Microsoft Ready-to-Go Marketing Events How-to Guide. October 2015

Transcription

1 Microsoft Ready-to-Go Marketing Events How-to Guide October 2015

2 Contents Part 1 Overview of the Microsoft Ready-to-Go Marketing and Microsoft Community Connections Events tools Pages 4 5 Part 2 Setup access to Microsoft Ready-to-Marketing Events Pages 6 8 Part 2a Setup access to Microsoft Community Connections Pages 9 10 Part 3 Select your event set-up option Pages Part 4 Create a From Campaigns or From Scratch event with the Microsoft Ready-to-Go Marketing events tool Pages Part 4a Create a Microsoft Led Event with the Microsoft Ready-to-Go Marketing events tool Pages Part 4b Create a Microsoft Community Connections event with the Microsoft Community Connections events tool Pages

3 Contents Part 5 Invite your guests Pages Part 6 Manage your event Pages Part 7 Additional resources Pages

4 Part 1 Overview of the Microsoft Ready-to-Go Marketing Events and Microsoft Community Connections Events tools 4

5 Understanding the events tools Use these tools to: 1. Create a registration page for your guests to review and sign up for your event on Click-to-Attend, RTG s customer-facing event registration site. 2. Or create a registration page for your Microsoft Community Connections (MCC) public event on MS Events, MCC s customer-facing site. 3. Easily access event-related resources including an event invitation template with live links to your event registration page. 4. Track registrants. (RTG events and MCC public events only) 5. Automatically remind guests of your upcoming event. (RTG events and MCC public events only) 6. Receive an event kit with a software giveaway (MCC private and public events only) 5

6 Part 2 Setup access to Microsoft Ready-to-Go Marketing Events 6

7 First things first Before you can create a From Campaigns, From Scratch or Microsoft Led Event with RTG, you need to: 1. Be a member of an organization that is enrolled in the Microsoft Partner Network.* To enroll: 2. Have a Windows Live ID (Microsoft Account) that is associated to your Partner Organization on the Microsoft Partner Network (Hint: This is the same ID you use to log onto MPN). To obtain a Microsoft Account please visit: To check to see if an existing Microsoft Account is associated to your Partner Organization on MPN please visit: and try to log in with that account. If your Microsoft Account is not associated, please visit: Once you have associated your Microsoft Account to your Partner Organization, you will receive an from MPN confirming the association is established and prompting you to log onto the MPN site to complete your profile. You must take this step before you will be able to log on and use the RTG Events tool. 3. Have completed a privacy statement for your organization uploaded to your RTG Events Profile. (See page 8) 4. Be a U.S. partner or if you are a Global partner, you must be logged onto the U.S. site but please note that only U.S. event/campaign content will be accessible). *With the exception of honorary partners 7

8 Your RTG Events Profile Privacy statement (required) 1. People registering for your From Scratch, From Campaigns or Microsoft Led Event need to understand who is collecting their personally identifiable information and what will be done with that information. Because it's a co-branded site (Microsoft and you, the partner), all partners who use the RTG event registration service are required to supply a privacy statement that will appear as part of their event listings, alongside the privacy statement supplied by Microsoft. 2. For more information on creating a privacy statement, you're encouraged to consult your attorney and/or use the following resources: a. Business Privacy Resources at TRUSTe sample privacy statement b. Privacy Planner sample privacy statement 3. To upload your privacy statement to your RTG Events Profile, go to and log in. a. Select My Events Profile at the bottom of the page. b. On the profile page, you will be able to update/enter your privacy statement. If you want to format your privacy statement, use HTML. If you don t know HTML, click the link below the Privacy Statement box then replace copy in the HTML editor window with your own unformatted text, use the format buttons, click Source, and copy and paste the resulting code into the RTG Privacy Statement box. c. Once you ve entered your privacy statement, select Save at the bottom of the page. Company description and logo (optional) Brand your events by uploading a company description and logo in your RTG Events Profile. These will appear on the registration page for your event. If you want to format your company description, use HTML. If you don t know HTML, click the link below the Company Description box then replace copy in the HTML editor window with your own unformatted text, use the format buttons, click Source, and copy and paste the resulting code into the Company Description box. You can check your formatting by selecting Preview prior to activating your event. 8

