A guide to sales and marketing best practices for Cloud Backup
SkyKick’s mission is to help our partners build successful cloud businesses. Managed Service Providers (MSPs) rely on SkyKick for a wide range of assistance: whether it is compelling products; advice on navigating SMBs to the cloud ; technical support; or bundling assistance that drives CSP profitability by 5x.
MSPs also rely on SkyKick to help find, build and manage SMB relationships throughout their journey to the cloud. We recently canvassed a number of top performing SkyKick partners to identify sales and marketing best practices that are driving their Cloud Backup business; from building SMB awareness and understanding of market offerings, to closing deals and nurturing the relationships. This post is first in a series of articles to come where we’ll share actionable insights to help MSPs drive SMB cloud adoption.
1. Build awareness around data protection
The reality is that a good portion of SMBs – as many as 37% according to Forrester – are not adopting the cloud due to security concerns. Therefore, the first step is to build awareness and a better understanding around data protection in the cloud. Developing your pitch for why for Cloud Backup is key to unlocking recurring revenue. Our most successful MSPs articulate the value that Cloud Backup provides with relevant examples – such as the ability to quickly recovery key files or entire mailboxes after a data breach; or accidental deletion of such items by an employee. Clear examples that tell the story of a fast, cost effective return to business productivity will outweigh product features and technical details when it comes to overcoming SMB concerns and driving cloud adoption.
“For us, the most effective way to pitch the benefits of Cloud Backup is by telling customer stories, showcasing how it came in handy for other clients – such as the CEO who had accidentally deleted files and directories from his phone or the food processing customer who needed to be assured that their highly regulated data was kept safe.”– Eric Olmsted, On Line Support
2. Focus on industry specific segmentation
MSPs can approach customer segmentation a number of ways. In surveying successful partners, we discovered a common theme among them – they focus on key industry verticals that have an inherent need to protect and backup data. Common verticals included medical, energy, and legal – where having a data protection and backup strategy is paramount. Intentional customer segmentation helps MSPs deliver focused marketing campaigns more effectively and with greater ROI.
“A key vertical for us is the legal industry, mostly because lawyers live on email – and really miss it when it goes missing. The unlimited retention offered by SkyKick Cloud Backup is particularly compelling.” – Pete Jones, DCNC
3. Amplify marketing efforts
Building and executing an effective marketing campaign can be daunting. Our most successful partners find success when they stretch their resources and bring in 3rd party support to help amplify their efforts. Partners who leverage our customizable marketing materials in the SkyKick Readiness Hub (open to any registered partner) are quickly able to create and scale their marketing campaigns. This resource has become their go-to marketing arm for pre-packaged, white label collateral. Here you’ll find social banners, prospecting emails, product datasheets and more. Partners who integrate these materials into their marketing plans have an advantage over those who must start from scratch – both in terms of reduced overhead marketing costs and fulfilling sale enablement requests faster.
“A challenge for us has been to constantly develop new content for our customer base that’s relevant and contextual. This is why we’ve focused on bringing in vendors to help us do regular ‘lunch and learn’ type sessions in our local markets. This helps build credibility and legitimacy for our practice.” – Rodd Ahrenstorff, KT Connections
These are just a few of the tips we’ve collected from our leading Cloud Backup partners. Check back regularly as we’ll continue to share additional guidance and resources. In the meantime, we’d love to hear what has helped you build a successful Cloud Backup business.