News Feature | May 28, 2015

From ASCII Chicago: MSP Website Problems And Best Practices

jim roddy

By Jim Roddy, VP of Marketing, RSPA

Effective Marketing Plans For VARs and MSPs

Every time I write about one of Herman Pool’s ASCII conference presentations, I describe him as “a whirling dervish and marketing master on stage.” And I’m dead-on correct every time.

Pool, president of both MSP (managed services provider) DBS Technologies and Internet marketing company Vertical Axion, focused on website best practices during his talk at the ASCII Success Summit Wednesday at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Chicago. And he didn’t disappoint, dispensing a deluge of useful information in a high-energy, rapid-fire fashion.

The following are some of Pool’s principles from his presentation titled “It’s Not You, It’s Your Website: Simple Changes That Change Everything”:

4 Things MSPs Need For Effective Marketing

  • Professional quality website
  • Active social media presence — daily posts to social media services
  • Active website – active sites attract attention; create content frequently, e.g., blog posts
  • Monthly newsletter — keep your clients informed and increase your top-of-mind awareness

Why Most MSP Websites Don’t Work

  • Sites are not built to attract Google searches — too many images instead of text that Google can search
  • Too focused on “who I am” and not what the MSP can do for the customer
  • No lead capture on the site — no mechanism to leave information
  • No follow-up — when MSPs capture an email address, they do nothing with it

Problems (aka “excuses”) That Keep MSPs From Improving Their Websites

  • Closing deals is more important
  • Web developers are expensive and unreliable
  • Too busy serving clients
  • To many social media platforms
  • Don’t consider it worth the effort

Content Marketing On The Web Works

  • 80 percent of business decision makers (DMs) prefer to receive company information in a series of articles vs. an advertisement
  • 70 percent of DMs feel content marketing makes them closer to the sponsoring company
  • 60 percent of DMs report company content helps them make better product decisions
  • Content marketing activities include blogs, newsletters, and business news shared via social media (Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn).
  • Whether your prospects and clients read your newsletter or not, it works to keep your brand top-of-mind.

Website redesign is just a slice of marketing advice Pool has offered at ASCII Success Summits. Here are two other Business Solutions articles based on Pool’s past preachings:

From ASCII Columbus: Creating An Effective Marketing Plan

From ASCII Atlantic City: 5 Marketing Tidbits For Solutions Providers

The ASCII Success Summit – Chicago is being held May 27-28 at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Chicago. It is one of eight solution provider-focused conferences ASCII will host in 2015. For more information on ASCII, go to www.BSMinfo.com/go/InsideASCII.