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I ask MSPs all the time if they’re happy with the MSP marketing content they’re posting on their website, social media, providing in sales meetings, and being written for their business.
The VAST majority of them say no.
Our industry is plagued by a slew of really terrible content… Does any of this look familiar?
Why is this stuff so prevalent?
We use marketing to drive leads. That’s the point. So, the most obvious seeming path to creating content is to make sure everything is created to sell! Surely, that will increase leads.
Ironically, the opposite is usually true.
Instead of understanding our target markets true pain points, what they are interacting with, and what they’re searching online, we cram “dark web monitoring” and “Call us today” crap that is NEVER GOING TO WORK when trying to build an inbound content strategy.
A Better Approach to MSP Marketing Content
If you’ve listened to our podcast No Fluff MSP Marketing or read our blog on marketing strategy, you know we’re obsessed with the marketing persona or avatar. Truly understanding that person, their motivations, where they congregate, and what they’re searching for will be everything you need to make compelling content.
I won’t rehash that on here but will instead provide specific examples of how we use what that person cares about to make content they’ll engage with.
Instead of creating content to fill out the checklist of “things you should be doing for marketing,” it should be created with the intent to engage and convert your target market.
I can write all day on this topic, but for the sake of your time I’ll go with the show instead of tell approach.
MSP Marketing Content to Answer Specific Questions
“We’re paying for these expensive M365 subscriptions, but I feel like we’re not using them right.”
“Something is wrong with our office. Things are just slow. Our IT Provider says everything is fine, but we need a deep dive to figure this out.”
“We have so many different types of licenses. We don’t know what we do or don’t need!”
“Why do we need to upgrade our computers? They’re older but they seem to be doing fine.”
I care about Cybersecurity, but I’m not even sure what it means! No one explains it in simple terms.”
“Everyone seems to recommend Microsoft over Google. Is that just a preference? What’s the difference?
“More of our employees have remote flexibility. Should they be using their computer? Do we buy them additional computers? We need a process.”
I could do this all day, because there is an endless amount of engaging content you can create that speaks to your target market.
No more overly technical crap. No more residential focused blogs. No more posting just to post! It has to be targeted and engaging.
It doesn’t have to be selling. It can be fun and funny. It can be educational. It can be valuable. It CAN’T be corporate-washed, brain off, boring bland bologna.
Think about how much time you just spent reading this blog. Do you think you would have made it this far if I filled this piece with generic advice with the content to match? Of course not, so why do we think our prospects will? That’s the point I hope to get across.
A Strategy for Effective MSP Marketing Content
We’ve gone over the prevalence of crap content in the MSP space and have shown specific examples of how we take the challenges and quotes from our target market and turn it into compelling content. So, how can we systemize this so you can create your own awesome content that can drive leads?
- Write down the questions you get from clients and prospects.
- Review your service tickets. What recurring questions do decision makers ask?
- Create a list of pain points and challenges that are common across your target market.
- This exercise will make it clear as day the type of content you can write, videos to film/create, or graphics to design.
- Use Google Keyword planner (free) or a paid tool like SEMRUSH to identify keywords your target might be searching regarding these pain points.
- Lay out the framework of the campaign you’re creating so it’s cohesive. We don’t want one-off content or haphazard publishing. Here’s a general layout of the pieces included in the campaigns we provide and run for ourselves:
- Pain points and opportunities
- Blogs
- Direct Mail
- Email campaign
- Infographics
- Video (live action, tech tips, motion graphics)
- Remarketing Ads
- Social media campaign
- You can check out our free “Campaign Implementation guide” to understand how to launch your campaign as well.
- Stay consistent! The right content published consistently to your target market will start a flywheel.
I became obsessed with content about 6 years ago when our MSP was under $1 million in revenue. Today, we are $4.5 million and growing fast. Effective MSP Marketing content may not be easy, but it sure is effective!
MSP Marketing Content Doesn’t Have to Be Difficult
MSP Marketing Content is difficult because technology can be dense and what we do encompasses so much. While that’s a challenge, it’s also an opportunity, because there are so many effective campaigns we can run to get the interest of our target market.
If you need “paint on canvas” we have over 12 full marketing, dozens of Tech Tips, Templates, and Guides to get you started. Canva files make it easy to change anything in the campaign to customize it for your MSP.
To make the decision as easy as possible, we have a full 30-day trial and no contracts. Cancel anytime. I don’t want anyone paying us unless they’re thrilled with what they’re getting! It’s worth jumping in and checking out what we have. Our current trial conversion rate is 60%. We’re not for everyone and that’s okay.
