When it Comes to Cybersecurity, MSPs Need to be Educators

Today, every business needs cybersecurity. In some industries, we (and other MSPs) are starting to see more and more decision-makers actually come to us and request it. If you are an MSP and cybersecurity isn’t a part of your service stack, and you aren’t talking about it each and every week on your website, in your QBRs, and in your marketing, then you are going to be left in the dust.

Let’s talk about how you can maintain that balance with some strategic marketing and culture-building.

Cybersecurity is a Profit Center… if Your MSP Can Get Over Some Hurdles

Let’s consider it from the perspective of the average small or even medium-sized business. While the awareness and recognition of modern cyberthreats have improved over the past few years, far too many businesses still overestimate their chances of avoiding cyberthreats due to either overconfidence in their own security practices or the classic misconception that they will not be targeted due to their size.

You and I may know that neither of these scenarios is true, but your prospects are far less likely to have that level of insight. This means that your efforts to sell them the security measures and safeguards they need to protect themselves will seem to them as though you’re just trying to get them to pay for something they don’t need.

It also doesn’t help that many of these protections seem extremely expensive… particularly as they appear to do nothing when they are most effective. It’s hard to sell preventative measures when the customer doesn’t perceive cybersecurity as a threat.

Nevertheless, an MSP Has the Responsibility to Provide Businesses with the Protections that Will Keep Them in Operation

So, not only do you need to ensure that your clients have a comprehensive assortment of cybersecurity services and solutions, but you also need to be able to educate your audience about the importance of cybersecurity so they are receptive to your services.

This education is the key to effective B2B marketing, particularly regarding IT and cybersecurity-related matters. Let’s take a moment to laser in on the lessons you need to work into your audience’s awareness.

Three Key Lessons to Teach Your Audience About Cybersecurity

Lesson One: How Truly Important Cybersecurity Is

This is the big one, as it precedes the other two lessons by its very nature. If you can’t get your audience to buy into how critical cybersecurity is, you aren’t going to be able to urge them to shift their focus to be as security-first as possible. Make sure you communicate how prevalent cyberthreats are nowadays, and don’t be shy about the consequences of falling victim to one, highlighting the financial and reputational damage that a data leak can easily cause for the business that suffers from one.

The idea is to help prospects realize how serious their needs are by opening their eyes to how much they have yet to do to ensure their own cybersecurity.

Lesson Two: How Cybersecurity Isn’t a Challenge Solved with Money Alone

While proper cybersecurity will require some monetary investment from a company, money is far from the only variable that influences how secure a company will be nowadays. There’s also the general awareness of modern threats amongst a workforce and the capability its members have to identify potential threats and respond to them appropriately, as well as the behaviors that will inherently expose a business to fewer threats overall. Your clients will need you to help instill these behaviors and policies in their business. 

The long and the short of it is that any successful cybersecurity strategy will feature security solutions, yes, but in tandem with vigilance and prudence. This leads us to the third lesson you must share as a technology resource and educator…

Lesson Three: How to Cultivate a Cybersecurity-Centric Company Culture

Finally, you also need to reinforce how important it is that a prospect’s entire company—from interns to the C-suite—is committed to upholding the standards necessary to prevent issues. Just as crucially, you must provide a few ways for a prospect to cultivate this all-encompassing culture within their company. 

Remember, as an MSP, you are the cybersecurity expert, so it is important that your lessons are accessible enough for anyone in your clients’ businesses to pass them along to anyone else. Not only will this help create an internally self-perpetuating cycle of cybersecurity education, it will also help everyone in the business you work with take accountability for the company’s security.

What Can You Do to Teach These Lessons to Your MSP’s Audience?

You can use a few marketing materials to introduce the concept of cybersecurity to your audience, communicating with them at various stages of the marketing funnel. For instance, the following marketing activities are all very helpful in sharing your message:

Blogs and Newsletters

This kind of content can be very effective as a means of drawing the attention of search engines to your website, sure, but also as a means of educating those who take the time to read it. By sharing blogs and articles that hammer in on security best practices, you can provide your expertise to those seeking it out while signaling your expertise to the search engines—ideally, prompting their algorithms to direct potential clients to you and your website.

Once there, your audience can learn any lessons you want to teach them through your content, allowing you to emphasize the importance of taking all available steps to improve their cybersecurity.

Educational Campaigns

Similarly, educational campaigns via email, direct mail, and social media can provide a few passive benefits to your prospects as you share bits of your expertise with them. This can drive them back to your website for the whole story (perhaps in the form of a deliverable that signals their interest to you) and encourage them to reach out to you for more in-depth insight.

Sharing this kind of information offers two benefits: first, it shows that you have the knowledge they need and are willing to share it. Second, it frames your organization and its services as a trustworthy source for help with a business’ security needs.

Postcards and Mailers

So far, we’ve largely covered digital efforts, which has left one large deficit in your strategy. Once a prospect logs off or steps away from their devices, you’re largely cut off from communicating with them. This is why it is so beneficial to use direct mail and augment it with the attention-grabbing deliverables and graphics that postcards and additional mailers offer.

Webinars and Other Events

Finally, a webinar or in-person seminar like a Lunch-and-Learn can give you an excellent opportunity to draw in some engaged prospects and show off your expertise to them more directly, educating them about their needs while showing them just how much effort it takes to secure their businesses properly… hopefully motivating them to turn to you for help. At the very least, it helps cement your business in their minds as a resource to turn to, so while they may not seek out your services immediately, they’ll be more likely to do so in the future.

Reach Out to Us for Help with Putting Any of These Efforts to Use!

Utilizing our perspective as a managed service provider, we’ve put together all of the above marketing tools and strategies and stress-tested them for ourselves… and we’re more than happy to help you succeed in selling any of your managed services, cybersecurity-related or otherwise. Reach out to us to learn more about what we offer, either by calling 888-546-4384 or sending us a message at EMAIL.