Marketing development funds (MDF) can support various marketing objectives for Microsoft Partners, including campaigns that may not have otherwise been possible. Video content, in particular, can deliver a solid first impression and lasting impact on potential consumers — and the right video types can raise your lead generation and return on investment (ROI).
Discover the different types of videos to make and other best practices when using Microsoft MDF for video production.
Working with freelancers or building your own in-house video production team may be more cost-effective for certain types of video formats, such as informal social media content. However, these options lack the value of full-service agencies, especially when using MDF.
Internal video production gives you more creative control over your final video and message, letting you manually align every production stage with your brand goals. However, building an in-house production team doesn't happen overnight — you must invest time and money into training employees, buying equipment, and integrating video production processes into your business's workflow.
Additionally, even with training, internal team members may lack the technical experience of professional video experts. This limits your projects' creative potential, quality, and scalability compared to external video production with a full-service team. Partnering with the right local production company significantly expands the video equipment, experienced crew members, and creative minds at your disposal.
Working with freelance video production experts has similar limitations to in-house production. While freelancers may have the individual skills to develop specific types of high-quality content, they often lack the resources and broader experience of full production teams. This means you may have to work with multiple freelancers for different video types or key stages of video production.
Working with multiple freelancers can hinder your quality consistency and require you to spend significantly more time aligning each freelancer with your unique brand standards. It can also restrict your ability to track your ROI compared to working with a full-scale, marketing-focused production company such as Charter & Co.
Microsoft offers partners marketing development funds to support sales and marketing, often on a campaign or project-specific basis. These financial incentives can be especially beneficial for investing in different types of video content, such as product demos and co-branded advertisements. The extra funds can give you a larger video budget than you may ordinarily have access to, potentially expanding your marketing reach, ROI, and the lasting impact you leave with viewers.
However, not all types of projects may be eligible for Microsoft Partner MDF. MDF-supported videos must meet key requirements, such as including a call to action (CTA), meeting specific marketing goals, and adhering to Microsoft's brand guidelines.
Content generally not eligible for market development funds includes:
Internal or corporate content, such as training videos
Promotions of competitors' products
Videos without any connection to Microsoft
Ads that treat your Microsoft partnership as a sponsorship
Microsoft Partners invest MDF in video content to support various objectives and outcomes, each of which requires different types of video formats. Explore the best video formats for Microsoft Partner MDF.
Videos demonstrating how your solutions work can answer common questions, push sales, and casually spotlight your Microsoft partnership. You can easily include these types of video formats in social media campaigns and on product pages. A strong CTA can then entice potential customers to take the next step by investing in your solution.
Explainer videos typically follow short-form video formats, highlighting your product or service in a quick yet comprehensive way. This elevator-pitch approach hooks potential clients and customers by giving your brand a warm introduction and answering immediate questions.
Meanwhile, product demo videos offer a more in-depth look at how your products work. This builds trust in your solutions and highlights exactly what distinguishes your product from competitors, such as your Microsoft integration.
Customer success stories and testimonials are some of the best video types for building credibility and trust. Testimonials are usually quite short and include a quote or rating from a satisfied customer or client. Meanwhile, case studies highlight the customer's journey, including the problems your solutions eliminated and the data-based results of their investment. These video types often combine client interviews, motion graphics, and B-roll footage to keep viewers engaged.
Many Microsoft Partners also take advantage of user-generated content (UGC), such as product reviews. Online content creators can elevate your marketing reach and credibility by giving potential customers an unbiased third party to listen to.
Webinars and event videos support your brand's network and credibility in various ways. For instance, a webinar or podcast about the latest industry trends shows that your organization is up to date with the latest changes and developments. Recaps from trade shows and other events can amplify your message, generate leads, and make your brand appear more professional.
Making your event and webinar recaps accessible on demand ensures potential customers and clients can come back and check your information later on, even if they missed the original event. New leads can quickly learn about your brand's credibility and history, while long-term clients can revisit specific content as needed.
Awareness campaigns combine different types of videos, such as social media content, UGC, company culture videos, event coverage, and explainers focused on your brand. These video campaigns build brand recognition, especially crucial for business-to-business (B2B) marketing.
Key enterprise clients may not be in the market for your solutions the first time they see your ad — but they're more likely to be interested later. Making B2B videos with high-quality production stretched across a campaign can leave a lasting impression on potential clients, keeping your brand top of mind when they're considering investing in a solution.
Co-branded partner advertisements promote two (or more) brands at once, with both companies often splitting costs to hypothetically double their ROI. This is one of the best video formats for Microsoft Partners, as you can spotlight both your solution and Microsoft's.
Additionally, pitching your marketing campaign as a co-branded promotion may make it appear more valuable and worthwhile to Microsoft. This can potentially help you secure higher marketing development funds for your project, expanding your video project's potential.
A clear and comprehensive video marketing proposal is the key to allocating marketing development funds and potentially increasing the amount you secure. Your proposal should cover all key information about your production and marketing strategies, including your budget, target audience, and key message.
First, you must define your key budgeting priorities. Will your ads contribute to lead generation, awareness, or some of both? Understanding your campaign goals and your potential ROI will help you realistically balance your video budget, maximizing your potential reach without overspending. Additionally, your campaign goals should align with Microsoft's video marketing strategy, which typically prioritizes lead generation, targeted campaigns, and leveraging Microsoft's latest technical developments.
Next, consider your target audience, including the key funnel stages you're marketing to. The "purchase funnel" charts potential clients and customers along different steps of their journey, from becoming aware of your brand to becoming a loyal consumer. Each stage of the purchase funnel requires a distinct marketing approach, whether you're introducing your brand, encouraging viewers to try a demo, or pushing a year-long subscription.
Beyond the customer journey, you must also consider your audience's key behaviors and purchasing pain points. Advertising to potential clients on their preferred platforms expands your reach, boosts your impact, and makes your content more appealing to your audience and to Microsoft. Additionally, understanding consumers' key motivations and needs helps you determine the best video types and messages for your unique audience.
Finally, your proposal should include previous marketing metrics, such as social media engagement analytics and lead generation data. These insights raise your marketing team's credibility and establish your proposal as a financially worthwhile investment.
Measure and review your campaign success to refine your best marketing strategies. Analyzing key data and reporting it with easy-to-understand graphs and visuals can further support MDF renewal.
This analysis requires you to set measurable goals and consistently track key performance indicators (KPIs). Crucial metrics for Microsoft Partners include:
Engagement: Your video's view count, likes, comments, shares, and link clicks indicate how effectively your content grabbed viewers.
View duration: A view count can be deceiving, as it doesn't represent the number of people who watched your full video until the CTA. Your video's average view duration, percentage of viewers who watched to the end, and other viewership metrics better indicate how long people actually watched your content for.
Partner-attributed leads: Tracking links and other specialized URLs show how many leads find your solutions or Microsoft's solutions from your marketing content.
Charter & Co offers full-service video production that begins by strategizing the best marketing plan and video types based on your unique goals and target audience. Our experienced creative team can handle the paperwork, planning, and execution while keeping you involved at every step — maximizing ROI while staying true to your brand's and Microsoft's standards.
Contact Charter & Co today to start strategizing your production strategy and MDF proposal.