Last week we discussed the most common MSP Marketing challenge–lead generation and spoke about a few lead-gen ideas. In our blog this week, we continue to discuss some more key MSP lead sources and lead-gen tactics.
Network
Start by becoming a member of local trade associations and business groups. For one thing, they keep you abreast of the latest happenings in your line of business, but what they also offer is a great platform to network and stay in touch with other business owners and key decision-makers–read qualified leads! Participate in events hosted by the local chamber of commerce and any other such credible business association in your community and vertical, place advertisements in their literature and register to be listed on their website or offline directories. Agreed, this may not be the most effective lead source, but it definitely helps you get seen.
LinkedIn is big! It is a very powerful professional networking platform. After you meet with someone, give them a demo or have lunch with them, make sure you connect with them on LinkedIn. Your posts on LinkedIn serve as a great way to share what your company does in a subtle way. You could also join LinkedIn groups that are directly related to your business line and also to groups related to your targeted market segment and offer your expertise and advice to fellow group members. If you see someone grappling with an IT problem, offer them a solution. LinkedIn Answers, in particular, is a great platform for this. You can also attract leads by placing advertisements on LinkedIn.
Tradeshows
Attend networking events that are MSP/IT services specific. These offer you a great platform to interact with your peers in a vendor-neutral environment and also allow you to synergize with other MSPs. For example, let’s say, you offer VoIP services, but someone else you meet at the event doesn’t, you can form a referral partnership with them, whereby they pass you the VoIP leads/inquiries that come their way for a commission. However, before you set up a booth or sponsor an event, walk the show a couple of times and talk to people to find out how useful it really is. Also, instead of attending a number of smaller events, target a few larger ones, even if they are more expensive and few in a year, as these offer you a bigger pool of leads to dip into. Another advantage of focusing on bigger events is that, they are lesser in number so that gives you ample time to focus on your business.
List purchase
You could also purchase contact lists from companies that sell them. However, often, a lot of these contacts are not ‘fresh’ and they might have either already made a purchase or the contact information may not be correct. However, it is good to invest in a list once in a while, because it tells you how big a pie you are eyeing. For example, if you want to target law firms in your area, having a list of law firms will help you decide if it is worth trying for. It can help you choose between 2 industry verticals when you are not sure which one to target.
Apart from the ones discussed here, there are other lead sources as well, like PPCs. But, the difference between the ones we spoke about here and the PPCs is that the lead sources discussed here offer you some degree of control over the lead inflow and lead type. For example, you can decide the kind of leads you get, unlike PPCs or AdWords, where you can’t control who clicks through to your site.
Whatever you do, be consistent. As with all of the other lead gen and MSP marketing methods, at the end of the day, consistency is the key to success.