Part 2 - How security companies can uncover the expertise they already have—and turn it into better marketing.
In Part 1, I talked about a problem I see frequently in the security industry:
A company can be much better than its marketing makes it look.
The company has experienced people, loyal customers, difficult projects, specialized knowledge and years of experience.
But much of that never makes it into the company's marketing.
That's a missed opportunity.
Because some of the most powerful marketing material you can create may already be sitting inside your company.
You just have to recognize it.
You Probably Have Better Stories Than You Realize
Security companies do interesting work.
They just don't always talk about it.
A company may have recently:
- Protected a large multifamily development
- Upgraded security for a school
- Integrated access control and video across multiple buildings
- Solved a difficult surveillance problem
- Taken over a poorly managed system
- Helped a customer recover from a serious security incident
- Completed a major project under a very tight deadline
Those are stories.
And stories are powerful marketing.
You don't always need a 2,000-word case study.
Sometimes a photograph, a few paragraphs explaining the challenge and solution, and a customer quote can tell a prospect far more about your capabilities than a page listing 25 products.
And there's another benefit:
Your competitors can't easily copy your story.
They can copy a list of services.
They can't copy your experience.
Sometimes You Are Simply Too Close to Your Own Business
This may be the biggest issue of all.
When you've been running a company for years, you know everything about it.
You know the people.
You know the history.
You know the difficult projects you've completed.
You know the customers who have been with you forever.
You know why you're different.
The problem is that you're so close to the business that it can be difficult to see what an outsider sees.
I've been on the other side of that conversation many times.
I'll ask a company owner about something they do, and they'll say:
"Oh, that's nothing special. We do that all the time."
Maybe.
But if customers don't know you do it, it can be very special to them.
Sometimes the most valuable marketing exercise isn't creating something new.
It's uncovering what is already there.
Start With Your Best Customers
One of the easiest ways to uncover those opportunities is to look at the customers you value most.
Ask yourself:
Why did they choose us?
Why have they stayed with us?
What do they call us for?
What problems do we solve particularly well for them?
What do they tell other people about us?
You may discover that your real competitive advantage isn't what you thought it was.
Maybe customers value your responsiveness more than your technology.
Maybe they trust your technicians.
Maybe you're exceptionally good at complicated integrations.
Maybe you understand a particular industry better than anyone else in your market.
Those insights can become the foundation of your marketing.
Look at Your Best Projects
Your project history is another source of marketing material.
Don't just ask, "What did we install?"
Ask:
What was the customer's problem?
What made the project difficult?
What did we do differently?
What was the result?
That's the beginning of a case study.
And case studies don't have to be complicated.
A simple format works remarkably well:
The Challenge → The Solution → The Result
Add a good photograph and, when possible, a customer quote.
Now you aren't just telling prospects that you're experienced.
You're showing them.
Turn Expertise Into Content
Once you start looking at your company this way, you may find dozens of potential marketing topics.
A technician who has solved the same unusual problem 50 times has knowledge worth sharing.
A salesperson who understands the concerns of property managers has insights worth sharing.
An owner who has watched the industry change for 30 years has a perspective worth sharing.
That knowledge can become:
- Articles
- LinkedIn posts
- Case studies
- Videos
- Webinars
- Sales presentations
- Customer newsletters
- Press opportunities
You don't have to become a publisher.
You simply have to recognize that your expertise has value beyond the customer who originally paid for it.
Make Marketing Useful to Sales
The best marketing isn't created simply because someone thinks the company "should be doing marketing."
It should help the sales team.
If your salespeople repeatedly hear the same questions from prospects, those questions can become website content.
If prospects don't understand the difference between two technologies, explain it.
If salespeople constantly need to explain why your company is different, build that message into the website and sales materials.
If you have a great project that demonstrates your capabilities, give the sales team a case study they can actually use.
Marketing should not live in a separate department—or in a separate world.
It should make selling easier.
You Don't Need to Do Everything at Once
This is also where companies sometimes make a mistake.
They decide they need a new website, a new logo, a new brochure, a new social media strategy, videos, email campaigns, advertising and a complete rebrand—all at once.
That can become expensive and overwhelming.
Start with the gaps that matter most.
Maybe your website doesn't clearly explain what makes you different.
Maybe your sales presentation is outdated.
Maybe you have ten great customer stories that nobody has ever written down.
Maybe your LinkedIn presence doesn't reflect the expertise inside your company.
Maybe your proposals don't look as professional as the work you deliver.
Fix those things first.
Good marketing doesn't have to be complicated. It has to be purposeful.
Your Company May Already Have Everything It Needs
That's really the point.
You may not have a marketing problem because your company isn't good enough.
You may have a marketing problem because the marketplace doesn't know how good you are.
There's a big difference.
A strong security company deserves strong representation.
Not necessarily the flashiest website.
Not the most expensive brochure.
Not the most complicated marketing program.
Just a clear, consistent and compelling explanation of:
Who you are.
What you do.
Who you do it for.
And why it matters.
Sometimes that requires a new website.
Sometimes it requires better sales materials.
Sometimes it means telling your story through PR, articles, case studies or social media.
And sometimes it simply requires someone from outside the company to look at what you've built and say:
"Have you ever thought about telling people about this?"
That's often where the conversation gets interesting.
Have a Marketing Challenge?
If your company is doing great work but you don't think the marketplace sees the full picture, I'd be happy to have a conversation.
Sometimes an outside perspective is all it takes to uncover an opportunity you've been too close to see.
