How Sense of Security transformed itself into an essential business partner, working with every level of the organisation from boardroom to basement.
YOU are now the weakest link
Sense of Security had built itself a successful business by being the go-to expert in its field of cyber security. In an era when being the best was all it needed to succeed, Sense of Security had thrived.
But the business landscape had changed, as had the security landscape and Sense of Security’s offering. At the root of the change was one critical idea – that cyber security was no longer a technical problem, but a human behavioural problem.
Cyber security had evolved to the point where the IT systems were so locked down that they were rarely the weak link in a business’s security mix. The problem was the people. And solving people’s behaviour made cyber security less of a technical problem and more of a behavioural one.
By tech people, for tech people
In this changed environment, Sense of Security was still presenting itself to the market as a highly technical player. Its website was written in complicated, deeply technical language. It focussed on what Sense of Security would DO for its clients, rather than the BENEFIT that Sense of Security could deliver. And it was trying to use this deeply technical content to inspire customers to make an enquiry.
Is your website giving away your business secrets for free?
Unfortunately, much of the deeply technical content on the Sense of Security website was also giving away for free some of the expertise that Sense of Security wanted to sell to its clients. In an effort to demonstrate credibility and competence, the business was giving its customers something for nothing.
And the one job the website should have been doing – inspiring people to make contact – was underperforming.
Who signs the cheques?
Another important factor to consider, now that cyber security has evolved from a tech problem into a business problem, is that:
- The engagement of a cyber security partner is a business-wide initiative which is often signed off at C-suite or board level, rather than IT Director level
- The website and marketing collaterals must appeal to the sign-off authorities on the project as much as the people who are commissioning the work
So now the website and marketing collaterals had to sell Sense of Security’s expertise to the experts who were going to commission the engagement, and to the most senior people in the business, of whom many may have little or no technical knowledge.
The Boardroom to Basement approach
One of the initiatives that Sense of Security wanted to highlight was its Boardroom to Basement training approach. With cyber security now a business-wide, people-centred problem, Sense of Security was taking a business-wide, people-centred approach to the solution. Its training offerings deliver different messages to people at different levels of the business about their part in securing the business against nefarious operators.
If you can’t do it yourself, call for help
Sense of Security came to The Copy Collective seeking a complete revamp of its external corporate communications. The Copy Collective worked through a process of engaging with all the corporate stakeholders about messaging and content. The Copy Collective’s specialist writers then reworked the content that Sense of Security was presenting to its audience.
This was a mammoth task. Sense of Security provides targeted solutions to high risk industries, including utilities, tech, media, insurance, food service and banking, and the messaging about each solution was different.
It was also important for Sense of Security to feel confident about the messages it was sending.
The key challenge for the writing team was finding the sweet-spot between saying enough to convey a message of credibility, experience and a “safe pair of hands” while saying little enough that prospective clients would feel the need to contact Sense of Security to hear more. The content strategy focussed on these main areas:
- Selling the benefit of engaging Sense of Security
- Clarifying and simplifying language
- Delivering the right message to the right audience
The Copy Collective worked closely with Sense of Security over several iterations of the content until everyone was happy.
Know how to use the tools in your toolkit
One of the final deliverables in the project was also one of the most important.
The Copy Collective took a leaf out of Sense of Security’s playbook and delivered social media training to the CEO, the Head of Sales and the Head of Marketing. In the training they discussed the audiences the business communicates with, and what sorts of messages need to be communicated. They came up with rough strategies for different social platforms and the kinds of content they would push on each.
A change of outfit makes it look like a new business
The result of all this work is that Sense of Security didn’t change much at all, but its messaging was transformed. The Sense of Security website now clearly lays out the products offered in language that all its prospective clients can engage with. The social media messaging ties in with the website. Sales pitches, proposal documents and collaterals all repeat consistent messages.