I have worked with over 100 service providers of all stripes – ISP, WISP, MSP, CLEC, ILEC, MSO, cableco, VoIP/UCaaS, CCaaS, cellco and fiber providers. Most have marketing problems. They want Lead Generation. (Who doesn’t?) They tried stuff for a month. It didn’t work. They stopped. Sound about right?
Then you have to DO the marketing for a period of time. It takes 20+ touches to get a prospect’s attention now. There are many vehicles to get your message across to them. Make a plan, work the plan.
This post is from an IT provider explaining 3 things he learned from a RR workshop. Much of it is Marketing 101 – who is your Buyer? What pain can you solve? Tell a story that resonates.
Marketing starts with your Value. What is your Value Proposition? Why should someone buy from YOU instead of the others that look just like you?
This MSP explains how he designed a Purple Cow in order to stand out from other MSPs. I’m not saying you need to build an app or anything, but you need to know what makes you different. It isn’t a feature or “your people”. It can be your culture (see Zappos; RIP Tony Hsieh) or a benefit that your customers derive from working with you.
If you are looking for Lead Gen, there are a number of MSP specific firms that can provide that for you. Robin Robins doesn’t do the work for you. She provides tools that you have to use (customize) for your business to then actually do the marketing. (The line between marketing and sales seems small.) The biggest complaint for service providers is that although vendors may provide collateral or marketing assistance, they don’t have the time or desire or know how to get it done. Help is available. Mojo Marketing, MindMatrix, Ulistic, MSPMarketing and others.
Besides Robin, there are other peer groups to join – CompTIA, IT Nation, Tech Tribe and ASCII. Peer groups help you network with other like minded people who understand your business and struggles. There is a lot to be gained from a MasterMind group, but you only get out of it what you put into it. You end up working ON your business as well as IN your business – but that’s how you get it to grow.
Other ideas to try yourself:
Build a Prospect List. Use a CRM and an email platform like MailChimp.
Write scripts for email, elevator pitches, voicemail, phone calls. Constantly tweak these.
Google Adwords! Understand the keyword that YOUR customers would search for, build landing pages around that keyword and offer. Track it!
Direct mail still works. It requires many touches.
For 2021, the marketing experts say that Influencers will be the key. So find out who your customers would listen to – and partner with them.
LinkedIn! You might try the strategy this MSP used. Daily habits equal sales.
Do you curate testimonials and reviews? I was just speaking with a company that automates that for you called NiceJob out of Vancouver.
Pick a program and work it to more sales in 2021. Need help? As always give the office a call at (813) 963-5884 for all of your sales and marketing needs!
