MARKETING FEATURE CONT .
The three platforms we recommend putting the most effort into are LinkedIn , your Google Business Profile , and Facebook ( and by default , Instagram , since you can post simultaneously ). The third would have been building a YouTube channel instead of Facebook , but many MSPs dig their heels in when it comes to creating video content because 1 ) they hate doing video , and 2 ) it is a much more complicated type of content to get right .
We recommend these three platforms because our experience so far has shown that , in general , they provide the highest return of qualified leads . Of course , your audience may be more responsive on a different platform , so you need to know what social media sites your target audience and clients are on so you can focus on those instead or in addition to the ones listed above .
Further , fully optimizing your Google Business Profile ( formerly Google My Business ) and posting on a weekly basis with a new update and securing 4- and 5-star online reviews on a weekly ( or at least monthly ) basis will help your listing get shown for local searches .
If You ’ re Willing To Pay To Play , Where Should You Spend The Money ?
Retargeting
The cheapest digital spend that delivers the most qualified leads is retargeting on the Google Display Network as well as Facebook , LinkedIn , and Microsoft Audience Network . Retargeting works when someone hits your company website or interacts with your page ( on or off the platform ) and a pixel is placed on their device . The next time they are on Facebook or LinkedIn , your ads will show . Same with the Google Display Network and Microsoft Audience Network . I ’ m sure you ’ ve seen ads for products that you showed interest in by visiting their website , only to continue to see ads on various places around the web .
These leads are cheap . We currently spend $ 20 –$ 30 per lead for TMT and MSP Success with retargeted audiences versus $ 130 –$ 250 for leads that haven ’ t yet visited our sites . MSPs are spending just $ 1 –$ 3 to get a person to visit their site when using retargeting , and , depending on your offer , a lead costs anywhere from $ 200 –$ 400 .
While you may think that this seems “ a little rich for my blood ,” consider that people like Adam and Tom Crossley of Fairoaks IT closed 31 new clients last year from online leads .
The one drawback is this : If you ’ re not getting any traffic to your site , there ’ s no one to retarget . We have been seeing this a lot with the MSPs for whom we ’ ve been doing digital marketing .
But there are many ways around this because — surprise , surprise — these platforms want you to spend money . The digital done-for-you team at TMT runs campaigns to drive qualified traffic to your site , which will then signal retargeting campaigns to kick off .
Custom Audience ( Uploaded Lists )
Facebook , LinkedIn , Bing , and even Google , to some extent , allow you to take a list of your ideal clients , upload their info ( name , phone , email , address ) into their ad platform , and show your ads only to the people who match .
Imagine you ’ re targeting CPAs in your city . You can get a list of CPAs , upload it to LinkedIn , and only pay to show your ads to the people you want to see them . Instead of using LinkedIn ’ s targeting ( which will often also show your ads to CPAs that work at other companies , meaning as much as 90 % of what you ’ re paying for is wasted ), only your ideal audience will ever see your ads .
This is like using a laser to snipe your target audience instead of carpet bombing and praying . This is especially useful when marketing with reports , dark web scans , free assessments , webinars , or events .
Costs vary widely because it all depends on your location , your list , and your offer . However , from a broad standpoint , you can safely assume that qualified leads from uploaded audiences cost 30 %– 50 % less than general platform targeting .
Pay-Per-Click ( PPC )
While all platforms technically have PPC options , Google and Bing are the most popular and deliver the most leads for MSPs , so we ’ ll discuss them specifically .
The difference between PPC on Google and Bing and the other types of ads is that these ads aren ’ t based on audience criteria but instead on intent and search criteria . This means that instead of simply targeting CPAs in your city , you might say you want to target anyone who searches Google for “ IT support near me ” or similar such language .
PPC is not for the faint of heart because you have to pay to play , and the leads aren ’ t cheap . Furthermore , unless you answer your phone live , 24 / 7 , follow up religiously on every
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