https://www.channelfutures.com/wp-content/themes/channelfutures_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • Analytics
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud
    • Data Centers
    • Desktop
    • IoT
    • Mobility
    • Networking
    • Open Source
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Virtualization
    • Voice/Connectivity
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Best Practices
    • Business Models
    • Channel 101
    • Channel Programs
    • Channel Research
    • Digital Transformation
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Leadership
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Specialty Practices
  • MSSP Insider
    • Back
    • Business of Security
    • Cloud and Edge
    • Endpoint
    • Network
    • People and Careers
    • Training and Policies
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • 2020 MSP 501 Rankings
    • 2020 Hot 101 Rankings
    • 2020 MSP 501 Report
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Our Sponsors
    • From the Industry
    • Content Resources
    • COVID-19 Partner Help
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • Reports
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • EMEA
  • Awards
    • Back
    • Excellence in Digital Services
    • 2020 MSP 501
    • Top Gun 51
  • Events
    • Back
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • Channel Partners Evolution
    • Channel Evolution Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
  • Channel Mentor
    • Back
    • Channel Market Intelligence
    • Channel Educational Series
Channel Futures
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • Analytics
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud
    • Data Centers
    • Desktop
    • IoT
    • Mobility
    • Networking
    • Open Source
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Virtualization
    • Voice/Connectivity
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Best Practices
    • Business Models
    • Channel 101
    • Channel Programs
    • Channel Research
    • Digital Transformation
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Leadership
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Specialty Practices
  • MSSP Insider
    • Back
    • Business of Security
    • Cloud and Edge
    • Endpoint
    • Network
    • People and Careers
    • Training and Policies
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • 2020 MSP 501 Rankings
    • 2020 Hot 101 Rankings
    • 2020 MSP 501 Report
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Our Sponsors
    • From the Industry
    • Content Resources
    • COVID-19 Partner Help
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • Reports
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • EMEA
  • Awards
    • Back
    • Excellence in Digital Services
    • 2020 MSP 501
    • Top Gun 51
  • Events
    • Back
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • Channel Partners Evolution
    • Channel Evolution Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
  • Channel Mentor
    • Back
    • Channel Market Intelligence
    • Channel Educational Series
    • Newsletter
  • REGISTER
  • MSPs
  • VARs / SIs
  • Digital Service Providers
  • Cloud Service Providers
  • CHANNEL PARTNERS ONLINE
 Channel Futures

MSP 501


SMBs Increase Their Social Media Marketing Budgets; Did You?

  • Written by Dan Berthiaume
  • June 15, 2011

According to AMI Partners, U.S. SMBs with fewer than 100 employees are expected to spend $36 billion on marketing in 2012, up 4 percent from 2011. Now here’s the big question: Are managed services providers (MSPs) also increasing their marketing dollars? And if so, where should MSPs focus their marketing efforts? Here are some educated guesses.

First, some more details on AMI’s research: While print media still attracts the bulk of SMB marketing dollars, most of the actual growth is expected to occur in the Internet and social media channels. AMI predicts social media marketing spending among SMBs will grow 35% in 2012 and finds that the recession least impacted SMB marketing spending in the Internet channel.

Some readers may think social media marketing consists of a Facebook page with a few photos or the company president posting his thoughts on Twitter. This may have been true a few years ago, but social media marketing is becoming a much more intense (and technology- and manpower-intensive) process.

It’s Not Your Father’s Social Media

Modern social media marketing includes activities such as regularly scouring major social networks for mentions of your company, figuring out if they are positive or negative, and then if necessary performing damage control. It includes searching for keywords in social networking posts to determine if a potential customer is waiting to be converted. It includes managing contests and promotions that may involve tens of thousands of online participants.

Social media has gotten too big for these types of activities to be managed manually. They must be at least partially automated and managed through specialized software. Many MSPs lack the knowledge or budget to run this kind of technology in-house. That’s where industry pundits with marketing expertise step into the conversation. Examples include:

  • Kutenda, a marketing firm for MSPs launched by managed services veteran Michael Cooch.
  • Pronto Marketing, which assists MSPs with website and newsletter development.
  • Ulistic, which offers MSP marketing and business consulting services to MSPs. Launched by Stuart Crawford, a former MSP who is well-known within the HTG Peer Groups organization.

So, which MSPs effectively build and market their brands? Take a look at masterIT‘s web site. At a time when so many MSPs use stock photos, masterIT’s web site features real photos from within the halls of the Memphis, Tenn.-based company. That’s CEO Michael Drake on the home page in a meeting room setting. masterIT frequently hosts a range of gatherings for local SMBs. And masterIT videos highlight the company’s professionalism.

Those masterIT videos improve the company’s search engine optimization (SEO). Plus, masterIT leverages the videos in email marketing campaigns, which generate click-through rates of as high as 25 percent, Drake mentioned to MSPmentor last week.

First Steps?

MSPmentor can’t specifically endorse marketing consulting teams since we don’t directly use any third-party services. But we can raise the following questions:

  • Does your annual budget include a line item for marketing?
  • How are you search engine optimizing your web site?
  • What are you doing to promote your company locally (Google Adwords, local newspaper ads, lunch-and-learns, etc.)?
  • What are you doing to gather and leverage vendor co-marketing dollars?
  • Who ultimately owns marketing and branding responsibility within your company?
  • How are you different from an established or aspiring MSP down the road?

