It’s that time of year again—the time when we set goals and look forward to what the new year may bring. I’ve been in the managed service provider (MSP) marketing space for a very long time – and I can honestly say 2024 saw more shifts than any other year I can remember. This is largely due to (you guessed it) the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence (AI).
In my opinion, 2024 was all about realizing the potential of AI in marketing. 2025 will be about actually implementing it and seeing the ripple effects.
I’ve written a lot about AI implementation over the last couple of years. In this post, I want to focus on the ripple effects I believe will impact everyone’s MSP marketing plans in 2025. Let’s get into it.
Answer Engine Optimization – a rising subsect of SEO
Answer engine optimization (AEO) is an aspect of search engine optimization (SEO) focusing on direct answers to user questions.
Question-and-answer sites have seen a sizable uptick in demand over the past few years. We’re seeing more and more search queries end in the word “Reddit”. On the surface, this tells me there’s a strong market for answers that come from real human experts – not AI bots.
In 2025, we recommend that MSPs focus on creating a resource center on their website with content that provides high-value answers to popular IT-related questions.
But where can you find these types of questions?
The first place to look is Google. Start by searching for one of the services you offer (ex: cybersecurity services). Look at the “People Also Ask” section on the search results. As of this writing, some of the top questions that come up are:
- What are the five security services in cyber security?
- What are the 3 C’s of cyber security?
- What exactly does cyber security do?
Prioritizing AEO in 2024 will do a lot to improve your credibility online. The better answers you can provide; the more likely people will buy your services.
Heavier focus on localized SEO
If you’re like most MSPs, you serve a specific state, city, or region.
Chances are, you’ve already been focusing on local SEO – and 2025 is a year when you need to step it up. Most business owners want a long-term relationship with an MSP – someone close by in case systems go down and doesn’t see them as another number in a spreadsheet.
But what does stepping up local SEO mean in 2025?
We recommend MSPs do the following (if they haven’t already):
- Build out location pages on your websites for each city or area you serve.
- Get featured in local business publications.
- Post content speaking directly to the unique IT challenges of the area.
- Involve your MSP in local events.
These are just a handful of items to prioritize for local SEO. For more insight on this, feel free to send me a message privately.
Emphasis on cybersecurity expertise
Advancements in AI have been doing wonders across the business world.
Unfortunately, cybercrime is a profitable industry that lurks in the shadows of the same business world. With threats becoming more advanced and sneaky by the day, MSPs need to position cybersecurity as their primary service.
This is something I’ve been encouraging MSPs to do throughout 2024. In 2025, this is not negotiable.
The message needs to focus on proactive measures and 24/7/365 monitoring to spot weaknesses in an IT infrastructure and take action before it’s too late.
Expansion of video marketing
Heading into 2025, most people have developed an ability to spot AI content fairly easily.
While there’s nothing inherently wrong or less valuable about AI content, it lacks a sense of authenticity. In other words, AI content doesn’t have the human element that many people prefer.
What makes the content on SmarterMSP.com so great? It comes from real people with real-life perspectives on growing an MSP.
Video marketing is where MSPs can set themselves apart in 2025 and beyond.
We suggest repurposing your answer engine optimization content into clips with animations – which can be published across your channels. If you’re interested in getting started with video content, I recently wrote a blog post providing the first steps.
Niche-specific marketing
Most businesses looking to hire an MSP want a company that understands their industry backward and forwards. For example, healthcare organizations need an IT provider that is up to speed on HIPAA compliance. An MSP that serves the masses may have an associate’s degree understanding of HIPAA, but a healthcare-specific IT company brings a PhD level of understanding.
Which company do you think the healthcare organization will hire?
By creating niche-specific marketing campaigns that demonstrate a PhD level of knowledge in a particular industry, your sales process will be much easier.
This is why Tech Pro Marketing – my MSP marketing company – only works with IT companies. This means we dedicate all our time to mastering this particular industry, rather than trying to learn new industries on the fly.
Partnership marketing
Partnership marketing is a great way to get your MSP in front of eyes that you may not have access to otherwise. This would involve co-hosting events, hosting webinars, being a guest on podcasts, etc.
Similar to video content, partnership marketing can do a lot to humanize your MSP – which has become a cornerstone tactic with so much AI content out there these days.
But where can you find these partnership opportunities?
We recommend starting locally. Here are a few ways to begin your search:
- Get involved in the business community in your city.
- Sponsor business events.
- See if your happy clients would be interested in doing some cross-promotion.
- Find some local/regional business podcasts and see if they accept guest speakers.
Fortunately, IT touches just about every corner of the business world, so the possibilities for partnering are practically endless.
Client advocacy programs
The relationship between a business and its MSP should work like a marriage. I’ve worked with hundreds of MSPs over the years. When looking at the most successful ones, the common thread is they’ve been working with certain clients for decades.
Having these types of clients advocate for them adds a strong layer of trust for a potential client before they book a consultation.
The good news is you don’t need clients of 30+ years to be your advocates. Any happy client can be an advocate for your MSP.
Client advocacy programs can take many forms. Some of the most common ones we recommend involve:
- Publishing case studies from a client’s success story (where they were before they hired you, how you changed their organization, the results you’ve helped them achieve).
- Asking for video testimonials.
- Launching a referral program.
- Hosting co-branded events.
- Starting a client success podcast.
- Encouraging LinkedIn endorsements.
These are just a few ideas to get you started. Your happy clients can be a goldmine for selling. If you’ve been getting great results for them, they will probably be happy to sing your praises.
Start 2025 the right way
The start of a new year can be both an exciting and nerve-wracking time for an MSP.
A big question we need to ask ourselves is: If everyone is using AI to market their business, how can I strengthen my messaging?
If the AI boom has taught us anything about marketing, it’s that relationships are now even more important in how service providers promote themselves. That is the commonality that all of these trends share.
Are you looking to level up your marketing in 2025?
We can help. Let’s talk about it in a strategy call – which you can book through my website. We’ll discuss where you are currently and how we can make 2025 your best year yet.
Photo: LAONG / Shutterstock
This post originally appeared on Smarter MSP.