Trust me—This isn’t a blog post you want to skim through. You should print it off, study it, and bookmark it so you can reference it over and over again.
The “Wild West” of MSP marketing is here. It’s been here for quite some time, but many of you don’t realize it. Actually, what I’ll be talking about, many of you are probably using each day but not to its fullest potential.
So, what am I talking about?
Well, Facebook, of course … yes, Facebook.
I can already hear the groans. “Seriously, Stuart—Facebook? What do Facebook and marketing have to do with each other?”
EVERYTHING!
Yes. Everything.
I don’t know about you, but Facebook has replaced email as the last thing I check before I kiss my wife goodnight and the first thing I do even before I make the “Maiden Voyage” down the hall to start the day.
Yes, Facebook.
Just look around. People are on Facebook more than they’re on email. Facebook Messenger is rapidly becoming the corporate messaging platform. And, yes, Facebook is turning into a primary business tool for the savvy entrepreneur.
Facebook is now where entrepreneurs, business owners, and employees spend their time, either on a smart device or on their company computer. Facebook alerts office workers more frequently than the chime of a new email. That is, if they even have alerts for email turned on. I bet they have their Facebook notifications turned on, though.
Creating connections through Facebook
Facebook is the perfect platform for the managed services company looking to connect with clients, prospects, vendors, and anyone else in the business world.
Here are some tips you can put to work right now for your managed IT Services business:
- Encourage your staff to “friend, like, and follow” your customers, vendors, influencers, and anyone else your company deals with. Gone are the days of putting handcuffs on your staff and not allowing them to become socially connected with your business community.
- Become the market leader now. Most MSPs haven’t awakened to the opportunities on Facebook, so get out of the gate now. Start groups, community pages, and support forums, and position yourself as the market leader for data backup, computer services, cyber security, and other technologies.
- Go to the people. Get out and network with others in your business communities. Facebook has an abundance of business and community groups all waiting for you to get involved. As the technology expert, ask questions and answer other members’ questions.
- Learn how to use Facebook Ads. Facebook Ads are super cheap compared to Google Pay Per Click. If you don’t know how to get the most bang for your buck with Facebook ads, seek the guidance of an expert to get you started. (I can help you.)
Here’s my one big tip. This is important for all the points above except for No. 4. Don’t use Facebook as a platform for selling. Become the expert and help people with their challenges. Don’t’ sell, and don’t go over the top “pimping” yourself either. People are smart. They’ll shut out an over-the-top chest-thumper pretty quickly.
Provide help, be authentic and wait. Yes, wait. This isn’t an overnight success thing. It could take years for you to become the recognized expert. Just because you share one tip or help a person with their computer issues, you won’t get rich overnight. Do your time, and don’t give up.
Bonus MSP marketing tip
Here’s a bonus tip for you. Ready?
Step in front of the camera, and shoot a video. Share ideas and stories using video. Yes, I know, this makes some of you very uncomfortable. Well, get over it. Get yourself a selfie stick and a smartphone, and start shooting customer success stories, tips and tricks, and the community events you participate in. You’ll see a loyal following start to emerge.
Here’s what I want you to do. “Friend” me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/mspcoach. That’s all I want you to do. Get to know me, learn what makes me the person I am, and I’ll return the favor. After we’re connected on Facebook, feel free to ask me any questions you want about MSP marketing and how you can use today’s social media platforms to market your company.
