Digital transformation 2.0 is here. And as more and more businesses migrate from locally hosted software systems to the cloud, cybersecurity firms should be looking at how they can help these organizations use security best practices from the get-go.
This requires a shift in thinking from traditional cybersecurity marketing. Instead of advertising yourself as a digital firefighter after a data breach or ransomware attack, take a few lessons from the software as a service (SaaS) business model. Position yourself as a partner, not a first responder.
Adopting this approach not only keeps everyone’s blood pressure at healthy levels, it also builds sustainability and cyber resilience into business models, making the internet a safer place for everyone. Not to mention that price transparency reduces uncertainty and helps build trust with customers. Driving digital transformation as a service just makes sense.
Building cyber resilience from the ground-up
While many cybersecurity firms work with companies to implement cyber resilience plans, this often comes after a breach or cyberattack has already caused millions of dollars in damage. Instead, take a page from the healthcare industry’s playbook and focus on preventive care over treatment.
Treatment aims to remedy symptoms, but prevention keeps symptoms from developing in the first place. Vaccines are just as effective at preventing viruses as security in a company’s tech stack is at preventing cyberattacks.
It’s much easier to shift focus to prevention when habits haven’t yet had a chance to form. That’s why now is the perfect time to start building security partnerships, as many companies are transitioning from on-premise software systems to cloud-based systems.
Instead of going behind a company to clean up after their digital mess, why not defend against emergencies by building good policies, protocols, and habits from the beginning? You’re used to operating like a crisis line when you would actually be better off acting as a coach.
Following the pricing transparency of software as a service (SaaS)
Software as a service isn’t a new concept, but with improvements to cloud computing, it’s more feasible now than ever before. Cloud-based software comes with major benefits — it doesn’t require time-consuming updates, it maintains almost 100 percent uptime, and it’s accessible from anywhere with an internet connection.
But SaaS companies also reap major financial benefits themselves, especially from transparent and clear pricing. IT professionals know up front what it will cost to use a SaaS system, which means they’re better informed and more likely to commit. Sharing pricing information publicly also helps companies find the people most willing to buy. Or as Pia Silva puts it in Forbes, “weed out bargain shoppers.”
Surprisingly, cybersecurity companies have been slow to transition to displaying their prices online. Many businesses still custom-generate unified threat management (UTM) plans, for instance, and require potential buyers to request a quote before they know what to expect for pricing. In a world where many people expect to know pricing before expressing interest, this is poor customer experience.
Transparent pricing also helps to build trust between cybersecurity vendors and IT professionals. Eric Goldschein says in the Fundera blog, “Transparency brings down barriers — including, apparently, the barrier we put up that stops us from making purchases we think might be too costly otherwise.” When you make more of an effort to inform buyers about what goes into pricing, people are actually willing to spend more money.
This is especially beneficial to cybersecurity vendors. Many companies associate cybersecurity with high costs, but different tiers allow for more:
- Information about why prices are what they are
- Variety in services offered
- Budget diversity
You can stand to make more money by offering flexible pricing options instead of seeking out companies responding to a crisis.
Fear is an effective motivator, but only to a certain extent
Whether it’s cybersecurity or home security, security companies often use fear as a motivator in their marketing communications. This makes sense — we all want to feel safe. Therefore, it’s only natural for companies selling safety to create demand by playing on people’s fears.
But fear isn’t always a good motivator. At least in management practices, using fear as a motivator actually paralyzes people and can make them feel hopeless. This isn’t to say fear never works; it works pretty well in the short term. But trying to motivate people with fear for sustained time periods will either make them anxious or skeptical.
Anxiety about cyber threats could play to your advantage, but skeptical people don’t trust anyone — including cybersecurity vendors. If warnings about cyberattacks or data breaches never materialize, you risk becoming the proverbial boy who cried wolf.
Even worse than growing skeptical, some people become numb to fear. If nothing is safe, why bother being so cautious? Stoking too much fear can lead to recklessness, which isn’t good for anyone.
Also read: Don’t Sound The Alarm: Revise Your Cybersecurity Marketing Messaging to The Language of The C-Suite
Instead, think of ways to inspire your customers. Reframe your messaging to show people the competitive advantages good cybersecurity offers. Show them how using cybersecurity software can help them make more money. When people feel empowered and see an opportunity, they have the confidence to act and spend their money.
TechnologyAdvice can help you get in front of the right people
More companies are switching to cloud-based software everyday, so it’s imperative to help them bake good security into their systems before they get too far ahead of themselves. At TechnologyAdvice, we talk to IT professionals all the time, and we’d love to connect you with the right people seeking a security partner in their digital transformation. To learn more about the different campaigns we offer, visit our partners page or contact us to get started.