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A Short Story: Why Transact in Marketplace?
For anyone who is undecided a) if building a transactable offer is worth the effort or b) if leading with Marketplace is superior to legacy procurement processes: Last night while I slept, we closed an enterprise deal in Australia. Yesterday, I created a custom private offer for the customer and sent them the acceptance link with a link to the Microsoft Learn page with instructions on how they accept the offer. Woke up this morning to a Partner Center-generated message confirming the deal was won and done. Yes, we had given them a demo; and yes, we had to get stakeholder commitment . . . but: Zero haggling on price. Zero contract redlines. Zero delays with traditional vendor onboarding etc. Even better, we leveraged our Marketplace Rewards (bar none my favorite GTM program!) to amplify customer value by providing Azure Sponsorship credits to offset the deployment cost. Even more better, this deal hits three of the levers in the FY24 Transact & Grow Incentive Campaign - meaning sometime in the next ~60 days Microsoft is going to send us $40k in free money. đ I share this story not to boast but to inspire and motivate. Nothing's special about us or what we did here - you can 100% replicate this experience simply by taking advantage of the resources Microsoft wants to give you. #MarketplaceChampions #SponsoredMarketplace Rewards' Azure sponsorship benefit for increasing marketplace sales
As partner ISVs grow through the Microsoft commercial marketplace, through Marketplace Rewards they can unlock new benefits designed to help convert customers and close deals. The benefits at each stage of growth help progress to the next stage, helping to grow business to Microsoft customers, with Microsoft's field, and through Microsoft's channel. Watch this short video to learn more about the Azure Sponsorship benefit available through Marketplace Rewards, including how it provides a way for potential customers to try solutions at no initial expense, using free Azure for proof of concepts or test drives. Use your Marketplace Rewards Azure sponsorship benefit to increase your marketplace sales (youtube.com)LinkedIn Marketing: Critical Hashtags for Partners
When you are posting on LinkedIn, there are a number of Microsoft hashtags you should be using at the bottom of your posts to help increase your visibility. This question has come up in different discussions with partners about how to get their messages seen by more of their audience organically. Thanks to the article from Tricycle-Europe who did the work for me on this. Top hashtags for Microsoft partners: #MicrosoftPartner #Microsoft365 #Azure #DigitalTransformation #CloudComputing #Cybersecurity #MSPartner #MicrosoftTeams #PowerBI #AI And, in general, the top 100 hashtags for LinkedIn can be found at this article by Taavi Lindmaa is absolutely worth checking out! Edited to include the answer to Raj's add below: Raj: In order to find followers for each Hashtags, one can just enter the hashtag in LinkedIn search and go to that page to see the followers' count. JL: It's not as intuitive as you might think, but here are 3 ways to get to that info (with some assistance from Bing AI-Powered Co-pilot): Type a hashtag into LinkedInâs search bar, then find it in any of the posts that come up and open it. Youâll see the hashtagâs follower count at the top, and current trending posts using that hashtag 1 . There are also some apps that can get to this info a little faster, such as a free app called LinkedIn Hashtag Analytics. This app helps get more insights into hashtags on LinkedIn, and helps you discover related hashtags and potential reach scores. You can also manually search for a hashtag on LinkedIn by pasting this URL string into your browser and add the keyword at the end. The below example is searching for the hashtag Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/all/?keywords=%23socialmedia. Replace âsocialmediaâ at the end with the hashtag you want. Youâll see how many posts have used that hashtag in the past year. đ Here's some related source info for more: 1. bing.com 2. blog.hootsuite.com 3. linkedin.com 4. vistasocial.com 5. blog.hootsuite.com 6. inlytics.io 7. engage-ai.co 8. brandmentions.com -J.L. ISV Success Program Engagement Manager for Teams PartnersMarketplace Community - Upcoming AI Events
