(upbeat music)
- Welcome to Digital Rage.
I'm the Jeff the producer here at Byer Company
and it is episode 30.
Just wanted to acknowledge that.
This has been a pretty fun journey
and we're gonna keep it going.
Today is part five of our Cybersecurity Marketing Series.
Today we're talking about why your Cybersecurity Marketing
isn't connecting and it may be a lack of education.
Check it out.
- You know how sometimes really complex topics
may be like cybersecurity.
They can just feel, well, dance.
Or maybe you hear about the threats
and yeah, they sound important,
but they don't quite feel like they're about you,
you know, right now.
- Absolutely, that feeling of disconnect.
It's super common.
It could be information overload,
maybe too much tech talk.
Or just that sense that, ah,
it's a problem for someone else not me.
So these crucial subjects end up feeling kinda distant.
- Exactly.
And that disconnect,
that's precisely what we're diving into today.
We're looking at some material
that really tackles this communication challenge.
Specifically in Cybersecurity Marketing.
- Right.
- How do you actually connect a vital message
but one that's often complex with an audience
that maybe thinks, man, that's not my problem.
- Well, the article we're digging into
asks that exact question pretty much.
Why your Cybersecurity Marketing isn't connecting.
- Okay.
- And it gives a really direct answer.
Boils down to basically a lack of education.
A lack of education.
Okay, well, let's unpack that a bit.
The source puts it quite bluntly, doesn't it?
Something like, you can't sell a solution
to a problem your audience doesn't believe they have.
- That's the heart of it, yeah.
The core issue is often like the audience,
maybe especially the non-technical buyers.
They either don't fully get the actual risks involved
or maybe more often,
they just don't believe that specific problem applies
to their situation, you know, their company,
their data, these abstract threats,
they just don't feel urgent.
- So if they don't really understand the what of the threat
or truly believe the why it matters to me for,
then your whole message about how great your solution is,
it just sort of bounces off.
- Precisely, it doesn't land.
So the article suggests a pretty powerful way around this.
It's a strategy really built around education
and what it calls thought leadership.
- Okay.
- It argues that by teaching your audience first,
you naturally build awareness about the risks.
You create that sense of urgency
because they start seeing why it matters now.
And this is critical, you build trust.
- So the path isn't really selling a product initially.
It's more like selling understanding.
- You got it.
- And the source actually gives some pretty concrete ways
to do this teaching, doesn't it?
- It really does, yeah.
It outlines several key approaches
for effectively educating your audience
to build that foundation you need.
- Okay, so what's the first one?
I think they mentioned something about timing.
- Yes, exactly.
The first one they emphasize is starting with why now,
why this?
It's all about anchoring the threat
right in the present moment, making it timely.
- Right, grounding it.
- Yeah, the source really stresses using current events
or like ongoing trends to make it immediately relevant.
So for example, instead of just talking generally
about ransomware, you might discuss how, say,
recent global events or maybe the big shift to hybrid work
is making certain industries or maybe companies
of a certain size more vulnerable today.
- Oh, okay, so it takes it from being this theoretical risk
to an immediate concern.
Like, okay, because of X and Y happening right now,
you're more exposed to this.
- Exactly that, or maybe explaining how new tech,
like AI is changing fishing attacks, right?
Making them harder to spot.
And why that means you need a different approach today.
- Gotcha.
- It's about leading with that immediate relevance.
Before you even whisper about a solution.
- That makes a lot of sense.
Establish the why should I care now first?
Okay, and then the next strategy they talk about,
that's about making these abstract threats more concrete,
right, using real world scenarios.
- Yeah, because abstract risks are just,
well, they're easy to dismiss, aren't they?
- Totally.
- But the source points out that specific, relatable stories,
they're much harder to ignore.
- So instead of just saying, you know,
data breaches cost a lot of money.
- Right.
- You can actually walk someone through a scenario,
like a hypothetical.
- Yes, exactly.
