You've sent out a companywide e-mail requesting content and article ideas for your monthly newsletter, and...crickets.
Don't worry. There is a ton of content that you can use on Microsoft's Ready-to-Go Web site. It may not be labeled "newsletter content" but it's there. More
Posted by Barb Levisay on November 10, 20110 comments
Business is picking up for many Microsoft partners, and while that is great news, it means that marketing is going to go to the bottom of the list...again. No matter how intent you are on writing the blog posts or keeping the newsletter going, when you and the rest of your team get busy, those things don't get done.
If you don't have a dedicated marketing professional on your team, this may be a good time to engage one to keep your marketing going. There is a robust community of marketing consulting companies serving the Microsoft channel. Do your homework to select a firm with a track record helping partners like you. More
Posted by Barb Levisay on November 03, 20110 comments
In the past two posts (here and here), we've talked about matching content to the buying cycle. Video content is no different, and is an effective and affordable option. While producing a video intended to go viral is fun, building a video strategy that supports your prospects buying process will probably deliver more leads.
Videos That Educate
Harvest Solutions, a Massachusetts-based CRM partner, uses videos to introduce basic concepts of CRM to prospects early in the buying cycle. Cathy Boudreau, social media and marketing specialist, has been working in the CRM industry for 10 years. "It still surprises me that people are looking for such basic information on CRM," Boudreau said. More
Posted by Barb Levisay on October 27, 20110 comments
Last week, we talked about matching content to the buying cycle. In this post, we'll look at some specific examples of content you can build to help the buyer work through the purchase process.
As with all your marketing content, it's critical that you have a good grasp of your prospect's profile. You should be monitoring (or participating) in the professional organizations that serve your prospect's industry and/or role. With a clear understanding of their problems, you can offer empathy and solutions through your content. More
Posted by Barb Levisay on October 19, 20110 comments
If creating valuable content for your prospects and customers isn't challenging enough, now we're going to throw in relevance to the buying process. Does it really matter? Yes. Does that mean we need to create even more content? No. More
Posted by Barb Levisay on October 13, 20110 comments
There's no doubt that ISV solutions can deliver more value to VAR customers and build services for the VAR. It's also true that VARs' relationships with their customers can open doors for ISVs that would otherwise be closed. So how can you leverage those relationships for more effective marketing?
More
Posted by Barb Levisay on October 05, 20110 comments
When you buy something from Amazon.com, do you check the customer reviews as part of your research? Of course you do. Now, when prospects visit your Microsoft Pinpoint profile as they research solutions and partners, will they find customer reviews extolling the value of working with you? No? Time to change that.
Simplify the Process for Your Customers
Your customers are just as busy as you are. As much as they may want to take the time to post a rating for you on Pinpoint, it's probably not at the top of their to-do list. You can help them by doing some prep work to make the process as fast as possible. More
Posted by Barb Levisay on September 28, 20111 comments
Need some inspiration as you stare at the blank page that will become the content for your next marketing campaign? This week, in our continuing conversation about Microsoft's revamped Ready-to-Go Marketing site (see Part 1 here and Part 2 here), let's look at some ways that you can use the RTG materials that you may not have thought about before. Here are four "idea starters" to inspire you. More
Posted by Barb Levisay on September 14, 20110 comments
Last week, we talked about the upgrade of Microsoft's Ready-to-Go (RTG) marketing site. This week, let's dig deeper into how partners are using the new resources.
No matter what size or type of partner you are, there are assets on the RTG site that will help you start, accelerate or augment your marketing activities. Take Sovran, a Minnesota-based partner providing network services, managed services, communications and cloud services. Sovran is taking full advantage of the new RTG materials -- with great results. More
Posted by Barb Levisay on September 07, 20110 comments
If you have been a Microsoft partner for more than a year, you may not have had a very good experience with Microsoft's Ready-to-Go (RTG) marketing materials program. In fact, the only reason to bring up the less-than-stellar history of the well-intentioned RTG is to contrast it with its newest incarnation, which has become a great resource. If you haven't visited RTG in the past couple of months, here's what you've missed: More
Posted by Barb Levisay on August 31, 20110 comments