4 Ways to Market Your Solo MSP

So you’ve gone out on your own and currently working as a one-person MSP? It sounds scary, especially if you have already left a regular job somewhere else. But there are fantastic marketing opportunities everywhere. Read on.

Leaving a Previous Job

By simply working at your previous job, you likely made several connections. These connections don’t even have to be business connections. For example, if you were previously a grocery bagger in a small town, the old lady you occasionally make small talk with may own one of the largest businesses in town. She already knows and likes you, and that is a large part of the battle already done.

There is opportunity everywhere if you know where to look.

Reach out to all your former colleagues on Facebook or LinkedIn and tell them that you had a great time working with them. Casually let them know what you are doing now, and do they know anyone who could use your services?

Again, your former colleges already know you are a great person and will be more willing to recommend your services versus someone who doesn’t know you.

You will want to tread very carefully if you are coming from another MSP, and not directly poach their clients unless you are ready for the heat that might bring. They may have missed many opportunities or weren’t interested in the prospect because they were too small.

Job Ads

Hear me out, since it sounds like exactly what you were trying to avoid going out on your own.

A lot of businesses put out job ads for an IT person. Whether for a long-term role or to cover while their current IT guy goes on a year-long sabbatical motorbiking in Cambodia (this happened to me).

While they may be looking for an employee, call them and pitch the benefits of outsourcing this role to you. Not as costly as hiring in-house, no training required etc..

Own It

You may think that being a one-person MSP will make you less desirable in the eyes of your prospects, and for some, it might.

However, other businesses may choose you because you are a one-person show. They know you are the person who answers the phone and the one they will see onsite.

That said, it is a good idea to partner with other people to cover when you are unavailable. They don’t have even need to be full-blown technicians; they can be reliable people who you can walk through the steps when it requires a physical presence.

Sometimes a business will ask what your “headcount” is, and they ask that because they want to know whether you will be able to respond when their systems are down and you are currently serving another client.

This doesn’t necessarily mean how many employees you have; what is important is how many can respond. If you have three other contractors who can respond, you can say you have a team of 4, including yourself.

Social Media Marketing as a Solo MSP

Social media marketing is excellent for a one-person-MSP because it is relatively inexpensive.

Hop on social media like LinkedIn and Facebook and join local business groups like “Business Owners [YourCity]”. If one doesn’t exist already, consider making one. I have done super well doing this in a specific industry; it is THE group for it).

Circling back to the “know, like, and trust”, posting regular helpful content helps grow this. You can post this on your blog, social media accounts, and in business groups where it helps people.

They see your content and get to know you. They like you because you are helpful and trust you because you establish yourself as an authority with the content.

If you need help with such content, we have one of the largest content libraries for MSPs, all available on day one and not drip-fed. Just copy and paste it into your groups as if you wrote it.

Breaking out on your own is exciting, and opportunity is everywhere if you know where to look for it. Make use of existing connections who already know, like, and trust you. Make the fact you are solo a selling point and make use of social media to build new trust.