Becoming one of the Best IT Companies in the World

It is no secret that media outlets and industry organizations use “Top MSP” lists as a marketing tool for their own benefit. By requiring all of the applicants to complete an in-depth survey, they are able to gather some very powerful market research on the Managed Services industry. This can help them target their own content and keep their editors directly on the pulse of industry trends for the following year to come. Once the finalists are selected and the lists are published it also creates a lot of buzz for their brand. MSPs will share the rankings to their own audience of SMBs which in turn generates a ton of page-views for the publisher.

So why should you play along? Here we will break down why these lists are relevant to your MSP’s growth and how to get your MSP ranked year after year.

Why Get Ranked as a Top MSP

Here are just a few of the benefits that we noticed from having our Managed Service Provider ranked as a Top MSP.

• SEO – The media outlets and organizations that compile these lists generally carry a lot of domain authority. Building a link from these domains to your own can help you build page rank.
• Customer Assurance – Sending out an email announcement to your existing customer base that you have been ranked as a Top MSP is a great confidence builder. This reassures your customers that they made a good decision when hiring your company.
• Social Media Content/ PR – Sometimes it is difficult to source newsworthy content for your social audience at a time when there is not much happening. Getting ranked gives you an immediate topic that you can revisit every few weeks with different updates.
• Competitive Sales Advantage – No one will appreciate your Top MSP ranking more than your Sales Team. Now they can use this as a rebuttal when they are up against another Provider for a sales opportunity.
• Employee Morale – You didn’t become a top Managed Service Provider all by yourself. This is a great opportunity to reward your employees to say thank you for all their hard work. This industry recognition will give them a sense of accomplishment that is hard to come by this industry.

How to Get Ranked as a Top MSP

To get ranked on Top MSP lists, the first step is to apply. If your company meets the publisher’s criteria, you will be selected. Since these lists are typically published on an annual basis, the application period typically occurs after the close of a calendar year. Follow these sources closely to get the exact dates as they will change each year. We will attempt to update this article as often as possible if links change.

• Channel Futures – Application Information. Channel Futures’ MSP501 is an annual ranking of worldwide MSPs. They claim to be the channels first list of its kind as it is now in its 12th year. If you make the list, you will also be invited to their MSP501 Awards Gala which is held at Channel Partners Evolution.
• CRN The Channel Co – Application Information. CRN publishes the following annual rankings: MSP 500, Tech Elite 250, Fast Growth 150 and Solution Provider 500. These lists are currently restricted to applicants in North America. If you complete the notification form linked above, you can get alerts when applications are being accepted.
• Channel E2E – Application Information. Channel E2E publishes the following rankings: Top 100 Mergers & Acquisitions, Top 100 Public Cloud MSPs, Top 100 Vertical Market MSPs, Top 50 AWS MSPs, Top 50 Cloud Monitoring & Management Tools. These lists are more specialized than most so be sure you are qualified before spending time on their application.
• Cloud Tango – Application Information. Cloud Tango publishes it’s Top 100 MSPs in each of its major Countries as well as a Global list. This list is different than most because Cloud Tango itself is an MSP ranking site. It uses its own KPIs and MSP database to generate the list. In order to qualify you have to get your MSP listed on their site, which you can do in the link above.

We hope that you find this information helpful in getting your IT business ranked as one of the Top MSPs in the industry. Please update the comments below if your company gets ranked or if you have more information to offer on this topic.