When you’re in the MSP and IT business, it can seem like you miss out on the holiday shopping season. Providing managed IT support through automated RMM software isn’t exactly what everyone is dreaming about being under the tree.
But don’t sell your value short. There are a lot of benefits that IT support for software and devices offers that make them perfect for gifting to others. The trick is that you need to position your services for your target markets.
Just telling people to gift your current support services for the holidays is not going to entice many people. You need to specifically package your IT services for the season. The effort you put into doing this can pay off when you end up with more revenue than you usually see this time of year.
191.2 million U.S. adults are planning to purchase technology as a gift this holiday season, so why not tap into the fact that technology is already on people’s minds?
Here are several tips for packaging your IT services for the gift-giving season.
Use a Holiday-Themed Name
First, it’s important when creating your gift packages to give them a holiday-themed name. This will add a holiday “halo effect” onto the service and make it more fun for the giver and recipient.
Instead of just sticking with a name like “PC Setup,” add some holiday flair by calling it “Santa’s PC Setup Special.” And advertise it with a picture of Santa setting up a new computer.
Smartphones are going to be a big item that’s gifted this Christmas, so try packaging a security setup that includes mobile malware and VPN protection. You can call it something like, “Rudolph’s Smartphone Security Package!”
Use fun graphics and promote your holiday-themed specials on social media, your website blog and your email newsletter.
It’s also important to have a certificate that you give the purchaser so they can actually present the person with something tangible for the gift. You can include instructions on how to redeem the package on the back of the certificate.
Package 1, 2 and 3 One-Hour Support Sessions for New Devices
When people receive new devices as gifts, they often need help setting them up or migrating data. A one-hour support session can be a great companion gift that ensures the person receiving the new device has all the up-front help they need.
Why offer three different packages? Because an old marketing trick is to create various price level options. When you create three options for a varying number of sessions, people will be drawn to the one in the middle. It doesn’t look too cheap or too expensive when positioned with the other two.
Provide a Smart TV/Sound System Setup Special
Home entertainment is a popular gift item that a family may gift themselves. This may include a smart TV and surround sound system. You can use verbiage in your marketing that mentions taking the stress out of the holiday with a professional setup.
You can promote your IT business over a big box store’s service by emphasizing your personal service, many other services, and relationship building.
Do an Unboxing Video
Unboxing videos are popular on YouTube and get millions of views each day. People enjoy the excitement of seeing what’s inside a new package, and it may be that they want to see what’s inside before buying it themselves.
You can use this to your advantage and do your own technology unboxing video to promote devices that you sell and services that you offer for PC/Mobile device setup.
Unbox the latest iPhone, tablet or laptop. But once you’ve opened the box, go through tips related to your professional setup process and explain why it’s important. Then promote a holiday-themed device setup special.
Offer a College Student Tech Support Package
The holidays are when kids are out of school and home for the holidays. While parents can’t go back to school with them to keep a watchful eye out, they can help them be more secure online.
Offer a 1-year remote managed support package for college students with a certain number of help desk calls. This is a perfect gift that just about every young person would want and wouldn’t try to regift.
If you promote it as 1-year, rather than a subscription to managed services, people don’t feel tied into something they may not want to pay for in a year or two. You also get the opportunity to form a longer-term relationship with a young adult that’s going to be using technology for a lifetime.
Offer Seniors PC and Smartphone Tutoring Sessions
Once people reach a certain age, their homes are filled up with figurines and other well-meaning gifts from family and friends. There gets to be a point where a senior really doesn’t want any more “stuff.”
Instead, they may appreciate a 1-on-1 tutoring session to help them use their computer or smartphone. Sell “Santa’s Helper Senior Tutoring” packages for 1 or 2-hour sessions. These can end up being very popular and the perfect gift for a person that has just about everything else they could need.
Onboard Your Holiday Clients Easily with Syncro!
Setting up and servicing new clients is easy with the Syncro RMM/PSA platform. It streamlines your onboarding process and makes remote IT management time efficient.
Contact us today to schedule a free demo and a 30-day, free trial. Call 856-579-6276 or start your trial online.
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://syncromsp.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Caitlin_Headshot.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Caitlin Good is the Content Marketing Manager at Syncro with more than 10 years of experience in the technology and eCommerce industries.[/author_info] [/author]
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This document is provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as legal advice. Syncro makes no warranty, expressed nor implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any information contained herein.
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