Social Media Tips for MSPs

Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Reddit, Spiceworks - the list goes on. As social media is constantly evolving, it can be overwhelming trying to keep track of all different outlets through which to communicate with your audiences. For IT service providers who aren’t quite sure where to begin, here are some tips to help you jump into the conversation. Let’s start by tackling the ‘big 3’: Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

Twitter:

For business professionals, Twitter can serve as a great tool to share news, engage with customers and end users and stay on top of industry buzz.. Companies leverage Twitter in a variety of ways. Tweet pictures of the office, share your content, share events - with Twitter, anything goes. A good mix of pictures and content can put some personality behind your company while also sharing information that matters to your business.

You’re also likely attending or throwing industry events, and Twitter is a great resource to interact with attendees. Most events these days use hashtags. Check out event websites or Twitter profiles to see which hashtag they’re using. You can then search for it on Twitter and see what people are saying. You’ll want to create a hashtag for any event you’re throwing as well. Event promotion is huge across the majority of social media platforms, so we recommend checking out the eBook “Events Made MSPeasy” for some extra tips on participating in on-prem trade shows and online webinars.

Twitter follows a 140 character limit per post, so be brief! If you’re struggling with the length, use a service like BITLY to shorten the URLS you may be linking to in your posts. We recommend tweeting 3-5x per day to reach a wider audience. Here are some tweet templates to help you get started. You can also follow @datto for some creative ideas.

LinkedIn:

Unlike Twitter, LinkedIn is a little less ‘light and fluffy’ and welcomes more business-y content. You’ll want to share thought leadership pieces or LinkedIn Pulse posts from your executives. These kinds of posts help your followers understand your business values and build your executives’ reputations as industry leaders. LinkedIn won’t cut you off at 140 characters so spell everything out and keep it informational and helpful. It’s also good to share events you’re attending or throwing on LinkedIn. Post them to your feed, or share them in groups you’re a member of. LinkedIn was built on the premise of professional networking, so events are always welcomed here. Are you hiring? This is the perfect platform to share your listings on. Posting them around groups that attract the types of professionals you might be looking for is a great way to build your applicant pool.

We recommend posting on LinkedIn once daily. Multiple posts per day can lead to follower drop, so be thoughtful in what you choose to share. Morning or lunchtime posts tend to be good for readers who are commuting or taking a break from work. Here are some step-by-step tips on sharing posts and publishing LinkedIn pulse articles.

Facebook:

Think about Facebook as the middle ground between Twitter and LinkedIn content. Facebook helps you build an awesome company page like LinkedIn, but also leaves you room for sharing albums and lighter content, like Twitter. On Facebook, you’ll want to share some photos of your team and events to give people a look into your company culture, which is great for any recruiting efforts. You can also step up your event sharing strategy by creating event pages, which allow you to invite your Facebook followers and list out detailed logistics (i.e. who, what, when, where, why).

The Conversation that Never Ends!

While these tips barely scratch the social media surface, approaches listed will help get you started. Social media platforms are meant to be user friendly and engaging, so don’t fret. There are conversations going on all the time, and it’s something you won’t want to miss out on. Use social media as a tool to reach your industry, reach your customers, and build your brand.