Many MSPs often need help with their online content. The reason? They don’t understand completely where their clients are in their decision-making journey. Instead, they make content that doesn’t fit their target audience – it needs to be more complex, speak to the right person, or address the client’s needs.
Knowing Your Ideal Client
It’s crucial to know who you’re talking to:- Details Matter: Know details about your client, like age, job, and company size. Also, try to understand what drives them, what they need, and what troubles them.
- What's Bothering Them?List out the problems or challenges your clients face. This helps in adjusting your services and making relevant content.
- Look Back to Move Forward:Look at past chats or client deals. What questions did they ask often? What were their main worries? This info can help guide what you offer and write about.
Understanding the Client’s Path
Buyers usually go through a few steps when making decisions, and they are broken down into the following:
- Early – Recognising the Problem: At this point, clients might not even know about MSPs. They're just trying to figure out a problem they have. Like, how can staff work from home?
- Middle – Looking for Solutions:: They start looking for solutions once they know their situation. Maybe they need help moving some IT stuff or an expert on specific software.
- Late – Needing Confirmation:Here, they're nearly ready to choose. But first, they need to be sure. They'll look for success stories, cost guides, or live demos.
MSPs’ Challenge: Juggling Numerous Solutions
MSPs can offer a wide range of services. However, showcasing everything at once has its pitfalls:
- Overloading Clients:Too many options can make it harder for potential clients to choose.
- Diluting Brand Strength:Trying to be a master of all trades can weaken an MSP's reputation in any specific domain.
- Stretching Resources Thin: Pushing all services can strain resources, affecting quality.
- Misaligned Expectations:Clients often seek specific solutions, i.e., only part of the menu. Offering everything may give the impression that an MSP doesn't tailor its services or specialise in anything.
MSPs must find a balance between highlighting their range and focusing on clients’ specific needs.
Planned Media Type by Buyer’s Stage
As potential clients move through their buying journey, different types of content resonate more effectively at each stage. It’s essential to strategically plan and utilise the right media type to guide and influence their decisions.
To maximize the effectiveness of the content and media types, aligning them with the buyer’s current stage in the journey is crucial. This ensures that the content addresses their immediate needs and concerns, leading them closer to a favourable decision.
Crucial Steps for Your Digital Content Plan
- Be Ready When They Are: Most people search online when they're nearly ready to buy. So, make sure you have clear content on topics they search for.
- Grab Quick OpportunitiesThey might choose you if your content matches their search. It's a quick win.
- Earn Their Trust: Once you've got the right content, show them why they can trust you. Share success stories, awards, or stats.
- Go back to the start of the journey: After you've got the main topics and trust-builders, focus on those just starting their search. Help them understand their problems. Over time, they'll remember you for helping them.
- Be Seen as a Leader: Share more than just solutions. Share advice, trends, or your thoughts. This can make you stand out and be trusted more.
Look Back to Move Forward
For MSPs, knowing where the customer is in their journey is vital. By doing this, they can better match their services to the customer’s needs. This means better chances of being chosen at the right time.
