Lessons from International Trade Week on how Microsoft Partners can use content to expand confidently into the US or Canadian market — from messaging to mindset.
Expanding into North America often looks like a natural next step for growing tech businesses.
The market is large. Microsoft ecosystems are mature. And the opportunity to build partnerships across the US and Canada is well established.
What tends to cause hesitation isn’t ambition — it’s confidence.
How will your story land with a North American audience?
Will your messaging translate?
And will your digital presence stand up to closer scrutiny before you ever set foot in the room?
This week, during International Trade Week, we joined the UK Export Academy’s Scaling Your Tech Business to North America session to hear directly from Department for Business and Trade (DBT) experts who support UK tech companies expanding into the US and Canada.
What stood out wasn’t a checklist of tactics — it was how often content came up as the quiet foundation for successful expansion.
Not as promotion, but as preparation.
Content advice at a glance
- Build credibility before visibility
- Adapt your tone and storytelling for US audiences
- Strengthen your digital footprint before setting foot abroad
- Network strategically in the Microsoft ecosystem
- Use content to build trust across time zones
1. Start with credibility before visibility
According to Senior Trade & Investment Officer, Matt Ivanch at the British Consulate in New York, credibility travels faster than you do.
“It’s rare for a UK or European company to come into the US and be successful if they haven’t already been successful in their home market,” he said. “Globally recognisable clients, even a proof of concept, help demonstrate readiness.”
That credibility begins with how you present yourself online.
Before chasing visibility in a new market, make sure your website, LinkedIn, and case studies tell a consistent, confident story, especially if they feature clients North American audiences will recognise.
Takeaway: Before you sell in the US, make sure your digital presence tells the same confident story your pitch does.
2. Localise your message and your mindset
Trade & Investment Officer in New York, Shree Shah said that many UK companies underestimate how much tone and tempo matter in the US.
“Be ready to do pitches in three to five minutes, not thirty,” she said. “Americans expect clarity, confidence, and focus. Don’t be afraid to say you’re the best because if you say you’re ‘one of the best’, they’ll ask who’s better.”
Your content should reflect that same energy.
Translate your offer into American terms — from spellings and currencies to customer stories and contact details.
Bold, benefit-led messaging cuts through faster than cautious explanation. So, when you’re entering a new market, how you sound is just as important as what you sell.
Takeaway: Localise your language, but lead with confidence, North American audiences value clarity and conviction.
3. Build your digital footprint before your physical one
Before you put people on the ground, make sure your digital presence is doing the groundwork, said Ivanch:
“Invest in the internet not just for business development. It’s how investors, journalists, even prospective employees judge you.”
Check your:
- Website is clear, mobile-friendly, and value-led
- LinkedIn is consistent tone and messaging
- Case studies include recognisable clients and contextualise UK brands
- Crunchbase / PitchBook is up to date (investors will look)
One of our clients has accelerated their credibility in the US simply by reworking their website copy in to US spelling and publishing case studies relevant for a North American audience ahead of attending US-based in-person events.
Takeaway: Build trust online first as it’s your cheapest and most powerful market-entry tool.
4. Utilise your networks and show up where your customers do
Senior Trade & Investment Officer Deirdre Moore, based in San Francisco, reminded attendees that relationships are everything in North America.
“Having credibility and visibility — bumping into the same investors or partners — really matters.”
For Microsoft Partners, those networks aren’t abstract they’re events. If you’re planning expansion into the North American market, build your calendar around Microsoft Ignite conference (a perfect place to see how US buyers think and what tech stories land), the Channel Partners Conference & Expo next year (to meet distributors, resellers, and potential collaborators), and community-driven events such as CollabDays and the IAMCP (International Association of Microsoft Channel Partners).
These gatherings are where ideas, introductions, and partnerships start. And every conversation there can become content — from thought-leadership posts to lessons learned on the road to North America.
Takeaway: Don’t just attend document. Every conversation is content in the making. Take a look at our blog that explains how you can do this.
5. Think like a journalist, act like a marketer
Scaling with content isn’t about creating more noise, it’s about saying something worth hearing.
Before publishing anything, ask:
- Does this help a North American buyer solve their challenge or need?
- Does it sound confident and human?
- Does it show we understand their market, not just ours?
The DBT team emphasised how much US buyers value clarity and enthusiasm. The same applies to your content. Write with conviction, teach something useful, and sound like a professional talking to another professional — not a press release talking to itself.
Takeaway: Show up with insight and empathy. Content that teaches earns trust faster than content that sells.
It starts with how you show up
Expanding into North America is rarely about doing more. It’s about being clearer.
Teams that scale successfully tend to invest early in how they show up — how their story is told, how credibility is demonstrated, and how confidence is built before conversations begin.
Content does much of that work quietly.
It shapes perception, supports introductions, and gives buyers and partners a reason to engage — often before you realise they’re paying attention.
Getting that right doesn’t require a full market launch or a big campaign.
It usually starts with a smaller, deliberate set of choices that make your thinking visible and your value easy to understand.
That’s what allows growth to feel intentional, not rushed.
If North American growth is on your roadmap, it’s worth sense-checking how your content currently lands — and where it might be creating friction without you realising. It’s something we can help you with.
