MSP Marketing Strategy: 9-Step Result-Oriented MSP Marketing Plan

Table of Contents

The entry of flexible working is adding to the complexity of work. The challenge facing companies is to integrate contingent resources with the permanent workforce to create one cohesive talent model or solution. Increasingly, employers are turning to Managed Services Providers (MSPs).

Being a Managed Services Provider, it’s your responsibility to provide IT and manpower support to companies of all descriptions. You make the best use of MSP marketing trends and create opportunities to escalate recurring revenues and grow your business. You need a fine-tuned MSP Marketing strategy that guides clients effortlessly through your sales funnel.

Understanding the MSP Marketing Concept

What is MSP marketing? Through MSP marketing, you’ll be outlining a comprehensive master plan designed to boost the sale of managed IT services. The overwhelming focus will be on targeting audiences and influencing prospective clients to seek you out.

The lead generation MSP marketing process is highly consultative in nature, and you’ll be investing weeks, probably months, engaging and educating your leads and transitioning them into your sales cycle. Your clients will be interested in outsourcing network administration, monitoring, and maintenance on a contractual basis, and it’s the job of an MSP marketing services agency to secure qualified leads that can be converted to paying customers.

MSP marketing is not the usual marketing spiel. It’s not about convincing prospects why they need you. MSP marketing is built as a two-way process where the service provider and the client are confident that by synergizing operations both stand to benefit.

The good news is that we’ve struck the formula sourced and sustained by the most experienced growth hacks in MSP digital marketing. But we share it with an important rider. Ensure that you stay committed to the process even if it is time-consuming, and you’ll stay invested in its success because if you’re patient, the rewards will be generous.

Step1#: The Best MSP Marketing Companies Customize Websites That Attract Eyeballs, Elicit Responses, and Spur Conversions

It’s a big mistake to opt for website templates that come with canned content – the result isn’t visually appealing, won’t be interesting enough to convert visitors, and to add insult to injury won’t be indexed by Google crawler bots. You need a site with original content that is designed not only to elicit response, but be appealing both to search engine and to users. Here, everything matters, from your website structure to CTA buttons and forms.

Checklist Used by Top MSP Marketing Companies for Designing the Ideal Website

The site offers original content that directly addresses the client’s needs and pain points.
The site is responsive to queries and is mobile compatible.
Includes lots of visuals of your A-team in action, and shows who is involved in decision making.
Prime your go-getters to explain the fundamentals of what you do and how you implement your strategy. Watching MSP marketing company aficionados in videos adds an element of trust that convinces clients.
Ease site navigation by underlining crystal clear calls-to-action to improve the user experience.
Bring top-notch integration into content marketing through informative blogs that address client pain points vividly, and where possible discuss the real case studies. Structuring your website, from service pages to blog posts is crucial and will be discussed later in the post: your content should reflect all the potential combinations the user might use to find your services, while your blog posts should address the informational keywords that for users at the top and middle of the sales funnel. Along with that correct keyword distribution have to be created, avoid keyword cannibalization.
Boost the trust quotient by incorporating reputed client and partner logos and testimonials from top-end experts that enjoy good community following in their niche.
Opt for dedicated hosts with independent server infrastructure, and avoid cheap shared hosting solutions.
Redesign input forms with client-qualifying queries such as “What is the size of your company, and how many users do you cater to?” so you can zero in on ideal clients.

Remember that clients are coming to you to redress their specific grievances, so design your pages to permit easy navigation, and don’t make clients dig deep to find answers. It would be worthwhile installing Google Tag Manager and embed and administer the code for analytics scripts before you launch the site so you can track your progress and measure the success of your campaign.

Step #2 – Onboard Professionals to Clean up Code and Streamline On-Page SEO of Your MSP Company

Consider SEO optimization as a long-term lead generating machine that will autopilot your website as you push high-quality content. Remember that Google can’t rank your site in Top 10 unless your pages pop up with maximum efficiency.

