As you head into 2024, here are absolute codswallop myths about marketing your MSP that could hold you back. Let's bust them!
Heads up people.
32 days till 2024.
Tomorrow, it's December...
😱
So as we hurtle into 2024, here are 5 myths about MSP marketing that I want to scrub from your head so you approach it with new vigour next year. Big bristly mythbusting brush ready, here we go...
Myth 1: Marketing is a dark art and not at all logical
I'm not a technical person. If you explained the ins and outs of something technical to me I'd glaze over and possibly slip into a coma. And you'd be baffled, because to you tech stuff is logical and delicious and systemisable and you love it.
Marketing is to me what tech stuff is to you. You might see it as a baffling and maybe even boring dark art. But to me, it's logical and delicious and systemisable and I love it.
The best marketing for any MSP is a series of small, easy to implement actions that you can repeat daily, weekly or monthly. So you end up with marketing that never ever ends - ther perfect way to get the right message in front of the right person at exactly the right time.
Myth 2: You need lots of cash to do good marketing
Sure, having cash helps. Cash lets you buy other people's time or invest in marketing services.
But any MSP can set up a really, really good marketing system with almost zero cash outlay.
Take my simple 3 step marketing strategy:
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Build multiple audiences (such as your LinkedIn and email list)
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Build a relationship with them (through content marketing, so daily social posts and a weekly email)
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Commercialise the relationship (get them to book a 15 min Zoom with you at the point they are thinking of switching MSPs)
You can set up all of this spending just a tiny amount of cash.
By the way... if you had £99 / $129 a month spare, my MSP Marketing Edge would be an excellent investment... as a) it's built around that exact strategy, and b) there's no contract, cancel any time.
Myth 3: You need to hire a marketing agency
There are lots of great marketing agencies in the channel (and of course a few ropey ones). A great agency can save you a lot of time and effort building a spectacular website, and putting smart digital marketing strategies in place.
But you will pay for this, and through the nose. If you're not paying an eye watering price to an agency, then they're probably not that good at what they do.
So hiring an agency is what you do when you have an abundance of spare cash, and want to invest in the long-term growth of the business.
Reality check: You want one new client of about 10 to 20 users every month, right? That would change your life if you could achieve that every month... agreed?
To get that new client you just need two highly qualified leads a month (assuming you have a 50% close rate). At this stage of your growth a marketing agency might be overkill.
Myth 4: Marketing is all about the digital stuff
Digital stuff is great as it's low cost and relatively easy. The downside is EVERYONE does digital stuff. That makes it very hard to stand out from your competitors.
Never underestimate the ongoing power of physical stuff in our digital world. Members of my MSP Marketing Edge have:
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An IT Services Buyers Guide
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A book on business email compromise with their name on the cover
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A monthly printed newsletter
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Marketing campaigns with lumpy mailers
Because these physical items speed up their marketing and lead generation. They will stand out in a way their competitors can never hope to match.
Which leads me onto...
Myth 5: You have to beat ALL of your competitors in order to win
Simply not true. There's plenty of business for plenty of MSPs, but you don't have to be at the very top of the pile to win. You just need to be a bit better than some of your local competitors.
Remember what I said earlier about just wanting one new client a month? That's a great mindset and context with which to approach all of your marketing.
Don't get me wrong, it's fantastic to dominate a marketplace. I know a few MSPs who are doing that right now. That can change your business and your life in ways you can never dream of.
But for most MSPs it's just not what they want. Winning one new client every month would make them the happiest business owners on the planet.
