Tips for Better Lead Targeting for Your Remote Support Services

Nov 8, 2021 | Marketing

Do you ever feel like you’re spending time and money on lead generation, but you’re not getting the leads that are converting? Getting poor leads or ones that don’t truly need what you’re offering can frustrate any IT business owner and cause them to rethink their marketing spend.

If you’re getting leads for your remote support business, but those leads aren’t buying, then you could be missing the mark on your lead targeting. In essence, you’re casting too wide a net to bring in every type of lead there is. This results in you spending time and money responding to incoming leads, only to find out they really aren’t all that interested and not in need of what you’re offering.

Honing your lead targeting can help you reduce your number of “junk leads” and improve your conversion rate for a lead to a sale. Another benefit is a savings of both time and money because your team will be spending more of their inquiry follow-up time with people that are actually interested and can use what you’re selling.

Here are some of the questions to ask that can help you fine-tune the way you market so you can reach more qualified leads.

Do You Know Your Target Audiences?

You can’t target the right people or industries if you haven’t defined your target audiences for your remote support services.

If you’re a bit fuzzy on your exact target audiences or just think of them in general terms, such as, “Any business that wants to use our remote services,” then you haven’t narrowed down your audiences enough.

Think about things such as:

• Main industries that would need remote support
• B2B, B2C, or both?
• Customer size
• Geographic location
• Demographics (companies with remote employees, schools doing remote teaching, etc.)

A good way to get started identifying your target audiences is to look at your client list. Break down your current customers into those specifics listed above.

Once you know your target audiences, you can begin honing your marketing for them and more easily identify a hot lead from one of those audiences when it comes in.

Is The Size of the Customer Right?

Because remote support is less costly to provide than in-person IT support, you may have a wide range for the size of customers that you are targeting. However, it’s still a good idea to think about this, because if you are advertising on any social media platforms, they will have target demographics on income and company size that you can use to find the right audience.

Do They Prioritize IT?

If a lead doesn’t prioritize IT or see the value in spending much money on it, then they may be a lower priority lead or require a different message than leads that do understand how important it is to have well-optimized technology.

You can determine this through introductory questions, such as:

• “Have you ever used managed IT services?”
• “When is the last time you contacted an IT provider”
• “Do you have an IT budget, or do you just spend money on technology as needed?”

Do They Have an In-House IT Team?

If a company already has an in-house IT team, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they aren’t a good target customer, it just means that they may not need your services quite as much.

Knowing whether or not a company already has an in-house IT team or person is important because you will want to deliver a completely different remote support sales pitch to companies that have someone onsite that’s already in charge of their IT. Such as promoting your services as a way to tap into expanded expertise.

Are You Focused on the Right Marketing Mediums?

Content marketing has been found to generate three times as many leads as outbound marketing, plus cost 62% less.

If your lead generation isn’t bringing you enough qualified leads, it could be due to not using enough “pull marketing.” Content marketing is a form of pull marketing, where you are putting out helpful content for people to find on their own to be drawn to your website where they will hopefully convert to a lead.

If you are doing mainly traditional marketing, which is more advertising-focused, then you may want to add some content marketing into the mix.

Are Your Systems Set Up to Identify Your Audiences?

Do you have a way of identifying leads from your target audiences when they call or fill out an online form? Doing this upfront can help you tailor the remote support message that you provide to them.

For example, if a lead is in the accounting or banking industry, you might want to highlight the security and compliance features of your remote support software. For a small business owner, you may want to focus on how cost-effective this type of IT support can be.

Use options in a lead form and simple questions, such as, “What industry do you work in?” to identify audiences as soon as they contact you so you can nurture those leads appropriately.

Use a Remote Software That Gives You Plenty to Brag About

Instant Housecall remote support software has multiple features that include encryption, time windows, and more, that you can use when marketing to different target audiences. 

Try Instant Housecall risk-free for 15 days and experience it for yourself! Try it out now.

