10 Content Ideas to Make Your MSP a Media Company
Richard recently wrote a blog on why your MSP (managed service provider) business needs to think more like a media company. But if you’re more focused on the tech side of your business, where do you start?
To help you, I’ve come up with a list of 10 content ideas you can easily try today to get you started. Hopefully, these will also inspire you to come up with some other things to do. I’ve suggested a range of content formats for different platforms, but feel free to tweak these to your own preference.
1. Create a Talking Head Video for LinkedInRecent TubbTalk guest and LinkedIn expert John Espirian shared that videos are performing well at the moment, particularly on the mobile app version of the platform. Plan a series of these if you’re feeling confident!
Ask a different team member each time to share what they’re working on, a recent win or a tricky ticket that they’ve finally resolved. As the owner of the MSP, sharing updates from you is a great way to show the person behind the company.
Personally, I’ve being doing a ‘what I’ve got planned this week’ video every Monday for the last couple of months. I’ve found these a really effective way of starting conversations. Plus, they’re a great way to share a bit of personality, too.
2. A Behind-the-Scenes Photo for InstagramThese are always popular, because people love to peep behind the curtains of a business. It shows your personality and makes you more relatable, and will be a great conversation starter.
Messy desk photos always go down well, or you could share your computer set-up. Alternatively, share the view from your window, the coffee shop you like to work from or even your lunch. People LOVE to talk about food on social media!
Finished a piece of work you’re really proud of? Helped a client to grow or secure their business? Then share it. Today’s forward-thinking MSPs know that it’s not enough to just be the ‘IT guy’ anymore. You’ve already moved away from the break/fix model, so show your clients that you’re a partner. Demonstrate that you’re as invested in their success as they are.
Show where the client or their business was when they came to you, the service you provided and the outcome for them after working with you. If you can get a quote from the client, even better. And a video testimonial is better again.
You can also create these for clients you work with on an ongoing basis. In fact, these are a great way to let potential customers know that you’re a trusted person that business owners feel comfortable working with long-term.
4. How-to GuidesTake inspiration from Marcus Sheridan and answer all the potential questions your clients have. Including why they should choose you, and the circumstances in which you might not be the right fit. Explain the process of finding the right MSP partner to fit their business needs and the sorts of questions they should ask.
Consider creating guides on things like password security and storage, how to spot a phishing email and some basic cybersecurity measures they can put in place. Of course, don’t give them too much information – the idea is that you show them how helpful you are so they choose you to work with.
5. Infographic on CybersecurityDone right, an infographic can be a powerful tool to share key information quickly. Because cybersecurity is always evolving, you could set up a template with the images you want to use (fully branded if possible) and update with the latest data. Include things like:
Number of companies who’ve been victims of cyber crimeCost to a business both in monetary terms and man hoursNumber of threats thwarted in a monthPatches/updates issuedCommon types of threat
Have you been a guest on a podcast? (If the answer is no, then you need to fix that! Part of being a media company means participating in other people’s media). If you have, then share it far and wide.
Always seek permission from the host if you decide to repurpose the content rather than sharing it directly. However, most people are happy for you to this so long as you link back to the original episode. After all, it’s helping them to increase their audience too!
If you follow TubbTalk, then you’ll be familiar with some of the content I create from a single interview. We always have a summary blog post highlighting key points, shownotes on all podcast players and social media posts which go out the same week as the podcast and then at different times throughout the year.
We’ve also created audio and video snippets, used the content for round-up posts or in lead magnets, and we’ve even turned some of the shows into co-branded ebooks! There’s a lot of scope for even a short chat on someone else’s podcast.
7. Tech Stack Tools List (downloadable lead magnet)Everybody wants to know what tools other businesses are using! This might be more relevant to others in the industry, but you’d be surprised. As well as giving a list of vendors you partner with, tool lists can be used in other ways, too.
For instance, we could create a list of the tools we use to produce TubbTalk, including Zoom for recording, Captivate for distribution, WhisperTranscribe for creating the transcript and Richard’s preferred microphone and headphones. If you’ve got affiliate links, make sure you use them!
8. Share Your Origin StoryThe most compelling content has a story element to it, and what could be a better story than your own journey to becoming a managed service owner? Richard did this in TubbTalk 125, when he was interviewed by his friend Stephen McCormick.
You could do this as a series of shorter interviews, as video snippets, a connecting thread of social media snippets or as smaller, snappy blog posts. Or all of those! And remember that this is evergreen content, so you can reshare it as often as you like. If you get a lot of new connections or followers, make sure they see it too.
Don’t have a newsletter? Then now is the time to start one! You can send them as frequently as you like, but once you’ve decided on your publishing schedule, make sure you stick to it. Consistency is the way to build trust with content marketing, and the same is true with your emails.
I’ve experimented with including a hyperlinked title of the blog post in mine, but recently I’ve been sharing the opening paragraphs in its own section, and then inviting readers to click through for the full article.
10. Video Demo Walkthrough (with FAQ)We’ve got several of these on the Tubblog YouTube channel, and we always get great feedback when we share them. If you have a tool or a system that would be of interest to your fellow MSPs, then you can share that.
Alternatively, you could set up a series of demos showing your clients how to use the tools they’ve chosen from your stack. Walk them through your FAQ (frequently asked questions) and guide them through the exact steps.
The added bonus of this is that instead of answering the same questions over and over, you can just point them to your video series. This shows that you’ve considered their needs ahead of time.
Do you think you could do one or more of these? Leave a comment below – I’d love to know which ones you try!
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