MSP Marketing 101
A quick level set so we can discuss marketing from a common framework. This lesson talks about marketing terms and the basics you need to understand the other lessons. These lessons focus on Digital Marketing and do not delve into traditional or classical marketing theories.
What is Marketing?
MSP Marketing is the process of planning and executing the definition of, pricing, promotion, and delivery of your services. In other words, your marketing starts the moment you define your business and each and every offer. Naming it, describing it, and the promise of what you will deliver are part of your marketing.
Traditional marketing refers to marketing techniques and tactics that have been used for years, involving face-to-face selling, print advertisements, and other offline marketing efforts. Examples of traditional marketing include radio and television commercials, print ads in newspapers and magazines, and direct mail.
Digital marketing, on the other hand, refers to marketing efforts that use the internet and electronic devices to reach and engage customers. Digital marketing techniques include search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, email marketing, mobile apps, and online advertising, among others.
One key difference between traditional and digital marketing is the ability to track and measure the effectiveness of marketing efforts in real time. Digital marketing techniques can provide detailed data on the number of people who have seen or interacted with an advertisement, allowing marketers to adjust their strategy as needed. Traditional marketing techniques can be more difficult to track and measure, as they often rely on estimates and assumptions.
Another difference is the ability to reach a targeted audience. Digital marketing allows marketers to reach specific groups of people based on demographics, interests, and behaviors, while traditional marketing techniques tend to have a more broad reach.
Overall, traditional marketing and digital marketing are not mutually exclusive and can be effectively combined as part of a comprehensive MSP marketing strategy.
This course will deal primarily with Digital Marketing, but other concepts will be discussed.
Marketing, like everything else, is based on having a system to run the tools you need. Like an OS, you need a good foundation to build your Marketing Stack. You’re a business owner, so you understand how important marketing is for driving growth. But when it comes to marketing your MSP business, you may not know where to start. (are you an MSP entrepreneur just getting started? Read This.
Your MSP marketing plan needs to consider where your business is now and where you want to go. A growing MSP with 16 employees has a very different marketing outlook than a solopreneur who is just getting started.
This course on MSP Marketing will try to help you improve your marketing regardless of where you are as far as business maturity.
MSP Marketing: Key Terms and Channels
Before we dive deeper into MSP marketing, let’s define some key terms and explore the different channels you can use.
Here are some common marketing terms that a MSSP business owner should be familiar with:
- Target market: The specific group of consumers your MSP business is trying to reach with its marketing efforts. In example, businesses with 25 endpoints without an IT department.
- Customer segmentation: The process of dividing a market into smaller groups of consumers with similar needs or characteristics. In example, a law office with 25 endpoints without an IT department.
- Marketing mix: The four key elements of marketing, also known as the “four Ps” – product (service in your case), price, promotion, and place.
- Positioning: How your MSP service is perceived in the consumer’s mind compared to competing MSP offerings.
- Branding: The practice of creating a unique name, logo, and other elements that distinguish a product or service from its competitors.
- Marketing campaign: A planned series of marketing activities designed to achieve a specific objective.
- Lead generation: The process of identifying and capturing the contact information of potential MSP customers.
- Conversion rate: The percentage of website visitors who take the desired action, such as requesting an audit or filling out a contact form.
- Return on investment (ROI): The profitability of an investment, is calculated by dividing the gain from the investment by the cost of the investment.
- Customer lifetime value (CLV): The total amount of money a customer is expected to spend on your MSP services over the course of the relationship. Since you likely charge a monthly fee, this should be easy for you to calculate and should guide your marketing spend.
Understanding these terms can help you make informed decisions about your marketing efforts and measure the effectiveness of strategies. Are you a growing MSP? Read This.
Here are some of the key channels you should consider when creating your MSP marketing plan:
- Social Media: Platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook can provide great opportunities to reach potential customers with relevant content. Your goal is to create helpful content that will inform and engage your target audience.
- Email Marketing: This involves sending personalized emails to prospects and customers to keep them informed about your services and offerings. Email marketing is among the most effective marketing channels because it allows you to reach your audience directly.
