Managed service providers (MSPs) are increasingly investing in social media as part of their digital marketing strategies and for good reason. Between 2021 and 2022, social media users increased by more than 10%, with users spending an average of 2 hours and 27 minutes between messaging apps and social media platforms.
In addition, investments in social media marketing are paying off. Brand discovery happens 52% of the time through social media, and interactions with brands on social media make customers spend 20% to 40% more on products and services, on average.
However, this could present a challenge for MSPs. Ask yourself these questions: If a social media network like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn were to disappear tomorrow, where would your social media audience go? Does your MSP have the correct data and direct connections to continue tapping into that audience? What additional steps can your MSP take to continue a strong engagement with that audience?
These are important and relevant questions, especially as usage of social media networks shifts and changes in ownership in some social networks, such as Twitter, call their long-term stability as a business into question. While these fears may never materialize, MSPs must prepare for the worst-case scenario to ensure they are both protecting and maximizing the impact of their marketing spend.
Social media networks provide an incredible amount of data on potential customers. It may be beneficial to add that data into a CRM system to store valuable information on your audience and flag possible actions to be taken to move the relationships forward.
For example, create follow-up actions for these individuals to offer more information on your services. Chat with your audience on social media to understand what next steps would be valuable to them. Ask them if they would like to be added to an email subscription list for your blog. Your CRM will house their contact information, and you can continue to send them emails about your services in the future. Steps such as this will give you more control over your audience instead of relying heavily on the social platform. It can help you pivot potential customers to email marketing, which has a proven high return on investment (estimated at 3,600% by some metrics).
My advice is not for MSPs to pull back their investment in social media networks. In fact, continue to invest since social media continues to grow in popularity and expand across other platforms. However, by taking a few simple steps, an MSP can protect its investment and continue to nurture its relationship with potential customers. Doing so can increase the likelihood of converting them into valuable customers.
