Accelerating demand for your cloud practice

2Microsoft Partner Confidential

AgendaTime Topic

Partnering with Microsoft for the FutureSell

Building a Profitable Cloud Practice10:55-11:55 Accelerating demand for your cloud practice

11:55-12:25

What’s New & Choosing the Right Office 365 SKUs

12:45-1:30

Showcasing the Power of Office 365 & Modern Devices

Onboard

1:30-2:00 Migration & deployment best practices Enhance

2:10 2:55 Technical Drill Down: SharePoint Online

2:55-3:25 Technical Drill Down: Power BI for Office 365

3:25-3:40 Technical Drill Down: CRM OnlineManage/Renew

3:50-4:15Getting the Most Out Of Your Current Customers

4:15-4:25 Increase Your Cloud Profitability

4:25-5:00 Q&A, Next Steps & Resources

Agenda

Why Marketing Matters More Now

Essentials for Successful Demand Generation

Put it Together: Marketing Sure Step Framework

Save Time and Money with Microsoft Marketing Resources

Implement Your Next Steps

Why Marketing Matters More Now

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Changing buying behaviors is making marketing a mission-critical function

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• “57% of B2B purchase evaluation is done without speaking to a human.” – McKinsey & Company

• “88% of business research is done online before purchasing offline.” – McKinsey & Company

“Marketing has become too important to be left just to the marketers.”

-Harvard Business Review

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But these changing behaviors and new dynamics are challenging

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“In the past decade, what marketers do to engage customers has changed almost beyond recognition. With the possible exception of information technology, we can’t think of another discipline that has evolved so quickly.”

Harvard Business Review

• Internet as information source creates smarter buyers

• There’s now a need for companies to build and nurture relationships with unknown buyers

• Rise in digital marketing has created a staggering amount of change to keep up with

• Explosion of content has created the “attention economy”

“Partners who market regularly are generating a stronger degree of success due to a well-groomed process to manage and track activities.”

-AMI Partners

Common Marketing Vehicles Among Cloud Partners

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Demand gen success is about what you are doing and how you are doing it

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Email campaigns 46%

40%

Hosting on-site events & webinars

Online marketing tools 52%

26%

Using Social Media

36%

Publishing Articles/Ads

32%Case Studies

Success is being had within both

groups!

44% US cloud partners informally-manage their marketing function, and have no full-time dedicated marketing staffs

Informal management

56% US cloud partners formally-manage a marketing department which is led by a marketing director or CMO

Formal management

Essentials for Successful Demand Generation

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Anchor your demand gen and new customer acquisition work in the funnel

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Stage Who’s In It What to Do

Top of Funnel

TOFUSuspects Prospects

Reach Through Inbound & Outbound Mktg.

Middle of Funnel

MOFUProspects Leads

EngageNurture by Educating & listening

Bottom of Funnel

BOFULeads Customers

Qualify & CloseEngage Your Sales Team

Sample Metrics: Impressions – Visitors – Clicks – Likes –Downloads – Trials – Opportunities – Leads – Wins – Usage & Advocacy Metrics

Conversion Rates

Today we’ll focus on TOFU and MOFU

BOFU

MOFU

TOFU The funnel is a simplified depiction of the buyer journey and a powerful tool for aligning your marketing communications and content. It entails customer awareness, interest, desire, action, and ultimately, advocacy.

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Top of funnel

TOFU BOFU

MOFU

TOFU

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TOFU | Filled through a mix of inbound and outbound (but mostly inbound)

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Inbound MarketingPromoting a company through tactics that bring customers in closer to your brand. $

Includes:

• Referrals • Search Engine Optimization (SEO)• Discoverability through Microsoft Pinpoint• Shareable Content that Lands Visitors on Your Properties

(Website and Social Pages) • Social Listening Tools• Paid Search• Paid Listings in Other Directories

Outbound MarketingPromoting a company by buying attention. $$$

Includes:

• Online Advertising (e.g. Paid Display, Paid Social)• Offline Advertising (e.g. Radio, Print)• Direct Mail or Email Blasts (Enhance with customer list

purchases)• Telemarketing• Attending Industry Events & Trade Shows

PinPoint www.pinpoint.microsoft.com

SEARCH

Equal opportunity for all

BROWSE

Promotional

RECOMMENDATION

Targeted based on customer needs

More ways for customers to find youPinpoint provides an open marketplace for Microsoft partners to promote and sell Microsoft technology and Cloud solutions to customers, amplifying their pipeline of qualified leads.

