3 Quick Wins to Refresh Your Marketing in Q1
New budgets. New teams. New customers. And, frankly, a challenging few months for many of our friends at Microsoft. You’re juggling more than ever, and we see you.
We know the recent changes have added extra weight to already full plates and wanted to reach out with a little support. We just wrapped up our own strategic planning and wanted to share a few quick wins that helped us refocus – and might do the same for you and your team.
Here are 3 high-impact refreshes to supercharge your marketing before the summer ends and help build momentum as you go into FY26:
1. Recenter on Value: A Quick, Summer Read that Actually Applies
We’ve been recommending Go-Givers Sell More to our clients, and it’s particularly relevant right now. It reframes selling not as a transaction, but as an opportunity to genuinely serve your customers and partners.
Your team sells complex solutions like Copilot, Azure, Dynamics 365, and Teams, where trust and long-term value matter more than the latest and greatest features. This book helps you think beyond “product specs” to stories that connect with how your customers and partners use your solutions to thrive.
How to use it:
For your team: Share Chapter 3 (“The Law of Value”) in your next standup. One question: “Where are we over-explaining features and under-telling stories about customer impact?”
For your strategy: Use the “Give First” framework to craft new offers for your campaigns that convert prospects into advocates. What value do you have to offer?
Pro tip: Pair this with a quick audit of your top 3 campaigns from FY25. Are there any areas where you could refocus on benefits and outcomes vs. bells and whistles of the features?
2. Audit Your Messaging (Before the Rush Hits)
Before the fall frenzy begins, take a step back and evaluate your solution or campaign messaging. Are you speaking directly to your customer’s pain points? Is your value proposition clear and differentiated?
A quick messaging refresh now can save you months of misalignment later, as well as ensure your Q1 campaigns land with clarity and impact.
Quick messaging refresh checklist:
Audit: Does your messaging address what your customers actually worry about? (For Copilot: “Free up 20+ hours a month for strategic work by automating routine tasks like meeting notes, follow-ups, and status reports” vs. “Copilot integrates with all Microsoft 365 apps.”)
Cut complexity: Is your value prop clear for someone who doesn’t live and breathe your product? (e.g. “Keep your team in sync, even across time zones” vs. “Teams offers real-time collaboration with AI-powered features.”)
Refine: Update one key and high performing message in your next campaign so that it aligns with your FY26 priorities.
3. Map Your FY26 Content Calendar (Now=Less Stress Later)
It’s easy to get caught in the cycle of reacting to deadlines, but we’ve found the most successful marketers plan ahead.
Start drafting your content calendar now and block for key events (e.g. Ignite), while you have the bandwidth.
Content Plan in 1 Hour (yes, really):
Lock in Themes: Identify 3-5 key themes that align with Microsoft’s FY26 priorities.
Steal from Your Successes: Identify your top 3 high-performing content pieces from FY25 and plan how to refresh and re-promote them.
Delegate: Work with your team or vendor to get a head start on campaign themes, key blog posts, social media updates, or email sequences.
Take a breath—you’ve got this.
If you’d like to dive deeper into how you can apply the “Give First” framework to your next campaign or need a second pair of eyes on your content calendar, we’d love to hear from you. We’re always here to help.