9 Best-In-Class Digital-Marketing Strategies for Managed Service Providers

We’ve seen marketing strategies change a lot over the years. Especially now that technology has transformed the way we sell products and services. To keep up, it’s important for a managed service provider (MSP) like you to develop a great digital-marketing strategy.

However, this can be a challenge for many companies out there. After all, you have enough on your plate keeping up with the latest technological advances in the industry. Who has time for marketing?

Everyone.

MSPs everywhere need to amp up their online presence through digital marketing. Potential customers are more likely to find a business through search engines than through any other form of advertising. That’s why you need to constantly focus on differentiating yourself from the competition. You’re already a technology expert, why not add marketing experience, too? Here are top digital-marketing strategies that MSPs need to be aware of.

Effective website

Your business needs to put its best foot forward online. To do this, you need a website that effectively outlines who you are, what you do, and how you can help. Remember that minimalist design works best. It provides easy navigation and comprehension. Forego flashy graphics and colorful fonts. Users want to know if you’re the best MSP choice, so don’t confuse them with heavy text and useless information. You need to proofread everything, too. Trust and reliability fall with each misspelled word and a broken link, so make a great first impression because you won’t get a second chance.

Successful email marketing

Email marketing isn’t new. By now, most people have an email address, along with a spam or junk folder. As an MSP, you don’t want to be thrown in the trash right off the bat, so make sure your email marketing is top-notch. It’s a fairly simple and great way to quickly reach out to current and future clients, retain customers and generate leads. Emails should always contain a subject line that encourages recipients to open the email, and the first sentence should state the purpose of the email. Have catchy subject lines that include a deal no one can pass up. Or perhaps mention a recent award or new-and-improved service. Emails sent for the following reasons are particularly helpful when trying to retain customers and generate leads:

• New service offerings
• Service discounts
• News releases

The body of the email should contain valuable information that helps recipients. An enticing call to action should conclude the email. Keep the message short and sweet since you’re competing for people’s time.

SEO

After you’ve created a great website and have harnessed the power of email marketing, search engine optimization (SEO) is your next step. This provides trackable and quantifiable results when it comes to web traffic and visitors. Learn how to use top industry keywords to your advantage, and you’ll get found in no time by qualified leads.

The first thing that you need to do is an SEO analysis to determine how you IT company can truly benefit from this digital-marketing strategy. An SEO analysis can be done to see if there are flaws in your SEO strategies. SEO experts are able to quickly determine if something is helping or hurting search rankings. The analysis includes the following:

• Keywords and links
• Website code
• Content

Changes can be made if SEO flaws are found. SEO experts with experience are able to quickly make changes that produce results.

Relevant content

Blogs, white papers, case studies, and e-books position your MSP as a go-to source. Information-rich content that provides value to users makes you seem reliable and trustworthy. Plus, doing some keyword research can help you identify customer pain points so you can craft the perfect piece of helpful content. Search engines will see that users land on your site and stay, which will increase your SEO rankings.

Social media monitoring

Get an edge over your competitors with social media marketing for service providers. Here you can identify potential customers by monitoring industry-related keywords on social media. You can see what type of individual is looking for “managed service providers,” which will help you in the long run. You’ll be able to target this type of customer with relevant content. This will not only give you a competitive advantage, but it’ll also solidify customer relationships. Always keep clients and potential clients wanting more!

As an MSP, you need to show the world what you can do. By creating a user-friendly website, sending eye-catching emails, and perfecting SEO through content and social media, you’ll be well on your way to digital marketing success. Help users discover all the wonderful things you can offer by providing a solid digital presence. They need to see that your company will make a great fit.

Now that you understand some of the best strategies you should be utilizing in terms of digital marketing for service providers, it’s time to make sure you’re getting the benefits from your investment. The best marketing campaigns are those that have a high return on investment (ROI). All of the marketing bells and whistles in the world mean nothing if a campaign isn’t making your IT  company money. Here are 4 quick fixes to boost your IT company marketing ROI:

Quick fix #1: Strategic messaging

Copywriting is writing that’s intended to sell a product or service. The key element of effective copywriting is strategic messaging. Knowing what makes customers tick allows strategic messages to be carefully placed throughout text across multiple mediums, including:

• Landing pages
• Emails
• Brochures

Good copy draws readers further and further into the sales funnel as they read. A tremendous ROI can be seen from a carefully worded piece of copy.

Quick fix #2: Video production

Video is quickly becoming a great marketing outlet. Animated videos that educate viewers and promote products and services are particularly advantageous for IT companies. Presenting technical information in an easy-to-understand animated video gives clients all the information they need without making them feel overwhelmed. Marketing professionals are a great resource when making an animated video. They know what works and what doesn’t and can customize a video to meet the specific needs of a company.

Quick fix #3: Offer rewards

Offering rewards is a great quick fix. It reaches out to current clients and says “thank you,” and encourages them to buy more products and services. It also entices future clients to do the same. Common rewards systems that have proven to be effective include the following:

• Anniversary discounts
• Referral discounts
• Point system incentives

Rewards incentives that are carefully aligned with a company’s marketing budget provide companies with the highest ROI.

Quick fix #4: Update web content

As we mentioned earlier, having relevant content and giving a website a quick content update can help search-engine rankings. This can lead to more leads and sales. A quick and easy way to update content is to put out a series of blog posts that provide readers with helpful IT information. Blog posts that are carefully organized and easy-to-read benefit readers the most.

ROI is what counts the most in marketing campaigns. IT companies that focus on ROI and use proven digital-marketing strategies will get the most out of their marketing campaigns.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss how our team can help with digital-marketing strategies for your managed service provider business, contact us today.