Or maybe describe step by step what actually happens,
if say an employee clicks on one particular kind
of malicious link.
- Okay.
- You could use an anonymized example, a real breach,
but with the names changed and show the specific consequences
it had for a company that's similar to your audience.
- Oh, I see.
- Or even show a kind of before and after.
Like, here was a vulnerability,
here's how it was exploited,
and here's what happened after it was fixed.
That really helps the audience picture themselves
in that situation, doesn't it?
They can imagine their own team, their own business,
facing that exact problem.
- It really does.
It transforms it from just a statistic,
you know, a risk percentage into a narrative.
Something the listener can connect with more personally.
It makes the threat feel, well, tangible.
- Okay, so you grab their attention with the wine out stuff,
make it feel really scenarios.
What's the final pillar of this teaching approach
that the source really pushes?
- The source strongly advocates for basically,
generously offering free educational value.
Giving stuff away.
- Right.
- This is where that thought leadership idea
really comes into play.
Not just talking about expertise,
but actively giving helpful information.
- Teach before you pitch, is that the idea?
- Precisely, yeah.
The article highlights a bunch of ways companies can do this.
Like host webinars and invite people
who aren't even customers yet,
just to learn about current threats.
Or create, say, downloadable checklists,
or maybe toolkits that help businesses assess their own risk,
or even implement some basic protections themselves.
- Okay, practical tools.
- Yeah, or share detailed how-to guides,
maybe blog series explaining complex topics,
but in really clear, simple language.
- So it's really about becoming a trusted resource, isn't it?
Someone they turned to for understanding first.
- Absolutely.
The source is very clear on this.
Thought leadership in this context anyway,
isn't really measured by how much you talk at people.
It's measured by how much genuine value
you actually give away in the form of helpful educational content.
- And the underlying idea, I guess,
is the more helpful you are,
the more trust you build up over time.
Which, I mean, that feels like a principle
that goes way beyond just cybersecurity, or even marketing.
- It really does.
It's fundamental, isn't it?
Whether you're, I don't know, explaining a health issue,
or a complex financial strategy,
or, yeah, a technical risk,
building understanding and providing real value first,
that build credibility.
- The source kind of sums this all up
with a phrase that really stuck with me.
The smartest marketers teach first.
- Yeah, that line really captures the whole essence, doesn't it?
It's all about enabling the buyer,
helping them gain confidence,
get some clarity about the threat landscape,
understand where they might be vulnerable,
and then start exploring the options out there.
And if you're the brand that helped them navigate
all that confusion,
well, you're already halfway there, aren't you?
You've started building that crucial trust you need
for any kind of potential partnership or sale demeline.
- And the article wraps up
with a pretty powerful statement too,
something like, the companies that win
are the ones that teach best.
- It's a very direct link they're drawing
between being a leader in education within your space,
and actually achieving market success,
especially in complex fields like cyber.
- So, thinking about this, for you,
listening right now,
understanding this whole dynamic,
it isn't just for marketers, is it?
- Not at all.
- It really highlights the incredible power
of clear explanation,
of providing genuine value whenever you encounter
complex information yourself,
or maybe when you need to communicate it,
could be cybersecurity,
could be health choices, financial planning, you name it.
It just shows how focusing on teaching,
on fostering real understanding,
can cut through all the noise
and build a genuine connection.
- Which does raise a pretty interesting question
for all of us, I think.
If prioritizing genuine understanding, teaching first,
if that really is the most effective way
to connect and build trust in these complex areas,
what does that suggest about the responsibility of,
well, anyone who's communicating critical information,
is the main goal just to inform, or push a message,
or is there maybe a deeper obligation there
to really ensure genuine understanding comes first?
Even before you start thinking about selling something,
or persuading someone to agree with you.
- That's a really provocative thought to end up.
Definitely something to chew on.
- Reach out to us at jbuyer.com for comments and questions.
Follow us at buyer company on social media,
and if you'd be so kind,
please rate and review us in your podcast app.
[Music]