**Updated 6/3/2025** ISV Success is now supporting a series of AI-focused events to help partners maximize the AI opportunity when building and publishing solutions to the commercial marketplace. These events are open to all partners on marketplace â participation in ISV Success is not required to attend. Stay updated on the latest offerings by subscribing to this post, where we will be regularly updating our list of upcoming events and sharing links to recent events. Full instructions on how to subscribe are posted at the bottom of this post. Check out our upcoming AI events below and comment with any of your questions! _____________________________________________________________________________________________ ISV AI Envisioning Day Trainings We are excited to announce the launch of two new ISV AI Envisioning Day training courses introducing tools and frameworks to leverage in building AI applications that drive innovation and business value. Microsoft ISV AI Envisioning Day: Identify and Prioritize Use Cases for AI Solutions This session guides you through the process of identifying and prioritizing business use cases for AI solutions. You will learn how to structure each use case to assess its viability, differentiate its value, and explore learning opportunities. Practical advice and actionable steps will be provided to help you kickstart your AI projects and accelerate time-to-market. Microsoft ISV AI Envisioning Day: Get the Framework to Develop AI Solutions In this envisioning session, you will learn how to effectively plan, build, and deploy your AI solution. You will be empowered with tools and frameworks to guide you through the technical and business considerations to evaluate when determining the best approach to use in building your AI application. Whether youâre just beginning to identify and prioritize AI use cases or are ready to begin planning, building, and deploying solutions, youâll learn the steps to make AI a reality in your organization. Both ISV AI Envisioning Day training courses will run monthly in multiple time zones and are delivered in English. Check back for upcoming session dates and times. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ ISV Security Series The ISV Security Series is designed to empower ISVs to not only defend against current threats but also anticipate and prepare for future challenges. Whether you are just starting your security journey or looking to enhance your existing strategies, this series provides the insights and resources you need to succeed. Join us in creating a safer digital ecosystem â one that fosters innovation without compromise. Register for the upcoming session at aka.ms/asiaisvsecurity June 2025 Safeguard Data Security & Privacy in AI-Driven Applications Explores how to implement robust data security and privacy measures tailored to AI applications, from handling user data responsibly to meeting regulatory requirements and mitigating risks. July 2025 Build Secure AI & Copilot Experiences with Microsoft's Framework Learn how to create secure and reliable AI and Copilot experiences using Microsoftâs robust security framework & AI ready infrastructure. August 2025 Zero Trust for ISVs: Importance and Implementation Strategies This session breaks down why Zero Trust matters and provides practical steps to implement its core principles, including least privilege access, tenant isolation, and continuous verification. September 2025 Security Essentials for Marketplace Publishing This session equips ISVs with the knowledge to meet Azure Marketplace security requirements, safeguard customer data, and ensure compliance with platform standards. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Copilot Developer Camp Join us for the Copilot Developer Campâan immersive workshop designed for professional developers eager to expand their skills with Copilot for Microsoft 365 or create custom copilots. This free, one-day workshop, held right after the AI tour, aims to equip developers, ISVs, and tech enthusiasts with the knowledge and hands-on experience needed to enhance and extend Copilotâs capabilities for Microsoft 365. This is an in-person workshop offered in multiple locations. It is aimed at Developers, ISV partners, product centric companies, and enterprise developers. You will walk away with an understanding of the capabilities of Microsoft 365 Copilot and its extensibility AI models.⯠See the different methods to develop Copilot agents utilizing Microsoft 365 Copilot's AI and orchestration on how to create a custom engine agent using Azure AI Studio and Teams AI library. How to develop a Declarative agent that includes a Build custom action for your agent via API plugins. Check here for upcoming dates and locations: Copilot Developer Camp Registration _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Build and extend your own agents using pro-code capabilities Microsoft Copilot Studio and building custom agents. Agents are AI-powered productivity tools designed to enhance everyday tasks by leveraging large language models (LLMs). Are you a developer interested in exploring advanced aspects of using Microsoft 365 Copilot, Microsoft Copilot Studio, and building custom