By Liz Mangini, Jack Foraker

Image by Suzanne Calkins

In cloud and SaaS marketing, no one wins alone. Partnerships are everywhere—and only getting more intricate as technology continues evolving. At 2A, we’re increasingly seeing cloud providers team up with three (or more) partners for co-sell motions and joint GTM efforts. 

It’s a smart play: Power-of-3 messaging and deliverables amplify reach, showcase end-to-end value, and create a unified story that sellers can rally around. It’s also crucial as organizations push AI initiatives and expand industry solutions. But three brands means three tones, three agendas, and three sets of priorities. What should be a simple, powerful story can easily become complicated and hard to follow without the right marketing support. 

Start with clarity 

At the end of the day, customers want clarity. Sellers need consistent, repeatable messaging that shows how partnerships solve real business challenges. Throw three parties together, and it’s easy to end up with three competing messages. 

The challenge we see most often with power-of-3 messaging is that each partner wants equal visibility and weight. That’s understandable, but it can easily lead to imbalance or dilution. One brand ends up driving the story while the others fade into the background. To avoid this, partners need to approach messaging with shared intent from the start:  

• What outcome are we solving for, together? 
• What does each partner contribute to that outcome?  

When this alignment happens, a unified story can start to emerge.  

Turn clarity into collaboration 

Once partners are aligned, storytelling becomes strategy. At 2A, we help cloud providers and partners do the heavy lifting at this stage. We lovingly call it “Tetris-ing” the story. Each partner comes with its own set of proof points and priorities. Our job is to pull those pieces into one cohesive value proposition that feels seamless, not stitched together. We know how to balance visibility between partners and weave together cross-departmental expertise. Once you’ve turned three brand voices into one clear message, the next step is to bring it to life. 

From collaboration to sales momentum 

With foundational messaging in place, it’s easy to spin up new assets and campaigns—things like ebooks, pitch decks, solution briefs, or sales kits. That’s the real win of power-of-3 messaging: It shortens the time between collaboration and pipeline momentum for all three partners. 

At 2A, we help partners find their shared voice so they can sell, scale, and lead together. And we can do it in pairs or triads—or hey, even a quad squad. 

By Liz Mangini, Jane Dornemann

Marketing budgets are tight, and the excitement around generative AI and agentic AI is palpable. Yet, in practice, applying it is often more complicated than it first appears. Launching a joint go-to-market (GTM) campaign with partners is a prime example. In a perfect world, both parties could brainstorm content ideas, then feed AI brand guidelines and transcripts to generate emails, one-pagers, and webinar decks. But joint marketing efforts come with an extra layer of relationship context that AI can’t quite decipher. How can generative AI get multiple partners to agree on a messaging direction when they don’t? What can it do for collaborative offerings that come with a bit of competition for the spotlight? 

There’s a lot of highly human, nuanced negotiation that happens in co-marketing—it’s a bit like therapy. So, we set out to see where we can best apply generative AI to important activities across joint GTM efforts, and where we can’t. Here’s what we learned about where AI shines and where it falls flat. 

Working through messaging hierarchies 

Falls flat 
Two or more brands with competing offerings and stories have different priorities, and generative AI struggles to grasp those dynamics. It can’t resolve alignment or make judgment calls on which messaging tier should take precedence. 

Shines
Only after humans create a joint messaging framework can AI help. Once the hierarchy is established, generative AI can apply that framework consistently in content generation. 

Ensuring content sticks to all brand and legal guidelines 

Falls flat
Generative and agentic AI often leave out important brand or legal guidelines—especially when navigating 100-page brand guides. They miss nuances, like Oxford comma usage, shifting partner rules, or strict naming guidelines, enforced by hyperscalers like AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud.  

Shines 
If you’ve built an AI agent in-house, you can train it over time to retain and enforce the rules. AI can serve as a second set of eyes when it comes to compliance, such as running completed content through the agent to catch violations and suggest corrections, ensuring co-branded assets stay publishable and eligible for marketing development funds (MDF). 

Distilling shared value propositions 

Falls flat 
Multi-partner GTM motions require telling a joint story that highlights the “better together” value. Generative AI can’t conduct interviews, facilitate stakeholder discussions, or navigate political tensions between product and marketing teams. It also can’t pull insights from sales calls or uncover the discovery work needed to align on shared value. 

Shines 
Generative AI can describe features and benefits once humans define the shared value—such as articulating how two services complement each other. It’s effective at polishing and amplifying agreed-upon value statements, but not at generating them from scratch. 

Drafting GTM content 

Falls flat 
Relying on generative AI to draft long-form copy from research alone often produces content that lacks authenticity. It can’t capture the nuance of customer pain points or the storytelling required for a strong narrative. 

Shines 
Generative and agentic AI excel at supporting research, surfacing data points (with sources if prompted), and refining human-written drafts. Once you have a strong narrative, AI can repurpose messaging for derivative assets, like social copy, web blurbs, or social cards, and adjust content for different personas and industries when provided with strong, research-based prompts. 

