As a CMO, there are a lot of responsibilities on your plate, and defining a successful go-to-market strategy for your cybersecurity business is just one of them. But how do you make sure you get it right and make informed decisions?
The good news is that there are plenty of resources out there to help you learn more about what it takes to plan a solid strategy, but to save you time, we’ve put together 5 strategies and tactics every CMO should know and use for their business to stand out.
Before we dive in, it’s important to say that a cybersecurity go-to-market strategy is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. Just like every service is unique, each customer has unique needs. Some operate with higher levels of remote workers than others. Some may have more sensitive data than others. And some will have lower tolerances to the financial impact of a data breach than others. The biggest challenge with bringing a cybersecurity service to market is meeting the prospective customer’s expectations. This leads us to the first point.
1. Identify what your customers want.
Discovering what your customers need is the first step in creating a winning cybersecurity marketing strategy. Ask your customers what they’re looking for, keep an eye out for gaps in your offering, and ask for feedback from existing customers on how you can improve. Step outside of your company to look at competitors’ solutions as well; even if your solution is vastly different, their offerings might give you some ideas on how to improve yours.
Competitive analysis can help you determine whether people like the products or services you offer—and whether anything is missing from your portfolio.
2. White papers and eBooks are your best friends.
Several content formats are popular in cybersecurity marketing. White papers, eBooks, and case studies tend to be the top-performing resources for this audience. Whitepapers can help you solve pressing cyber security challenges. Transform your knowledge with data-centric, top-quality industry insights. Get complete investigations into concepts, strategies, and tactics directly from experts.
Don’t tackle writing these text-heavy assets on your own; you should have a professional writer help create these assets as they require a high level of expertise.
3. Don’t be afraid to embrace social media
social media’s role in a solid cyber security PR strategy should be underestimated. For one, positive announcements regarding your startup’s activities on your different social media channels can cut through the forest of negativity surrounding cybersecurity companies.
Moreover, social media’s the perfect arena to show your ability to remain in the loop with current cyber affairs. For example, application security company Distil Networks regularly post reports on the latest, most dangerous bots.
Social media PR can be a bit of an afterthought for cybersecurity startups. However, when it comes to demonstrating you have your finger on the pulse, you could do worse than staying social.
4. Craft an excellent case study
You’ve probably heard about the importance of case studies before, but you might not know how to create an effective one. At its core, a case study is a detailed example of how an organization has used its products and services to overcome challenges. There are two different case studies: “how-to” case studies that explain how to perform a particular task and “success stories” that show the positive results of using your product or service.
The best marketing case studies have three things in common: they showcase real examples from customers, including details about the challenges they face and their resulting success, and use quotes from your customers throughout.
By using customer testimonials in your marketing efforts, you’ll be able to provide proof for any claims made on your website without making them yourself. This will give prospects more confidence in what you say about your products/services and help them feel more comfortable making a purchase decision.
5. Embrace video on your website, social channels, and YouTube
As you develop your go-to-market strategy, consider video content as part of your marketing arsenal.
Video grabs and keeps user attention more effectively than almost any other form of marketing. With video, users can see and hear content—they are not required to read text or interpret complicated graphics.
Video is accessible to users with different learning styles; both visual and auditory learners will be able to consume your message quickly.
The ease of distributing video makes it an efficient way for marketers to communicate large amounts of complex information in a short amount of time. This allows you to use more comprehensive storytelling techniques that require additional context for the user.
By creating a library of how-to videos, webinars, and product demonstrations, you can build trust with your audience by showcasing your expertise on cyber security topics.