agents using professional coding techniques? Join our on-demand workshop to learn how to leverage pro-code capabilities and build intelligent agents that assist users across various domains. Workshop Agenda Day 1: Extend Microsoft 365 Copilot with declarative agents Build custom engine agents with Teams AI library and Microsoft 365 Agents SDK Day 2: Develop your own agents in Azure AI Foundry Day 3: Build your own agents with Semantic Kernel for a fully controlled end-to-end AI experience Secure and govern copilots Call to Action Don't miss this opportunity to enhance your skills and build powerful agents with pro-code capabilities. Register now for this on-demand session and take the next step in your development journey! For more training opportunities, visit us at the Partner Skilling Hub. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Azure AI Foundry Council & AI Visionaries The Azure AI Foundry Council & AI Visionaries is excited to deliver new AI webinars to enhance your learning and help you navigate the future of AI. Check back for June sessions coming soon. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Microsoft Azure Virtual Training Day: AI Fundamentals Join us for Azure AI Fundamentals, a free virtual training designed to build your technical expertise in AI and machine learning on Microsoft Azure. This course will dive into core AI concepts and foundational workloads, offering hands-on insights into Azure AI services that power intelligent applications. You'll explore machine learning models, computer vision, and natural language processing (NLP) capabilities such as sentiment analysis, language detection, and key phrase extraction. With guidance from Microsoft experts, youâll gain the skills needed to analyze and automate workflows, develop AI-driven solutions, and ensure responsible AI use across applications. Use the link below to see the full list of upcoming sessions available for registration. Multiple dates and time zones are available, and new sessions are added frequently. Microsoft Azure Virtual Training Day: AI Fundamentals _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Subscribe to this post If you're not a member of the Tech Community already, create an account at techcommunity.microsoft.com Select "subscribe" from the 3-dot dropdown in the upper-right corner of this post. Under "Notification Settings," select "Notify me of Any edits & comments on knowledge bases articles I subscribe to," then select to receive updates to this post either immediately, daily, or weekly (I recommend weekly). Manage your subscription settings so that you can receive email updates on new events. Manage these settings by selecting your profile icon in the top right corner of the community, selecting "My Settings," and selecting "Subscriptions & Notifications." You can also subscribe to the entire marketplace community which will provide you with regular updates on all marketplace discussion topics happening in this forum. To do this, click "subscribe" in the upper right corner of the marketplace community homepage.Setting up Selling Partner: ISV: Challenges and Tips
While helping a channel partner to set up as a seller in Microsoft Partnerâs ecosystem for https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/partner-center/marketplace/multiparty-private-offers-for-selling-partners, I came across some practical challenges which I am sharing here along with tips those may help: Help the partner select the right Partner Type â Partner, SI, MSP etc. for enrolling in the AI Cloud Partner Program. For a new partner to successfully enroll in Microsoft AI Cloud Partner program, it is mandatory to set up the authentication method using Authenticator tab. The enrollment didnât succeed until the partner followed all the exact instructions provided on the browser on the Mobile Phone, including scanning the QR Code step. Without this step, the enrollment kept on failing although Authenticator recognized the user as a valid account on the Mobile Phone After enrolling in Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program and Microsoft Commercial Marketplace program, it is necessary to complete Microsoft Validation of the partner. Microsoft sends emails to verify you as the right partner by sending email ID from Microsoft Vetting Services Email ID. You may receive multiple emails for Verification, ensure that complete verification by following steps from all those emails. Only after the verification was complete by following 3 emails that the partner received, Tax Profile and Payout Profile Assignment was enabled for us to complete on the Accounts Settings. The external Tax Completion Form did not display correctly on Chrome. After spending 5 attempts, we could successfully submit the Tax Profile form on Microsoft Edge. The partner set up the Payment profile after the Tax Profile was completed. It was necessary to select $ as a currency to associate Payment Profile to the Tax profile to complete this step. Note that Multi party Offer is currently available only to partners in the USA. The last step for my partner to gain visibility on the commercial marketplace as a Partner Directory was https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/partner-center/create-a-marketing-profile Hope these practical steps help , would love to know your experience about setting up Multi-Party private offers.Why Completing Microsoft 365 Publisher Attestation and Microsoft 365 App Certification is Crucial