- SEO: Search engine optimization is the process of optimizing your website and content for visibility on search engines like Google. This involves using keywords related to your services and industry so that when prospects search for these terms, they’ll find your website at the top of the search results. Here is an SEO Crash Course for MSPs.
- Paid Advertising: This involves paying to post ads on websites or platforms like Google Ads and Facebook Ads. Paid advertising can help you reach your target audience quickly, but it can be expensive and difficult to track ROI.
- Content Marketing: Content marketing is creating helpful content such as blog posts, infographics, eBooks, and videos to attract potential customers and educate them about your services. Content marketing can help to establish you as an expert in the industry, build trust with prospects and drive more traffic to your website.
- Word-of-Mouth: This marketing channel relies on satisfied customers to spread the word about your services. It’s important to provide excellent customer service to generate positive reviews and referrals. You can also incentivize word-of-mouth by, for instance, offering discounts for referrals.
Seota Digital Marketing has a special SEO program just for MSP companies.
If you are just starting your MSP business and don’t have a large budget for marketing, there are still plenty of options available to you. You can focus on low-cost marketing strategies. Here are a few suggestions:
Create a simple but professional website
A website is essential for any business, and it will be the first impression many of your prospects have of you. Websites don’t need to be complicated or expensive. There are a lot of options available that can help you create a basic but well-designed site quickly and easily.
You want to tell your prospects what services you offer, showcase customer testimonials, and provide a way for them to contact you.
Use networking
Finding your first client can be one of the most challenging aspects of starting an MSP business. Networking will help you find potential clients and build relationships with other professionals in your field.
Attend industry conferences, meetups, and seminars as much as possible to make connections and increase your visibility. You can also join online forums or mailing lists related to your services to start conversations and build relationships.
Partner with other small SMP startups
While you may think of competitors as rivals, there are some benefits to working with them. For instance, you may be able to partner with other MSP startups in your area and cross-refer customers. This is a great way to reach new audiences and build relationships in the industry.
Start slow
You don’t want to start multiple marketing campaigns at once. You can, for example, start with an email campaign and then move on to content marketing. This way, you can focus your efforts on one strategy at a time and track the results to see which is most effective for your business.
Read the full lesson here>>> Getting Started.
So say you are an already established MSP business and want to take your marketing efforts up a notch. Here are some suggestions for larger teams:
Invest in an in-house marketing team
In-house marketing teams can be great for larger MSPs. They can help create and manage campaigns, create content, track results, and more. Hiring dedicated marketers will allow you to focus on developing a comprehensive marketing strategy and ensure that your efforts are consistent over time.
You will also have more control over how your campaigns are managed and how quickly you can respond to changes in the market. However, it can be very expensive to run an in-house marketing team.
Hire a marketing agency
Another great option is to hire a marketing agency. This can be cost-effective, and they will have the resources and experience necessary to create custom campaigns tailored to your needs.
They will also be able to track ROI, so you can see exactly how effective each campaign is. This helps ensure you get the most out of your investment in marketing. However, you will not have as much control over the campaigns as you would with an in-house team.
Use both in-house and agency resources.
A great way to get the best of both worlds is to use both in-house and external marketing agencies. This allows you to benefit from the expertise of an agency while still having some control over your campaigns.
You can, for instance, hire a network of freelancers to create content for you while keeping an in-house content marketing team who will help publish and promote the content. This way, you can get the resources of both an agency and an in-house team without breaking the bank.
You have various MSP marketing tools available to you. Website optimization is among the most important. Make sure your website is optimized for mobile, as this will help you reach more potential customers.
You also want to use email marketing, social media marketing, and other digital channels for marketing. These can be used to reach wider audiences and build relationships with potential customers.
Analytics are also key when it comes to MSP marketing. You need to track the performance of your campaigns so you know what is working and what isn’t, as well as which tactics you should focus on.
More Details on Marketing Tools for Your MSP.
MSP marketing is essential for businesses of all sizes. You need to find the best way to reach your target audience and communicate your message in a compelling way. By investing in marketing, you can build relationships with potential customers, nurture existing ones, and increase visibility and sales.
Whether you are a small startup or a larger team, there are various strategies and tools you can use to reach your goals. Use the tips and resources above to create a comprehensive marketing strategy to help you reach new audiences and build relationships in the industry.
