Geico or Progressive: What Can These Firms Teach You About Marketing Your MSP?
Key points from the article:
- Sales is an integral part of any business operations, regardless of size.
- However, many MSPs disregard some marketing approaches dismissing them as unprofessional.
- Some of the marketing approaches MSPs disregard have proven to work exceptionally well for other businesses and IT companies that have embraced it.
- MSPs can learn the already-working marketing approach and replicate it to get more success.
We all want more customers regardless of the business we're doing. Getting more consumers is an all-consuming part of every business operation you're doing. When customers can't find your company, or you can't increase your sales, you won't have enough money to keep the light on.
However, one troubling problem is that many MSPs stick to marketing strategies shelled out as professionals. Too late, they wake up way too busy, a smidge poorer, and wondering how their business is stuck — stagnated for years.
Your MSP company can have more customers than you ever imagined. You can place your company in the position of telling clients "no" while enjoying great success.
The Biggest Issue Holding Back MSPs
Talk to any MSPs, and they'll tell you they don't have enough leads. Not surprisingly, many MSPs refuse to employ marketing strategies that can set their business apart, dismissing them unprofessional.
Many MSPs refuse to address: "why should a lead pick them over someone else?" They take the marketing approach that nearly everyone in the MSPs world uses, delivering only a handful of results.
What Nearly All MSPs Tell Themselves To Avoid Taking a Different Marketing Approach
After talking with so many MSPs, you'll figure out they don't try some new marketing methods for the fear that it'll hurt their professional image. Owners stick to marketing videos with guys running around with suits while they could try other approaches with promising results.
Lots of MSPs' marketing approaches are too operational and not strategic. However, if growth is part of your business goal, changing your marketing approach is necessary.
Proof That Your MSP Can Make More Sales and Improve Its Image Without the Suit-and-Tie Marketing Approach
No doubt your company's operations and delivery must be uncompromisingly professional. However, your marketing should be strategic and deliberate — serving your business interest without compromising your customers.
To help you understand the marketing approaches that MSPs avoid, consider Geico and Progressive Insurance companies' marketing approaches. The two companies are the best auto insurance companies in the market. They have rolled out effective marketing campaigns that highlight what makes them different.
The Geico's Marketing Approach
Geico's marketing campaigns are different from their competitors — leaning toward the light and funny side. The approach has netted the insurance company a significant market share of the US insurance market.
People know Geico for their creativity. You'll note their uniqueness starting from their:
- Name — Geico
- The brilliant mascot of Geico Gecko
- Slogan — 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance — it's short, simple, and straightforward.
Besides the typical TV advertisement that every insurance company uses, Geico leverages "pre-roll" that airs directly before user-selected content. The most important part of Geico ads is that they focus on how customers will benefit from working with them instead of directly selling their services.
The Flo Progressive Marketing Approach
On the other hand, The unique feature of the Flo Progressive marketing approach is humor advertising. The degree to which the insurance company uses high-profile humor advertising is impressive.
While everyone has a different sense of humor, the company has found an edge to make humor advertising effective. The company found the right balance between concept and execution. The company's marketers identified funny concepts and execution that put them on the map of the insurance industry.
The success of Flo Progressive insurance establishes the fact that excellent execution of humor in advertising works fantastic in building awareness and positive association. However, in isolation, humor rarely drives sales.
Therefore, in a competitive industry, you can use humor marketing to create awareness and positive association to get your company into the market and get you the chance to make sales.
MSPs Can Replicate Such Successful Campaigns?
While the two examples above aren't proper professional suit-and-tie types of businesses, they're big brands with a great image. The world of MSPs can replicate such results.
After all, success breeds success, and your MSP should be able to drive success with such marketing campaigns.
Yes, humor marketing ideas don't fall out of trees every day. However, if you're finding yourself disregarding such marketing approaches as unprofessional, you should ask yourself questions such as:
- If using humor in marketing is unprofessional, why did Gary Vaynerchuk succeed well a couple of Super Bowls ago with the Mr. Peanut advert?
- How did Flow Progressive use humor effectively to establish itself as one of the top insurance companies in the U.S.?
- Why does a company like Geico usually execute marketing campaigns that lean toward the funny and light side but remain the top brand in its space?
Your MSP shouldn't hesitate to replicate the tremendous results because of the excuse that your business would rather stay professional.
Your MSP Needs to Stand Out
If you want to market your MSP, you need to stand out from the crowd and look different. You can't just be a mirror image of the other guy down the street.
The truth is that some people will think you're unprofessional, while many won't care as long as you understand that there's a fine line between amusing and offending. Not everyone always reacts the same, especially when using edgy humor.
Yes, you have tech differences, but they aren't enough. Industry specialization might be on the right track, but you need to create messages that make your MSP stand out in the market.
An Example of an MSP That Has Taken a Unique Marketing Approach and is Doing Great
Sugar Shot is an MSP in Los Angeles. When you Google search their website, you'll note that they have taken a totally unique approach from an MSP perspective. However, we often get pushbacks when we try to execute the same for our clients.
Many MSP clients say that that's not their approach and insist that they're professionals. However, the last time we checked, Sugar Shot was doing pretty well, Geico was one of the top insurance companies, and Progressive was right up there with Geico.
These companies don't have guys running around in suits and board rooms, and they aren't less professional from an operational perspective. Your MSP can learn a lot from these companies.
Ulistic Will Offer Your MSP Marketing Services That Differentiate Your Brand From Your Competition
We'll shoulder all the heavy-sales-lifting tasks for your brand and help you differentiate yourself from the cliche-infest MSP marketer. We helped over 500 businesses in Canada and United States, and we can help you too.
Contact us today to book a free consultation on how our team can help improve your marketing services.
| 