9 Part 2a Setup access to Microsoft Community Connections Events 9

10 First things first Before you can create a Microsoft Community Connections Event, you need to: 1. Be a member of an organization that is enrolled in the Microsoft Partner Network To enroll: 2. Have a Windows Live ID (Microsoft Account) that is associated to your Partner Organization on the Microsoft Partner Network (Hint: This is the same ID you use to log onto MPN) To obtain a Microsoft Account please visit: To check to see if an existing Microsoft Account is associated to your Partner Organization on MPN please visit: and try to log in with that account. If your Microsoft Account is not associated, please visit: Once you have associated your Microsoft Account to your Partner Organization, you will receive an from MPN confirming the association is established and prompting you to log onto the MPN site to complete your profile You must take this step before you will be able to log on and use the MCC Events tool. 3. Partner the event with a local business organization such as a Chamber of Commerce, Small Business Development Centers, Association of Women s Business Centers and Trade and Industry Centers (for example). If you need help identifying/finding a local business organization, contact MCC Have access to the Partner Investment Engine (PIE) (See page 40). 5. Be a U.S. partner. 10

11 Part 3 Select your event set-up option 11

12 Access Microsoft Ready-to-Go Marketing Events Go to the Microsoft Ready-to-Go Marketing homepage and select the Events link. You have four options to select from when creating your event. Click From Campaigns, From Scratch, For Microsoft Community Connections or Microsoft Led Events to begin. 12

13 Select your event setup option From Campaigns This option provides a selection of product-focused, pre-worded, customizable campaign content that ties into Microsoft s corporate messaging. From Scratch Use this option if you do not find a campaign that fits your needs. Microsoft Led Events Choose this option if you want to hold a co-branded (your company and Microsoft) event that is planned, prepared and presented by Microsoft. For more information [email protected] or download our Partner Guide. For Microsoft Community Connections (MCC) Select this option if you are setting up an event to educate businesses in your community about technology solutions. If your public or private event qualifies, MCC will send event kits which usually include a software giveaway. Call , contact [email protected], and read the MCC FAQ to learn more.** v * Honorary partners, please log on using the Windows Live ID you created when you set up your honorary partner account. ** MCC Events are available for U.S. partners. Events must be held within the U.S. For further support for MCC events please [email protected] 13

14 Select your event setup option If you choose to create a From Campaigns event, you ll be brought to the Campaigns page where you can choose your campaign topic. Select Create Event to go to the first step required to create your event. If you choose to create a From Scratch event you will bypass the Campaigns page and proceed directly to the first step required to create your event registration page. If you haven t already logged on, you will be prompted to do so. When logging in, use your Microsoft Account that is associated to your Partner Organization on MPN. NOTE, THIS IS THE SAME ADDRESS AND PASSWORD YOU USE TO ACCESS MPN. 14

15 Select your event setup option If you choose to create a Microsoft Led Event you will be brought to the Microsoft Led Event Opportunities page. Scroll through the list of available events. Select View Full Description to read the event summary. Select View Details to see more information about the event. And from there, select Participate to set up your event registration page. 15

16 Select your event setup option If you choose to create a Microsoft Community Connections event, you will be redirected to the Microsoft Community Connections site. Select Event Topics to see what is available. To start setting up your event, select Register an Event. 16

17 Create your Event From Campaigns or From Scratch Events Continue to next page. Microsoft Led Events Skip to Page 32. For Microsoft Community Connections (MCC) Events Skip to Page

18 Part 4 Create a From Campaigns or From Scratch event with the Microsoft Ready-to-Go Marketing Events tool 18

19 Create your event registration page (From Campaigns or From Scratch) There are four basic steps to setting up your From Campaigns or From Scratch event registration page. You must complete each step and select Next Step before proceeding. It is best to have all details of your event decided upon prior to setting it up. If you need to step away or look up something, hit Save in case you get timed out. You can then revisit your event via the Manage your events link (page 50). If you make a mistake or want to make a change, select the back page arrow in your browser or navigate to an existing page by selecting the step for it from the left hand column. And don t worry! You will have a chance to preview and modify the event at the end before you activate it. 19

