Since the pandemic, the physical place where we work has gotten much more diverse – for some it’s a corporate office, others it’s a home office, and for some it’s a traveling office. But for many, where we digitally get our work done has become the same: Microsoft Teams.
Today Microsoft Teams is one of the most globally used tools for getting work done, growing 260% between 2020 & 2022 to 270 million users. This explosion of growth meant that the product was no longer just aimed at technology decision makers, but now needed to focus on driving adoption among the millions of information workers, frontline workers and educators – all targets with more consumer-style expectations.
As we came out of the pandemic, marketing for Teams was focused on helping their users understand how to best use the product in the new world of hybrid work. The frustrating challenge they faced: how do you make a B2B product most users never chose to use feel meaningful and personal.
There were two elements to our strategy to achieve this:
Our social media research identified Instagram and Twitter as key platforms to reach the audience. From there, we built empathy maps to create alignment on who these people were, how they felt, and what they needed. This allowed us to stay focused on our audience’s core needs, while adjusting our strategy to match the times we were all living through.
Not only were there big shifts happening in the world but, in short, hybrid work is divisive. Some people are excited to work from home and spend more time with pets, wear pajamas all day, and take meetings from the couch. Others feel it’s tough, trying to juggle kids and deadlines or being siloed from peers. Further, as people have begun a more serious transition back to offices there have been mixed feelings about being in person for MANY different reasons (physical health, mental health, job security, etc.).
For our content to meet our audience where they were, Microsoft Teams had to show up empathetically, reflecting honestly and authentically on the highs and lows of the "new normal." Ultimately, our goal was to empower. More than just getting more work done, it was about balancing work and life.
This is reflected in our content. For example, there are the “features that didn’t make the cut” posts that allude to the innovation of Teams in imaginative ways. Then there are short videos like “TFW someone drops a heart reaction on your message” that again taps into the features of Teams while reflecting on the emotional side of a coworker praising you. Even further, there are posts like the “ringtone series” that are relatively simple product announcements that lean heavily into entertainment to maximize engagement. The content is seasonal, too, matching the natural ebb and flow of work that comes with weather, holidays, and more. This might take the shape of health tips or custom “snowy” backgrounds. All of this runs alongside more traditional B2B content such as case studies in the form of Reels and carousels to ensure more people stop scrolling and watch.
To put it all together with the brand, we created a new strategic playbook utilizing the updated brand visual ID and foundation. This continues to guide us in accurately reflecting on the life of information workers in a way that feels native to respective platforms.
The Instagram channel launch exceeded expectations. Our goal was to drive followership and engagement, using organic and boosted content that appealed to our audience, and gain 5K followers in the first three months—we met and exceeded those goals in a month and a half.
Campaigns like the remixed Teams ringtone drove millions of in-product ringtone changes in the 6 weeks post launch. The campaign caught fire on Teams channels, TikTok and LinkedIn driving thousands of engagements.
As people started to go back to offices, the audience and engagement on the channels have continued to grow. By the end of the year, the channels got to 474.3k social followers (an increase of 38% yoy) with a 28% increase in engagement rate YOY.
This work has also helped to illustrate how B2B social media can be engaging, entertaining AND effective. And has helped Microsoft’s commercial social team prove out a new way to bring B2B products to market on social channels.
