MSP Marketing: How to Promote Your MSP Without Breaking the Bank

When you're struggling to keep your MSP afloat, marketing might feel like a luxury you can't afford. But in today's competitive market, visibility is viability. If prospects can’t find you online or in their inboxes, you simply don’t exist to them. Fortunately, you don’t need a six-figure budget to generate meaningful results. Strategic, time-efficient, and even free tools are available—if you know how to use them effectively, and have a plan.

Let’s paint a familiar picture:
You left your job and launched your MSP. You've got a professional website, set up some social profiles, maybe even leased office space. But after a few months, the phone is still silent. You're wondering if you made a mistake.

You didn’t make the mistake by launching your business—you made it by not launching your marketing.

In today’s MSP landscape, “If you build it, they will come” has been replaced by:
“If they can’t find you, they’ll find your competitors.”

And trust us, they will. Competitors are investing in Google Ads, SEO, LinkedIn lead gen, email automation, and hyper-local community engagement. While they rise in search and mindshare, your MSP is buried under page two of Google—out of sight and out of business.

Why MSP Marketing Matters More Than Ever

Still thinking, “We can’t afford to market right now”?

When MSPs cut marketing during lean times, they silence the very megaphone that would attract new customers. Meanwhile, competitors capture that space—and your potential leads. Today, it’s not about whether you market. It’s about how creatively and consistently you can do it, especially when budgets are tight

10 Cost-Free (or Nearly Free) Marketing Tactics MSPs Should Be Using To Generate Leads

1.Content Is Still King—But Context Is Queen

Consistently publish SEO-optimized content that answers real client questions. Instead of generic topics, focus on intent-driven keywords using free tools like Google Search Console, Answer the Public, and ChatGPT. Target content like:

• “Is co-managed IT right for my mid-sized business in [Your City]?”

• “What does cybersecurity insurance require to be in compliance?”

Benchmark: Aim for 2 optimized blogs per month with 800+ words and internal linking to service pages.

2. Turn Social Media Into a Dialogue

Auto-posting your blog? Great—but not enough. Today's algorithms reward engagement, not just presence. Comment meaningfully on trending posts, respond to DMs within 24 hours, and share user-generated content.

Pro tip: Use LinkedIn voice notes for personalized outreach—it’s underused and highly effective.

3. Max Out Google (MY) Business Profile (GBP)

Google's free business listing tool is local gold. Regularly update your profile with photos, services, and weekly posts. Encourage happy clients to leave reviews and respond within 48 hours.

Benchmark: Businesses that post weekly and have 50+ reviews see up to 300% more local engagement.

4. Use Email Lists Like a Pro

Start simple. Use Mailchimp or Brevo’s (formerly Sendinblue) free tier to send a monthly newsletter. Offer downloadable guides, security checklists, or industry news to add value—not spam. Also, take time to maintain your mailing list.

Benchmark: Shoot for a 20–25% open rate and 2–3% click-through.

5. Attend Local Networking Events 

Face time still matters. From Chamber mixers to small biz expos, use these events to gather referrals and build local awareness.

6. Take Advantage Free Ad Credit

Google Ads and Meta often offer $100–$500 ad credit for new accounts, and try their PPC services. Use these for location-based targeting. Just be strategic: focus on one offer, one landing page, one CTA.

Benchmark: If your CTR (click-through rate) is below 1.5%, revise the ad or landing page.

7. Join or Create a Facebook or Linkedin Group

Don’t just post—build. A private LinkedIn or Facebook Group for SMBs in your vertical (e.g., dental IT, legal IT) positions you as the go-to expert.

Pro tip: Set weekly discussion prompts and spotlight member wins to drive engagement.

8. Offer a Deliverable

Free deliverables work—if they’re not boring. A simple but valuable checklist like “2025 Cyber Insurance Prep Guide” or “Free Risk Assessment Worksheet” can get real leads.

Tip: Gate it with a form, but keep it short—name, email, company. That’s it.

9. Donate Your Services to the Community

Volunteer IT help for a local nonprofit and document the journey. This generates testimonials, content, goodwill, backlinks, and PR. Most improtantly, the majority of your business will be local, and the more they know about you, the greater the chance they will reach out to you.

Example:
Create a case study:
“How Our MSP Helped a Local Shelter Prevent a Cyberattack (And What You Can Learn)”

10. Run a Contest With a Valuable Prize

Host a “Worst Wi-Fi Setup” photo contest or offer a free network audit as a prize. Promote it across social channels and email.

User-generated content (UGC) campaigns like these boost brand engagement—and traffic—by 35% or more when executed well.

This is where you can take advantage of your social media: your contest could be user-generated content in which the contestants provide their advice or content such as photos, and other material. User-generated content is an effective marketing strategy because participants are more likely to share their content on their social media, which can drive new and different traffic to your site and social media, increasing opportunities to develop leads.

But Here’s the Real Cost: Time

All these strategies may be free in dollars, but they cost hours. Your team will need:

• ~4 hours per blog (topic research, writing, review, posting)

• Ongoing social media monitoring

• Weekly email and ad coordination

• Lead management and CRM syncing

• Regular SEO maintenance and analytics review

Today's MSPs that succeed in marketing either:

1. Build a dedicated in-house marketing function

2. Or partner with specialists who know the MSP space inside and out

Focus on Clients—Let Experts Handle Your MSP Marketing

As you often tell your clients: “Let us handle the IT—so you can focus on your business.”
Now ask yourself—who’s helping you focus?

At JoomConnect, we live and breathe MSP marketing. Our campaigns drive traffic, trigger calls, and generate the kind of growth that keeps the lights on—and the competition behind.

• SEO-backed blogging
• Fully managed email workflows
• Hyper-local lead gen
• Multi-platform PPC strategies
• CRM-integrated lead tracking
• Real results backed by real MSP testimonials

Call us at 888-546-4384 today or visit us online and let’s build a marketing machine for your MSP that works.