A comprehensive playbook for industry-specific storytelling

86 pages. 10 detailed industry profiles. 2 weeks to deliver a resource that would shape how Microsoft partners market across the globe.

Microsoft was introducing new company priorities and needed a large-scale overhaul of their industry playbook, and they needed it before a looming end of year deadline. They knew exactly who to turn to.

Since we wrote the original playbook and know how to seamlessly navigate the established branding, copy tone, and legal approval processes within Microsoft, we can focus our energy on refining our strategy and content rather than logistics.

And getting it right is especially crucial here. This document impacts dozens of other Microsoft partner organizations. It’s an indispensable resource that gives them everything they need to successfully market a host of Microsoft products and grow their own organization by targeting specific sectors.

To set up partners for success, Microsoft wanted to add three new industries to the existing playbook: Defense, telecommunications, and media & entertainment. The existing industries also needed to be updated with the latest approved messaging, case studies, and partner guidance.

That makes a total of 10 detailed industry profiles, each with highly specialized messaging.

Each sector has its own unique business priorities, pain points, and technology needs that Microsoft products and services like Copilot can help address. Partners also needed to know how to determine which industries to go after, and the best ways to start selling to these distinct audiences.

This document encourages them to ask questions like:

 ·       How should we position our data security offerings to a manufacturing organization vs a financial services firm?

·       How might we help a telecom company leverage Microsoft’s AI applications compared to an education institution?

·       Are we a better fit for one of these industries over the others?”

Our team dug through dozens of Microsoft documents and industry-specific messaging guide to home in on the real value that they could provide to these new industries. We made sure the solution areas and previous industry messaging were updated to reflect the coming year’s guidance, too.

Sample pages from Microsoft Industry Workbook

The result?

This was a big win for Microsoft. Working on a tight deadline, we were able to seamlessly update the original 86-page playbook with:

 ·       New messaging across all 10 target industries for FY26

·       Updated Microsoft product stories and approved talking points

·       In-depth partner guidance on choosing an industry to target

·       Tips and tricks for cultivating a successful Microsoft partnership

·       The latest Microsoft branding

·       New and updated partner resources, including product training and how-to guides

With our large-scale overhaul, this industry playbook continues to be an essential resource. Partners can pull Microsoft’s industry-specific messaging from a centralized document, as well as quickly access how-to materials and other resources.

Equally important, though, are the sales and marketing recommendations and guidelines. These sections help partners evaluate their own strengths through an industry lens and help them choose which ones to expand their presence in or break into for the first time.

We were able to move quickly to update and enhance this asset and get it in market well before their end of year deadline.  More importantly, Microsoft partner managers have a high-quality asset that they can give to partners to help them align their industry messaging, highlight Microsoft’s key solution areas, and expand their business together.

 Ready to make your next large-scale asset as impactful as this one? Let’s set up a time to talk about your goals for H2!