As a whole, SMBs are increasing their marketing budgets for 2011, according to AMI Partners. Do you even have a marketing budget? And if so: What are you doing to maximize the ROI of those marketing dollars?

Additional insights from Joe Panettieri. Sign up for MSPmentor’s Weekly Enewsletter, Webcasts and Resource Center. Follow us via RSS, Facebook, Identi.ca and Twitter. Check out more MSP voices at www.MSPtweet.com. Read our editorial disclosure here.

Tags: Cloud Service Providers Digital Service Providers MSPs VARs/SIs MSP 501 Sales & Marketing

Related


  • No Racism
    Racially Charged Tweet Costs Alteryx CRO His Job
    Numerous individuals, including a customer, criticized Alteryx for the tweet, which led to the CRO's resignation.
  • Public sector IT
    Public Sector IT Funding Outlook for 2021--and What It Means for Our Reseller Partners
    Public sector IT resellers must anticipate customers’ changing priorities to most effectively position offerings.
  • MSP Marketing
    MSPs: Grow the Business with Marketing (While Focusing on What You Do Best)
    Marketing is important for growing the business, but it’s often not a core competency for MSPs.
  • Financial Services
    Xerox Financial Services Launches to Help Enterprise, SMB Customers
    The new business works with any third-party dealer or reseller.

One comment

  1. Avatar Phoebe September 22, 2011 @ 6:49 pm
    Reply

    Great information! Just remember uou can’t create a social business if the business is not designed to be customer-centric from the outside-in and the inside-out.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your Channel Futures account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • CEO Benioff Touts Salesforce Customer 360 Work-From-Anywhere Capabilities
  • Cisco Second Quarter: Profit Slips, Revenue Flat
  • Channel Survey: Sales and Marketing, Analytics Are Significant Challenges
  • Linux Security Provider Capsule8 Rolls Out First Partner Program

Galleries

View all

Threat Protection Vendors: Why MSSPs Have to Ramp Up Efforts Right Now

February 23, 2021

Industry Perspectives

View all

The “Roaring 20s” Are Coming

February 25, 2021

Three Ways MSPs Can Improve Supply Chain Security

February 24, 2021

SASE: The Key to Mitigating Business Transformation Risk

February 22, 2021

Webinars

View all

XDR and Why it Matters to MSPs

March 24, 2021

Top Security Trends Impacting Technology Security Providers In 2021

March 25, 2021

In Case of Emergency: The Importance of Proactive Critical Event Management

February 23, 2021
  • 1

White Papers

View all

Ready To Add Cutting Edge IoT Solutions To Your Portfolio?

February 25, 2021

What Is The Value Of Distribution For The Internet Of Things?

February 25, 2021

The Internet of Things (IoT): Where do You Begin?

February 25, 2021

Upcoming Events

View all

Channel Partners Virtual

March 2, 2021 - March 4, 2021

Channel Partners Conference & Expo

November 1, 2021 - November 4, 2021

Videos and Fastchats

View all

FASTCHAT: How SOAR Eliminates Security Challenges and Elevates Service Provider Revenues

January 6, 2021

Happy Holidays from Channel Partners & Channel Futures!

December 21, 2020

FASTCHAT: How Old, Unpatched Technologies Are Creating New Security Threats for MSPs and Their Customers

December 3, 2020

Twitter

ChannelFutures

.@PaloAltoNtwks unveils latest NextWave #partnerprogram. #cybersecurity dlvr.it/RtVngg https://t.co/bBkobGzjgD

February 26, 2021
ChannelFutures

.@JuniperNetworks is building synergies between the solution sets it acquired last year. dlvr.it/RtVdVL https://t.co/d21FcnLEai

February 25, 2021
ChannelFutures

.@Arcserve and @StorageCraft to merge, expanding both #dataprotection vendors' market from #SMB to enterprise.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

February 25, 2021
ChannelFutures

The golden age of the #Channel is here. @ComcastBusiness #dataconnectivity #SDN #desktop #security #UCaaS #IoT… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

February 25, 2021
ChannelFutures

.@OneLogin hires @pulsesecure, @Juniper Networks vet as VP of global channels. #cybersecurity dlvr.it/RtVThK

February 25, 2021
ChannelFutures

.@Fortinet loses another channel vet, this time to @DeepInstinctSec. #cybersecurity dlvr.it/RtVR1t https://t.co/XvY0UQDzQL

February 25, 2021
ChannelFutures

Ready To Add Cutting Edge IoT Solutions To Your Portfolio? Read this white paper to learn how! @GetWirelessLLC… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

February 25, 2021
ChannelFutures

What Is The Value Of Distribution For The Internet Of Things? This white paper will tell you @getwirelessllc… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

February 25, 2021

MSSP Insider

Newsletters and Updates

Sign up for The Channel Report, Channel Futures Update, MSP 501 Newsletter and more.

Live Channel Events

Get the latest information on the next industry-leading Channel Partners event.

Channel Partners Online

Want more? Find more channel news and analysis on our sister site, Channel Partners.

Media Kit And Advertising

Want to reach our audience? Access our media kit

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • Channel Partners Online
  • Channel Partners Events
  • MSP 501
  • MSSP Insider
  • IoT World Today
  • Webhostingtalk

WORKING WITH US

  • Contact
  • About us
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter

FOLLOW Channel Futures ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2021 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X