Cybersecurity is a niche B2B market with its own rulebook – and cybersecurity lead generation is a specialised form of B2B marketing that also requires its own set of best practices. As UK B2B lead generation specialists, we have a selection of verticals we specialise in. Cyber security lead generation is one of our most rapidly growing areas. That’s because it’s a particularly hot sector – one that exceeded £10bn in 2020, with a growth trajectory that isn’t expected to slow down anytime soon.
Where there’s growth, there are startups. So it’s also highly competitive. From listening to our clients, we understand it can be tough to crack the cybersecurity lead generation game. So we’d like to pass on some of our best practices and advice for helping you succeed.
How to get clients for cyber security companies
How can you make sure your cybersecurity lead generation campaign is effective? What should be included in a winning strategy? And what are some good examples of cybersecurity lead generation done right? Let’s take a closer look. And you might be interested in finding out more about how to win more business in our general marketing blog about 10 easy steps to get new clients.
What does your business need to do to get the most out of your cybersecurity lead generation strategy?
According to a recent report by the UK Government, there are, on average, 2,244 attacks a day. But, just as new threats materialise on a daily basis, so does the entrepreneurial response to the problem. There are currently 1,838 firms active within the UK providing cybersecurity products and services, representing sector growth of almost 50% since 2020.
Whether you’re one of those cybersecurity startups, or you’ve been around for a while, in a saturated market like cybersecurity your marketing strategy is critical. How much of the pie you get is related to how well you can communicate your value to potential customers – and getting the opportunity to start the conversation with them is the first step.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at some of the key strategies for marketing cybersecurity products and services.
1. Narrow down your target market to specific hot cybersecurity verticals
In a world where cybersecurity threats are constantly growing, and 39% of UK businesses identified a cyber attack in the last 12 months, cybersecurity should technically be on the priority list for every business owner in the country. When your target market could be everyone, narrowing down the focus is key.
The riches are in the niches. (You need to say this in an American accent for the full effect. We won’t laugh)
In a saturated market, you will find the greatest success by establishing vertical specialisms and diving deep into those areas to achieve expert status.
We’re leading by example here – marketing is also a massively saturated market, and we have a number of vertical specialisms to hone our focus. Hence, our impetus for exploring this very issue. One of our specialisms is lead generation for IT service providers. We’ve developed a deep knowledge of the sector, which is why we’re best placed to advise on it.
You can decide on your target verticals based on your current strengths and expertise – i.e. what you already do fantastically well for other clients, you can replicate for others.
You can determine what your specialisms should be based on your product or service’s features and benefits, and match them to the needs of specific verticals.
Or you can identify key markets based on need. Read an interesting assessment of cybersecurity verticals like this one. Some of the hottest cybersecurity verticals are currently local and central government, supply chain and logistics, medical/dental/healthcare organisations, energy companies, financial services, professional services and legal firms and the education sector.
2. Once you’ve identified your target cybersecurity verticals, swim in their lane
If you’re going to establish yourself as a specialist or expert, you’ll need to actually be one. Deep dive into your verticals and make sure that you’re not only familiar with their security needs and challenges, but that you can actually help them address them.
Join the industry associations, read their newsletters and get yourself on their mailing lists. Meet people face-to-face at conferences and trade shows. Read their online publications and social media feeds to see what they’re talking about with other suppliers in the market. You can also join LinkedIn groups related to your target verticals, or go even deeper by creating your own group if there aren’t any already there.
3. Use principles of account-based marketing for cybersecurity lead generation
To succeed in cybersecurity lead generation, you need to create a prospect list that is tailored to your specific verticals. This list should be highly targeted and should include individuals who match your ideal prospect criteria in terms of revenue, headcount, growth rate, and technology disposition.
By curating such a list, you’ll be able to attract prospects that are more likely to engage with your sales funnel, leading to greater success.
Once you have a better understanding of who your audience is, it will be easier for you to decide on which channels are most effective for reaching them. For example, if your target market includes small businesses with limited IT budgets and no dedicated cybersecurity department, then email marketing may be the best strategy for reaching them.
4. Then, use your industry insight from point 2 to inform your messaging for your cybersecurity lead generation campaign
Whatever your marketing channel for cybersecurity lead generation – whether it’s email, content marketing, a telemarketing campaign – the magic is in the messaging. And the key to great messaging is intelligence gathering.
The insight you glean from deep diving into your target verticals should furnish you with the lingo and the specific cybersecurity vulnerabilities you can leverage to demonstrate your value proposition to your target audience.
For example, specific cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the transport and logistics sector will be related to the complex network of interconnected systems and devices. Threats include ransomware, data breaches, phishing attacks and IoT vulnerabilities. So show them you understand this in your outreach.
It is essential to align your product or service features with the level of cyber resilience of each customer. This requires showcasing your knowledge of their vulnerabilities and positioning your business as the solution. However, the difficulty lies in presenting this information in a way that is easily understandable for customers who may not be cybersecurity experts.
5. Use your industry knowledge to determine the best marketing channels to target your prospects
Researching your target verticals, their ecosystem and buying behaviours should inform your decisions on the best marketing channels to use for cybersecurity lead generation
Answering the questions your customers ask through content marketing is a great way to generate awareness and build trust. Content marketing can also be used to help position your company as an expert in the field, particularly as a specialist in their vertical.
If, like most cybersecurity marketers and business owners, you don’t have enough time for content creation – did you know we can help with that, too?
We don’t mean to expose ourselves in any cynical way, but as a marketing business, we are clearly practising what we preach here with this very article. We are experts in cybersecurity lead gen, we understand your pain points of operating in a saturated market, and we know how you can overcome them. And, we’re helping you do that through this blog. If the result is you feel like we know what we’re talking about and could help you generate leads for your cybersecurity business (which we can) then this is how you should be making your prospects feel.
For our cybersecurity clients, we’ve had the biggest successes with multi-channel integrated marketing campaigns. Direct, relevant, punchy email campaigns to nurture your leads with email marketing.
Offering a free trial or a demo if you’re a cyber SAAS business is always a winner, and one of the most successful bases of an email campaign possible for your type of business.
Following this up with a telemarketing campaign to gather intelligence and encourage signup for an incredibly informative webinar hosted by you would be the icing on the cake. Or, if webinars aren’t your thing, an appointment booking campaign to get decision-makers in front of your top salesperson might be more fitting.
Get help to boost cybersecurity lead generation
Whatever the path is that you decide on, it’s important to remember that the ultimate goal is to get your prospects into a funnel where they can be nurtured and nurtured until they’re ready for the close. And if you need any help with that, you know where we are. Contact us.
