Report Names Top 50 Microsoft Partners for Inbound Marketing

For most partners, inbound marketing is still more about good intentions than flawless execution. There's no shame in that, but there is hope. The secrets of 50 Microsoft partners recognized for their mastery of inbound marketing will soon be revealed.

The "Top 50 Inbound Marketing Excellence" report from Fifty Five and Five profiles Microsoft Office 365 and SharePoint product vendors who are leading the channel in marketing. The report will be released at Future Decoded, Microsoft's partner event in London taking place next month on Nov. 10-11. You can also sign up to receive the printed report through the mail after release.

The report was researched and complied by Fifty Five and Five, a digital and content marketing agency for Microsoft partners. "We wanted to address two issues with the report. To showcase the great work partners are doing across channels, ranking the effectiveness of their inbound marketing, blog and Twitter presences," said Chris Wright, founder of Fifty Five and Five. "And to highlight that inbound marketing doesn't have to be massively time-consuming to raise the company's profile."

For all partners, figuring out where to spend limited time and money on marketing is a constant challenge. While the report focuses on Office 365 and SharePoint ISVs, the lessons learned will apply to all partners. Planned as an annual project, Wright expects the pool of partners reviewed to expand.

"We wanted to make the report a practical tool for all partners," Wright said. "There are good examples of how these partners are using social media presence, blog posts and Web sites to attract their audience."

Partners are likely to be particularly interested in those partners making a big impact on limited budgets. "It's not just about big budgets," Wright said. "Smaller companies that have tried to be more innovative made the list. Good content doesn't have to come at a high cost."  

While there are plenty of reports out there covering inbound marketing, a resource like the "Top 50 Inbound Marketing Excellence," which is specific to the channel, promises to be highly valuable. It's helpful to hear from successful marketers who share the unique challenges of working in the shadow of Microsoft.

"Partners are often explaining complex products, and based on the report findings, blogging is the most effective. A blog post is easier for people with limited time to digest," Wright said. "Whitepapers and e-books also serve a role, supporting a later stage in the buying cycle."

In addition to the profiles of partners, the free 50-page report includes advice from content marketing experts, including:

• Dharmesh Shah, HubSpot CTO and co-founder 
• The CMOs of both Nintex and Sharegate
• Christian Buckley, SharePoint MVP and Microsoft partner marketing guru
• Steve Rayson, director at content marketing analytical platform BuzzSumo

Kudos to Fifty Five and Five for investing its time to recognize excellence and share marketing experiences with the rest of the channel. Based on the combined knowledge delivered through this report, the competition next year should be even stiffer -- which will be a win for the entire channel. 

How are you making inbound marketing work? Add a comment below or send me a note and let's share the knowledge.

Posted by Barb Levisay on October 28, 2015