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Best Practices in Service Provider Marketing
Scott Lindars
Director of Technology Markets | Merit Mile
April 4, 2016

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Marketing Matters. No, Really!

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The Buyer Journey Has Changed
57% of a purchase decision is complete
before a customer calls a supplier
94%
76%
conduct some form of online research
before purchasing a business product
prefer to receive content
unique to the buying stage
Sources: Acquity Group, Sirius Decisions/Forrester Research

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Most Businesses Admit They Need Some Help
How Is Your Marketing Plan Performing?
Don’t have a formal marketing plan
Sources: Citrix 2015 DaaS Global Market Trends Survey
Are not satisfied with the results
42%
25%

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It’s a crowded market
What makes you different?

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Makes People Want to Buy?

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Why – Your Purpose
It Doesn’t Start with What…
The Golden Circle by Simon Sinek
How – Your Process
What – Your Result
WHY
HOW
WHAT

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It Starts with Why!
The Golden Circle by Simon Sinek
WHY
HOW
WHAT
Motivation
Process
Product
What – Your Result
How – Your Process
Why – Your Purpose

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What’s Your Why?

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Know yourself and
your target markets
Do you have the “why”
it takes to win here?
Focus: Is Your Why Where You Want to Win?
Vertical

User Segment

Security

Compliance

Geography

…

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Messaging is the foundation for telling your
unique why, how and what story
• The value proposition – the “so what” that sets you apart
• Buyer personas, their needs and pain points – who they are and
what keeps them up at night
• Key features – the proof that supports the message
• Competitive positioning – who they are, why you win and lose
• Key benefits – what triggers buyers to say “I want that”
• Positioning statements – headline, short and long versions
How: Invest in Messaging and PositioningWhyHowWhat

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Real World Example: Simplified Innovations

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Make Your Messaging Come to Life
5 Proven Marketing Tactics for Growing Your MSP Business

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April 21, 2015
Optimize for Mobile
Google requires mobile optimization
for indexing
October 8, 2015 50+% of Google search is on mobile
In order to stand out in the world of mobile, businesses need to provide
their customers with a frictionless, memorable experience.
Andy Crestodina
Orbit Media
“”
1

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Deliver Only the
Essential Content
Snack on
mobile
Dine on
tablet
Gorge on
desktop
1

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There is NO excuse for an outdated website
Speak to your buyers
• Is your “why” front and center?
• Does the imagery and graphics resonate?
Audit, trim and focus
• Is your messaging updated?
• Have you retired or demoted legacy services?
Design for today
• SEO – Are you being found in search?
• Are you social-ready?
• Are you measuring?
• Are you optimized for mobile?
Checkpoint: Are You Relevant and Being Found1

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Content is still king
Content, Content, Content
Strategically position content
But context is queen
2
Don’t skimp on SEO or quality

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What Kind of Content?2
Become a trusted advisor
with something unique to say
• Whitepapers
• Thought leadership
• Surveys and reports
• Trends and predictions
• Emotional customer stories
• How to content
• Infographics
• Top X lists

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Video Content is a Must Have
Business executives watch
work-related videos at least weekly
Executives would rather watch video than read
text if both options are available on a page
Source: Hubspot, 2015
3
75%
59%

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How it Works
Technical basics
Lifestyle Solution
Real-world demo
experiences
What Kind of Video Content?
Video Examples from Citrix and Microsoft
How it Helps
Business value
Solution level
How long does it take to tell your story?
Can you do it without audio?
3

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Use Social Media to Drive Sales Leads
You’ve heard social is important for awareness a 100 times before
But did you know…
4
24%
Saw increased revenue
after using social media
45%
Reduced marketing costs
by using social media
100%
Higher lead-to-close rate
than outbound marketing
Source: Quick Sprout

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4
Don’t boil the ocean – Focus where your audience is
Definitely here, possibly here, but here?
3 Things to Remember for Social Media Lead Generation
Elicit action – Give people a reason why
Get them to bite  Hook them right away  Have an irresistible reason to act
3 reasons to use Office 365 1, 2, 3  Learn about 4, 5, 6 in this infographic
Make everything trackable
http://mm-stats.com/6yf94 or http://bit.ly/QtQET not meritmile.com
Good for measurement, but great for sales insight and conversation starters

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50%
Email nurtured leads are
50% more sales-ready
(Hubspot)
It Works
Marketers consistently rank
email as the single most
effective tactic for
awareness, acquisition,
conversion and retention
(Gigaom Research)
Done Right, Nurture Based Email Marketing Works5
Essential Ingredients
Strategy – Integrated, cumulative and complimentary
Audience – Current, segmented and compliant
Creative & Copy – Clean, simple and focused
Offer – Quality, aligned and compelling
Opened – Find the inbox by testing

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Integrated Email Marketing Examples5

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Putting Everything Together
Creating an integrated, measurable marketing campaign

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Objective
Messaging
Strategy
Audience
Tactics
Marketing
Goals
Sales
Goals
Sample Marketing Campaign Summary
Establish a trusted IT advisor position with law firms in the greater
Orlando market for providing secure mobile access to legal data
• Partners are mobile, but their data is not
• Avoid unsecure situations where sensitive data is accessed on personal devices
• CEO/President/Managing Partner
• Senior IT decision makers – director and above
2,500 Inquiries, 100 Marketing Qualified Leads
Nurture email series, social media, webinars and appointment setting
10 New customers

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Considerations
Copy & Creative –Writing and creative design
Systems – Email marketing, social, webinars
Measurement – Analytics and reports
Lead Scoring – Automated or manual
CRM – Opportunity pipeline development

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Integrated Marketing Plan
Email 1
• Video
Email 2
• Infographic
Email 3
• Solution Whitepaper
Social Media
• Video
Social Media
• Infographic
Webinar
• Top Use Cases
Marketing Qualified Leads
with Activity Reports
Sales Accepted Leads
Win/Loss
Sales Lead Qualification

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Market Smarter, Not Harder

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You Don’t Have to DIY Everything

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Create a Virtual Marketing Team
Partner with a trusted agency to
expand yours team’s capabilities
• Focus on strategy, not execution
• Leverage industry expertise
• Fill in-house skillset gaps
Leverage your alliance partners
to fast track your marketing
• Customizable content
• Email marketing kits
• Web and social media kits

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Next Steps for Getting Started
What’s
Your Why?
Messaging
and Positioning
Inventory
and Asses
Align with
Business Goals
Create
and Execute
Lead a group discussion to reflect on your businesses why, what and how
Revisit your messaging and positioning – create or edit your own MSD
Examine your existing website, marketing/sale content, skills and staffing
Identify how marketing can support your business and sales goals
Develop focused, integrated and measureable marketing plans
Market smarter and faster, not harder

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Thank You!
Come talk to us and learn more about
creating momentum for your business
www.meritmile.com
info@meritmile.com