The cyber security industry has seen tremendous growth in recent years and newcomers need to adopt tried and tested cybersecurity marketing strategies to succeed. This is especially important in today’s landscape of increased competition. In fact, according to a recent market report, global spending on cybersecurity products and services is expected to exceed $1 trillion between now and 2023. This should come as no shock, given that the Ponemon Institute estimates that the average annual cost of cyberattacks worldwide is around $9.5 billion.

In this article, we’ll dive into cybersecurity marketing tactics that work well. First, let us take some time to understand why marketing your cybersecurity brand and earning public trust can be a challenge.

Challenges facing cyber security marketing 

1) There is lots of competition

In response to the increased demand in the B2B space, new cyber security companies are springing up all the time. This can make it difficult to stand out in a crowd, For this reason, it is critical to communicate what makes your brand unique.

While differentiating yourself from your competitors is essential, you also want to be credible. Outlandish or exaggerated claims may attract attention for a short while, but you’ll lose trust and cost yourself lots of business in the long run. Over time, credible companies that communicate their actual corporate value will be the most successful. Unfortunately, it can be challenging to balance standing out and remaining credible.

2) Potential customers need more information 

More and more cyber threats are out there every day. As a result, your potential customers require extensive education to understand the threats they face and the solutions they may need.

This is especially true given that corporate executives are less knowledgeable about information security. This lack of knowledge can influence a corporate governance decision not to include cyber security as part of its overall preparedness plan. According to EY’s 19th Global Information Security Survey, nearly one-third of information security managers and IT leaders polled said a lack of executive awareness and support was a significant challenge in creating an effective cyber security plan for preparedness.

3) Many companies do not prioritize cyber security 

Even though plenty of evidence points to the importance of cyber security in protecting valuable data, many businesses do not prioritize cyber security until it is too late to act. According to a recent survey, only one out of every five respondents, or 22%, said they fully integrate information security into their strategy and tactics.

Given the number of cyber security attacks and the average cost of these breaches, this is a surprisingly low percentage. This data suggests that cyber security marketers should find ways to instill a sense of urgency in potential customers and emphasize the importance of acting ahead of time.

Cyber security marketing tactics that work in 2023

1) Content marketing 

Content marketing can help companies build credibility while addressing the major challenge of educating their prospects. In order for this to be effective, you must provide real-life examples that showcase the importance of cyber security as well as the efficacy of your company’s solutions.

For example, you can create educational and informative content that demonstrates how your solution prevents a real-world cyber security attack, backed up by case studies and independent industry reviews. Your content must not only be comprehensive and data-driven, but it must also be unique. Rather than rehashing content that already exists, try using new examples. Alternatively, you can provide a different perspective on the types of cyber threats relevant to the brand’s services.

When it comes to content marketing in the cyber security space, there are numerous types of content marketing that you can use to reach and engage your target audience. Here are some examples of content that can help you reach customers at various stages of the buyer’s journey:

• Blogs 

Blogs are excellent at attracting prospects at all stages of the buyer’s journey. Once you’ve set up a blog, you can create some evergreen blog content that is universally applicable.

To attract new leads and build credibility, you should also work on creating news-related blog content. With a title like “5 Takeaways from Yesterday’s AWS Attack,” you can capitalize on event-related search engine traffic while also educating your audience. This type of content will assist you in establishing credibility and establishing yourself as a reputable expert in your field.

Pressfarm is a PR agency that helps individuals and companies of various sizes create newsworthy and attractive content that can be distributed on their owned channels and to media professionals. More specifically, the experts at Pressfarm are experienced at creating everything from email pitches and press releases to guest posts and press kits. These PR professionals will work to compile information and produce content that helps gain media attention. Additionally, their Account Executive will create a customized media list from their database of over a million contacts. These media lists are designed to help clients to start developing relationships with suitable media matches.

• Downloadable content 

Offering downloadable content, such as e-books and whitepapers, is another excellent way to convert site traffic into leads that you can nurture later. Not every subject lends itself to long-form content, and you won’t have the time or resources to create long-form content on every subject. Examine the analytics for your current content to identify the most popular or frequently searched topics and terms. This is often the best place to start when brainstorming topics for downloadable content.

The landing page is another aspect of downloadable content that you need to consider. E-books and other long-form assets are excellent prospects for gated content. This will require the creation of a customized landing page that introduces the topic of the asset. Beyond that, your landing page should provide enough detail for the viewer to determine its relevance without giving away the good stuff.

