Managed Service Providers (MSPs) often find it challenging to build an online presence that connects them with their target audience. Most times, finding the right balance between handling daily tasks and maintaining a strong brand online can seem overwhelming for any MSP. Nevertheless, ignoring the online space can be detrimental to an MSP resulting in a number of them hiring an in-house team or outsourcing their digital marketing to professional agencies.
How MSPs can succeed in digital marketing
Digital marketing for managed service providers is guided by best practices that ensure everything goes as planned. It is therefore imperative for digital marketers in the MSP space to familiarize themselves with winning tactics and ensure their strategies succeed. Some of the ways to be successful in online marketing for MSPs are:
Defining your target market
To succeed in msp digital marketing, you need to identify the type of person that will be interested in buying your products. The best way to do this is by developing a buyer persona for every segment within your target market. The persona which represents your customers should be defined according to their demographics, goals and even small details such as their wishes or needs. Since the personas are built from actual prospects, you could consider their company, job title, skills, and internet activity so that the content is specific to their needs.
Customizing your online content
It is tempting to present similar content to your clients and hope they will connect with it and respond by purchasing your products. However, this strategy does not work with MSPs as their clients are often at different stages of the buying process and need content that is relevant to them. Fusion Computing Limited, a Toronto managed it services provider advises creating a blog post calendar with various topics that will appeal to your customer and prospects alike. Also, ensure that you regularly update the schedule to create content that responds to feedback from your clients.
Creating specific Calls-To-Action
Never leave your target audience without a way forward whenever you post content online. It is essential to include a call-to-action that guides your customers to click on specific links while explaining the benefits they will receive when they do so. Additionally, you can customize your landing page so that your customers have a clear picture of what is expected of them when on the site.
Keeping track of online users
Tracking engagement on your MSP website, advertisements and content are important, if you want to succeed in digital marketing. You need to be sure that the content being developed is relevant to the target audience and they are responding to the information as expected. Ensure that every metric is tracked including bounce rate, conversion rate, page views, unique visitors and traffic from various search engines. In addition to tracking, it is crucial to test the details of your website and other platforms that are part of your digital marketing to ensure everything is working well.
Choosing social media sites wisely
Social media has become an essential part of any digital strategy and MSPs are not left behind. However, it is good to note that every social media site needs a specific approach if you are to succeed in targeting the right customer for your products. To be successful, it is important to find out the social media sites that your target customer uses on a regular basis and share content on those platforms. Also, ensure that posting is done regularly and at specific times for the benefit of your clients.
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Why digital marketing is vital for MSPs
Digital marketing for IT service providers cannot be underestimated in this technologically advanced world. Many clients seeking IT services are using the internet to search for companies that will offer them services as individuals or organizations. Some of the advantages of digital marketing for MSPs include:
Makes recruiting of new clients easy
Engaging online content keeps your target market coming back for more which allows you to get information about their likes and dislikes regarding your services. Most times, content that is well written and optimized reaches customers and provides answers to questions they may have about the services offered. As your prospects respond to the content provided through your website or social media platform, you can get leads that can be followed up and converted to sales. Additionally, the rise in the number of online users makes having a digital marketing strategy an excellent way to gain clients easily.
Helps MSPs understand client needs
MSPs can only meet the needs of their clients once they know their preferences and interests. Thankfully, digital marketing makes this possible by offering statistics on their interaction with different platforms and provides specific feedback. MSPs can use the feedback report to create more content that resonates well with their clients resulting in a better connection and actual sales. The better you understand your customer, the easier it will be to offer them solutions to their present challenges through the services you provide.
Gives you control of the business image
The way your target market perceives your business is based on your interaction with customers online. Research shows that up to eighty percent of online users do some research on a company before deciding to buy from them. It is therefore important to be careful of the information shared through various platforms as part of the marketing strategy for an IT service provider. MSPs can choose to use their website to offer information about their unique services and sell as well. On the other hand, social media can be their arm for connecting with new and old clients before directing them to the website. All in all, having a vibrant website and social media page keeps you at the top of the clients’ mind and the industry as a whole.
Conclusion
In general, managed service providers need to invest in digital marketing so that they can build a brand within their industry. Although the work involved in developing a successful marketing strategy online may look tasking, the results will be worth it.