How Machine Learning in B2B Marketing Helps Businesses

Those who embrace the forward march of technology are rewarded with massive boosts in efficiency and quality. The field of B2B marketing is no exception.

In the past several years, machine learning algorithms have been developed which allow computer systems to mimic human learning on superhuman scales. Researchers and computer scientists are just scratching the surface of the possible utility of these systems, but promising use cases have already been discovered in fields as diverse as healthcare, finance, and weather forecasts.

How can B2B marketers make use of these powerful algorithms to help make their lives easier and their messages more effective?

We’ll discuss what you need to know about machine learning in B2B marketing in today’s guide.

What Is Machine Learning?

Machine learning (ML) is a field of computer science that involves feeding data to computer systems and then using algorithms that allow the system to make predictions or take action.

Machines learn similarly to humans. For example, a young student who is just learning addition for the first time eventually can predict the outcome of any simple addition equation, even ones they’ve never seen before. Machines do the same thing, only far more efficiently.

Computers use complex algorithms to “learn” at a much faster rate than our human brains are capable of. This makes machine learning a powerful tool for automating tasks such as image and speech recognition or fraud detection.

Different Types of ML Algorithms

ML is still a burgeoning field of computer science. In the next several years, new types of algorithms will be developed, each with its pros and cons for marketers.

Here are a few of the most common ML algorithm types today so you can be familiar with their functions and get a feel for how you might use them:

  • Supervised Learning Algorithms: These are trained on data that is labeled by the user so that the variables are known in advance. They are used to make predictions on new data based on what the system has learned from the input data.
  • Unsupervised Learning: These are trained on data that is unlabeled so that the variables are unknown in advance. They can be used to identify patterns within the data without being given specific examples of what to look for.
  • Reinforcement Learning: These algorithms learn by receiving feedback in the form of rewards or penalties based on the predictions they make. They are used to direct a system toward a desired behavior.

How B2B Marketers Use Machine Learning in B2B Marketing

Today, the best uses of machine learning algorithms are for tasks that require lots of repetition and benefit from increased accuracy. The fact that computers can perform these tasks far more efficiently than humans makes them perfect avenues to exploit this emerging technology.

Marketers spend a lot of time on repetitive tasks that can be better performed by a strong ML algorithm. Here are a few examples.

Data Analysis

Perhaps the strongest use of ML is to enable a computer to dig through reams of complex data quickly. Where a human could spend hours combing through information trying to spot patterns, an ML algorithm could accomplish the same task—with better quality—in just a few minutes.

One example of this is sentiment analysis. ML models can analyze customer feedback across any number of channels to gauge sentiment and report on trends. Marketers use this data to drive messaging and even influence product development.

Customer Segmentation

Marketers use supervised ML to better segment customers. By training an ML algorithm on the types of customers the business wants to target, the system learns to recognize them and the best way to reach them.

That’s not the only way ML helps segmentation, however. Marketers also use unsupervised ML algorithms to segment customers for them. This not only leads to better and more accurate segments but also reveals new customer segments that your business wasn’t targeting before.

Optimizing Marketing Campaigns

One key advantage of ML over a human is that the algorithm is far more efficient at learning and recognizing patterns. ML tests far more variables at one time and reports back accurately on its results.

When it comes to designing and optimizing marketing campaigns, this is powerful feedback that allows marketers to home in on the most effective messaging far more quickly than if they were simply A/B testing on their own.

Using ML to optimize and automate marketing campaigns is a quick way to boost ROI and deliver the best marketing campaigns to convert buyers.

Personalization for ABM Campaigns

Hushly is a big proponent of personalized, 1:1 account-based marketing for B2B marketers. The best ABM campaigns are those that are personalized for your targeted buyer. For example, check out our free B2B case study PDF and see how we were able to help NVIDIA personalize its complex messaging.

ML algorithms help the personalization process by learning about your ideal customers and how best to communicate with them. Machine learning models are used to personalize messages and offers, and improve customer engagement to boost conversion rates.

Predicting Consumer Behavior

Your B2B pipeline needs to keep moving. Identifying when customers are ready to make purchases is a big step toward converting them as efficiently as possible so you can begin the process of keeping them as a customer for years to come.

ML algorithms can be trained to predict customer behavior using past data. With incredible accuracy, these systems learn to identify which of your prospects are most ready to buy now based on factors like past purchasing behavior, website interaction, interaction with marketing messages, and even external factors such as holidays or economic trends.

ML can also identify which prospects are likely to churn, giving you the best chance to save the sale or cut your losses and move on to the next.

