The Microsoft partner journey is designed to lead to sustainable, long-term success. Our ongoing investments in partner development help you grow in the direction of your goals. When it comes time to take your solution to market, the tools and resources we offer will help you drive demand for your offer. Effectively marketing yourself as a partner helps customers better understand the value of products and solutions, as well as their use, and makes a lasting impression.
As you create a marketing plan that will help you stand out from the competition, here are three key concepts to keep in mind:
- Differentiate your organization.
The ultimate goal of our Go-To-Market resources is to help partners differentiate themselves in a competitive marketplace. By clarifying your target audience and unique value, your marketing efforts will make a stronger impact on prospective customers.
We focus on three key steps for differentiating your organization:
- Know your target market: One of the basics of every marketing plan is a clearly defined core audience. Any market analysis should take into consideration company size, industry, or specialized offering (or some combination of these factors) to develop your unique value proposition in a way that centers your customers’ needs.
- Know your trends: Having oriented yourself in the market by identifying key industry markers, you can remain competitive by staying educated. Keep tabs on which elements of your industry and customer base are evolving and invest in training and technology to stay current. By referencing the best information, you can also take educated risks that drive success.
- Know your purpose: Today’s consumers are highly interested in dealing with companies that share their values. When telling your story, it’s important to include the values that your company embodies. Not only does this build trust with customers, it can help you evolve in ways that are true to your values and those of your customers. Microsoft offers ways to develop and demonstrate your commitments through certifications, competencies, and more.
These initial steps will result in a comprehensive marketing plan that clarifies your unique value. Using this plan as a guide, you can begin to diversify the mediums you use to promote your product or service. Giving potential customers options to watch, listen, and experience your content keeps your messages from stagnating and reaches new audience segments. Diversification should be informed by the steps above, so that you know what risks to take, when to take them, and how to adapt to your customers’ feedback.
2. Invest in your growth with Microsoft go-to-market services
Your Microsoft Partner Network membership comes with access to go-to-market resources that are designed to support you in bringing your solutions to market and drive demand to your offer. Through our marketing resource hub, we’ve compiled a library of resources for partners that include access to digital marketing technology, ready-made and customizable content, sales enablement resources and more. These tools can help you personalize branded assets, enable your sellers with sales assets, and take advantage of the various go-to-market offers that come with your membership.
The Microsoft Partner network also connects you with a global network of customers through the Microsoft commercial marketplace. Publishing a solution to the marketplace is the first step to selling with Microsoft. Start accessing a global ecosystem of customers, partners, and Microsoft field sellers today.
3. Give back to the community
While this applies to everyday sales and development, giving back through philanthropic efforts that align with your mission is also a way to strengthen and deepen your commitments. Microsoft is dedicated to supporting the communities we do business in and has a nonprofit sector with the mission of “working to create a future where every person has the skills, knowledge, and opportunity to achieve more.” Altruistic efforts can have widespread benefits for communities, companies, and employees. We encourage all partners to engage with causes that align with their purpose and passions, following three basic tips:
- Be authentic
- Involve people who are passionate about the mission
- Make your social mission a part of your company's mission
As part of our investment in the nonprofit sector, we’ve launched Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit to provide cloud solutions tailor-made for common nonprofit scenarios. We also just announced the Microsoft Tech for Social Impact updated cloud-first grant program to ensure that nonprofits all over the world have access to the world-class cloud technology they need to accelerate their mission-driven work. We welcome all partners to join the Microsoft Partner Community to connect with others and find inspiration for ways to give back.
Partnering with Microsoft gives you the tools and technologies to turn your ideas into solutions. But it doesn’t stop there – our support continues as you go to market and differentiate yourself from the competition. Whether you’re looking for assets, resources, or hands-on support, we’re here to prepare you to maximize your market impact.