How to Use Your Remote Support Services to Generate New Leads

Oct 18, 2021 | Marketing

Generating new leads is always a main priority for any business. If you have a local IT business, then it can be even more challenging because you have a smaller area from which to get new customers and competition might be stiff.

But one of the changes in society during the pandemic has been more reliance on virtual meetings and other remote activities. This opens the door to expand your presence in other areas because through remote IT support, you can pretty much reach anyone on earth.

Both internet and broadband use has risen steadily over the last 20 years. As of 2021, 93% of U.S. adults use the internet and 77% have a broadband connection at home.

By promoting your remote support services, you can generate new leads and break into new areas of service that you may have never considered before. Here are several ideas that can help you do that.

Give Your Remote Support a Catchy Name

First, to gain more traction when promoting your remote support, you should have a catchy name for your service and the different types of remote support you offer.

Calling your remote support service something like “Ninja Support” or “Magic Tech Call” makes it more memorable to people that may be reviewing several different IT businesses. It also makes it sound more special than just the generic “remote support.”

Market in Less Populated Areas

You have no geographic boundaries with remote support services like you do with in-person repairs or service calls, so you can market in other areas throughout the country.

Look for less populated areas that might not have many local IT businesses to call. With less competition, you have a better chance at generating new leads.

You can gain some traction in a less populated area by creating a remote service landing page on your website using keywords for that specific area to help it rank on Google searches. Seeing a landing page that mentions their city/area will also draw in more potential customers from that area.

Promote a Remote Support Plan for WFH Employees

The business trend of the pandemic has been the rise of the remote workforce. Companies are now completely transitioning how they operate to accommodate work-from-home (WFH) employees.

80% of surveyed business leaders say they are going to allow employees to work remotely, part or full-time after the pandemic has passed.

Remote support for remote employees is a hot area of support right now and you want to target it with its own support package. Rather than just offering the same remote support that you offer to everyone else, create a “Remote Team Support Plan” or “Instant Help Package for WFH Staff” and promote that package specifically to businesses that are working to secure those remote devices and networks.

You may even consider creating a tiered level of WFH support, for small, mid, and larger companies.

Advertise Remote Support for Students on Social Media

Facebook, Instagram, and even TikTok are great places to reach students and families. Many families have switched their students to online classes due to the pandemic, which means more tech support is needed at home to ensure they can connect.

Even if students are back in traditional in-person classes, there is still a need to keep home technology running smoothly for homework and other afterschool activities. 

You can generate a whole new area of leads by offering student remote support through social media advertisements targeted by demographics of your choice (e.g. household income, location, etc.). 

Promote Remote Support on College Campuses 

College students often live with their laptops open. They take them to classes, carry them around campus, and can easily suffer from sluggish systems and other PC problems.

If there are some college or university campuses nearby, promote your remote support services and offer a student discount. You can promote these in places like the campus newsletter and potentially on flyers around the school (check their advertising options).

You could be laying the groundwork for a lifelong customer that continues sticking with your company once they graduate and move on to their career.

Expand Your Reach Internationally

Computers, networks, and cybersecurity work in the same way no matter what country you are in. Think about expanding your remote support advertising to other countries to help grow your business.

If you don’t speak another language beyond English, there are plenty of English-speaking countries you can work with, including Australia, the UK, South Africa, New Zealand, and many others.

Offer a Short Session as a Freebie (Lead Magnet)

When promoting your remote support in a new industry or territory, you might consider offering a free short 20-30 minute session at first as a lead magnet. 

This helps you get new leads in the door faster and provides you with the opportunity to continue nurturing that lead because you have their name and email address and have already made that initial connection.

Use a Remote Support Software That Helps You Reach More People Easily

Instant Housecall remote support software enables IT companies to reach more people and expand their remote business easily through multiple features.

Try Instant Housecall risk-free for 15 days and experience it for yourself! Try it out now. 