• Case studies 

One of the more crucial B2B marketing and PR strategies is case studies. These are vital for engaging bottom-of-the-funnel leads who are already aware of their problem and know which solutions will be most effective.

When writing case studies, include plenty of data to demonstrate how your cyber security solutions have impacted your client’s bottom line. Highlighting results such as “X number of attacks blocked” or “$X in projected revenue saved” will emphasize the importance of your solution. Client quotes are also beneficial because they make the case study more credible and compelling.

• Video 

Explanation videos are another excellent way to communicate what your cyber security offering does and why it may benefit your prospects. This can be a particularly compelling strategy when reaching out to CEOs and other C-level executives who require additional education.

Like any other offering from a technology company, cyber security solutions can be challenging to comprehend for those who are outside of the IT world.

2) Email marketing 

Education and awareness are obstacles to selling your solution. As a result, a potential lead may take a long time to reach the point where they are ready to request a demo or connect with a B2B sales rep.

As potential clients are considering their final decision, you’ll need a method to nurture these leads and move them down the sales funnel. Email marketing is an excellent way to accomplish this. It is an efficient method of staying in touch with leads who are not yet ready to purchase.

However, a prospect who has an overflowing inbox may be tempted to delete or unsubscribe if they don’t find your content valuable. To avoid this, make sure to monitor your campaigns regularly to determine which types of content, subject lines, copy, and images are most effective in generating open and click-through rates.

Whatever you do, don’t bombard your prospect’s inbox with emails about the various cyber threats they face. We can assure you that this will only make them desensitized to your emails and they will eventually lose interest.

Furthermore, keep an eye on how many emails you send when communicating with a prospect.

3) Webinars 

Hosting webinars is an excellent way for cyber security marketers to reach bottom-of-the-funnel leads. Webinar attendees are typically interested in learning more about your solution and the threats it protects against, and they have done some research. This means they’re more likely to be interested in what you’re talking about.

The interactive component of the webinar is essential. A Q&A session provided at the end of a webinar allows attendees to ask additional questions about the topic and your services. This is an excellent opportunity to promote other engaging content or encourage future demo sign-ups. Even if you decide to pre-record a webinar, you can still accept questions from viewers and respond in a follow-up.

Webinars can be costly to host at times. However, as with other aspects of your marketing campaign, you can repurpose your webinar to get more out of this content. If you offer your webinar live, record it and make it available to those who were unable to attend but are still interested in learning more. If the webinar is well-received, you may want to consider expanding on the topics covered and creating other forms of relevant content, such as blog posts, to go along with them. The potential questions that users ask during the webinar are also a great place to start when creating new content that addresses your target audience’s most pressing issues.

4) Paid campaigns 

Paid campaigns are ideal for achieving two objectives: boosting the reach of your brand’s content marketing & PR efforts and driving prospects to your demo request landing page.

Let’s start with how paid advertising can amplify your content marketing. Many marketers believe that paid campaigns and inbound marketing do not mix. However, the truth is that when these two strategies are combined, you get a powerful campaign. Let’s assume you recently published a study with compelling data about a specific cyber threat. You can see results faster by promoting your content through paid channels. Paid advertising allows you to get the most out of the content you have created. However, time is of the essence with this type of asset – the older the data, the less helpful prospects will find it.

Getting potential clients to request a demo is one of the most important goals of any cyber security marketer. While getting prospects to this stage takes some effort and much nurturing, paid campaigns can help speed up the process for those ready to buy. You can also use paid marketing campaigns to drive more qualified prospects to your demo request landing page. These advertisements can help ensure that your brand is visible to those ready to buy while also making your demo available to these prospects.

Some cyber security firms may avoid using paid campaigns due to the competitive nature of paid advertising in the cyber security space. That’s understandable; if you don’t know what you’re doing, it’s easy to spend thousands on cyber security advertisements and get nothing in return. You’ll need a dedicated in-house person or team with experience in this area or cyber security paid marketing agency for paid campaigns.

Conclusion 

Once you’ve run a marketing campaign for your cyber security brand, your account manager should conduct a post-campaign exit interview. Documenting the process is critical not only for the agency but also for the vendor. Discuss what worked effectively and what could be improved in concrete detail. Using measurable terms is a sure way to make the next campaign even better and more effective.