Keywords and competencies are the most important factors

Programmed by Microsoft based on current relevant campaigns and initiatives

Partner Spotlight to highlight new/emerging partners

Highly dependent on information entered by customers and partner responsiveness

Top 4 partner matches will be shown initially

SEARCH BROWSE RECOMMENDATION

Features

1000’s

100’s 4

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TOFU | SEO should be the cornerstone

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SEO is strategically structuring your website so search engines map your site to relevant searches

The goal of SEO is to increase the number and quality of visits via organic means

Another goal of SEO is to land on PAGE 1 of top search terms

Organic Search SEO

Paid Ad Results PPC

70% of the links search users click on are organic, not paid.

- Marketing Sherpa

62% lower cost per lead from inbound digital marketing versus outbound marketing.

– Marketing Sherpa

Cloud customer target

Lower mid-market, upper SMB (cross industry)

Solutions

Years in the business

Dedicated marketers

Marketing spend as percentage revenue

Born in Cloud - Services, Business Consulting, Managed Services

Office 365 CRM Online Microsoft Azure

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Number of employees

20 1 12%

Modern Cloud Marketing Search engine optimization is way to

capture engaged prospects Websites, landing pages Leads move into CRM and customize

messages by customer Pinpoint – optimize like a web property Differentiator: Agility (experienced, but

small partner) Game of tenacity

Palmetto Technology Group

www.palmettotg.com

“Search engine optimization is way to capture engaged prospects”

- Reed Wilson, CEO

Partner Success Story

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PTG gets it done with SEO

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Free coaching and self-help is available on Bing.com, or Marketing Best Practices on Ready-to-Go (RTG).

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5 tips for getting started with SEO

Title tag is #1. Single most important SEO element. It is meant to be an accurate and concise description of a pages content.

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Descriptive URLs. Descriptive URL naming adds value to SEO.

Keywords. Brainstorm the most important keywords your customers will be searching.

Research. Conduct background research on your SEO stands. Search your top keywords to see how you rank.

Get submitted. Submit your website to search engines.

Microsoft Service Offering for Partners

www.digitalstride.com

Or

www.readytogo.microsoft.com

Microsoft Partner Confidential 19

Digital Stride

• Over 400 partners as customers• Multi-lingual capability• Coop eligible

TOFU: Fans of your business and content will share it to new potential customers,

thereby growing your list of prospects.

TOFU: You can use social tools like Twitter and Google alerts to listen to “the conversation” and jump in when you have something to say, which will convert unknown prospects to known prospects.

MOFU: Prospects may prefer to engage/follow you

through social channels, rather than email. You want

to be where these customers are.

80% of channel partners using social media are seeing strong success from it. But you need to do it on a weekly basis at minimum. – AMI Partners

64% of marketers say social media is the second most important lead generation tactic. The first is content creation.

- Marketo

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Social is about both TOFU and MOFU. You need to be doing it.

Powering Social Sales for Microsoft Partners

http://rfactr.com/microsoft.com

Or

www.readytogo.microsoft.com

Microsoft Partner Confidential 21

rfactor

• SocialPort• Social Accelerator• Microsoft Social Content

POWER YOUR SALES with

SOCIAL

Learn how Microsoft and rFactr can help

SMB partners harness the power of social media to increase

customer reach.

Grow your business one post at a time.

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Middle of funnel

MOFU BOFU

MOFU

TOFU

Once you have reached a potential customer and they have responded to your call-to-action, it is all for nothing unless you can engage them.

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In TOFU, content is key.

In MOFU, content is king.

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Unmemorable content on your website and elsewhere will cause your prospects to bounce Show thought leadership and customer understanding through some of the following content forms:

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Case Studies, White Papers, Informative Content Tips & Tricks Videos or On-demand Webcasts

Slide share Presentations

Infographics

RTG Web Syndication with Trial Links

Registration links for webinars, in-person or on-demand events

Offers & incentives eBooks Podcasts

A free service for Microsoft partners that dynamically delivers fresh and valuable customer-facing content from Microsoft through partner websites

Microsoft Partner Confidential25

Web Content Syndication • Gives credit to our partners for each

transaction (as well as trials) initiated from their sites (partner of record)

• Syndication of rich cloud content for Office 365 on the websites of our partners to drive awareness, demand and trial activity for our cloud products

www.readytogo.microsoft.com/

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MOFU | Use a nurture engine to move your prospects through the middle of the funnel

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3Minimum touches to motivate a prospect. Often takes 7-10 touches across multiple channels.

6-12Average number of months it can take prospects to respond.

Foundational Sophisticated

Monthly NewsletterMonthly e-newsletter with articles and links to webinars, blogs, white papers, etc.

Automated MarketingAutomated email campaign that adapts messaging based on how prospects have responded to prior communications. Should include lead scoring.

Enabling InfrastructureEmail marketing service provider like Constant Contact.

Enabling InfrastructureMarketing automation tool (e.g. Marketo or Dynamics) integrated into your CRM system.

