If you’re a 10 to 20 person MSP or smaller then you most likely are finding it challenging to be able to generate a predictable source of qualified leads. There seems to be a never-ending number of options to spend your money on though few of which seem to get you the results that you want.
So in this article we’re going to share with you 2 free lead sources for MSPs and IT firms that will bring you qualified, ‘high interest’ leads that buy from you quickly. Surprisingly most MSPs ignore them.
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Google Business Profile and Yelp. Both can be valuable lead sources for managed service providers (MSPs), but they typically perform differently.
Google Business Profile
This is usually one of the highest-ROI local marketing channels for an MSP. When a business owner types “IT support near me” into Google, they’ve already decided they have a problem. They’re not doing an online search for entertainment, they want a solution to their problem. What turns up always on page 1 of the search results are Google Business Profiles.
The problem is many MSPs and IT firms have invested little time ensuring that their GBP ranks for the right keywords, has recent reviews on it, recent posts, etc. to catch the attention of potential clients when they’re searching for them. This is easily fixed.
Potential customers often search for:
- “IT support near me”
- “Managed IT services [city]”
- “Cybersecurity company”
- “Business IT support”
A well-optimized profile can generate:
- Phone calls
- Website visits
- Direction requests (if you have an office)
- Quote requests
To improve results:
- Choose the Right Business Categories – Your primary category should be “Managed Service Provider.” Add relevant secondary categories such as: IT Support, Computer Security Service, Cloud Service Provider, Telecommunications Service Provider
- Get consistent 5-star reviews from clients.
- Post updates and case studies regularly.
- Add all relevant services (managed IT, cybersecurity, Microsoft 365, VoIP, backups, etc.).
- Use high-quality photos of your team and office.
- Respond to every review.
For many local MSPs, Google Business Profile is one of the top inbound lead sources.
Yelp Profile
Yelp has its own loyal users that only search yeah in yell to find their vendors. Though Yelp tends not to be as effective for MSPs than Google, it can still produce leads in some markets.
Yelp.com invests a lot of time, effort and money to ensure that they always have high rankings in Google. Usually appearing near the top of Page 1.
So why work harder when you can work smarter? Just simply hop on the Yelp surfboard by setting up a Yelp profile. In a relatively short period of time, your getting top rankings in Google for FREE! This means you’ll generate leads from Yelp itself as well as leads from Google search all from one Yelp profile!
Buyers on Yelp are often looking for:
- Computer repair
- IT consultants
- Business tech support
- Network setup
Yelp works best if:
- You’re in a large metropolitan area.
- You serve small businesses (10–100 employees).
- You have a strong review profile.
However, many B2B buyers begin their search on Google, not Yelp, so Yelp is usually a secondary channel.
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Relative effectiveness
For a typical local MSP, we’d generally rank lead sources like this:
- Google Business Profile + local SEO
- Referrals and partner networks
- Organic search (SEO)
- LinkedIn outreach and networking
- Email campaigns
- Yelp
- Paid Google Ads
- Local chambers of commerce and business associations
So what are you waiting for? Invest a few minutes and review your Google Business Profile and make some corrections. Then set up your Yelp profile. If you’d like assistance learning how to both maximize and optimize them to generate high quality leads for you from these FREE lead sources, feel free to reach out to us. We’re more than happy to help!
Like to know more? Contact us for a 15 minute A.I. and Business GROWTH Consultation & DEMO.