Hello everyone, As a PM who recently published a Teams app, I wanted to share my experience completing the Microsoft 365 Publisher Attestation and Microsoft 365 App Certification programs. These programs are designed to help developers publish trustworthy apps that customers can confidently adopt. Completing the Publisher Attestation is a voluntary program where you complete a self-assessment of your appâs security, data handling, and compliance practices. The information you provide will be presented to your customers so they can better evaluate your app before enabling it for their organization. This program helps build trust with your clients and increase sales by making it easier for them to assess and adopt your app. The Microsoft 365 Certification is a more rigorous program that includes a third-party audit of your appâs security and compliance practices. This certification provides additional benefits such as increased visibility in the marketplace and eligibility for co-selling opportunities with Microsoft. By completing these programs, you can demonstrate to your clients that your app meets Microsoftâs high standards for security and compliance. This can help build trust with your clients and increase sales by making it easier for them to evaluate and adopt your app. In conclusion, These programs help developers publish trustworthy apps that customers can confidently adopt. By completing these programs, you can demonstrate to your clients that your app meets Microsoftâs high standards for security and compliance. This can help build trust with your clients and increase sales by making it easier for them to evaluate and adopt your app. I hope this helps! You can check the current applications that have these certifications here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-app-certification/teams/teams-appsISV Partner : Microsoft Marketing benefits
Microsoft offers an extensive array of marketing support tools to its partners through its Go-To-Market Toolbox. These resources have proven to be highly effective in enhancing our outreach efforts. Here are some of the valuable resources we've been utilizing: Marketing Campaigns: You can access a variety of marketing campaigns through the Partner Center. These campaigns can be a significant asset to your marketing strategy. Explore them here: https://partner.microsoft.com/en-US/asset#/?type=marketing-campaigns Co-Branded Assets: Microsoft provides co-branded assets like One Pagers, Case Studies, Customer Presentations, Infographics, and more. These assets help you create compelling collateral. Access them here: https://ppt.msftgtmtoolbox.com/co-branding Digital Marketing Content on Demand: https://dmc.partner.microsoft.com/ offers a comprehensive collection of ready-made Social Media Campaigns and Web Banners. These resources can be used to run tailored campaigns for your company consistently. https://mpr.msftgtmtoolbox.com/partner/home: If you have solutions listed on Microsoft's Marketplace, you can unlock various benefits through the Marketplace Rewards program based on the offer type. The more you sell through marketplace, the more you can unlock various marketing and selling benefits. They can include promotions across various channels such as https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/microsoft-cloud-partner-program/, Twitter, Microsoft.com and https://partner.microsoft.com/en-US/case-studies/affablebpm-rewards?wt.mc_id=5sp1blsfbw. Learn more about Marketplace Rewards https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/solutions/marketplace/marketplace-rewards. We're eager to learn if there are any other resources that we might not be aware of but are proving valuable to your marketing efforts. Please feel free to share any additional resources you've found beneficial for your partnership with Microsoft. #Marketing #MSPartner #ISVSuccess #MarketplaceRewards #DMC #CoBrandedAssetsWhy and How to use a Call-To-Action on your Marketplace Listing