“Focus is 95% digital marketing”

- Emily LyncVP of Marketing

Partner Success Story

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Catapult is All About Digital & Is Doing Sophisticated Things Like Marketing Automation

Microsoft Partner Confidential

www.catapultsystems.com

Cloud Customer Target

Solutions

Years in the business

Number of employees

Dedicated marketers

Marketing spend as % revenue

Systems Integrator, Custom Development, Business Consulting

Systems Management, Unified Communications, Virtualization, Device Management, Intranets, Extranets, Public sites, Mobile, Custom Development, xRM, BI, Managed Services, User Experience

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450 8 1.7-2.0%

Modern Cloud Marketing• Move from traditional on-premise

regional partner to national cloud partner and increase in customer reach

• Differentiator: User experience• Focus is 95% digital marketing• Educating the customer is key in

early stages of buying cycle• Marketing automation to move

customer into sales-ready state• Be agile, evolve to stay ahead of

market

Cloud customer target

Midsize and small business

28Microsoft Partner Confidential

The intangibles make all the difference

Discipline

Consistency

Tenacity

Annual or quarterly planning with quarterly or monthly reviews.

Clearly defined success goals. Modify programs before abandoning.

Always-on marketing programs with in-flight optimization.

Make marketing a critical business priority, and part of your culture.

Put it Together: Marketing SureStep Framework

Stage Who’s In It What to Do Demand Gen. Essentials Additional Activities

Top of Funnel

TOFUSuspects Prospects

Reach Through Inbound & Outbound Mktg.

Search Engine Optimization

Web Syndication with Trials

Pinpoint Optimization Social Listening &

Engagement MCC Events

Paid Search Display Advertising Email Blasts with List

Purchases Tradeshows

Middle of Funnel

MOFU

Prospects Leads

EngageNurture by Educating & listening

Basic Content Marketing Basic Lead Nurturing

Robust Content Marketing Marketing Automation with

Lead Scoring Recurring Webinar Series

Bottom of Funnel

BOFU

Leads Customers

Qualify & CloseEngage Your Sales Team

Proof of Concepts Offers & Incentives In-depth Sales Proposals

Social Selling

Don’t forget the intangibles: Discipline, Consistency, Tenacity30

Essential demand gen practices recapBasic marketing/demand generation SureStep framework

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Commitment & Resourcing

Content

Infrastructure

Inbound Marketing Activities

Outbound Marketing Activities

• Marketing is an important business function

• Designated Marketing Lead (or Outsourced)

• Moderate rigor applied to execution• Annual marketing planning process• 1%+ of sales re-invested into

marketing

• Your Company’s Solution/Offering Content

• Product Information• Product Trial Links

• Website with Web Analytics• Email Marketing Provider• Social Channels: LinkedIn, Twitter,

Facebook, Word Press

• Search Engine Optimization / SEO• RTG Web Content Syndication with

Trial• Pinpoint Profile• Local Paid Listings• Bing/Google Geo Listing

• Email Marketing/Newsletter • MCC Events• RTG Events• Community Engagement through

Social

• Thought Leadership Content (e.g. White Papers, Articles, Thoughtful Blog Posts)

• Marketing is a mission critical function• Marketing Team (or Outsourced)• Marketing execution & innovation is

integral part of company’s culture• Annual/quarterly marketing planning

process with monthly reviews• 10%+ of sales re-invested into

marketing• Marketing Automation Tool (e.g.

Dynamics or Marketo) Integrating Your Marketing Channels with CRM

• Paid Search / Search Engine Marketing

• Gated Content (Articles, White Papers, Slideshare)

• Paid Display & Retargeting• Industry Trade Shows / Conferences• Affiliate or Referral Marketing• Native Advertising • Mobile Advertising

• Vertical-specific Content• Case Studies / Customer Profiles• Offers & Incentives• Usage / Tips & Tricks Videos

• Marketing is a critical business function• Dedicated Full Time Marketing Lead (or

Outsourced)• Heavy/consistent rigor applied to

execution• Annual marketing planning process

with quarterly reviews• 5%+ of sales re-invested into

marketing• CRM System• Social Selling/Listening Tool (e.g.

rFactr or Sprinkler)• Campaign Mgmt. Tool (e.g. Demand

Base)• Responsive Web Design for Mobile• Rich Web Content (e.g. Video,

Infographics)• Campaign Landing Pages• Google Alerts/Twitter Alerts

• Recurring Webcast Series• Nurture Marketing• Social Selling• Ads: Online or Offline

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Detailed roadmapHow your marketing can progress over time

SophisticatedProgressiveFoundational

Save time and money with Microsoft marketing resources

“Microsoft has made huge strides in the past couple of years with the RTG resources for partners. There’s simply no excuse left. The content, tools and guidance to establish a consistent, professional marketing program are all there. Making it happen is up to you.”

- Redmond Channel Partner Magazine

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Ready-to-Go (RTG) is the definitive marketing resource portal for the Microsoft channel. Learn more

A recent study found that partners using Ready-to-Go (RTG) Marketing are more successful in driving SMB sales.

