There is no question that managed service provider (MSP) marketing isn’t the most exciting topic to discuss. In fact, the thought of discussing tactics, strategies, and results are often downright yawn-inspiring for some. However, with the right attitude and the right ideas, marketing efforts are not only effective but often fun — especially when you are offering something your clients really need.

Marketing Cloud Computing to Your Clients

There are many MSPs, all around the country, that aren’t very excited about jumping into marketing cloud computing services. The top answer these individuals have when approached with this issue is that their prospects and customers aren’t actively asking for the cloud. As a result, their plan is to wait patiently until the idea of cloud computing picks up a bit of momentum. In fact, they want to wait until prospects are demanding cloud services to offer it. In most cases, this isn’t a smart course of action.

Marketing Cloud Computing Head-On

Sitting around and waiting to offer and market cloud computing to your prospects and customers is the completely wrong approach to take. Cloud computing helps to solve several common IT support issues. These are issues that other, current solutions simply can’t touch. At the end of the day, your prospects and customers don’t know what solutions they want, but they do understand what problems need solved. It is up to you, their solutions provider, to present them with the right solution. Today, the best choice is for you to move all your clients -- past, present, and future -- to the cloud.

Words of Wisdom from Malcolm Gladwell

If you still aren’t convinced your MSP marketing team needs to offer the cloud, then consider listening to the words of wisdom from Malcolm Gladwell. He explains at TED how searching for answers from researching the market can’t always provide you with a complete picture. In many cases, the market has no idea what is really wanted or needed, which is why your clients aren’t yet requesting a move to the cloud. In this talk, he reviews how Howard Moskowitz discovered this very secret while trying to find the best spaghetti sauce. Additional information about this discovery is available here.

Is the Cloud Right for Your Customers?

What is your preferred niche or industry? Honestly, it doesn’t matter what it is. The cloud is the right answer for your clients’ needs. If you are still “on the fence” about offering this service, consider the many benefits of cloud technology:

• With virtualization, you can give new life to legacy systems that many industries, including power, insurance, travel, and banking, still use.

• With managed cloud hosting, performance ratings can improve across the board. This change often makes software faster.

• The cloud offers higher satisfaction and adoption rates, more engagement, and faster data retrieval.

• The customer receives the services of a high-quality team that ensures the cloud computing services continue operating properly at all times.

The fact is, if your customers want to remain competitive in their industry or niche, they have to have the flexibility and reliability offered by cloud hosting. Regardless of whether the client is trying to cut costs and improve reliability, acquire top-notch IT support for their more complicated systems, or provide a performance edge for applications — offering the cloud meets all of these needs.

The Cloud: It’s Not a Passing Trend

Cloud computing is not something that’s going to disappear like Apple’s Newton device. In fact, the cloud is only getting bigger, offering more features, and making it easier for businesses to operate efficiently and affordably. No longer do your clients have to worry about how to access information while in a meeting. They also don’t have to scramble to figure out who has the needed information for a presentation when someone calls in sick. Storing information, data, and other things in the cloud means it is accessible to anyone, from any location, as long as they have the log-in information.

The Bottom Line

As an IT company, your MSP marketing should offer technology and solutions to your clients and future clients before they know they need it. Help them understand the benefits offered by this product — in this case, the cloud — so they know what an invaluable tool it is. You are supposedly their “tech guru;” however, if you don’t offer the latest technology, you may find some clients lose faith in your ability to meet their needs. If the cloud is not yet on your list of offers to your clients, it is time to make a change.