Optimizing Lead Nurture

A personalized landing page that displays relevant content to your buyer is a simple way to reduce friction and increase conversions.

An ML algorithm can be trained to identify what the best content to display to each buyer will be based on intent data. Then, it can automatically personalize your landing pages so that every buyer receives a rich and contextual buyer journey from the beginning.

The process of optimizing your landing pages will be ongoing as long as buyers and the marketplace keep evolving. ML can help you continually optimize your lead nurturing so you’re always ahead of the curve.

Hushly Provides the Benefits of ML For Your Marketing Operation Starting Today

From personalized landing pages to custom 1:1 ABM campaigns, Hushly has experience helping marketers grow their businesses using proven AI and ML tools.

Our simple-to-use, drag-and-drop system requires no internal developer and can be customized for any buyer within just a few minutes. This results in a scalable, optimizable marketing platform perfect for any business ready to grow. Brands use Hushly to enrich buyer experiences and maximize conversion rates.

Let Hushly create a demo for you today and start seeing the benefits of our platform.

How to Create Engaging Landing Pages: 12 Tips

For many buyers, your landing page is the first time they get to know your solution and the value it can provide. If your landing pages are cluttered, boring, hard to navigate, and impersonal, they’ll be ineffective. Once the customer leaves your website, the odds of you converting them plummets dramatically.

Today, 65% of B2B buyers self-navigate through the entire purchasing process, which means your landing page needs to be capable of engaging them and getting them into the pipeline without your help.

How can you ensure your landing pages are up to par? Hushly has put together 12 actionable tips you can use to create engaging landing pages starting now.

What Is a Landing Page?

A landing page is a web page designed to convert visitors into leads. Digital marketing campaigns use landing pages to drive targeted traffic toward lead capture forms and increase conversion rates.

Landing Pages vs. Home Pages

Your landing page serves a very different purpose than your home page. Home pages are the main hub of your website. They facilitate navigation and provide a general overview of your company and purpose.

A landing page is far narrower in scope. They should be tightly focused on a single product or solution which is relevant to a targeted buyer.

What Makes a Successful Landing Page?

A successful landing page keeps a customer’s attention on your website and drives conversions. The best way to do this is to create compelling value statements and smoothly direct the buyer’s attention to lead capture forms that allow you to pull them through the sales funnel.

How Do I Make My Landing Pages More Engaging?

An engaging landing page includes limited navigation that eliminates distraction and keeps the focus on your message.

Your landing page should capture the customer’s attention with well-placed, compelling copy that directly addresses the problems they have. Then, paint a picture that shows how using your solution solves their problems. Finally, always explain how buyers can access your solution and direct them toward the next steps in the process.

12 Tips for Winning Landing Pages

Here are 12 tips for creating the best landing pages that keep a buyer’s attention and drive conversions.

1. Use Eye Catching Headlines

Your headlines should be clear and to the point. Try creating compelling headlines that directly communicate your company’s value proposition while indicating your company’s expert knowledge of the field you’re targeting.

2. Keep It Simple

Your landing page should be free of clutter. Keep the focus on your message by eliminating unnecessary information. Ideally, you’ll be driving attention from the headline through the content and toward your call-to-action (CTA).

3. Always Include a CTA

Every page on your website should include a relevant and contextual CTA. Your landing pages are no different. Aim to entice customers by first invoking their pain points, then presenting your solution as the best remedy. Your CTA should always provide clear next steps the buyer can follow on their way to becoming a customer.

4. Optimize for Mobile

You can use Google’s free tool to ensure your webpage is mobile-friendly.

In today’s tech-driven world, many B2B buyers are researching outside the office using mobile devices. A smooth mobile experience is critical to keeping these buyers engaged and converting them.

5. Include Media (Images and Sound)

High-quality media including pictures, video, and audio, help you highlight your value proposition and display your company’s products. They are also great ways to enrich the story you’re telling the customer. Use media to paint a picture of the customer’s problem and the ways your company will solve it for them.

6. Provide Value Up Front

Hushly is a big proponent of providing value to customers to gain trust and build lasting relationships. A great way to do this is to provide content up-front.

For example, a free eBook on a topic you’re an expert in can introduce a customer to complex problems and help you paint your solution as the best one for them.

7. Include Social Proof

If possible, include things like user testimonials, reviews, and customer comments that emphasize the value your company can bring. Pick comments that illustrate what it’s like to work with your company and how you’ll respond to customer challenges as they arise.

8. Use Personalization

Personalization is a great way to drive engagement and connect with buyers.

