MSP Growth: 9 Strategies for Expanding Your Business

MSP growth isn’t just about making more money — it’s about staying alive in a tough market. The tech world moves fast, and if you’re standing still there’s a good chance you’re actually falling behind.

The term “growth” is broad, which can make it difficult to know where to start, or how to measure it. Or maybe you’ve tried to grow your business but didn’t see the results you expected. Which begs the question: What growth tactics really work for MSPs?

We’ve compiled a practical guide of tried-and-tested MSP marketing strategies you can use to get more leads and clients.

9 actionable tactics to grow your MSP

These marketing strategies are geared towards MSP growth. As well as attracting more visitors to your site, they help you nurture and convert leads to generate more sales.

1. Optimize your website

Your website is your digital storefront — you want it to make a good first impression. At a minimum, your site should explain your services and offer logical navigation that helps users move from page to page.

Take a look at your website performance. You can use tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to see:

• How many visitors you’re getting
• Which pages have the highest engagement
• Whether you’ve gained or lost traffic over time
• How fast your pages load
• If there are any broken links or errors

List what’s working well and what needs improvement to focus your efforts where they’re needed most. For example, if important links are broken, fix those before you start creating new content. Look at the pages your visitors spend the most time on, too — are they converting as well as they should be? If not, play around with the layout, copy, and visuals.

Make your site search-engine friendly by using relevant keywords in your page titles, headings, and content. Add internal links to your content to help search engines and visitors explore your site.

Tip: If you’re setting up a page with a conversion goal, use a single call-to-action.

2. Start a blog

A blog is a great way to capture the attention of people searching for the kind of products and services you offer. First of all, figure out what potential clients want to know.

You can generate ideas by:

• Making a list of common questions you get from clients
• Using tools like Google’s “People Also Ask” feature to find related topics
• Checking out what your competitors are writing about
• Talking to your sales team about what concerns prospects raise

When you know what you’re going to write about, decide how often you can realistically post (once a week is a good start), plan out topics for the next three months, and assign writers and due dates for each post.

After you’ve published each post, give it a new lease of life by sharing it on your social media channels, sending it to your email list, and repurposing it into other content formats.

3. Develop downloadable resources

Gated whitepapers and downloadables show off your deep knowledge while growing your email list. You can offer this content in exchange for a prospect’s email address, which you can then use to nurture until they’re ready to buy.

Here are some ideas for valuable MSP resources:

• Whitepapers. Pick a hot topic in IT, conduct thorough research, and write a detailed, professional document. Include graphs and charts where they’re most relevant.
• Free tools. People love free stuff, especially if it’s useful. You might create a simple checklist for onboarding clients, build a basic online tool that asks questions and gives a score, or offer a free, limited version of a network scanning tool you use.
• Webinars. By hosting a webinar, you can connect with potential clients, answer their questions, and demonstrate your knowledge of emerging trends — like how AI can transform operations.

4. Build your email list and send marketing campaigns

The beauty of an email list is it’s something you own — you’re not at the mercy of unpredictable algorithms or fluctuating trends.

Start by offering valuable lead magnets to get people on your email list. These can be whitepapers, checklists, video series, or a simple one-pager PDF that helps potential leads solve a problem.

Tip: Add exit-intent popups on your website to win back people about to leave. You can promote your lead magnets here, as well as on social media and in blog posts.

Once you’ve built a list, start sending targeted email sequences to nurture relationships.

Here are some ways you can do this:

• Develop a welcome series for new subscribers. Set up a series of 3-5 emails to go out over a couple of weeks that remind people what services they signed up for and how to submit support tickets. Share valuable content, and remind readers to check out your resources hub.
• Create nurture campaigns for different service offerings. Start with the basics and gradually go deeper into the topic, ending with a soft pitch or an invitation to learn more. For example, you might upsell clients on a network monitoring plan to a package that includes patch management.
• Send monthly newsletters. Keep subscribers in the loop with regular updates. Include a mix of your own content and curated industry news, share quick tips, and let customers know about new services.

