When inbound marketing was a new concept, Microsoft partners found it relatively easy to reach and impact new audiences with insightful and valuable content.

However, as more partners engage in inbound marketing, it is becoming increasingly difficult to stand out from the competition. Long gone are the days when simply publishing a few blogs and sharing them on social media was enough to get your business noticed.

The market is catching up. Quickly. 

These days, most partners embrace inbound marketing and understand the importance of blogging, social media, and search engine optimization (SEO). In fact, inbound marketing has become so fundamental to digital marketing that the two are now largely indistinguishable.

Needless to say – whatever your industry and whatever your business objectives – competition for attention is rife.

It’s vital, then, that businesses work hard and find ways to differentiate themselves, as Gavriella Schuster highlighted in her foreword to Fifty Five and Five’s Digital Marketing Excellence Report:

‘Looking ahead to next year, we think that partners will be capitalizing on data, developing IP, and providing integrated cloud and infrastructure offerings that utilize the full capabilities of the cloud. Keeping your finger on the pulse of these services while remaining customer-obsessed will keep your business ahead of the pack and at the forefront of digital transformation.’

Essentially, staying at the forefront of digital transformation is vital for those partners who want to flourish in today’s market. And if you want to stand out to potential customers as the best of the bunch? You’re going to need to up your marketing game.

Smart partner marketing from the Microsoft Partner Network

The Microsoft Partner Network is here to give your business what it needs to build the foundations for marketing success. No matter the size of your organization, we have the resources you need to take your marketing to the next level. Through our blogs, webinars, and specialized marketing tools we can help you generate more leads, improve customer touch points and build brand loyalty.

Where are you on your digital marketing journey?

By carrying out an assessment of your existing digital marketing efforts, tracking how often they are carried out, and how much engagement you receive, you can gain an insight into the quality of your digital marketing. Based on these insights, you can then set goals and continue to improve.

Partner Benchmarking Tool

The Partner Benchmarking Tool, developed by Fifty Five and Five, allows you to audit, test, and track your digital marketing efforts. The software takes a deep dive into what makes your marketing tick, and the areas that need improvement.

The Partner Benchmarking Tool is endorsed by Microsoft as the primary method to help partners measure, understand and improve their digital marketing. The tool ranks over 40 metrics, across three categories:

• Blogging – including frequency, quality, and clarity
• Website – including structure, speed, and SEO
• Social – including output, reach, and engagement

It takes just a few minutes to produce an easy to read scorecard, which means you can quickly understand the performance of your channels. Your scorecard includes embedded tutorial videos and blogs, which offer specific guidance and advice on how to improve your channels and their scores.

The Partner Benchmarking Tool helps you to learn new skills, stay up to date with the latest trends and – ultimately – become a better marketer.

Digital Marketing Excellence Top 50 Report 2019/20

The Partner Benchmarking Tool is used in the production of Fifty Five and Five’s independent report: Digital Marketing Excellence 2019/20. Now in its fifth year, the report showcases the very best of digital marketing from Microsoft Partners of all sizes.

Ultimately, the report exists to highlight the hard work that partners are doing around the globe. It analyzes exactly how the industry is developing, and which factors are driving success.

“Not only does it highlight the industry’s thought leaders, it also draws attention to the important trends and strategies that are allow them to succeed.”

Chris Wright, Founder at Fifty Five and Five

Want to see how your marketing stacks up? Try the Partner Benchmarking Tool now.