Part 1: Content Creation
For those of you that checked out our latest webinar with the one and only Ari Sherbill, you know that to crush it as a super successful MSP, you need to make waves in three distinct categories. These are:
1. Client Attraction = Your 5* content creation
2. Client Enrollment = Appealing pricing and packaging
3. Client Service = Leveraging your time and expertise to work less and earn more
Sound like a formula you want to learn? We thought so! That’s why we’re taking a deep dive into these topics with a three-part series on how to be a super successful MSP. First up? Client attraction, via the content creation that solves your target audience’s biggest problems.
How Does 5* Content Result in Client Attraction?
How do you feel when you pick up your phone and immediately you know that the stranger at the end of the phone is trying to sell you something? You’ve lost interest before they even launch into their pitch. No one wants to be sold to. However, we all buy solutions and products all the time, when we get the sense that they are truly going to solve our problems. This is the difference between attraction and selling.
Content that attracts clients immediately positions you as a person of authority or a thought-leader in the industry, makes you likeable and helpful to your ideal client, and establishes a layer of trust between you, a great foundation for a working relationship.
This type of content is often reusable, allowing people to share the information and get your message out there for you, reaching new potential customers. ‘Buy now’ messages rarely work, you have much better odds getting readers invested in your position and influenced by your messages by providing valuable content that really speaks to their pain points.
OK, Great! But What is This Content?
Firstly, let’s look at what client attraction is NOT. Many companies confuse the idea of brand building with client attraction. Both have their purpose, but attractive content is much more niche than an inspiring quote or a cute video that gets a lot of social shares. While brand building might get your name out there, it’s not likely to get you a whole lot of customers.
Secondly, don’t think too big! You might have heard that good content is very hard to create, but actually this is the opposite of the truth. The best content is going to be easy for you to create and share. Apart from anything else, if it’s a complex or arduous task, you’re just not going to do it! You are already an expert in your business, so keep it simple, and share what you know.
Think about your main goal. To attract clients? Ok great, so now consider what the least amount of work you can do to achieve this goal is. What is the simplest piece of content you can create that highlights your expertise and provides something valuable to users?
This could be a webcast, a white paper, an infographic, a video training series, or even a presentation that you give at a live meet-up. The choice and the medium is yours to decide on. Make sure you have a strong headline that articulates the problem, something like “Live training this Wednesday: The crucial 5-steps to ensure your business is bullet-proof from cyberattacks.”
Let’s look at an example outline for this kind of content that you can follow to create your own:
1. Headline
2. Identify Problem
3. Articulate Desired Result
4. Describe how you’ve achieved those results for your clients or alone
5. Describe the story of how you discovered this method
6. Teach the method
7. Identify the listener’s biggest mistakes
8. Debunk their biggest myths
9. Give an irresistible offer that will ensure listeners become clients, or want to learn more
Getting your Content in Front of the Right Faces
No matter what content you choose to create, your goal is to get this in front of your ideal prospects on a consistent basis. Think through your marketing plan. Let’s say your ideal prospect is local health organizations that earn between $1M -$3M per year, and you want to get 25 of these companies to see your content per week. Now you need to reverse engineer how these prospects are going to see what you’ve created, online or in person. This could be via social media, targeted contact, mailouts, and more.
After your target audience sees your content, a percentage of the attendees are going to want to work with you. Make sure that you’re ready in advance with your price point, packages, and delivery options. This is not just for the customer, but also to make sure that you make smart choices about building this relationship in the way you want to, getting more done by working less.
Want to learn more about these steps, and can’t wait for the next blog in the series? You can watch the full webinar right here and get all the pro tips for becoming a true ‘Jack of all Trades’ MSP.
This guest blog is courtesy of Atera. Read more guest blogs from Atera here. Regularly contributed guest blogs are part of ChannelE2E’s sponsorship program.
