Most new tech companies will not make it to their two-year anniversary – and that includes cybersecurity brands.
Why?
It’s simple: lack of customers.
To delve a bit deeper – perhaps many of these companies had brilliant ideas to sell to ready and willing audiences, but the organisation fell short in the marketing department and were unable to appeal to an otherwise “hot” audience.
Good marketing will sell a product or service in seconds. Bad marketing – or no marketing at all – will mean zero return-on-investment (ROI) of your marketing budget.
So, if you’ve recently launched a tech company that niches in the cybersecurity area, you’re going to want to make sure you’re marketing yourself to the best of your ability if you want to make it to that second birthday!
This article will show you how.
1 – Marketing Strategies for Cybersecurity Companies
Another keen threat to the longevity of a new cybersecurity company is competition.
As the world’s business industries become more reliant on technology, there is a widespread need for cybersecurity to ensure data doesn’t wind up in the wrong hands. So, to outwit your rivals – here are the top 11 marketing strategies for cybersecurity companies that any cybersecurity marketing agency will tell you:
(Killer) Content Marketing
Traditional marketing tactics are on their way out, and digital content marketing is where it’s at – regardless of industry.
You will need to harness exemplary B2B content marketing to outsmart your rival firms. If you’re in the start-up phase of your businesses, creating a strong digital marketing campaign can help you build brand awareness, convert leads, drive organic traffic to your website, and ultimately – stay one step ahead of your competitors.
Brand Communications
When creating your marketing campaign, you need to do more than just whip up a fancy ad – you need to make sure the ad acts as a vehicle to your customer relations team.
Good branding stems from good marketing and good customer communication, meaning you’ll need to implement a robust brand communications plan while formulating your marketing plan, because the very bottom line of your campaign is encouraging would-be clients to get in touch – this is the conversion part of the funnel. Lead generation alone simply isn’t enough.
Create a plan of attack for when the lead hits your call-to-action (CTA): do you want them to download a form or eBook (if so, is the content ready?), or phone up for more information (if so, do you have a trained customer service team on hand?), etc.
Going Digital
As we mentioned earlier, a lot of business is now conducted via the web – especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As you’re crafting your campaign, you will need to discern what channels are right for you. Bear in mind, what works best for B2C companies may not be right for a B2B, so don’t necessarily opt for channels that are popular with consumers – instead, make sure they’re right for B2B decision-makers.
Also, be scrupulous about your budget. Set a budget, stick to it, and find out which platform will give you the best ROI, as well as providing priceless performance data to help you navigate your campaign period. This will also provide insights for your future digital marketing.
Reputation Management & Crisis Communications
“Crisis” and “cybersecurity” are two words most people would prefer to not be in the same sentence.
But disaster may occasionally strike, and it is important you have back-up support and communication to your clients to support them, as well as to protect your brand’s reputation, in the event of an emergency – and this needs to be reiterated in your company’s marketing to put minds at ease.
PR
Public relations is important for every single company.
This can come in the form of third-party endorsement, affiliates, or even social media influencers. These will help you with brand exposure and lead generation, as well as making your brand look more reliable and powerful.
Internal Communications
Communication is key.
This includes communication within the company, as well as to customers and third-party liaisons. How your team operates depends on the ease of communication between everyone. If all team members are on the same page at all times, business can run smoothly and seamlessly.
Video Marketing
Video is becoming one of the most reliable and best-loved mediums within the marketing world, simply because audio-visual information is far easier to digest for most busy, fast-paced consumers than any other type of content.
With a video, you can quickly and easily convey your message in a memorable way – making sure to add an obvious CTA at the end.
Website Development
Your website is the final part of most digital marketing campaigns – so it needs to talk the talk and walk the walk.
A lousy landing page will lose a lead immediately, so make sure your website’s content is eye-catching and crystal clear (especially the CTA).
It’s also important to ensure your website is accessible from all devices (not just desktop). Your website is a key player in your leads’ user experience, so make sure it looks good and is easy to navigate.
