Being More Human in a World of Marketing Robots

Increasing Noise in the Cybersecurity Space

We all know that the noise and crowdedness of the cybersecurity space has only increased over the past year and it’s no wonder why – the cybersecurity problem is only getting larger and cybercrime more lucrative. For all of the bad actors out there, cyber is an easy choice, very low risk of getting caught and a very high reward. In fact, Coveware reported that comparing the second and third quarters of this year, the average ransom payment has increased 31%.

Unsurprisingly, there are many companies trying to solve at least a small part of this very large problem. Unfortunately, the noisiness of the space is only creating further difficulties for the CISOs and professionals trying to manage their teams and find the best solutions. So how can you actually break through the noise and be heard by the community you’re trying to reach?

Remember that You’re a Human

For some reason this is often hard for us marketers to remember, so it’s worth repeating – you are a human being. And so are your prospective customers. What any potential buyer is looking for is a real solution to their real problem. So focus on communicating that solution. And if you have nothing to offer in terms of the problem a customer is trying to solve, say so and move on.

If we look at the CISO as a person with human psychology, it allows us to break out of the habit of drinking our own Kool-Aid and sounding inauthentic.

The Real Effect Happens When You See the Product

Real humans don’t want to be sold something or treated as a product, sometimes they are just looking for information, doing research, and evaluating their options. So, make that easy and simple. Instead of hiding the product behind registration forms and demos that require someone to hand over all of their personal data in order to participate, put the product on display and offer public demos.

The product or solution can speak for itself so let it. After all, Gartner reports that 70-90% of the B2B buying process is over before buyers reach out to salespeople.

Leverage Partners to Amplify Your Voice

Other stages in that buying process involve reaching out to trusted colleagues and people with influence in the cybersecurity space to vet a product or solution. So it can be helpful to partner with other companies or security professionals whose voice carries weight to amplify your message.

It also doesn’t hurt to bring in the voice of customers who are outside of the marketing machine and can add their own perspective on why the solution works for them.

Go Narrow

These days the CISO really is immune to outreach, so casting a wide net aimed at the highest-ranking exec is not always the best strategy. Besides, the CISO isn’t always the one most intimately involved in the purchasing decision. So by focusing on the managers and narrowing the scope of your target audience, you may get even better results.

Those making the purchasing decisions also have a narrow focus since a company can only accommodate and deploy around 5-10 new technologies a year. Therefore, finding the prospects whose top problem areas align with your solution is more valuable than reaching the widest audience.

Create Interactive Experiences

In a work-from-home world where we all stare at screens, webinars, and virtual meetings all day, it’s powerful when you are able to create interactive experiences. Intimate sessions such as roundtables and virtual wine tastings where people can come together, build relationships, and talk about their pain points go a long way.

And if you don’t have the network or resources to plan these events, it’s worth partnering with distributors and researchers who have the relationships, network, and resources to organize and manage these sessions on your behalf.

At the end of the day, we all just want to be helped and heard. It’s time we break out of the marketing bubble and focus on speaking directly to humans.

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