key things that come to mind when we talk about challenges in my field. 

First, prioritization can be a challenge. Given the vast MarTech landscape with thousands of companies, identifying which partners to focus on is essential, specifically, those partnerships that yield the best results for our LinkedIn customers. My role involves determining which partnerships to deepen for mutual benefit.

Secondly, having a win-win attitude is important. While this isn't exactly a challenge, it's foundational to successful partnerships. At LinkedIn, we have always aimed to find mutual opportunities — asking how we can collaborate, what the joint opportunities look like, and ensuring both parties benefit.

And then lastly, maintaining great cross-functional relationships can be difficult but is extremely important. We have this philosophy that relationships matter. And when working with sales, marketing, and external partners, it's important to identify, develop, and maintain the right relationships. 

“Success in this role relies on these three pillars: prioritization, win-win collaboration, and relationship building.”

Lara Brownlow
Head of channel sales and partnerships at LinkedIn

We talked about human collaboration and maintaining cross-functional relationships, but with the rise of AI, do you think relying heavily on it is crucial for marketing and sales leaders? 

Right now, it's crucial for sales and marketing leaders to have a strong understanding of AI. With technology becoming so advanced, it’s essential to learn and keep up with it, and the only way to do so is by upskilling. Knowing which tools to utilize and how they can enhance your productivity is important. 

For instance, I use ChatGPT to generate compelling emails and rely on AI-generated summaries in Microsoft Teams to streamline my workflow. These tools save me a lot of time. AI features in Canva help me create visually appealing templates within minutes despite my lack of design expertise.

Additionally, AI's potential in sales forecasting cannot be overstated. By identifying patterns and predicting future sales trends, AI tools like Clari help sales leaders make informed decisions, allocate resources effectively, and strategize smoothly.

“The potential of AI is only set to expand, so it's vital not to be left behind.”

Lara Brownlow
Head of channel sales and partnerships at LinkedIn

I think it's important to have a mindset to test and learn which platforms will drive the most results for your company. In the short term, AI is already a huge time saver for marketers, creating efficiencies and driving better productivity and better conversions, which will only increase over time. 

Speaking of the transformation of sales, how do you foresee the future of channel sales evolving, especially in the context of digital platforms like LinkedIn?

What I've learned, particularly in my role over the many years, is that channel sales mean different things in different companies. 

At LinkedIn, our channel sales initially revolved around our certified marketing partner program, focusing significantly on the API partners within our sales and marketing products. But, in other companies, it refers to more resellers and more traditional sales. 

Regardless of how you define channel sales, one thing is certain — with digital platforms, data-driven partnerships will continue to be more important as they help our mutual customers plan, execute, and measure their B2B marketing more efficiently. 

As a result, data-driven strategies are likely at the forefront of the ongoing evolution in channel sales. 

Given your role at LinkedIn, how have you seen the importance and dynamics of brand partnerships evolve, and what new opportunities do you believe they present for companies today?

Brand partnerships have become essential in today’s time. LinkedIn itself is an incredible platform with a vast and rapidly growing user base, currently at a billion users worldwide. However, the true magic happens when we integrate our partners into the mix. 

Take our partnership with G2, for example. By combining G2's buyer intent data with LinkedIn's unique targeting capabilities and leveraging our professional data, partners can run highly targeted video and lead generation campaigns. This approach allows precise targeting of prospects at various stages of the funnel, driving outstanding results for our tech and SaaS clients.

As we look to the future, we're increasingly focused on co-market strategies. Our partnerships team collaborates closely, both at the headquarters and regional levels, to align sales efforts and create joint marketing initiatives. So, I think that’s how brand partnerships are going to continue and be an asset for companies as we move forward.

Talking about brand partnerships, how can marketing leaders leverage high-value partnerships? Any tips that you would like to share?

For marketers, it's crucial to first understand how effectively your current MarTech stack is integrated, particularly with your customer relationship management (CRM) partner. For example, are you utilizing LinkedIn's lead generation API to feed data directly into your CRM? Powerful tools, like LinkedIn's Sales Navigator, can use CRM sync features to integrate seamlessly with systems like HubSpot and Salesforce. This ensures that your sales and marketing efforts are tightly aligned.

If you're a G2 customer, ask yourself if you're leveraging your buyer intent data within your LinkedIn campaigns. We often find that marketers are unaware of these possibilities. That’s where you can reach out to our team. 

Our dedicated customer solutions engineers specialize in assessing your ad tech stack, identifying integration opportunities, and recommending enhancements. They can guide you on using partners for computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) on LinkedIn to better measure your campaign effectiveness and suggest partners to fill any gaps identified.

“Understanding your current ad tech stack's integration capabilities and figuring out if there are any potential gaps is the first step.”

Lara Brownlow
Head of channel sales and partnerships at LinkedIn

With your 20+ years of industry experience, what is that one piece of advice that you would like to give someone who is just starting out in the marketing space?

I once gave a speech to a group of young professionals entering the field when someone raised a concern about the relentless pace of change in the industry. They mentioned that this constant change can feel overwhelming. My answer was to have a growth mindset.

The only consistent thing is change. It is constant, and for me, I've used it as an opportunity, and I've leaned into it. Instead of viewing new challenges as daunting tasks, I approach them with enthusiasm.

I've continuously upskilled and adapted, and this commitment to ongoing learning has been invaluable. Even today, as new developments in AI and other technologies emerge, I focus on staying ahead and enhancing my skill set.

So, my advice is if you want to survive in this industry, embrace change with eagerness, constantly seek personal and professional growth, and remember that learning doesn't stop after university. 

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Follow Lara Brownlow on LinkedIn to better understand the world of brand partnerships and how LinkedIn is changing it's dynamics. 

Edited by Supanna Das