Content marketing is essential for boosting brand awareness, generating leads, and building a community. But many MSPs struggle to weave content marketing into their businesses, especially when they don’t have a dedicated marketing team.
You don’t need marketing expertise or a ton of time to increase engagement — you just need to know how to market well. In this post, we’ll share some practical strategies to help you harness the power of MSP content marketing without having an in-house marketing team.
Why content marketing matters for MSPs
Content marketing delivers valuable, relevant, consistent content that attracts and engages your audience. It’s a cost-effective way to connect with potential clients, demonstrate expertise, and nurture relationships. Much like how your IT service management tools help you automate repetitive tasks, content marketing automates part of your sales process.
Here are some of the benefits you’ll enjoy with MSP content marketing:
- Shorter sales cycles: Prospects are more informed before coming to you
- Higher-quality leads: They already understand your value
- Better client relationships: Due to ongoing engagement and education
- Competitive advantage: Many MSPs aren’t marketing themselves effectively
Getting started with content marketing
MSP marketing content can help you connect with people at every stage of the buyer journey. Here’s how to fire-up your content marketing engine:
Define your goals and audience
Before creating content, clarify your marketing objectives and identify your target audience. Do you want to generate leads, increase brand awareness, or educate your existing clients? The clearer you can define your goals and the key performance indicators (KPIs) you’ll use to measure your success, the better. These details will shape your content strategy and help you deliver messages that resonate with your audience. If you need help, use the SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, timely) format to get started. Here’s an example:
- Specific: In Q3, upsell four clients on your service package that includes managed data backup, using content to promote the benefits of that service.
- Measurable: With this goal, you can quantify your progress as a percentage of 100 — upselling one client only would be a 25% success rate; upselling all four would be 100% successful.
- Achievable: This goal is reasonable and attainable.
- Relevant: This goal increases your revenue.
- Timely: You have one quarter (three months) to achieve your objective.
Develop a content strategy
Think of your content strategy as a well-structured network design. It provides the framework you need to guide your operations and create consistency across all of your marketing channels.
Begin by identifying topics that align with your goals and address your audience’s pain points. If you specialize in remote IT access solutions, consider what types of content would demonstrate your expertise in that area, and how to share it.
Once you’ve decided on the topics you want to cover and in what way, create an editorial calendar to keep your content organized and consistent. Tools like Jira and Notion work great for this.
Create quality content
Your content should be informative, engaging, and valuable to your audience. Here are some content formats that work well for MSPs:
- Blog posts: Regular posts attract organic traffic and establish your expertise.
- How-to guides: Showcase your problem-solving capabilities by offering step-by-step instructions for resolving common IT issues. (Remember that even simple tips can be useful for people who aren’t tech experts).
- Case studies: Highlight successful projects that demonstrate your impact and value.
- Videos and webinars: Engage your audience with dynamic visual content, demonstrate your services, and provide valuable tips.
Leverage SEO for visibility
SEO (search engine optimization) helps your content reach your target audience. Using relevant keywords in your content can boost search engine rankings and increase organic reach.
Use software like Semrush and Ahrefs to identify terms and phrases your potential clients will likely search for. Optimize your website’s titles, meta descriptions, and images to ensure they align with SEO best practices.
Use social media to amplify content
Share and promote your content on your target audience’s preferred social media platforms, like LinkedIn, X, and Facebook. Post content consistently and engage with followers to expand your reach and connect with potential clients. You can also save time by scheduling these posts in advance with tools like Buffer or Hootsuite.
Build relationships with thought leaders
Boost your MSP content marketing efforts by connecting with industry influencers. Engage with them by quoting them, linking to their work, and inviting them to write a guest post for your blog. Collaborate with them on educational videos to bring more traffic to your site.
Building relationships with thought leaders enhances your credibility and introduces you to a broader audience. It can also be a great way to build potential referral partnerships.
Track and analyze performance
Use tools like Google Analytics to see how well your content marketing efforts are performing. Review your website traffic, engagement rates, conversion rates, and other metrics to evaluate your strategy’s effectiveness. With this data, you can determine what’s working and what isn’t and refine and improve your content marketing.
Overcoming challenges without a marketing team
Content marketing without a dedicated team isn’t easy, but when done well, it’s one of the most cost-effective ways to grow your business. Here are some practical tips for MSPs:
- Start small: Begin with a few blog posts per month and gradually increase your input.
- Leverage existing resources: Use the expertise of your technical team and sales staff to create helpful content.
- Consider outsourcing: Hire freelance writers or content marketing agencies to assist with content creation.
- Use content curation: Share relevant articles, blog posts, and insights from other reputable sources to keep your audience engaged while creating original content. If you do this, make sure the content adds value and aligns with your brand message.
Make MSP content marketing work for you
You don’t need an entire marketing team to build trust, generate leads, and grow your business. Your technical know-how is precisely what your audience is looking for. By setting clear goals, developing a strategic plan, and creating and sharing high-quality content rooted in SEO, you can establish yourself as a thought leader in the MSP market and grow your business.
Need more info? Take a look at our eBook, Marketing Strategies to Grow Your MSP.
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