As an MSP marketing specialist, Ulistic says it’s common to hear from MSPs who are continually frustrated by their inability to attract leads.
Get leads, get leads, get leads … all MSPs think about is getting new leads. They also think that the sole goal of MSP marketing is to attract leads.
And technically … they’re right.
But chasing leads is not our goal.
Instead, we want leads going to you.
This is called inbound marketing (as opposed to outbound marketing), and it’s your key to success as a managed service provider who’s looking for the easiest and most effective way to attract new clients.
What Is Inbound Marketing?
There are essentially two types of marketing: outbound and inbound.
Outbound marketing is what most MSP companies think of when they think of marketing in general. This type of marketing means that the company itself (the one looking for leads) initiates communication. You might send out emails to a list of potential leads. You might put an ad in the newspaper or online. Radio ads are forms of outbound marketing campaigns, as are cold colds. Finally, catalogs, banners, flyers, and other print media are all included too.
If you’ve ever dabbled in any of these types of services and products, you know that these things cost money — a lot of money. If they work, great! But more often than not, they don’t work. And that’s money down the drain for you.
Inbound marketing essentially means that your potential customers or clients already know what they want, and they are searching for you, instead of the other way around.
Of course, the key here is that you have to be able to be found, and this is where inbound marketing services such as SEO content, opt-in emails, and paid search campaigns come into play.
How Do You Start Using Inbound Marketing to Attract MSP Clients?
If you’re not familiar with any of these marketing techniques or terms like SEO and ROI, don’t worry.
You own a managed service provider company. You are in the business of information technology. That’s your area of expertise, and let’s leave it that way.
What’s important, however, is that you direct your marketing team in the creation and management of these strategies because, more than likely, they’re going to try to get you to try outbound marketing. Sure, using a few of those strategies can work sometimes, but what we’re trying to drive home here is how very effective inbound marketing can be.
What Are the Major Points You Need to Know About Inbound Marketing?
Someone who is looking for IT support for their company in City X already knows what they want. We call these leads “solution seekers” Because they’ve decided what they’re looking for, and now they simply need to find it.
This is where you come in.
You need to have a place for these potential leads to “land.”
Fittingly, you need “landing pages.” We recommend starting with the following landing pages, optimized for the most searched-for keywords. Essentially, you’re creating pages on your website that focus on exactly what the solution seekers are seeking. Then, you direct them to contact you with a CTA (call to action).
Again, if this sounds complicated, don’t worry. Just talk to your MSP marketing agency about setting up these pages:
“IT Support + [name of city]” (Targeting geographical areas is essential as many companies know that they want to stay local with their managed service provider and will their city as a keyword.)
“Business IT Support”
“IT Support Costs Per User”
“Office 365 Consultants” (Even though Microsoft 365 has taken the place of Office 365, a lot of companies still use the latter.)
Speak to Your MSP Marketing Team About Optimizing for Inbound SEO
Ready to get started with inbound marketing? Contact your MSP marketing team today at Ulsitic by visiting https://www.ulistic.com and discuss your options.
