A Sale’s Many Stages
MSP marketing should be designed to cover multiple stages of client acquisition. There is something called a “sales funnel.” This is a way of understanding the process a customer goes through before deciding to work with a company. The sales funnel for IT services is usually slightly longer, in terms of time, than other areas of commerce; however, the stages are essentially the same. They include the:
• Awareness stage
• Consideration stage
• Decision stage
Prospective buyers first must become conscious enough of that which your company provides to justify a decision— that decision requires careful consideration. Of the three stages, the one MSPs are most keen to get to is the decision stage, but the one that is likely most important is the awareness stage. Without passing the awareness threshold, clients can never come to a decision. So you want to be very strategic as you design marketing solutions here. Three elements which define good awareness stage content include:
• Identifying areas of pain
• Designing content which educates
• Ensuring content isn’t difficult to find
Identifying Areas of Pain
Like many businesses, MSP marketing is promoting services that are, to some degree, representing solutions for problems. There is a problem of efficiency solved through streamlined network design. Perhaps a cost problem is solved through a cloud upgrade. Every client is going to have unique problems, but every client will also have problems which are shared. You want to focus on common issues that a great number of clients are likely to face. Identify “pain points” and design your content to address those areas of operation. This is one of the best ways to funnel clients your direction. They search for a solution and you give it to them with your content.
Designing Content Which Educates
Once you draw clients in by offering to help solve common problems, it is time to provide useful, actionable information. Design content well enough and your prospects— as well as existing clients— will share it themselves. Perhaps your content poses a common problem and then follows through with reasons such a problem is likely to occur, areas where prevention stopped a major incident, and what measures need to be taken for that prevention. Take passwords, for instance. Most companies have very insecure passwords, leaving them wide open for cybercriminals to exploit. A blog addressing this issue might ask a question of the reader which is likely to encourage further reading. Something like: “Have you been hit by ransomware recently?” or a similar query. Then one possible solution— password optimization— is explored. This is a solution the prospect can apply on their own, making you a resource. Contact and awareness have been achieved— now you just need to impact your prospects seven more times.
Ensuring Content Isn’t Difficult To Find
Use guest blogs, solid SEO, and marketing agencies who understand means of ensuring visibility. You want your content to be easily found and ingested by prospects. Don’t neglect social media and it’s a good idea to re-post impacting blogs at intervals.
Optimizing Your Awareness Content
MSP marketing through MSP SEO Factory is designed with these things in mind, as well as a host of other vetted marketing strategies. Contact us to streamline your content, increase awareness, and secure more leads.