SalesExcellence

Return onInvestment

CloudBusinessGrowth

More than 88% of Microsoft partners in the top SMB sales tier use RTG.

RTG users that spend $15k on marketing annually will generate

Partners on average reach more than1,000new SMB customers through RTG marketing tactics.

$5per 1$ spent

US Partners that had a cloud practice in place and conducted marketing on a regular basis grew

20-30%annually, more than 74% of partners.

Cloud-migrating partners report their greatest ROI comes from RTG-supported tools, including webcasts, videos, email and direct-mail campaigns, and white papers.

Check out new RTG marketing services supporting email marketing automation, social media and SEO/SEM

Use RTG events to build registration pages and an invite

Find campaigns focused on the cloud

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Ready-to-Go Marketing = Success

Microsoft Partner ConfidentialLearn more.

On average, Microsoft partners who use Ready-to-Go

outperform those who don’t.

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Ready-to-Go is constantly releasing new content & services

Marketing Best Practices. Includes six 10-minute videos on key marketing topics, plus DIY guides and other resources.

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1Web Content Syndication. Align with Microsoft, lower your bounce rates and offer free product trials on your site.

Constant Contact Email Marketing. Super affordable email marketing vendor. RTG offers discounts and promos.

RTG Events with Free Lead Qualification. Manage your event marketing through RTG, and use our free lead qualification service.

Windows Server 2003 End of Support Campaign. Massive customer upgrade opportunity. Start the conversation now.

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Microsoft Community Connections (MCC) We also like MCC and know you will tooMicrosoft Community Connections (MCC) helps connect local business

organizations with Microsoft partners to educate small businesses on how current technology solutions can help them operate more efficiently and empower them to grow their business.

Make a Connection

Promote your company through a local business organization. 1

Choose Your Topic Host a series of events or workshops or webinars. 2Register Your Event

Take advantage of your MCC event kit full of marketing resources.

3Start today @ www.mscommunityconnections.com Email mchelp@microsoft.com

MCC

VIDEO

$

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ModernBiz Microsoft’s flagship SMB campaign for fiscal year 2015

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Integrated, multi-million dollar campaign focused on SMBs.

Spans multiple products on the Microsoft platform – from server to cloud, desktop to mobile devices.

Addresses key SMB challenges with a breadth of Microsoft solutions that enable the modern business.

Complete set of SMB customer-centric marketing and sales materials.

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ModernBiz Pillars and Customer Scenarios

Increase yoursales

Get the most out of your

technology

Adapt to change

Be prepared for the

unexpected

Protect and control your data

Work together

easily

Get yourwork doneanywhere

Understand your

customer

Grow efficiently

Safeguard your business

Business anywhere

Connect with customers

Campaign materials include: Sales Presentations Email Templates Brochures Case Studies Digital Assets: Banner Ads/Social Video Animation Telesales Guides Web Content Campaign Landing Pages

Learn more

Get Started & Resources

“I can’t remember a short video that has provided so much value in a long time. Thank you for this very timely nudge, to look at who our best prospects really are and why it’s so important to keep that top of mind.”

-Glenn Jewett, Services1223

Your homework for this week

Microsoft Partner Confidential 40

Nurture marketing

Social marketing and blogging

Event marketing

SEO and SEMDigital marketing

Marketing planning and ROI

Go to the Marketing Best Practices page on RTG, then watch the six videos and download the DIY guides.

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Get started

http://aka.ms/readytogo/mktgbp  http://aka.ms/readytogo/faq  http://aka.ms/readytogo/mcc  http://aka.ms/readytogo/modernbiz  http://aka.ms/readytogo/wseol  http://aka.ms/readytogo/websyndication

http://aka.ms/C123

Section Microsoft resourcesIdentify what stage you are at in the Marketing Framework.

Evaluate and execute an Inbound (e.g. SEO) and a Content (e.g. product trial).

Start using the Microsoft marketing resources available to you.

Third-party resources A good prospect list is a great place to start when designing demand gen and nurture campaigns. Hear from Constant Contact on tips to grow your list.

Several of our Marketing Best Practices videos discussed landing pages. Here’s a short read giving you 11 simple but critical tips for creating better landing pages.

This blog covers every aspect of marketing to help technology partners build business: Marketing Matters, by Barb Levisay.

Learn from the mistakes of others: 100 Social Media Mistakes You Do Not Want to Make

This one’s not about technology, or about marketing to SMB customers. It’s just a bit about seeking out and allowing space for creativity.

An interesting blog post from Constant Contact on social media: 4 Things to Remember When Creating B2B Social Media Marketing Content

http://www.marketo.com/

http://www.neverstopmarketing.com/ 42

Additional resources

Microsoft Partner Confidential