The "Get it now" button on your listing can be frightening. Your Call-to-Action can alleviate their concern. The very actionable button across the Marketplace for transactable offers is "Get it Now." This is very powerful, clear and actionable. But it can also be frightening! We have all been trained to not trust a download button, and to generally not click on anything. And with good reason. Malware, spam, ransom, subscription billing, or that visit from IT to clean up your computer... not to mention the follow up memo to the entire company reminding everyone of the warnings. (I once had to make a 4:00am trip to the tech desk for an emergency wipe.) It happens! There are very real questions and concerns from users about clicking on that button, much from prior bad experiences. Will I download an entire new process onto the server? Will I lock up my computer for hours doing a setup? Will I cause a charge to me or my company? Will I be on the hook for this, or even fired? Even though the Microsoft Marketplace is a safe space, you can help remove potential obstacles and concerns. Include a specific Call-to-Action that tells your prospect what will happen when they click. If your listing is done well and you have led your reader's eye down the page with the content and formatting of your text, a strong CTA will anchor the text, indicate the next steps and encourage the action. This should help alleviate the concern about what might happen when they click, plus it should help to improve your click-through rate. Here are some suggestions: "Click on the Get it now button above to choose the best plan!" "Click 'Get it now' to set up your free trial!" "See a demo when you click 'Get it now' above!" "Click 'Get it now' to learn more!" And here are some examples: Abnormal Security says: Click the âGet It Nowâ button on the upper left to connect with one of our Email Security Experts. BitFractal says: FREE TRIAL (no credit cards required) directly within the app. Get it now and start using within a click. Intervy says: Click the Get It Now button above and give your team the gift of continuous learning, professional upskilling, and enhanced camaraderie with Intervy. AnnounceBot (in the Teams Store) says: Click Add to a team above to learn more and get your free trial! (No credit card required) Advanced tip: Be sure that you have connected your CRM system to your listing so that you can follow up immediately after the prospect clicks on Get-it-now. Learn more about that here: Connect to your CRM system -JL ISV Success Program Engagement Manager for Teams PartnersBest Practice Marketing Guidance for transactable ISVs on Marketplace
Hi All - Sharing some marketplace best practice GTM guidance for ISVs: Marketplace Interactive Marketing Guide for ISVs http://aka.ms/MarketplaceGTM (Start here) The above guide has links to deeper guidance that I have highlighted here: Marketplace Fast Start Guide 1 - Define a Value Proposition for your Marketplace Marketplace Fast Start Guide 2 - Attract Customers to marketplace with a Content Marketing Strategy Marketplace Fast Start Guide 3 - Achieve quick wins and long-term impact on marketplace with LinkedIn advertising Marketplace Fast Start Guide 4 - Social Media Strategy Marketplace Fast Start Guide 5 - Social Selling Marketplace Fast Start Guide 6 - Creative Content Writing for marketplace Marketplace Fast Start Guide 7 - How to use Account Based Marketing to win, grow and retain business on marketplace Marketplace Fast Start Guide 8 - Generate marketplace demand with to and through partner Channel Marketing Marketplace Fast Start Guide 9 - Unleash the power of high-impact platforms Marketplace Fast Start Guide 10 - Boost your success on marketplace with Guaranteed Demand Generation Marketplace Fast Start Guide 11 - Get your brand noticed on marketplace with Media Ad PlacementWelcome to the new marketplace community!
Hello and welcome to the new marketplace community! This community supports participants in the ISV Success Program and is open to anyone who is building cloud applications to help you reach more customers, go to market faster, and unlock growth. Weâre so glad you are here and weâre excited to help you maximize the marketplace opportunity. This discussion board is appropriate for topics related to building applications the Microsoft Cloud, publishing to the commercial marketplace, and growing more sales of your applications. When you create a new post here, youâll notice a prompt to select the appropriate label (Build, Publish, or Grow) that corresponds to your topic. You can also select the âOtherâ label if your topic does not correspond directly to one of the other labels. I encourage you all to get started with posting new discussions â we have internal teams here at Microsoft that are engaging with our community members to help get your questions answered. For more information on the new marketplace community, check out this blog. Thank you!
