Using MSP marketing to remain front of mind with customers

Originally published on SmarterMSP.com

Previously, I wrote on SmarterMSP about removing serious mistakes from your MSP marketing activities that prevent them from being their most effective. In this post, I want to warn service providers of ways that their MSP marketing can fail to capture the attention of prospective targets and how to overcome those obstacles.

The pitfall of passivity

This occurs when MSPs develop some type of basic system that is generating referrals, repeat clients, and other types of passive opportunities. They feel that what they’ve already got is working and, in a sense, it is. But it’s not growing – and because of that glimmer of hope they’ve already seen, they put off doing any real legwork to make that happen.

You can’t just hope that new business will continue and that your MSP will keep growing. That’s why you need a crystal clear, straightforward MSP marketing plan to work from at all times.

Always add regular blog posts and social media posts, even if you don’t think you need to. Keep sending out those monthly or quarterly emails to new leads and past clients. Continue to do the work on a consistent, reliable basis, and you’ll enjoy an ever-growing stream of consistent, reliable leads because of it.

Monotonous MSP marketing

Monotony relates to the idea that if you’re simply trying to emulate other MSPs in your marketing material and on your website, you’ll only end up confusing the people who you’re trying to attract.

Don’t make the mistake of assuming that your huge volumes of tech specs and other high-level details about your services will speak for themselves. They absolutely won’t.

Instead, write with passion about what your MSP does, who your MSP serves, and how you help support and empower business owners not through technology, but through solutions to their problems.

If nothing else, that passion is what will stick in their minds – and it’s what will help separate you from your competitors, too.

Staying out of obscurity

Obscurity is another one of the biggest mistakes that a lot of MSPs make, but thankfully its also one of the easiest to avoid.

Don’t assume your audience is “anyone and everyone,” because it isn’t. You need to be clear on not only what you do, but who you’re specifically doing it for. Maybe you’re targeting businesses in the healthcare sector or you want to cater to financial services institutions.

It doesn’t matter – being clear on this niche means that you can always effectively communicate the right message to the right people at the right time. Failing to do this means you’ll simply get lost in a sea of competitors who all just kind of blend together after a while.

Don’t let your MSP marketing get stuck in isolation

Finally, understand that MSP marketing isn’t something you do once and forget about. It can and should be constantly evolving over time. But if you’re only looking at other MSPs in your niche – or other MSPs in general, for that matter – for inspiration, you’ll soon find yourself isolated at a time when you can’t really afford that.

Instead, step outside your comfort zone – and your industry – and take a look at the marketing messages of other professional services firms. They don’t even have to be other MSPs. How are they talking to their customers? What are they doing to really shake things up? What is working and what isn’t? Answering these questions can be a great way to see your branding and marketing efforts in a new light, all while planting those seeds of inspiration that will soon grow into legitimate innovation before you know it.

In the end, each of these mistakes are so scary because they’re very easy traps to fall into. None of them are coming from a place of malice or even ignorance – unfortunately, they’re born out of a fundamental misunderstanding of how MSP marketing works and what ingredients are required to run a successful campaign.

But now that you’re aware of each and what it can potentially do if left unchecked, you’re in a better position to avoid them in your own MSP marketing efforts – which is the most important thing of all.

At Tech Pro Marketing, we help MSPs all across North America accelerate their growth. Is there a deadly sin stopping your MSP from reaching your growth goals? Let’s find out on a one-on-one strategy call with myself or a team member, and take the first step to getting your lead generation on track.