The Executive Suite: How a Managed Service Provider Drove Demand on LinkedIn with Prospects Who Previously Ignored Communications

Studies from the Alterra Group show that 97 percent of marketers report account-based marketing approaches have the highest ROI. The IT Services Marketing Association (ITSMA) reports that 85 percent of marketers who measure ROI describe account-based marketing as delivering the highest returns of all other marketing approaches. And, LinkedIn reports that social selling professionals that take an account-based marketing approach gain 45 percent more opportunities.

Yet, most sales and marketing professionals fail to take an account-based marketing approach on LinkedIn and on social media in general. For example, Single Point of Contact, a California-based MSP, was targeting real estate management firms with the same promises of reduced IT savings, increased security and other generic claims that other managed service providers were also discussing. They were making these generic claims without showing any proof and showing how and why they’re able to provide these benefits to targeted audiences.

On LinkedIn, the profile of the vice-president of business development was mainly a resume and there was no quantifiable, specific value being communicated to the targeted audiences. The firm had no case studies that it can use on its profile and in nurturing efforts to targeted prospects. The blog content was general in nature and did not show targeted audiences that it understood their specific issues, challenges and circumstances. And, it didn’t show how it can take its targeted audiences vision and turn it into a path to value (which you can only do with an account-based marketing approach).

Here Are the Steps We Took to Help Single Point of Contact Drive Demand with Specific, Targeted Audiences

1. Take an account-based marketing approach to our client’s LinkedIn profile. We focused on pulling in prospects with relevant stories rather than just push out content – even on the vice-president’s profile where we show his unique business story and the results that his clients have gained under his direction. You’ll find case studies throughout the profile. So, instead of using the experience section as a resume, the vice-president now has content for different audiences with different needs. You’ll find a position that shows how he helped Shorenstein Realty (one of the largest, oldest, most respected real estate management firms in the U.S. that was spending upward of $750,000 on its IT infrastructure) cut IT Opex by 43 percent. By making the vice-president’s profile case study based, we show his relevance and how he is in tune with his buyer’s needs. By talking about Shorenstein Realty within his profile in multiple spots – an IT leader within a local SF Bay real estate management firm reached out to our client to connect and asked specific questions based on the content found inside the profile. Do you see the power of taking an account-based marketing approach to your profile where you focus on what’s going to allow you to open the door to the targeted audiences that you are looking to attract? This SF Bay real estate management firm ignored all previous communications up until now.

2. Take an account-based marketing approach with social content strategy. Now, building the foundation was only the first step. Single Point of Contact needed the content to further nurture relationships with interested parties. For example, as Single Point of Contact’s vice-president’s profile piqued interest by talking about his work with Shorenstein Realty, the company needed case studies to continue the conversation. And, the company needed case studies for other markets that it wanted to penetrate. Now, on the Single Point of Contact website, you’d learn how the managed service provider supports the broadband industry (another target market for the managed service provider). You’d see how it helped a law firm save $24,000 with just one fix (another big target market). Along with case studies, we provided the company with a blog post and LinkedIn publishing platform posts that would challenge IT leaders within these target industries and provide them alternative answers to their unique challenges.

3. Take an account-based LinkedIn marketing and social selling approach – In many cases, your LinkedIn profile and your content will not drive demand enough to produce the ROI you want. It’s the next step actions you take and how you use the content to build and leverage relationships that will move prospects closer to the sale. That’s why we mapped out how Single Point of Contact should be connecting and building relationships with specific key decision makers within the targeted accounts that the managed service provider wanted. We mapped out content paths based on the specific issues that the targeted accounts were facing and how the prospects were reacting and engaging with the content.

Results of an Account-Based Marketing Approach on LinkedIn

Besides attracting a large real-estate management company (when all previous attempts to gain their attention failed), taking an account-based marketing approach to LinkedIn provided Single Point of Contact with:

Engagement driving visibility;
Access to higher quality leads who saw the Managed Service Provider’s business value;
Increased lead conversions as IT buyers saw how Single Point of Contact can help them overcome IT challenges and create a path to value;
A strong foundation to build key relationships with enterprise decision makers.

Click here to read the complete case study to learn more.

Now, look at your profile and your messaging. Are you speaking to “everyone” instead of very specific audiences and showing that you truly understand their unique challenges and that you are uniquely qualified to solve their problems? If so, that may be why you’re connection conversions are low and why your prospects are ignoring your messaging. Maybe it’s time for you to seriously think about giving your LinkedIn profile a makeover and design it to move conversations forward with very specific audiences.