20 Step 1 - Create your event registration page (From Campaigns and From Scratch) Input content into the Event Title and Event Description fields. For a From Campaigns event, these fields will be pre-filled but can be edited. While not necessary, you can format your event description using HTML. If you don t know HTML click the link under the Event Description box then replace copy in the HTML editor window with your own unformatted text. Use the format buttons, click Source, and copy and paste the resulting code into the RTG Event Description box. Check your formatting by selecting Preview prior to activating your event registration page. If you have an event-specific logo you want use, upload it here. This logo will override the logo that exists in your RTG Events Profile. 20

21 Step 2 - Select a place (From Campaigns and From Scratch) Place refers either to a physical location for an in-person event or to a URL for a webcast or on-demand webcast event. Data fields change, depending on the option you select. For an in-person event, you have the option to hold your event in a Microsoft store. Select Find a store near you to locate an available store in your region, then the given contact. 21

22 Step 2 - Select a place (From Campaigns and From Scratch) For a webcast or on-demand webcast, you are responsible for, at minimum, filling in the webcast Attendees URL field. This URL comes from your webcast service. If you don t know the URL at this time, you can key-in To follow and add this content as soon as it is available. Make sure to add the URL prior to the date your last reminder is sent. Meeting ID, Passcode and Audio fields are optional and depend on your webcast service requirements. 22

23 Step 2 - Select a place (From Campaigns and From Scratch) You have the option within Step 2 to limit the number of registrants and also to create a waitlist. Deselect the Allow Guest Registration box if you want only guests who have a Windows Live ID to attend your event. 23

24 Step 3 - Set the date (From Campaigns and From Scratch) All you need to do is click on the calendars, the times, and set your time zone. 24

25 Step 4 - Add the bells and whistles (From Campaigns and From Scratch ) To give registrants more information about your event, include event details such as product areas, featured products and target audiences. If your event is a public, not private event, event details can also be used in search on Click-to-Attend. If you created a From Campaigns event, details and related search fields are pre-populated for you. This is not the case if you created a From Scratch event. To include, select the Event Details box then scroll through and select from the lists of choices. 25

26 Step 4 - Add the bells and whistles (From Campaigns and From Scratch) Share hosting with another Microsoft Partner or Honorary Partner. You can have up to five cohosts for an event. Co-hosts can access the registration list and add or remove registrants, but cannot modify the event. A co-host must have a Microsoft Ready-to-Go Marketing account and a privacy statement uploaded to their RTG Events Profile. Select the Add Co-Hosts(s) box and scroll down to the Add Co-Host(s) section. Select from the past co-host list or use the search tool to lookup the that your co-host uses to access Microsoft Ready-to-Go Marketing. 26

27 Step 4 - Add the bells and whistles (From Campaigns and From Scratch) Ssshh! Need your event to be invitation-only? Select the Hide Event From Search box. 27

28 Step 4 - Add the bells and whistles (From Campaigns and From Scratch) Your registrants will receive an confirmation upon registering for your event. Confirmation s are automatically generated and cannot be changed. Event reminder s however, can be managed on this screen. By default, an event reminder is sent to your registrants one week prior to the event and a second reminder is sent two days prior to the event. Select the Manage Event s box and scroll down to change the default dates for event reminders, enter a custom message or elect not to send reminders. Click Save Reminders. Now select Save if you want to save as a draft or select Preview and Activate to continue. 28

29 Check your work (From Campaigns and From Scratch) After selecting Preview & Activate, you ll have a chance to preview your draft event registration page. Edit and make revisions, or Activate. Many partners find it good practice to copy their Event Code now for future reference. You can always access your code later via the Manage your events link on the Events page (page 50) or via the you ll receive when you activate your event. After you select Activate a popup screen will appear asking if you are sure you want to activate your event. Click yes. Click close if you have changes. 29

30 Check your work (From Campaigns and From Scratch) The next screen is a preview of your active event registration page. Note by the URL that you are still on the Ready-to-Go Marketing site, not your actual registration page - so it s easy to Edit and make last-minute changes, or Copy and use as a starting point for another event. Since this is a preview page on RTG you do NOT want to give your customers this URL. To see your live Click-to-Attend registration page and obtain your registration page URL, select Register for This Event. 30

31 View your registration page on Click-to-Attend (From Campaigns and From Scratch) Your registration page Click-to-Attend address is the URL you will provide to your customers who want to register for your event. You may want to copy and save this address. If you choose not to copy the address now, you can find the information again via the Manage your events link on the RTG Events page (page 50) or via the hyperlinked event title in the you received when you activated your event. Hint: Register for your own event to experience the same registration process, and receive the same confirmation and reminder s as do your guests. Or access your activated event registration age anytime by entering in your event code on Click-to-Attend. (Please skip ahead to page 45.) 31