If you’re making a solo entry into cyberspace without professional hand-holding, consider creating your website or blog using WordPress with a Yoast plugin. Yoast will make it infinitely easier to optimize your pages from the SEO angle before launching.

It’s important to know how the site is performing and know the deficiencies that impact your search engine ranking. The best way to get through that maze is to integrate the Google Search Console with Google Analytics, so you get a steady stream of powerful insights into what works for you and what doesn’t.

MSP Marketing Tips

Clean up your code and structure your site correctly to ensure it loads faster for better user experience.

Perform a site audit to know where you stand on essential parameters that determine on-page optimization.

It’s highly recommended to get a professional to perform SEO on your new website, as that frees you up to focus on your core campaigns

Perform in-depth keyword research to identify all the niche-relevant opportunities: we come across plenty of clients who miss out on entire market segments due to poor research and analysis. Keywords research should always be your starting point for any SEO endeavors. First, divide the keywords based on the topics, services or even locations if it is applicable. Second, try to segment the keywords based on ToFu, MoFu and BoFu principles. Namely, The BoFu (Bottom of the Funnel) keywords will be the commercial or service keywords, when the users know exactly what they need and are looking for a solution. Example of BoFu keyword is ‘cloud integration service’. When entering the BoFu keyword the user is usually aware of the ‘problem’ they have and are looking for a solution. They are not looking for definitions or general benefits. They are looking for a company that will help them solve their issue and tell them why your company is their best choice. That means your BoFu page should be targeted at commercial keywords like ‘managed IT services’, while your ToFu pages should cover the rest of the informational niche like ‘Guide to IT Management’.

Make sure to create the perfect website structure right from the start. Use your keyword research to come up with the website wireframe. Website wireframe will allow you to visualize the optimal plan of all the categories on your website. This will ensure that you cover the entire niche, present your services in the most optimal and intuitive way to your clients. The website structure should cover all the clusters of the keywords that you have discovered during the keyword research and each sub-cluster should correspond with a specific set of keywords. For instance, you might discover certain industry or location-based opportunities with sufficient search volume to warrant the use of separate pages.

Watch out for correct keyword distribution and avoid keyword cannibalization. Here many companies go wrong. Make sure that each and every page on your website targets a specific set of keywords. Having pages optimized for the same keywords can confuse the search engine and make your pages compete against each other. Say, you have two pages optimized for ‘managed it services’. Google will crawl your website and would have to choose which page to show to the user. This creates the ‘keyword cannibalization’. On the other hand, if you have one well-planned page, with great structure, well-thought-out subheadings, top-notch optimization, and clean code then you have more chances to get better rankings. Google bots analyze the structure of your website, and the websites with a clear structure, proper keyword distribution across pages have better chances of making the Top 10 cut.

Pay attention to onsite optimization of your pages. Many owners underestimate the importance of onsite optimization, however, based on our experience even the smallest tweakings in content length, structure, titles, and subheadings have an impact on the rankings. Start with the page title. What is your page about? What are the main keywords that your page targets? Does the title correspond with the rest of the content on your page? Pay attention to H tags. H tags should be the logical representation, or summary, of your content. Use only one H1 tag on the page and then open up the subject with H2-3 tags. Make sure to structure your service pages and blog posts correctly. The best way to structure your service page will be discussed later.

Step #3 – Run MSP Content Marketing in Top Gear to Maximize Market Visibility

The whole shebang of content marketing through creative blogs, appealing infographics, vibrant videos, and informative podcasts can’t be a one-off affair where you post in bulk and disappear for months.

Regardless of the time and energy involved or the expenses you bear, content marketing working in tandem with MSP SEO optimization is a long-term strategy you can’t afford to ignore because it directly impacts site ranking in searches.

It’s a tough grind but all the hard work pays handsomely as Google begins indexing your content and ranking it – you’ll see how the traffic picks up and so will the leads.

Conversion ready keywords will add spice to your MSP Content Marketing campaign – like IT company/services/support, network support, outsourced IT, IT consultant, managed service provider or IT service provider – take each one of them and handcraft content that expands on what you have to offer.

