Frequency + Visibility = Creditability for your MSP business

A few weeks ago, members of the Ulistic team attended the CompTIA Breakaway conference in San Antonio, Texas. CompTIA Breakaway is a special event for those in the information technology community. Hundreds of computer consultants, managed service providers and vendors came together for a few days of education and to discuss the overall direction of the technology industry.

During a recent discussion with one of the industry’s most influential leaders, I shared a concept with Joe Panettieri on how MSPs can benefit in maintaining a competitive advantage in their business communities and how the best of breed managed service providers leverage their MSP online marketing strategies to blend both online and traditional marketing activities. Some simple strategies can help your MSP business increase your overall exposure and potentially add more opportunities to your sales funnel.

Joe and I discussed – Frequency + Visibility = Credibility.

This concept is really nothing new and came from a brief chat one afternoon at my local gym. We were discussing how one major player in the industry seems to have this automatic credibility in the public eye but they lack credibility in the peers in the industry because the industry has the “Inside Scoop”

Interesting… he simply told me to look around and note how many times this firm is mentioned in the community. Name on a building, sports facilities, little signs in rural Alberta – they are everywhere. They are “Frequently Visible”

…the concept of Frequency + Visibility = Creditability was born.

How does this translate for business owners looking to attract new opportunities into their business?

Businesses who are looking at effective ways to market their business online the basic concept of being seen often is crucial. We don’t likely have the marketing budget of a DELL, Coke or Microsoft and we need to look at new ways to getting involved in the local community or the niche market you have chosen to target.

After all, isn’t marketing about creating demand and ultimately getting potential clients to call you?

Here are some basic steps to help increase your business creditability in the market you serve.

• Be Seen – You need to get out and be seen and heard. Are you speaking at local events, getting involved with your Chamber of Commerce and what does your online presence look like? Are you participating in local forums, leaving comments and getting involved in the discussions online. The truth is that those who get involved and participate, will normally get a higher percentage of the opportunities.
• Be Frequent – Just like face-to-face business networking, you just can’t go once. You need to go over and over and over in order for people to get to know, like and trust you. The same applies online. You can’t write one blog post every three months and expect potential client to find your business.
• Be Credible - Offer real advice and suggestions. Online marketing is not always about promoting you and your business, however having a call to action is important. You still need to provide quality information that people will value. Offer advice on LinkedIn, answer technology questions in the business forums and much more.

Best of breed MSPs understand how important it is to balance online with traditional marketing and face-to-face interaction.

After all, social media and online marketing is simply extending how your MSP business is visible.