Building the Marketing Engine Behind Microsoft’s Black Partner Growth Initiative
Microsoft’s Black Partner Growth Initiative (BPGI) was designed to support a new wave of Black-owned tech partners—companies with the technical chops to modernize businesses, but who needed help leveling up their marketing and sales strategies. That’s where EMM came in.
Meeting the Moment
Modern buyers are more informed than ever, and businesses need a sharp marketing presence to match. Microsoft enlisted EMM to help four standout BPGI partners—BizTech Fusion, ECF, Real Impact, and Gryphon Consulting—build a professional marketing foundation and go-to-market strategy from the ground up.
These partners were experts in Modern Work solutions, but early in their marketing journey. Over the course of nine months, we helped them evolve from having few materials to running full-fledged campaigns that generated real leads and sales.
How We Helped: From Messaging to Momentum
1. Messaging Frameworks & Foundation
We kicked things off by working with each partner to craft their unique messaging framework—a clear, strategic document that captured their voice, value proposition, personas, and points of differentiation. With that, we created polished solution sheets and helped develop web content to support early-stage buyer engagement.
2. Customer Journey Analysis
Next, we assessed each partner’s existing materials and mapped out what was missing across the full customer journey. From awareness to consideration to purchase, we filled the gaps with targeted content plans tailored to their specific offerings and audiences.
3. Campaign Creation
Once the foundation was solid, we moved into campaign mode. For each partner, we created a custom eBook, a social media guide, and social ad creative to promote their solutions. We even produced a hero video that told each partner’s story in a dynamic, engaging way—ideal for Microsoft sales teams and events.
4. Sales Enablement & Executive Coaching
Most marketing engagements stop at campaign launch. Not us. To help these partners close deals, we created a customer-facing sales deck and launched a hands-on Executive Coaching program to strengthen their delivery.
We worked one-on-one with business leaders to refine their pitch, improve confidence, and sharpen presentation skills—especially crucial for time-strapped small business execs. Each partner ran through a full cycle: initial pitch, coached revisions, and a final filmed presentation with self-critique.
The Results?
After nine months, the BPGI partners had not only transformed their marketing presence—they had launched successful campaigns and converted leads. And more importantly, they left with the tools, confidence, and strategy to keep growing long after the engagement ended.