Efficient MSP Content Marketing Strategies Used by the Best MSP Marketing Companies

Outline a content marketing to-do calendar spanning 12 to 18 months that’ll add ballast to any campaign.
Posting content four times monthly should be the bare minimum, try more.
If you already have content on your website, it is imperative to perform the separate content audit to make the best of your efforts. A content audit will help you get an idea of the pages with the highest traffic, impressions, most backlinks and bounce rates. For instance, if the page gets a lot of hits, but a high bounce rate – go back and analyze why this is going on. Or, if the page has a lot of links but poor organic search visibility, go back and work on onsite optimization to ensure that your offsite efforts do not go to waste.
Just as a doctor assesses the patient’s pain points before prescribing medication, know your clients’ distress before responding specifically to address their issues. Use your keyword research to plan and structure your content. When working on blog posts, keep in mind that the best-ranking pages, not only in desktop search but in voice search are 2000 words or longer.
Ensure the content is relevant to your locality wherever possible, so you have a finger on the pulse of local clients that tell you how you respond.
Remember to evergreen your content – content stays relevant to the audience you’re targeting, it always interests the readers, it never becomes dated, and most important, the content helps you move up the search rankings.

Complete SEO Services and Solutions that make a huge difference

Let us show you what we can do for you

Step #4 – It Is Crucial for MSP Website to Have Optimized and Properly Structured Service Pages To Drive Conversions

Many business owners pay a great deal of attention to their traffic and rankings, often overlooking the leads and conversions that each page delivers. Meanwhile, properly structuring each of your service pages will not only allow you to rank better and drive traffic but also increase conversions.

Design.
Do not overdo with design elements. Rather focus on making your website intuitive and attractive for your target customer.
Page layout.
The page needs to be a mini roadmap from seeing your company for the first time to deciding to contact you. Firstly, show them that you understand their problems, outlining the pain points they might be facing. Then move on to demonstrating that you have an all-inclusive solution to solve any issues they might have. After that build connection and trust between you and your client: outline the benefits of using your company, tell them why they should trust you. And then close the deal by providing reviews and case studies. When preparing your content have a buyer persona in mind: are you targeting decision maker or an industry professional? What would be important to mention and what would catch their attention?
CTA.
Consider how you will capture the lead? We have discovered that the majority of people are more likely to get in touch when they can see the form they have to fill out right there in front of them (on the right-hand side), as opposed to taking them to a separate contact page. Test, document and use the best option.

Step #5 – Optimize MSP Marketing Automation to Counter the Competition

Do you know how expert MSP marketing strategists outgun the competition? They don’t launch campaigns unless they have the lowdown on their 10 toughest competitors. They know how their competitors build sites, the tools that they leverage, the ads they’re running, the kind of backlinks that work for them, and possibly how much it’s costing the competition to do their magic.

If you know your competition inside out, your counter-campaign strategy will gain the aggression of a Great white shark – soon, you’ll be biting off chunks of competitor traffic, your business grows and so will your leads.

Leverage online tools like SEMRush and Ahrefs that deliver breathtaking insights into how competitors are scaling their SEO and PPC strategies. Understand the competition, study them intimately, and design MSP marketing campaigns in ways that’ll beat them at their game.

Step 6# –Your MSP Marketing Strategy Is as Effective as Your Call Tracking, Form Tracking, and Lead Conversion Analysis

Have you heard MSP marketing pros waxing eloquent about measuring a campaign to manage the campaign? Well, they do have a point. When you’re spending money on building a buzz around your online presence, you shouldn’t be ignoring the phone calls, filled in forms, and email queries that the campaign generates. Tracking, recording or documenting each MSP inbound marketing query is critical to your business just as much as the campaign itself.

You should be able to track all your primary marketing avenues such as organic search, Google ads, Facebook, LinkedIn or any number of referral campaigns that you initiate. The net result is that your decisions will be driven by data, not personal assumptions or market rumors.