Why the hybrid model works best 

It’s undeniable that generative and agentic AI offer valuable scalability and efficiency, but they are limited when it comes to understanding complex human interactions, creativity, and context within a multi-partner GTM strategy. That’s why we’ve made AI a support tool rather than a replacement for human oversight.  
 
By combining AI’s speed and efficiency in refinement and content creation with human-generated baseline content, you can accelerate the GTM process. Add AI to a mix of strategic insight and the creative expertise of experienced marketers, and you can use both to deliver high-quality, aligned, and impactful content that meets everyone’s needs in a multi-partner ecosystem. 

By Liz Mangini

Image by Emily Zheng

At 2A, we know joint go-to-market (GTM) strategies can feel like a fast-paced game, with multiple teams running different plays, shifting priorities, and high stakes. But we’ve also seen how well-executed webinars act like game-winning plays, turning alignment into leads, pipeline, and real revenue impact. Investing in the story of a webinar up front can have a big payoff in the end. Not only does the process align teammates on a single narrative, but it also fuels a flywheel of content to continuously generate leads. 

Bringing your whole team along 

When your joint GTM motion spans multiple organizations—yours, a cloud provider, plus one or more partners—the biggest risk isn’t lack of effort. It’s misalignment. Developing a GTM webinar, live or recorded, can fix that. When we create webinar decks and talk tracks for clients, we pull information from marketing, sales, alliance, and product teams to build a narrative that brings all major players onto the field. They’re involved in shaping the overall story and at the same time, they hear how their solutions are being positioned to customers. 

• Cloud sellers learn the narrative firsthand 
• Alliance teams understand co-sell plays 
• Product knows what’s being promised
• Cloud partners see where they fit 
• Buyers see joint value 

When done well, a joint GTM webinar gets watched, discussed, and shared—not just with customers, but by internal teams as well. When everyone understands the story, they tell it better, and that clarity shows up in how your message lands with customers, building trust and accelerating deals. 

Fueling content flywheels 

Winning teams don’t treat webinars as one-and-done events. They build them as multi-use assets to drive further value across marketing, sales, and alliances. At 2A, we’ve helped teams at AWS, Microsoft, and partner ecosystems repurpose webinars into blog posts, video clips, slides, social content, and follow-ups. These assets have generated dozens of qualified leads when used as gated content or incorporated into targeted LinkedIn campaigns.   

The next time you’re planning a GTM motion, ask yourself: What’s the one message we want every partner, seller, and customer to take away? Build your webinar around that, then watch the alignment happen and leads follow.

And, if you need help, you know where to turn! 

By Liz Mangini

Earning a new AWS Competency is a major milestone. It validates your technical expertise, demonstrates customer success, and helps you stand out in a competitive marketplace. While the initial announcement brings well-deserved recognition, sustaining that momentum is key to driving lasting impact. 

That’s where 2A’s competency launch bundle comes in.  

Maximize the impact of your competency with a comprehensive, structured, nine-month-long, always-on campaign designed to keep your message—and the value of your services—front and center. An always-on campaign helps fill any post-launch gaps many partners face by providing a clear, proactive plan to maintain visibility and engagement over time. 
 
Make a splash when you announce your new competency with some of these foundational launch assets: 

• Animated or UI demo video highlights key features and functionality 
• Implementation guide helps streamline customer adoption 
• Internal adoption kit equips internal teams with clear messaging 
• Roadmap deck communicates upcoming features and milestones 
• Press release formally announces your new competency and business value 

But don’t stop after the initial announcement! Keep your achievement top of mind by publishing fresh content aligned with key stages in your customers’ buying journey. 

Month 1: Initial awareness and announcement 

• Announcement blog and emails 
• Landing page content 
• Social card kit 

Month 3: Deeper engagement and education 

• Solution brief 
• Infographic 
• Invite and follow-up email 
• Call script 

Month 6: Continued engagement and lead nurturing 

• Ebook 
• Email series 
• Video 

Month 9: Long-term value and thought leadership 

• Whitepaper 
• Podcast episode 

Your AWS Competency is more that just a milestone—it’s a launchpad 

This always-on strategy ensures your AWS Competency—and the differentiated offerings it represents—continues to deliver value beyond the launch. With a steady stream of strategic content, you’ll educate your audience, nurture leads, and position your brand as a trusted AWS expert. 

Your AWS Competency is just the beginning—let’s make sure the world knows about it. With our competency launch bundle fueling visibility, credibility, and long-term success, you’ll keep your solutions in the spotlight. Ready to get started? Contact us. 

By Liz Mangini

Image by Suzanne Calkins

Account-based marketing (ABM) is all about precision—focusing your efforts on the accounts that matter most. It’s about working smarter, not harder, by zeroing in on opportunities where you see the biggest potential. While it’s heavily focused on sales, marketing still has a big role to play. To make ABM work, your sales team must be armed with the right tools and marketing resources to convert leads into sales. Here’s how to ensure they’re set up for success—from the initial conversation to closing the deal. 

