No Fluff MSP Marketing

For years I avoided direct mail. My budget was tiny and I never thought it would provide an ROI. Who cares about postcards?

After I sent out two campaigns in one year and they both led to leads... I started to rethink to power of direct mail.

We're now huge advocates of adding this into the marketing mix and are personally running a 14 month campaign to prospects in our local market.

In this episode, Steven and I review effective content and strategies to use to get the most out of mailers!

Referrals are incredible. They are the warmest leads and oftentimes ideal clients.

However, all referrals are not the same.

Client referrals can rarely be attributed to marketing. You're keeping your clients happy and they are rewarding you.

Referrals from friends, partners, and others in the community can almost be solely attributed to marketing....

That might sound crazy, but tune in and we'll share exactly why that's the case!

You have to be found when someone is searching for what you do. Sounds obvious but most MSPs do not put enough effort here.

In this episode, we break down some actionable advice to be found in your area and surrounding areas.

"All roads lead to the website" has been my go to for many years. It looks great, it converts well, it tags them so we can remarket to them... Good things happen when we get more buyers to our website.

THAT is why this episode is so important.

Hugo Cabello is a partner of Alltek Services and a good friend. His deep understanding of the FTC Safeguards paired with his marketing and sales background made him a perfect fit for this conversation.

The FTC Safeguards are a good marketing opportunity. Sure, it has some HIPAA vibes, but we're already seeing dealerships and Financial firms caring about this legislation and investing accordingly.

If you need help with this, feel free to reach out to Hugo directly at: hugo@easeguard.com

In this episode, we review what to look for in a marketing coordinator, KPIs, and how to set them up for success at your MSP!

We can't thank you enough for listening to the podcast!

I hope you would give us a few minutes to review what we've accomplished so far at MSP Camp and our roadmap for the rest of the year :)

There's a lot to learn when it comes to marketing your MSP. It can seem overwhelming. Every MSP wants to grow. How am I different?

That all comes down to your mindset. A growth mindset turns threats into opportunities and gives you the extra motivation to get things done that you know will help your MSP grow overtime.

In this episode, we discuss upcoming Server 2012 End-of-Life with a returning guest, Jeanne DeWitt and her partner David Hood. They are both really good friends of mine and a wealth of knowledge.

This deadline is coming up quickly and is a great opportunity to get our clients in a much better spot, as well as increase our MRR as MSPs.

We discuss preparation, communication to clients and prospects, and strategies to make this transition easier. Check it out!

There's a lot of bad advice when it comes to selling in the MSP industry. I've never done the hard sale or scare tactics BS that are often recommended by sales vendors in the MSP space and we've scaled very fast without it.

I've been on the search for a Sales equivalent to my marketing style and I think Brian is that guy.

His approach to sales lines up very well with how I conduct my own sales process and he provides solid advice throughout the podcast.

If you want to feel good about your sales process and close more of the deals that you do get as you start marketing more, give this episode a listen!

The M&A market for MSPs is hot. Whether you're looking to buy or sell, there is ample opportunity. However, it can be a very confusing proposition.

Hartland really knows his stuff on this topic. I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation and learned a lot.

If this is something you have been thinking about, give this episode a listen. It'll be worth your time!

Every MSP seems do to social media. They're posting often, they're staying consistent, they're trying to build their audience..... but their content sucks!

Social media is not a place to sell your services. It's a place to engage clients, the community, and your prospects. You don't do that with a bunch of boring stock photos or blogs to other websites, yet that's how the VAST majority of most MSPs social media strategy.

In this episode, Maddie and Taher take a deep dive into all things social media marketing.

You don't want to miss this one!

If you've never heard of Nigel Moore or The Tech Tribe, you're missing out. Nigel grew an MSP before successfully exiting and starting The Tech Tribe. The Tech Tribe now has 4,000+ active members and is an incredible resource for MSPs around the globe.

I've always looked up to Nigel and what he's built and many key pieces of MSP Camp were built with influence from The Tech Tribe.

Nigel wrote the book on packaging and pricing MSP services. It's an incredible and short read that provides a comprehensive answer to the questions I get often around packaging and pricing.

In this episode, we dive deep into topics such as structured packages, termed agreements, gross margins, and recommendations for MSPs at multiple maturity levels.

He also shares some incredible marketing feedback on the last portion of the show, so stick around!

Bob started his MSP journey with a Co-Managed client. This experience helped him refine his Co-Managed offering and he was gracious enough to share some key considerations when marketing to Co-Managed prospects. He also shares insight into ongoing management of these accounts.

I hope you find this as helpful as I did. Thanks for jumping on Bob!

This happens to all of us and we'll happen even more as you start getting additional leads outside of referrals.

In this episode, we lay out how to reengage MSP prospects that went dark on you...

I have personally failed at this for YEARS, but have found recent success and wanted to share what we're doing differently to cultivate strong referral partners!

Whether you focus on one vertical, a few verticals, or all verticals, this episode will provide insight into the power of niches and how a successful MSP owner uses this to his advantage.

Dan is a long time friend and was gracious enough to jump on the podcast to explain how and why he focuses completely on a single vertical.

Thanks again for listening and supporting this podcast. We do not take it for granted!

Bonus- Random Marketing Idea

I used to do this a lot when I first started. It's not a "silver bullet" but did help us get a great Co-Managed client that added $6k MRR.

It's worth checking out and potentially adding it to your marketing activities. 

Short and sweet this week!