These periodically generated reports will show you the precise lead-generating power of each MSP marketing channel. If a significant chunk of leads is coming via one particular referral, that’s the area that should be receiving maximum attention. If Facebook isn’t working for you, spend less there and divert valuable resources to channels that are more lucrative.

Consider lead tracking analysis as a training tool that can make your team understand client dynamics and strategize how they can respond effectively.

Step #7 – Review Whether Lead Generation MSP IT Marketing Is Producing Desired Results

In turning the spotlight on your online MSP marketing campaign, are you guilty of neglecting the leads you’re generating? MSP marketing and sales teams make the mistake of ignoring online lead tracking tools and end up rerouting leads to mobiles to handle clients directly. It’s the worst-case scenario when the CFO of a 200+ user company makes a call and is hung up on because your voicemail box says it’s full. If you’re dropping leads in this manner, it’s time and money wasted.

This is why it is important to have a professional, knowledgeable, technologically empowered, and responsive sales force in place to crown your MSP marketing campaign. Whether you’re solo or managing a team, ensure you have what it takes to be an effective salesperson for that crucial last mile delivery.

Step #8: Use Ads Correctly to Power Your MSP Marketing Plan

Although paid ads are not a part of SEO campaigns, properly set up paid campaigns targeting ads at the right people, within the proper demographic, at the right time, and if you get your act together, your initiatives will bear fruit. And, one of the best ways to get started is by using Google Ads.

Do you know why most MSP Adwords campaigns fail? It’s because marketers waste tons of cash on clicks that are wholly irrelevant to their MSP. So you need to get the hang of all the negative keywords specific to your MSP niche so that only the ideal client comes knocking at your doorstep.

Ineffective landing pages also spell failure for MSP marketing AdWords campaigns, and the only way around that is to ensure you’re addressing the specific needs of the client.

Identify Audience Specific Marketing Topics for MSP and Landing Pages That Answer Leading Client Queries

Are you aware of how your present IT company is helping you, and in which way?
Would you consider your existing IT provider to be slow and tardy in project implementation?
Is your IT Company responding to your problems the way you deserve to be serviced?
Do you frequently worry that critical IT systems are slowing down and downtime is a serious issue?

Do you get the feeling that your business is scaling beyond the reach of your IT provider?
Do you feel that your IT infrastructure is escalating costs and is affecting your bottom-line?
Is your cyber security plan sufficiently advanced to defend the company against modern threats?
Has your existing IT provider outlined a comprehensive backup and disaster recovery plan?

Once you’ve ironed out these major glitches, you’re ready to dive into your Cost-per-Click (CPC) and Cost-per-Lead (CPL) campaigns. Remember that the success of these campaigns hinges a great deal on where you’re located. Contrary to what many marketers say, areas such as LA, New York, San Diego, and the Midwest show higher click and conversion rates in the band $12 to $30. On the other hand, if you scan the data for Miami or Texas, you’ll see the asking rate shooting up to $80 clicks for keywords that may not even be your ideal leads.

Marketing MSP Services Through Effective CPC or CPL Campaigns

Hire a Google Adwords professional with intimate location-specific knowledge of the industry and its clients’ needs.
Create MSP landing pages that address local customer concerns.
Build on a modest MSP marketing budget and scale your campaign in stages only after probing the effectiveness of your landing pages.
Focus on vertical advertising by gathering and exploiting the keywords that are commonly used in forums, publications, and websites specific to your industry. Ensure that your negative keyword listings are identified to block searches that don’t yield useful leads.
Shun Google Adwords Express and resist the urge to automate PPC bids because the system generally works to make you spend money unnecessarily by targeting vague and conversion-unfriendly keywords.

MSP Marketing Strategy: The Bottom-Line

When it’s all said and done, all you want to do is to close deals that’ll drive business, and these tried and trusted strategies used by some of the most exceptional MSP owners in the industry will help you do just that. If you leverage these MSP marketing tips as your definitive guide, very soon the day will dawn when you progress from novice to mentor and be the one inspiring others to business success.