This month’s Tip Tuesday dives into how many managed service provider (MSP) businesses need help attracting leads. Instead, they tailor their marketing strategy to focus on something else.
While this might help companies in the beginning phases and even attract some potential clients, it does not address the real issue. Learn why your MSP business should focus its marketing strategy on lead generation.
Why is lead generation important for your MSP business?
The answer is simple: You can have the best products or services, but if clients aren’t lining up to purchase them, you will have trouble keeping your doors open.
Lead generation identifies people already interested in the products/services your organization offers, which allows you to transition these individuals from prospects into customers.
However, while the concept of lead generation is relatively simplistic, accomplishing this could prove challenging. There are many different methods MSP businesses can rely upon to generate more leads.
One essential factor when trying to do this is to clearly communicate why your MSP business is the right choice — or your unique selling point (USP). In other words, the aspect that differentiates you from your competitors and how you can solve the client’s problem.
That said, your message should not be overly complicated or too technical. It should explain how your MSP company can support the potential client’s IT infrastructure in easy-to-understand language.
Make lead generation the main intent behind your MSP marketing strategy
To make your marketing strategy successful at generating leads, there are a few factors you should consider. Here is a quick summary:
- Find your target audience: The first thing to do is to identify who you are trying to target. You should focus on the individuals most likely to be interested in your company.
- The customer’s problem: Identify the problem your target customer is facing and how your MSP business can help rectify it. For example, do they have security problems or require network maintenance?
- Your unique selling point: As mentioned, this separates you from your competitors. Lead generation can become an easy process if you have a great USP that provides value to your target audience.
- Where can you find them: This is an essential factor to establish early on. You will need to identify where your target audience spends most of their time. If you can identify this component, you can focus your lead-generation tactics on the best location to bring the most results.
5 Lead generation marketing methods
It is important to note what works for one MSP business might not work for another. Here are five marketing methods you can utilize for your company:
1. Email marketing
Email marketing remains one of the best ways to secure leads. That said, you need to create a process that effectively captures contact information for prospects and clients.
For example, a landing page or offering them valuable expertise in exchange for their email address — such as an eBook. If you can do this, you can use the power of email marketing to generate and nurture leads.
You can use many tools for this method, such as Mailchimp or HubSpot. Additionally, you can automate your email marketing campaigns to a certain degree. This frees up time you can use to generate leads through other tactics.
2. Social media and content marketing
Social media and content marketing can provide great results. It allows you to tailor a specific message to your target audience. Marketing is also how your MSP organization can showcase what makes you a better choice than your competitors.
Social media is the perfect place to show prospects how your business can solve the issues they face. However, these methods may take time to develop and see results.
Whether the time investment is worth it depends on personal preference. The main idea of this method is not to obtain many conversions but to put your company in front of the right audience.
3. Search engine optimization (SEO)
Search engine optimization is an excellent method most businesses should rely on. It allows you to show up higher in search engine results pages (SERP) when people search for your products or services.
This is primarily a great option to use when you are a local business. According to Intergrowth, 61 percent of B2B marketers agree that SEO creates more leads than other marketing methods. It is worth mentioning that SEO is a long-term investment that can take a while before you see results.
4. Pay-per-click campaigns
Pay-per-click (PPC) marketing is similar to SEO. The process involves you bidding on keywords for your MSP business to show up. While this is an effective method of procuring leads, the campaign should be properly set up to generate the best results.
Otherwise, it could become a costly venture that only provides a little value to your company. If this is a route you want to consider, pay careful consideration to your marketing budget to determine where it makes sense for your organization.
5. Cold calling
While this is an old-school method, it can still be effective. However, this procedure requires practice to become efficient.
Another factor to keep in mind is not everyone you call might be fond of this practice. It could lead to a loss of determination to use it. That said, it is still one of the best ways to bring in leads for many smaller and local MSP businesses.
Making lead generation a success for your MSP business
While lead generation can take much time and resources, it is well worth the risk. Remember to pay careful attention to who your target audience is, where they spend their time, and what your USP is. With a few key considerations on what marketing strategy to use, you can effectively drive quality prospects to your MSP business.
Did you enjoy this month’s Tip Tuesday? Check out the others here.
Photo: Andrey_Popov / Shutterstock
