Entering a new market is exciting. Unfortunately, it’s also where everything can very easily go wrong. New ads, content, outreach, and even website content are all launching at once, often at a very high cost. If just one of these elements isn’t pulling its weight, all that money and effort could be wasted. Your MSP could end up in an even worse position than you were in before.
Luckily, this scenario is avoidable with the right strategy. This article will give you a 90-day marketing plan you can use to break into new markets without losing everything you’ve already built.
What’s a Marketing Sprint?
A marketing sprint is a defined period of time (typically 1-4 weeks) where your marketing team focuses on completing a specific set of campaign goals. Unlike traditional marketing strategies (which often rely on the waterfall methodology), sprints are usually built on agile principles. They favor:
- Rapid experimentation
- Frequent feedback
- Continuous adaptation
This strategy is effective because it allows your team to adjust extremely quickly, focusing on campaigns that work and de-prioritizing those that don’t. But it requires some planning.
Before the Sprint: The Non-Negotiable Groundwork
Before the sprint begins, you’ll need to have three things in place:
Your Positioning Statement
A positioning statement answers three crucial questions: who you serve, what problem you’re solving, and why they should choose you over the competition. This information is what your entire marketing campaign will be built on, so make sure you get it right.
Your Target Audience
Your target audience is just that: a description of the individuals who can benefit from your new service offering. Be as specific as possible. For example, if you’re trying to move into the financial services market, then consider who you’ll be selling to. Which personnel at a financial services firm are most likely to need your services, and why? What are the problems keeping them awake at night?
Moving forward, ensure that all marketing efforts keep these two things in mind. As long as they do, you’ll find that there are dozens of different strategies you can use to achieve the same results. But they must stem from a deep understanding of your target audience and positioning statement.
Key Metrics
Finally, you’ll need a set of clear metrics. These are how the success of your campaigns will be measured. Some recommended metrics to consider are:
- Leads generated: Total number of qualified enquiries across all channels
- Cost per lead: Total marketing spend divided by leads generated
- Meetings booked: Qualified leads that converted to a discovery conversation
- Pipeline value: Total contract value of opportunities generated during the sprint
- Conversion rate: Percentage of leads that progressed to a formal proposal
Month One: Foundation and Asset Development
The first thirty days of your marketing plan are not necessarily about generating leads. Right now, you’re building the underlying infrastructure that everything else depends on.
Week One and Two: Messaging and Digital Audit
- Finalize your positioning statement and develop an elevator pitch. Examine how it can be translated into compelling website copy.
- Define your ideal client profile for the new market, and put it in writing.
- Identify 3-5 active competitors in the market you’re trying to enter. Review their messaging, content, and digital footprint.
- Audit your existing online presence (e.g. website, LinkedIn) against your new positioning, and identify any gaps.
Week Three and Four: Asset Creation
- Rebuild key website content to reflect your new market positioning. At minimum, ensure that the homepage, service pages, and contact page are all up-to-date.
- Develop a lead magnet relevant to your target audience. Examples include a checklist, short guide, or webinar. This will be essential for lead generation activities.
- Build a content calendar for months two and three. Identify the topics, formats, and distribution channels you’ll use.
- Set up or optimize your Google Business Profile for the new market location, if geographic expansion is involved.
Month Two: Channel Activation and Lead Generation
With the planning out of the way, it’s now time to shift your focus. You need to get in front of your target audience. This means choosing the right channels and ensuring your messaging speaks to their needs. During this stage, pay attention to metrics. Double-down on strategies that appear to be working, and cancel any that aren’t.
Some examples of effective MSP marketing include:
Paid Search
Google Ads are typically the fastest way to increase lead volume early on. But a word of caution: start small. Paid ads are very easy to overspend on without seeing results. Begin with 3-5 tightly themed ad groups that target your highest-priority keywords. If you notice that specific campaigns are generating leads, then you can start to expand and optimize those.
LinkedIn Outreach
LinkedIn outreach can provide incredibly high value, if you know how to implement it correctly. Build a list of decision-makers who match your ideal client profile, then begin a structured connection and nurture sequence. Make sure you time it right and focus on value rather than sales. It’s very easy to accidentally scare leads away by coming on too strong, too fast.
Local Partnerships and Referral Development
Sometimes the best way to attract leads is by building a relationship with someone who’s already done it. Identify complementary businesses within your target market who aren’t competitors, and start reaching out. This is a long-term strategy. It takes a while to pay off, but the leads you receive this way will be very high quality.
Content Publication
Publish two or three content pieces (e.g. blog posts or landing pages) aligned to your target audience and new market. These don’t necessarily need to be long. Short, focused pieces that answer real questions often outperform generic content. Distribute this content through any channels where your target audience might be active.
Month Three: Optimization and Adjustments
This is where your MSP marketing plan starts becoming more outcome-focused. By this point you should have enough data to make informed decisions about what’s working and what isn’t – and enough time left to change course where needed.
Week Nine and Ten: Performance Review
Review the data from months one and two across every active channel. Identify the activities producing the highest-quality leads. These will get more resources during the final month. Channels producing poor results get paused or restructured.
Week Eleven and Twelve: Conversion Activities
During the final two weeks of your marketing sprint, switch from lead generation to lead conversion.
- Assess your sales process for leads generated during the sprint. Identify where prospects are dropping out, and why.
- Implement or improve nurture sequences for leads who expressed interest but didn’t convert.
- Ask your sales team whether any specific messaging seemed to resonate especially loudly for leads who did decide to convert.
- Document what worked and what needs improvement. This will be useful during future marketing activities.
Set Your MSP up for Success
Finding new leads is never easy. But it doesn’t have to feel like trudging through quicksand, either. This proven 90-day marketing plan for MSPs will help you narrow down what works, so you stop wasting time on campaigns that don’t get the results you’re hoping for. By the end you’ll have a foothold in your new market and a much better understanding of what to do moving forward (and hopefully, some new leads to show off).
If you’re still struggling, we have plenty more useful information to share. Get started with our 2026 guide to digital marketing for MSPs.
