First impressions are important. The Internet levels the playing field in terms of your ability to reach new markets, but if your Web site doesn't meet the expectations of your visitors, they won't stay long. If you want to compete with bigger players, you better look the part.
Evolution of a Company and Brand
Like many partners, Orckestra, an e-commerce and collaboration services company, has evolved its business model to meet changing market forces. The multi-gold and silver competency Microsoft partner recently launched the e-commerce platform Overture, transitioning from a pure services provider to a product and services company. Since the target market for Overture includes enterprise firms, competitors will include global companies with established brand presence.
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Posted by Barb Levisay on September 25, 20130 comments
September is a month of new beginnings. Summer is over, students are starting a new year and Microsoft employees are figuring out how they are going to hit their 2014 number.
Whether your spring campaign plans got sidetracked helping those same Microsoft employees close last quarter's business or, for some reason, marketing is always the last item on your task list, this is a great time to get back on track.
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Posted by Barb Levisay on September 09, 20130 comments
Face-to-face events are the most effective lead-generation tactic for business-to-business marketers. That's a bold declaration, but is backed by study after study of B2B marketers. Anecdotally, Microsoft partners who are holding events report good response rates and respectable attendance numbers.
Yes, events take time to organize, but no matter what size your business, you can put together a meaningful event that will attract potential customers. There is no better time to hold events than in the fall, after school starts and before the holidays.
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Posted by Barb Levisay on August 22, 20130 comments
According to the Forrester Global Business and Consumer Tablet Forecast Update released this week, enterprises will be purchasing 18 percent of all tablets sold by 2017 -- confirmation, if you really needed any, that businesses are going the way of consumers in looking to tablets for their next-gen device.
Do you have your tablet strategy in place? Are you talking to your customers about how their employees in the field can use tablets? Are your salespeople carrying tablets? It's time to get going.
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Posted by Barb Levisay on August 08, 20130 comments
What if you had access to a program that connected you with business decision makers in your community, positioning you as an expert in Microsoft technologies? And what if you could stand in front of an audience of those business leaders and show them how Microsoft technologies can improve their results?
The Microsoft Community Connections (MCC) program supports exactly this, and more. For free. More
Posted by Barb Levisay on July 25, 20130 comments
You know who you are. You were tech before tech was cool. There have been a few rough patches over the years, and it hasn't always been easy to be a Microsoft partner. But technology has gone mainstream and there is no one better qualified to help people understand what it means to them than you.
As the cloud changes your business model, your value as an expert becomes more important to your survival. You can make the renewed interest in tech work for your business. Knowledge is the value that you offer, so share that knowledge to become the go-to expert in your community. More
Posted by Barb Levisay on July 03, 20130 comments
In just a few weeks, over 10,000 partners will head to Houston and into the whirlwind of the Worldwide Partner Conference. Since the four days seem to fly by in accelerated time, it's important to plan ahead to take full advantage of all that is offered.
As always, the Microsoft team has been working through the year to refine and improve the WPC experience. New session types, private meeting spaces, focus on devices and a complete mobile experience promise to deliver tangible value that partners can take to the bank. More
Posted by Barb Levisay on June 25, 20130 comments
Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) presents a unique opportunity for any ISV that wants to expand its channel partner network.
A spot on the expo floor is a big investment for most ISVs, and only a part of the overall cost of attending. Focus on the booth presence is important, but there are other low- or no-cost tactics to employ that will increase the value of attending. More
Posted by Barb Levisay on June 06, 20130 comments
Marketing columns these days are filled with advice about making your content "genuine" and "authentic." The idea is that you want to make your Web site and your marketing messages easy to understand and personal -- like you are explaining what you do to your neighbor.
Problem is, when most IT providers talk about technology, they go way too deep and the neighbor's eyes glaze over. More
Posted by Barb Levisay on May 22, 20130 comments
We've all heard that content is the new king of marketing. Amazon lists thousands of "content marketing" books to help you figure out how you can put the magic of blogs, e-books, videos and the rest of the content royalty to work for your business. Since each of those books has a different perspective, it doesn't really simplify your decision of which kind of content will help you fill the pipeline.
As I've suggested in this blog many times before, the best kind of marketing is the kind that you will consistently do. Marketing theory and the best of intentions are meaningless without consistent execution. More
Posted by Barb Levisay on May 08, 20130 comments