Cyber Security Marketing Tactics

by James Mac B2B Expert

Not only will your content need to be comprehensive and data-driven, but you'll also want to make sure it's unique. Develop educational content that clearly demonstrates how your product solves a real-life cybersecurity attack, and back it up with case studies, independent industry reviews, and more. Instead of repeating the same content that already exists, try using new examples or offering an angle on the types of cyber threats that relate to your specific products and solutions.

When it comes to content marketing, there are several different types of content that you can use to reach and engage your audience. Here are some types of content that can help you reach customers at different points on the buyer journey:

Blogs

Blogs are great for attracting prospects at every stage of the buyer's journey. Try to create some timeless blog content that is universally relevant. Topics like "What is a phishing attack?" or "What is the Mirai-style DDoS attack?" They are great for clients who are just beginning their research and need to learn the basics. For more leads in the middle of the funnel, topics like "How to identify phishing emails?" o “DDoS Mitigation Best Practices” would work well. Finally, for those prospects who are ready to buy, you can go for a topic like "X reasons to choose XYZ security for your anti-malware software."

Downloadable content

Offering downloadable content, such as e-books and white papers, is also a great way to convert your site traffic into leads that you can then nurture. Not all topics are suitable for long content, and the truth is, you won't have the time or resources to create long content on all topics. Review your current content analytics to find the most popular or searched topics and terms. These are often the best places to start planning themes for downloadable content.

Video

How-to videos are another great way to communicate what your cybersecurity offering does and why it may be valuable to your prospects. This can be an especially useful tactic when you are trying to target CEOs and other C-level executives who need more education. According to inbound marketing experts at HubSpot, 75% of executives watch work-related videos on business websites at least once a week, and 59% of executives prefer to watch a video than read text. These statistics indicate that executives are open to learning more from video content and may even prefer it to written content.

There are many ways your business can use video to engage and educate your audience. You can use video content to break down statistics on cyber attacks, recovery expenses, and the value of cyber security solutions. By providing real examples of these issues in your video content, you can help make the stats more relevant and help create a stronger sense of urgency.

You can also use this visual format to better explain how your solution works and emphasize the value that your business can deliver to your target audience. As with any offering from a technology company, cybersecurity solutions can be difficult for non-IT people to understand. However, video content allows you to more easily break down complex ideas for a wider reading audience. This makes it ideal for cybersecurity companies that need to communicate its value, especially C-level executives who may need a bit more explanation.

2. Email marketing

Since education and awareness are a barrier to selling your solution, it can often take a potential customer a significant amount of time to get to the point where they are ready to request a demo or contact a sales representative. In the meantime, you need a way to nurture these leads and move them further down the funnel. Email marketing is an effective way to do it.

With so many emails in your prospect's inbox, you may be inclined to delete your email or unsubscribe if you don't find your content worthwhile. Here are some examples of content you can include in your email marketing:

Downloadable content such as e-books, case studies, and reports that give readers a deeper understanding of important cybersecurity topics.

Links to your most recent blog posts that discuss recent attacks or security issues and those that break down complex cybersecurity topics for a wider reading audience.

Video content that emphasizes the importance of cyber security and communicates the value of your business offering.

A roundup of relevant articles from reputable industry publications that helps readers better understand hot topics in cybersecurity.

Monthly offers and sales promotions like a free tour, which can encourage potential customers to sign up.

3. Webinars

Webinars are a great way for cybersecurity marketers to connect with potential customers at the bottom of the funnel. Webinar attendees are already interested in learning more about your solution and the threats it protects against, and have typically taken some time to research. This means that they are more likely to engage in the topics you present.

A vital part of the webinar is to include an interactive element. Webinars typically include a question and answer session at the end of the presentation that gives attendees the opportunity to ask more questions about the topic and your services. This is a valuable opportunity to advertise other useful content or encourage demo subscriptions. Even if you decide to pre-record your webinar, you can still accept questions from viewers and respond in a follow-up.

Webinars can sometimes be expensive to produce. However, as with other parts of your marketing campaign, there is also the opportunity to repurpose your webinar to get the most out of this content. If the webinar is offered live, be sure to record the content and make this recording available later for those who were unable to attend. If the webinar has a great response, you may also want to consider taking the topics discussed there and creating other types of content, such as blog posts on these topics. The questions users ask during the webinar are also a great starting point for developing new content that addresses your target audience's biggest challenges.

4. Paid campaigns

Paid campaigns are great for accomplishing two goals: amplifying your content marketing efforts, and getting potential customers to land on the landing page of your demo request.

First, let's talk about content marketing amplification. Many marketers feel that paid campaigns and inbound marketing don't mix, but the truth is that when you combine these two strategies, you end up with a powerful campaign. Say, for example, you just published a study with some pretty compelling data on a particular cyber threat. With this type of asset, time is of the essence - the older the data, the less likely potential customers will find it useful. By promoting your content through paid channels, you can start to see results more quickly, allowing you to get the most out of the content you've created.

LinkedIn is a great paid channel for cyber security.

Paid campaigns

One of the main goals of any cybersecurity marketer is to get potential customers to request a demo. While getting prospects to this stage requires a little work and a lot of support, paid campaigns can help speed up the process for those ready to make a buying decision. You can use paid marketing campaigns to drive more leads to your demo request landing page. These ads can help ensure that your brand is visible to those who are ready to buy, while making your demo available to these prospects.

Some cybersecurity companies may avoid using paid campaigns due to the competitive nature of paid advertising in the cybersecurity space. That's understandable - if you don't know what you're doing, it's easy to spend thousands of dollars on cybersecurity ads and get nothing in return. For paid campaigns, you need a dedicated internal person (or team) with expertise in this area or an agency that specializes in paid cybersecurity marketing.