We hear the term “return on investment” (ROI) on a regular basis from marketing teams, but it seems as though not many people understand what it means or how to manage expectations before investing in a marketing strategy. More often than not, I hear of proposals being submitted to vendors, through programs such as assistance with market development funds (MDF),  that are created with zero details around ROI or anything deeper than “awareness” from a goals perspective. 

Do you feel that you should be marketing and promoting your company’s service offerings? Have you taken all the necessary steps to get started? Managed service providers (MSPs) don’t have to be marketing experts, but marketing is a necessary component to running a sustainable business with a consistent stream of new customer prospects. As a business owner, you want to be cost effective, and provide a positive customer experience to new prospects—and marketing is the key.

What is a customer? If you ask that question to 100 managed service providers (MSPs) you’d probably get many different answers. Attracting customers is the primary goal of MSPs, because it is the customer who creates demand for your goods or services. In the IT Industry, you never want to underestimate the value and reach of your loyal customers. MSPs have to be creative to keep customers coming back for more, so eventually they will bring their friends with them. Here are four tips to remember as an MSP when developing relationships with customers:

According to CNN, this year’s Super Bowl drew nearly 120 million viewers— and that excludes tablet views, streaming and good old-fashioned sports bar watching. Year after year, millions of people tune in to the Super Bowl and watch this spectacle of athleticism and commercialism. As I’m awash in a sea of commercials for Doritos, domestic beer, and luxury sedans, the inner marketing fanatic in me was wondering: what does the ROI look like when an ad is on such a large stage?