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Modern story, repeatable engine: A full-funnel approach to partner pipeline

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Situation

Knack was tapped to design a repeatable, full-funnel campaign that could generate qualified leads, nurture buyer interest, and convert through in-person hackathon lab events. Building on the initial campaign success, we identified an opportunity to expand the campaign through GSIs like CDW, Zones, and Insight—localizing the partner stack while maintaining the core value story and lead flow strategy.

Insight

Most partner campaigns are built in silos that are tied to individual sellers, products, or moments in time. Knack recognized that, by anchoring the story in customer outcomes instead of vendor priorities, we could design a campaign that not only worked across the funnel, but could also be reused and reconfigured by other partners and sellers.

By focusing on the buyer’s journey—not just partner messaging—we created a framework that scaled effortlessly across the channel, from ISVs to GSIs.

Open booklet titled 'Cloud Security for a Good Night's Sleep' featuring a person wearing glasses looking up at cloud and padlock icons, with the booklet open to pages outlining key elements of next-generation security.
Three infographic posters about cloud computing and Microsoft Azure, with text and images of people and icons related to cloud technology.

Solution

PHASE 1: BUILDING THE GTM ENGINE

  • Developed a cloud modernization GTM strategy centered on key pain points and transformation outcomes for mid-size tech buyers

  • Designed an integrated campaign including email, landing pages, gated e-books, nurture flows, and hackathon registration

  • Created a persona-driven journey that took buyers from awareness through nurture to hands-on product trial

  • Partners like Palo Alto Networks were featured in content assets that drove real engagement and pipeline

Outcome: High engagement across all funnel stages, including strong attendance at hackathon events and direct sales conversion for featured partners.

PHASE 2: SCALING THROUGH GSIs

  • Replicated the campaign framework for top GSIs including CDW, Zones, and Insight

  • Swapped in custom partner stacks aligned to each GSI’s solution portfolio

  • Directed lead flow and attribution to the GSI sellers for follow-up and conversion

  • Empowered each GSI with co-branded content, tailored CTAs, and a clear, measurable demand journey

Outcome: Multiple GSIs were able to leverage a unified story with localized execution—increasing their co-sell velocity while building pipeline for Microsoft and ecosystem partners.

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Success

A persona-led, partner-powered campaign delivered above-goal performance at every stage of the funnel—from lead to revenue.

3,500+

LEADS CAPTURED

1,500

REGISTERED OPPORTUNITIES

46%

SQL RATE

$5M+

CONTRIBUTION

15X

ROI

Additional case studies