Tom Lawrence used to present "protecting digital you" to local banks for their clients. This was an end user facing presentation that did not get in the weeds of the technicals.

We have been leaning more into this strategy of targeting clients that have an audience of potential clients.

In this episode, we break down the obvious idea and some ways to capitalize on it!

You never want to just outsource your marketing. The MSPs that own their marketing are the ones that consistently grow.

That being said, the chances of you doing everything in-house is very low.

You may have website developers, videographers, graphic designers, advertising specialist, etc that you hire to assist in executing on your plan.

Managing marketing vendors is a skill, like everything else.

Being the "general contractor" means you need to have a good understanding of how the pieces fit together, have clear communication, and expectations.

In this episode, we outline tips and advice to make sure you're getting the most out of your marketing vendors!

Adding new business is absolutely critical to growing your MSP. Marketing will communicate your value and grow your revenue, but don't leave your current clients out of your campaigns!

We consistently adding thousands in MRR every quarter form our existing client base, and they're happy to pay.

In this episode, Collin (Alltek Services Account Manager) and I discuss our approach to client satisfaction, ongoing reviews, and upsell opportunities.

We share actionable tips to help you improve the Account Management process at your MSP!

Not the sexiest topic in the world, but an important piece of your marketing that's easy to do.

Are you going to get tons of leads from an email or printed newsletter? Nope.

But it does build your authority and client engagement. 

In this episode, we discuss what content to include and how newsletters have a positive impact at our MSP. 

Yes, you should have a sales presentation. Don't just show up empty handed or with a sad looking sales document. 

In this episode we cover qualifying and questions prior to the meeting, building your sales folder and supporting documents, presenting effectively in the meeting, and a quick tip on follow up. 

Everyone is screaming potential recession, but all is green for go in the MSP space and many other sectors. 

However, it's inevitable that a recession will occur... at some point.

In this episode, Taher breaks down challenges and opportunities from a marketing perspective for your MSP.

This is a combination of input from the owner of Alltek, Taher, MSP Camp members, and members of our peer group, so I'm not going to pretend it's all me on this one!

In this episode, we start off with some technical aspects of website management. This part can be a little dense, but it is important to know many of these whether you're doing your own website or not. 

Next up, we dive into some specific recommendations based on what has worked at our MSP and what could have the highest impact on your website.  

It's a long one, but worth it if you're looking to improve your website and actually start getting leads through your site!

There is no silver bullet in marketing or getting more referrals. In this episode we cover how we stimulate referrals within our client base. Nothign fancy, just some ideas that can help you get more referrals to grow your MSP! 

It's nice to hear how businesses are using Telemarketing to grow their business, but it's also beneficial to hear from those actually doing the work!

James cold called me a few months ago and his pitch was great.

James shares some excellent advice from the perspective of the caller!

There are two primary activities MSPs think they should do when they start marketing their business. They believe they should be cold calling and advertising right away. 

While this may pay off in the short run, it is a detriment to your long term growth. You need to learn to think like a marketer and growing organically before you spend money on either of these.

In this episode we cover whether you should be advertising, when you should start advertising, and mistakes to avoid when you do!

If you've listened to more than a few episodes, you already know we're HUGE advocates of having a dedicated marketing person at your MSP. In this episode we outline HOW to go about doing this.

We also interview Steven and Maddie who started as interns here to get their insight into what they were looking for in a position and expectations. I really lucked out with these two! Not only are they awesome, they're actually great at being on a podcast!

Check out our Free Guide on msp-camp.com for a concise overview of how and why to hire a marketing intern.

Adam is an entrepreneur and marketing expert. He's never studied either in any formal way, he just gets it. In this episode, we go over the history of his businesses, his successes, failures, and what makes him stand out from the dozens of other gyms near him. He is almost always at full capacity at his gyms. That's hard to do when you're charging a premium rate in a crowded space!

While he may not run or market an MSP, the lessons in this episode can teach us all a thing or two about the psychology of growing your business and thinking outside the box!

This one starts a little slow but the conversation really picks up about 1/3 the way in so make sure you stick around!

I tell this story a lot because it taught me a lot

Creating true differentiators is difficult but absolutely required. In this podcast, I go over our exact differentiators and ideas for additional differentiators to give you some ideas on how to develop your own!

Special Guest Blackpoint

In this episode we speak with Justin at Blackpoint. We currently use Blackpoint at Alltek Services. This podcast isn't designed to sell you on Blackpoint, it's to communicate WHY every MSP should have an Managed Detection and Response offering and how to market and sell it to your clients and prospects.

While discussing cybersecurity can be a challenge at times, MDR seems to hit home with prospects. Positioning it correctly is a must!

Full disclaimer, we no longer do monitoring agreements. However, we did for years and they worked great! You get your foot in the door, your backup and security products in place, but support is hourly. Make sure you get a block of time at an increased hourly over your managed clients and it's a great partnerships.

In this episode, we go over how to do this properly, red flags form prospects, and how you can market this as a differentiator. 

I saw a post recently about an MSP that gave away a Tesla... Needless to say I was immediately intrigued. 

Ironically, most of the comments were fairly negative and the community thought it was a bad idea.

Well, I commented how much I loved the idea, and the guy that came up with the idea responded.

In this podcast, I interview Hunter with ComTech to go over how he came up with the idea, executing on it, and of course, the results!

A quick note, I love how many MSPs are open and willing to be on the podcast. They don't care about "competition" they're just willing to help. I hope you find value in this conversation. I know it got me motivated to think even bigger!