32 Part 4a Create a Microsoft Led Event with the Microsoft Ready-to-Go Marketing Events tool 32

33 Create your event registration page (Microsoft Led Events) The privacy statement on file in your RTG Events Profile will upload by default. If you haven t uploaded your privacy statement, you can do so here. A privacy statement is required. While not necessary, you can format your privacy statement using HTML. If you do not know HTML, click the link below the Privacy Statement box then replace copy in the HTML editor window with your own unformatted text. Use the format buttons, click Source, and copy and paste the resulting code into the RTG Privacy Statement box. Check your formatting by selecting Preview prior to activating your event registration page. If you previously uploaded a logo and company description to your RTG Events Profile, these will appear on your event registration page. If you haven t yet uploaded a logo or have a different logo you want to use, upload it here. The logo you upload here will override any existing logo in your RTG Events Profile. If you want to edit/add your company description, you need to do this via the My Events Profile link on the Events page. 33

34 Check your work preview Draft event (Microsoft Led Events) If you select Preview, a preview of your draft event registration page will open in a new tab. Select Customize MLE or simply go back to the previous tab to make changes or to activate. Note: Register link does not work until you Activate the event Once you select Activate, your registration page is live. Your screen will refresh and you will now have the option to Save, Cancel, or Preview your active event registration page. 34

35 Check your work preview Active event (Microsoft Led Events) Select Preview and a preview of your active event registration page will open in a new tab. Note by the URL on your active event registration preview page, that you are still on Microsoft Ready-to-Go so you can still select Customize MLE to edit your event. Since you are on still on RTG this is NOT the URL to share with your customers. To see your live Click-to- Attend registration page and obtain your registration page URL, select Register for This Event. 35

36 View your registration page on Click-to-Attend (Microsoft Led Events) This is your live registration page on Click-to-Attend. While not required, many partners choose to register for their own event to experience the same registration process, and to receive the same confirmation, reminder and event update s as do their guests. 36

37 View your registration page on Click-to-Attend (Microsoft Led Events) Your registration page Click-to-Attend address is the URL you will provide to your customers who want to register for your event. You may want to copy and save this address. If you choose not to copy the address now, you can find the information again via the Manage your Events link on the RTG Events page (page 50) or via the hyperlinked event title in the you received when you activated your event. Or access your activated event registration page anytime by entering in your event code on Click-to-Attend. (Please skip ahead to page 45.) 37

38 Part 4b Create a Microsoft Community Connections event with the Microsoft Community Connections Events tool 38

39 Create your MCC event (Microsoft Community Connections) Select Event Topics to see what is available. Then select Register an Event and select the I am a Microsoft Partner box. Then select Next Step. 39

40 Create your MCC event (Microsoft Community Connections) You will be presented with the first time access screen to the Partner Investment Engine (PIE). If you have a PIE access code, select I HAVE AN ACCESS CODE and proceed to page 43. Select I DO NOT HAVE AN ACCESS CODE and go through the PIE validation process. 40

41 Create your MCC event first time PIE access (Microsoft Community Connections) To receive an access code, fill in the 5 required fields. Click Request Access. The team will validate your account and will respond with your unique access code within one business day. Upon receipt, go to and click I HAVE AN ACCESS CODE and input the code provided. IMPORTANT NOTES: DO NOT SHARE your access code. Each user has an unique access code. It can take up to 30 minutes after receipt to activate the code. 41

42 Create your MCC event first time PIE access (Microsoft Community Connections) Upon your first entry to the PIE, you ll be required to review and accept the Terms and Conditions in order to move to the homepage. A full transcript of the Terms and Conditions can be found here. 42

43 Create your MCC event (Microsoft Community Connections) Select Partner Event Programs. Select Community Connections. Fill out the Event Details fields. Add title and description. Select your topic. Use the calendar and pull down menus to elect the date and time. Add the estimated number of attendees. Select the event type and indicate whether the event is to be public or private. Add your partner info. Add any necessary additional info. And then Submit. Within hours, you will receive an event number. If your event qualifies, you will be sent an event kit for your MCC public or private event. 43

