8 Steps To Successful Ransomware Solution Marketing
Actionable steps for ransomware solution providers to elevate their marketing and win more clients.
Despite ransomware costing U.S. companies a staggering $20.9 billion annually, it continues to be a problem many organizations don’t fully address at the level they should. Instead, they use reactive and/or stop-gap solutions that only address specific threats, often after they’ve already caused a breach or other negative cybersecurity event.
But ransomware security marketers have the opportunity to change buyers’ perspectives. With the right tactics and approaches, you can help buyers see how a proactive and ongoing approach to IT security is the only right choice to keep their business safe in today’s digital and cloud-powered business environment.
In this Gorilla Guide to ransomware solution marketing, we’ll walk through eight actionable steps you can take to elevate your marketing efforts, generate more leads, and win more business.
8 Ways to Effectively Market Ransomware Solutions
Create Urgency (But Not Panic)
The need for ransomware solutions is urgent, but as a ransomware marketer it’s important to strike a particular balance—communicating this urgency accurately without using scare tactics to grab attention.
The scare tactic approach, even when the information it communicates is technically accurate, generally creates mistrust and turns potential customers away.
Inc. Magazine writer Kevin Kerridge put it aptly when it comes to marketing scare tactics: Be an authority, not an alarmist.
So how can you strike this balance in practice? Be sure not to threaten clients, but rather share risks matter-of-factly and compellingly. Answer questions like: What are the business benefits of ransomware solutions? Why are companies using them and how can they add value?
Use Real-World Examples
One of the best ways to make ransomware risks relatable to your potential customers is to share recent real-world examples. By following top industry news sources, you can stay abreast of what’s happening in the ransomware world and how real companies around the globe are being impacted.
For example, cybersecurity company BlackFog publishes a monthly State of Ransomware report that lists all publicly disclosed attacks that have recently occurred. You can both emulate this idea in your own ransomware solution marketing and use the company’s report (and similar resources) to demonstrate to buyers how real companies are impacted by ransomware.
Make this strategy even more effective by tracking and categorizing ransomware events by type of company and/or industry, then share uniquely relevant examples with individual prospects.
Humanize the Problem
The data that’s compromised in any ransomware attack ultimately belongs to real human beings. Sharing their stories can be what really puts the criticality of ransomware into perspective for your audience.
For example: Ferrari recently admitted to its second data breach in just six months—and that personal customer data like names, email addresses, and telephone numbers was stolen during the incident. This kind of breach puts customers at risk for identity and financial theft, and even creates physical safety concerns in some situations.
No company wants to put their stakeholders—partners, employees, customers, and others—at risk, so helping them think about how these groups would be impacted drives home the value of reliable ransomware solutions.
Communicate in Layman’s Terms
Technical jargon isn’t the way to go when you’re trying to establish brand authority with your ransomware solution marketing.
Buyers want to work with brands that demonstrate exactly how their solutions can address the problems and needs they’re facing. In order to find those brands, they must be able to understand them. Talk to your customers using language that makes ransomware, its risks, and the benefits of a third-party solution compelling in real-world business terms.
Trying to impress with highly technical terms will likely only send people to other brands (aka your competitors) doing a better job of communicating with the customer’s perspective in mind.
Demonstrate Thought Leadership
LinkedIn reports that 64% of buyers say thought leadership content is a more trustworthy basis for evaluating a company’s capabilities than their direct marketing materials or product sheets, and 63% say that thought leadership provides proof that a company can solve their challenges.
Content marketing provides countless options to demonstrate your thought leadership—think blogs, webinars, e-books, whitepapers, infographics, newsletters, and the like.
Not only this, but thought leadership content helps you meet customers where they are and gives you visibility where your audience is already looking for brands—on search engines, social media, through email subscriptions, at online events (and more).
Another powerful way to establish your reputation as a thought leader is to make your brand present on websites dedicated to publishing leading industry content. Ransomware.org, for example, publishes educational and informative content specifically to help IT security pros stay in-the-know about ransomware trends, news, and best practices.
Brands can sponsor Ransomware.org in exchange for having their content published on the site, their brand placed in the directory, the opportunity to sponsor webinars, and other benefits.
Run Tech Webinars
Consumers prefer video over all other types of content—B2B buyers included. A staggering 95% of them say videos play a direct role in their purchase decisions, and they rate “learning about products/services” as the top reason for watching them.
Webinars in particular are one of the most popular forms of video content in the B2B world, and the software and tech industry accounts for nearly one-third of all webinars hosted.
Webinars offer several benefits for both B2B buyers and sellers. Buyers can learn about brands using their preferred type of content, gain access to experts from within top vendor companies, and assess a company’s expertise on important topics.
Sellers have a chance to showcase their subject matter experts, engage with potential buyers in real time, and use webinar recordings as long-term lead-gen assets.
Use SEO and Content Marketing
Your ransomware solution marketing plan can’t be complete in today’s B2B landscape without a full-scale SEO and content marketing strategy. Why? Because 93% of all online experiences today start with search—including brand research.
Further, B2B buyers now do a large part of their research independently before they ever consult with a vendor’s sales team. In other words: If you don’t publish high-value, optimized content that ranks on search engine results pages, you are likely invisible to the target audiences you’re trying to reach.
SEO and content marketing have stood the test of time over the past 10-plus years, and continue to grow in importance as providers look to stand out in crowded digital markets. To boot, studies show that content marketing is more cost-effective than traditional marketing tactics, all while earning companies 6 times higher conversion rates than those who don’t use it.
Outsource to an Agency if You Need To
It can be difficult to take on everything required to execute a full-scale ransomware solution marketing strategy while also keeping focus on your most mission-critical activities, like creating great products and services, and serving your current customers well.
Further, effective digital marketing requires a certain level of expertise gained from experience in the field. It’s not enough for employees in other areas of your company to take on marketing as an ad-hoc duty, or for a one- or two-man marketing team to try to do everything themselves.
If you don’t have the right level of experience, expertise, and resources in-house, your best bet is to outsource to a cybersecurity marketing agency.
The benefits of outsourcing to an agency are numerous, and include:
- Time and cost savings over the long term
- Consistent, quality, high-volume content creation
- 24/7 prioritization of your marketing strategy
- Access to marketing automation tools and technology
- A team of marketing experts
- Data-driven strategy development and reporting
Outsourcing has long been an effective way for companies to excel in certain areas without sacrificing focus on what they do best. Ransomware solution marketing is no exception.
If you do your research and vet potential vendors, you can find one that acts as a true partner and represents your brand authentically—all while earning you big results.
ActualTech Media has experience and expertise in ransomware solution marketing that can help your business generate more leads and drive faster growth. Contact our team to learn more and get started today.