5. Run paid ads

Google Ads get your products and services in front of people actively searching for something similar. You can drill down into highly-targeted customer segments and service relevant ads to the right people at the right time.

The cost of Google Ads is determined by how many people “bid” on a keyword, and you typically set a daily budget for ongoing campaigns or a project budget for limited-time campaigns. To calculate your average daily budget, divide your monthly budget by 30.4.

Here are some ideas for paid ad campaigns:

Set up search campaigns targeting high-intent keywords

First, brainstorm keywords your potential clients might use when they need help. Think “IT support near me” or “managed cybersecurity services.” Then, use Google’s Keyword Planner to find more keyword ideas. Create a new campaign, set your budget, and write your ads. Don’t forget to set up conversion tracking so you know when someone fills out a form or calls you from an ad.

Create display ads for brand awareness

Display ads are like digital billboards — they’re those banner ads you often see at the top of a website promoting a relevant product or service. You can create a Google Display Network ad campaign in Google Ads, choosing who you want to target based on interests.

The cost of display ads tends to be cheaper than Google Ads:

• Average CPC for Google Ads: $2-4
• Average CPC for Google Display Network: under $1

Lean into remarketing to re-engage website visitors

Remarketing shows ads to people who’ve already visited your website. Set up a remarketing list in Google Ads (this collects cookies from your website visitors), create a new campaign specifically for remarketing, and write ads that speak to return visitors. Something like “Still need IT help? Let’s talk!”

6. Build credibility on LinkedIn

LinkedIn has a wealth of potential leads — in fact, 45% of people who read LinkedIn content are in decision-making positions. To connect with this audience, create content that demonstrates your expertise, brand values, and industry knowledge, such as:

• Industry news and your take on it
• Articles about common IT problems and how to solve them
• Infographics with helpful stats or tips
• Behind-the-scenes content that shows your company culture

Tip: Try to post updates 3-5 times a week and use a mix of post types, including text posts, images, and videos.

7. Create videos on YouTube

YouTube is one of the biggest search engines in the world and helps you reach people who prefer to consume visual content. According to recent research, 89% of consumers want to see more videos from brands in 2024 and beyond.

Use YouTube to share:

• A video in which a team member explains how to solve common IT problems
• Screen recordings that walk through step-by-step processes
• Client testimonials and case studies in a visual format

Tip: Use YouTube analytics to understand the demographics of your audience, what type of content they prefer, and how they interact with your videos.

8. Share how-to content on TikTok

Contrary to popular belief, TikTok isn’t just for dance trends — it’s also a great place to share quick tech tips and show your brand personality to a younger audience.

The social video platform is all about quick, snappy content, so keep your videos under 60 seconds, start with a hook (like, “Want to speed up your computer in 30 seconds?”), use on-screen text to highlight key points, and end with a clear takeaway or call to action.

To get more eyes on your content:

• Check the “Discover” page to see what’s trending
• Use popular sounds or music in your videos when it fits
• Join in relevant challenges
• Use hashtags to help people find your videos

Tip: Consider creating behind-the-scenes content like team member profiles and IT-related memes or jokes. TikTok is a great place to showcase the “human” side of your business!

9. Assess and iterate

Every MSP will have different growth goals. Once you’ve figured out what “success” looks like for you (and it helps to be as specific as possible), you should regularly check the performance of your growth campaigns. Creating a continuous culture of improvement is paramount for MSP business growth.

Conduct monthly marketing performance reviews where you analyze KPIs and adjust your strategies accordingly. Look at which channels are delivering the best results and assess whether to readjust budgets or resources.

Discover more strategies for MSP growth

Remember, marketing is essential for MSP growth. It’s the thing that will help you reach more customers and build a community around your MSP.

We’ve covered several important marketing strategies here, but if you want to dive deeper and learn even more ways to promote your MSP business, download our handy ebook, Marketing Strategies to Grow Your MSP.

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