44 MCC reviews and activates your public event registration page (Microsoft Community Connections) Once your public event request has been approved, the MCC team will set up your registrant s (reminders, etc.), activate your customer-facing event registration page on MS Events and send you the link to registration page. (This service is not provided for MCC private events.) Click I want to register without signing in. Fill in the required fields and select Confirm. 44

45 Part 5 Invite your guests 45

46 Invitation Process When you create your RTG or a public MCC Event, a registration page for your event is created on a customer-facing site. For RTG, this site is Click-to-Attend. For MCC, the site is MS Events. You will need to inform your would-be registrants about your event and tell them where to register. We have customizable event invitation templates with a place for you to insert a hyperlink to your actual event registration page. If your event is From Campaigns, we will have a campaign-related and/or a generic invitation template you can download via the View Resources link accessed by selecting the Manage your events link on the RTG Events page (page 50). If your event is a From Scratch or a Microsoft Led Event, download our Generic Invitation template or create your own. If your event is a Microsoft Community Connections Event, you can find your invitation template under the resources for your Event Topic on the MCC Event Resources page, or download our Generic Invitation template or create your own. Hint: Also consider posting your registration page URL to your website, Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter page. Get the word out! 46

47 Customize your invitation Customize the.oft template* with your partner information and event details before you to your customers. You must include the link to your customer-facing event registration page. For RTG Events this is the link to your event registration page on Click-to-Attend. For MCC public events this is the link to your event registration page on MS Events. If your event is an MCC private event, you will need to supply the link for your own/third party registration portal (if using). RTG events: Access your customer-facing Click-to-Attend registration page URL via the linked Event Title in the you received when you activated your event. Or go to Manage your Events on the RTG Events page and click on the Event Code from your event list. The important thing to watch for is that the URL you include in your invitation starts with and NOT and that the URL ends with your unique event code. MCC public events: The MCC team will provide you with your customer-facing MS Events registration URL. 47 *Some of our invitations are available in HTML format as well. If you don t know HTML, consult your web team to help you customize your invitation.

48 Part 6 Manage your event 48

49 The MCC team manages Microsoft Community Connections events Contact Microsoft Community Connections support or For help creating or modifying your event. For questions regarding public event customer messaging. For questions about your public event customer-facing event registration page, link and event registration list. For questions about your event kits. The rest of the content in this section applies to RTG, not MCC, events. 49

50 Navigate to your event in your Manage Events list To manage your RTG event, go to the Events page, sign in with your Microsoft Account and select Manage your events. 50

51 Manage your event In the Narrow your search column at the far left, filter on Active. Your event will appear in the Event column. Modify your event using the links in the Actions column. Click the event code to go to your registration page on Click-to-Attend (this is the URL you provide to your customers who want to register for your event). Clicking the title will bring you to your event preview page on RTG. Do NOT send this URL to your customers. Verify that you have activated your event by looking at the Status column. Events with associated resources will have a link to View Resources. 51

52 View and manage your registration list To view your registration list, click on the number in the Registrants column. Register someone for your event by selecting the Add button. To register at lot of people at once, select the Upload button (also available if you select Add.) 52

53 View and manage your registration list Note: Manage Event s link is not available for Microsoft Led Events. Select Add Registrant to add registrants one-by-one. If you have a lot of registrants you would like to add at the same time, select Add Multiple Registrants. Download the multiple registrants template when prompted. Fill in the required fields. Once done, save it to your computer and then select Upload. Browse for your document and then select Upload. A summary of your registration list is available on this preview screen. Select Edit to see/add/change a registrant s full details. To view full details about all of your registrants, select Export List to Excel. Select Cancel, to cancel someone s registration. 53

54 Part 7 Resources 54

55 Resources 1. RTG FAQ: 2. Office Hours: 3. Microsoft Ready-to-Go Marketing Helpdesk: 4. Step-by-Step Events How-To Guide: 5. RTG Generic Invitation Template: 6. MLE Partner Guide: 7. MCC Helpdesk: 8. MCC Help Line: MCC FAQ: Marketing Best Practices Events Video and Marketing Guidance: 1. Marketing SureStep MPN Access Issue Line: Microsoft Support: MPN Account Set-up and Association MPN Profile Update Info: MPN Logo Builder: Logo Builder Helpdesk: 55