Social Media
Last but not least – our good friend, social media.
We mentioned earlier the importance of utilising the right channels, and social media is no exception. Ideally, you’ll need to do some research to find out where your “hot” leads can be found (LinkedIn is a good start for B2B companies), and look into paid/sponsored campaign options.
PPC & Social ads
Just to dive a little deeper into the aforementioned paid/sponsored campaign options, PPC (pay-per-click) and sponsored content can be extremely lucrative for all advertising goals.
PPC (pay-per-click) advertising
For those unsure, PPC advertising allows your campaign to appear in the search engine results pages (SERPs) of a search engine. The campaign is bolstered by the use of specific keywords, which you will need to bid on (your bidding will largely depend on your budget and how competitive the specific keywords are).
Once you’ve got your keywords, you can create your campaign around them; they will then be matched with words punched into the search engine by your leads, while searching for products/services.
PPC can work particularly well for B2B companies, as well as eCommerce campaigns.
Social ads
Social media is a powerful advertising tool because almost everyone in the world is on at least one platform.
In order to effectively – and legally – advertise on your social media channels of choice, you will need to build paid ad campaigns via the platform. The platform will then work to display your content to the right audiences based on data you provide.
The best part is you will have a firm grasp on your budget; more autonomy than that of PPC. The only downside is that advertising on social media platforms, such as LinkedIn and Facebook, tends to be more expensive.
Email Lists
In order to build a profitable audience, you need to build an email list. This is a crucial part of the sales funnel, because this means you have leads to actually target – now and in the future.
Users who engage with your online content are more likely to convert than those who don’t – even if it’s not right away. While they may not be at the conversion stage of the Buyer’s Journey, they will be at some point, and you’ll want to be there for when they are – so stay on their radar.
2 – Solving Cybersecurity Market Challenges: Top Tips
Keeping up with marketing tactics, as well as outsmarting your competitors, can be challenging. Here’s some of the main marketing challenges for cybersecurity companies – and how to navigate them so that you come out smelling of roses!
Avoid too much jargon
Nothing is more off-putting than having to sift through content that is peppered with confusing industry jargon and catchphrases.
Prospects do not care about industry lingo – they want to know what a product/service is and how it will benefit them. Tell them what they need to know simply and concisely, and save the jargon for the boardroom!
Remember – your audience isn’t made up of experts
Your target audience will not be as knowledgeable on the subject of cybersecurity as you are, so all marketing needs to be created as if aimed at Laymans (because it is).
The best way to do this is to sell a product/service’s benefits – not what the product/service does.
Don’t be pushy!
You will have no doubt heard the expression “no one likes a pushy salesperson” – it’s true. In other words – don’t come on too strong with your advertising. If you’re able to create eye-catching, compelling, and informative content, you shouldn’t need to be pushy anyway.
Know the Buyer’s Journey
And create your campaign based on where the audience is within their own journey. Regardless of wherever it is, your content can help nurture them all the way to the finish line.
Marketer’s who understand the buyer’s journey have considerable advantage over those who do not.
Be honest
Avoid hyperbole and outright dishonesty in your campaign – everything your campaign says needs to be backed up on your website, once the lead is ready to convert.
Avoid the urge to exaggerate, because nothing causes a company’s credibility to come crashing down like wild claims that cannot be fulfilled.
Identify your customers’ needs
In order to successfully sell a product or service, a marketer needs to understand what a customer needs and why. This then needs to be relayed within the advertising. Again, it comes down to not selling an item, but selling the benefit of the item.
A great way to understand your customers is to create customer profiles.
Aim for decision-makers
Your audience needs to be made up of company decision-makers – which doesn’t necessarily mean targeting a company’s tech team.
Any marketer in any industry needs to always, always target decision-makers. Failure to do this will not result in profitable conversion. This is where customer profiling comes in handy, as well as making the best of LinkedIn.
If you’d like to learn more about how we help Cybersecurity companies grow their MRR through online paid advertising, contact us online or send us an email today at info@getuplead.com to speak with someone on our team.
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