Ways to Explain How Remote Support Works to Your Customers

Sep 20, 2021 | Marketing

One of the barriers to customers trying remote support is that they just aren’t sure how it works. They might worry about getting a virus or allowing someone into their computer to see all their “private files” they don’t want anyone to see.

Beyond the worry about security, other people might not understand all the things that can be done via remote support and that it’s just as if you were sitting at the keyboard. This lack of information can cause them to continue suffering from a slow computer until they find time to bring it into a shop when they could just get the problem solved with a remote session.

Understanding your customers’ needs as well as what barriers they may have to remote support can help you gain more remote business. Often, all it takes to dispel the resistance is to explain clearly how remote support works and keep this information prominently displayed on your remote support service page. 

76% of customers expect companies to anticipate their needs.

Here are some of the ways to explain how remote support works to your customers to gain their trust and improve your remote support profitability.

Start With the Basics of “What Is Remote Access?”

You can’t assume everyone will be familiar with the remote access protocol. Most people will be familiar with the term, but not really know what it means.

Here’s a simple basic explanation you can use:

Remote access provides an IT professional with the ability to control one computer from another computer. It’s termed “remote” because the controller doesn’t need to be in the same physical location, the connection is done over the internet.

Both computers do need to have an internet connection for remote access to work.

Remote access allows the controller to use their own mouse and keyboard to perform functions on the connected computer, such as opening applications, typing, adjusting system settings, and even rebooting. 

Explain How You Secure the Connection

A big fear with remote access is security. You can’t just assume that someone will know that a respected IT professional like you isn’t going to do anything nefarious when you initiate a connection. You need to be very clear about how you protect the client and their files during the remote process.

The key is that it’s vital to build trust for your remote services.

Here are some of the bullet points you can use to emphasize how you protect the client’s privacy. The technical features noted are available with Instant Housecall software but might differ depending on the application you use.

Suggested security bullet points:

• We use 256-bit encryption to ensure data security
• Sessions are recorded to ensure the quality of service
• We secure our account with multi-factor authentication
• Our professionals will never access any files unnecessary to fix your problem
• We have complete audit trails of all remote sessions
• You can watch us work if you like
• Once we end the session, we can’t reconnect to your PC, unless you’ve given permission
• You can give us a connection time window, and once that expires, we can’t reconnect

If you work with clients that have compliance needs, then mention compliance-related points as well.

Explain What You Can Do Through Remote Support

Customers often are in the dark about all the things that can be done through a remote support session. Once they realize how much a technician can do without being in the same room, you may find they initiate more remote support requests.

Provide a list of the types of things you can do via remote support. Start with some of the most common based upon your experience and include others that people might not think about.

You can include things like:

• Computer performance tune-up
• Technical troubleshooting
• Virus/malware removal
• Set up of custom PC settings
• Help with software, like an email program
• Review of security to ensure it’s set up properly
• Retrieval of lost files

Also, tell them what you can’t do. While it may seem obvious, it’s still a good idea to spell out the limitations. This helps the customer decide whether they want to request a remote session or visit your location with their device.

For things that can’t be done through remote support, you’ll be including things like hardware repair, fan servicing, memory upgrades, keyboard repair, etc.

Tell Customers Why They Benefit from Remote Support

Why should customers choose remote support over an in-person visit? Explaining the advantages is another way to help people that visit your website understand what remote support is.

Some of the advantages you can highlight include:

• Convenience
• Speed of support
• Lower cost than an in-person visit
• For many issues, it’s just as effective as in-person support
• Saves them time

Use a Remote Support Software that Puts Your Customers at Ease

Instant Housecall remote support software is designed to be easy to use for both your technicians and your customers. The security plus customer-centric features help you create a positive experience that keeps remote customers coming back. 

Try Instant Housecall risk-free for 15 days and experience it for yourself! Try it out now.