Deliver a persuasive pitch 

With ABM, your sellers will engage in a lot of personalized, one-on-one conversations with prospects. They’ll need to know your product(s) inside and out to be especially persuasive. Here’s what will help: 

• Invite and follow-up email templates help your team engage right away and continue to nurture leads. These emails keep your brand top of mind and move the prospect closer to a decision. Plus, sellers should personalize the message to detail how your solution can help their particular business. 
• Call scripts ensure sellers stay on track while keeping the conversation flexible. These scripts guide them through common questions by providing key talking points about your solution, allowing room for authentic dialogue. 
• Pitch decks should speak directly to the prospect’s needs, showing how your solution solves their specific challenges with clear visuals and compelling value. 
• Click-through demos let potential customers explore your product on their own. They provide an interactive experience that highlights value without pressure. 

Handle objections and compete effectively 

In any sales pitch, prospects will come up with reasons why it’s not the right time to buy. Sometimes they’re not sold on the investment; other times, they’re considering a competing product. Sellers should expect these objections and know how to handle them confidently. 

• Objection handling guides include common objections and answers that sellers can use to turn “no” into a chance to showcase your product’s benefits. 
• Compete battlecards equip sellers with an understanding of the market landscape and competing products. Battlecards highlight key differences at the organizational or product level, helping sellers position yours as the best option. 

Provide proof and build trust 

After initial conversations with prospects, sellers should maintain momentum by showcasing the results customers can expect. Whether it’s a standout success story or in-depth information that answers technical questions, sellers should reach out to build trust in your product. 

• Solution briefs outline how your product solves their specific problem, providing a deeper dive into its value. 
• Case studies showcase real-world examples that build credibility. Success stories that prospects can relate to are a quick way to highlight wins. 
• Whitepapers offer research-backed insights and are for prospects who need more detailed information. 

ABM is about pursuing valuable deals with laser focus. By equipping your sales team with these key resources, they can engage effectively, overcome objections, and close deals quickly, driving revenue growth. 

Reach out to get started! 

By Liz Mangini, Carolyn Lange

Image by Nicole Todd

So, your solution has a story to tell. But most people won’t have the time—or patience—to read a wall of text about its benefits and features. A solution brief is the answer. It distills key details into a format that’s easy to read and hard to ignore. These two-page assets pack a punch: they reinforce benefits, highlight features, and position your offering as the best choice. Use them to grab attention at events, re-engage leads, or convince your audience to take action. 

In short, a solution brief is your pitch in its most polished form: clear, sharp, and informative. To nail this format, you need tight, focused messaging, smart design, and the right amount of white space. Here’s how to make your solution brief shine. 

Start with why, then move on to how 

It’s tempting to dive straight into all the bells and whistles, but your audience needs context first. Why does your solution exist? What problem does it solve? Once you’ve established that, you can provide a few details about the coolest features to hold your reader’s attention. 

Tighten up your marketing message 

Less is more in a solution brief, which means your messaging should focus on the most essential points. To get there, zero in on your differentiators, benefits, and core features. (If that sounds daunting, don’t worry—2A can help!) 

Develop a framework and stick with it 

A framework is a useful way to organize a brief, but don’t overcomplicate things by using too many approaches. Whether you’re presenting your solution as a step-by-step journey, a three-phased approach, or a problem/solution pairing, pick one framework and stick with it. 

Keep the design clean and engaging 

A solution brief is as much about how it looks as what it says. Use plenty of white space to make your content easy to skim. Pair your copy with visuals that support your message, such as charts, icons, or product screenshots. 

Focus on the next step for your customer 

A solution brief should do more than educate—it should drive action. What do you want your customer to do next? Contact your sales team? Download a demo? Visit your website? Be clear and specific about next steps. 

Bonus tip 

Creating a great solution brief takes expertise. At 2A, we’ve perfected the art of pairing short, punchy copy with clean, impactful design. Let us help you create an asset that communicates your value and drives results. 

Reach out to get started! 

By Liz Mangini

Image by Thad Allen

While chatting with a Microsoft marketing lead recently, I heard about a presentation challenge that’s all too common. She told me it was difficult to create slides that serve two purposes—supporting presenters and flying solo without commentary. Either the deck would be too dense and full of text, or lack enough information for readers to understand the story.

She asked me, “How do I provide enough context, tell the full story, and frame it all on a limited number of slides?”

At 2A, we get it!

When it comes to solutions, the 1970s extraterrestrial superhero duo comes to mind—The Wonder Twins. They activated their superpowers by touching hands and saying, “Wonder Twin powers, activate!” Zan metamorphosed into a form, and Jayna into a shape. Together, they solved any problem and always saved the day.

Although 2A storytellers and designers may not be from another planet, their creative expertise is out of this world! Storytellers magically form ideas into impactful copy and designers shape concepts into appealing visuals. Together, they transform words and shapes into a compelling story that resonates and drives action.

In fact, 2A is composed of more than the Wonder Twins (storytellers and designers). We have a Wonder Team, which also includes whip-smart, innovative consultants, program managers, and developers.

Whether you need help with a pitch deck, case study, video, eBook, or messaging framework, the Wonder Team works with you to understand your challenges and goals. Then, we strategize to come up with simple, innovative solutions that empower you to deliver successful business outcomes.

Do you need a Wonder Team?

We are ready to activate!