The best landing page builder includes tools that allow you to generate custom pages with just a few clicks. Designing custom landing pages for each campaign helps buyers feel like you understand them, their company, and the challenges they’re facing.

9. Focus on Benefits, Not Features

When writing copy for a landing page, you must emphasize how your solution benefits buyers, rather than simply listing features.

For example, let’s say your email marketing solution lets buyers easily create mass emails and track the open rate in a single screen.

Rather than just telling them they can do this, you could make your copy more compelling by explaining how they’ll increase ROI and reduce time spent on email marketing overnight using your simple interface.

10. Create Urgency with Action-Oriented Language

Your landing page should emphasize the value of acting immediately on the solution you provide. Action-oriented language such as “click here to…” or “sign up now so you can…” is effective at driving customers toward action.

You can also increase urgency by including limited-time offers that customers need to act quickly to take advantage of.

11. Automate Lead Nurturing

Every minute that goes by without responding to a lead is less chance you’ll be able to convert that buyer.

Your marketing platform should be capable of automatically nurturing leads whenever and wherever they crop up. AI-driven solutions like Hushly’s can capture leads and respond to them automatically so you’re always maximizing the chances of turning prospects into buyers.

12. Learn and Optimize

Our final tip is to capture lead data and constantly review it for opportunities to optimize your demand capture process.

The best platforms give you insights on channel performance, campaign performance metrics, and content performance, and help you understand your buyer’s conversion behaviors.

By constantly reviewing data and modifying your process, you’ll always be getting one step closer to the optimal landing page experience for your buyers.

BONUS TIP: Use a Marketing Platform Like Hushly to Easily Optimize Your Landing Pages Starting Now

There are a lot of great solutions to improving the effectiveness of your landing pages, most of which you can accomplish on your own as long as you’re not concerned with scaling your operation too quickly.

However, if you’re a larger business or are hoping to rapidly expand, you can save time and money by using a landing page builder like Hushly.

We believe in the value of forming relationships with our clients focused on mutual growth. Our philosophy on landing pages reflects this, which is why we emphasize the importance of providing up-front value via streamlined landing pages that help buyers understand your solution and put them on the path toward conversions.

Let Hushly build a demo for you and see how we can improve your landing pages to drive conversions and help your business expand.

How to Build a Winning Cybersecurity Go-to-Market Strategy

With the increasing reliance placed on computers in 2023, cybersecurity is quickly becoming one of the most in-demand industry niches. With the rise in demand comes a huge influx of new companies hoping to capitalize on the growth.

If you’re hoping to compete seriously with these companies, you’ll need a strong go-to-market strategy that incorporates winning principles at every stage of development. To help you hit the ground running toward profitability, we’ve put together today’s guide.

We’ll start by explaining how to find gaps in existing services you can exploit to develop your product, then we’ll cover how to market cyber security services and include some key examples you can use when just starting.

Let’s get started by discussing how you can study the market you plan to enter.

Analyzing Your Market

Before you can dive into product development, you’ll need to figure out whom you’re serving and what they need. In other words, you’ll need to find your why.

This illustration of Porter’s five forces analysis is one example of a market analysis strategy:

Here are a few more tips for analyzing your market:

Find the Pain Points

Look for common industry pain points that you believe you can address. Research your competition and look for problems they aren’t solving. These gaps are your best opportunities to enter the market.

The more acute these pains are, the easier it is to invoke them when speaking with potential customers.

Learn Your Target Audience

Become familiar with who the usual buyers in the industry are. If you’re targeting small businesses, you’ll need to get comfortable communicating with business owners without much technical knowledge. If your solution is geared toward medium and large businesses, you’ll be dealing with dedicated IT managers.

In either case, your approach, positioning, and marketing need to be tailored to these buyers.

Consider Specializing in a Single Vertical

As the world’s reliance on technology grows, so too do regulations and laws that apply to specific industries surrounding cyber security.

Some industries, like healthcare, have complex compliance standards which make choosing a cybersecurity solution more difficult.

Being able to offer a solution that can directly address important laws like HIPAA may be more valuable than a one-size-fits-all solution aimed at a wide audience.

Pick Your Pricing Model

There is no limit to the number of creative ways you can charge for your product. The best way for your company to turn a profit depends on factors like the sizes of businesses you’re targeting, who your buyers are, and the specific ways your solution provides value.

Here are a couple of examples of useful pricing models you can explore.

Per User Pricing Model

In a per user price model, your buyers pay based on the number of users that need access to your solution. This model is great for companies that provide SaaS solutions and fits in well with an annual or monthly subscription.

  • Per user pricing is straightforward and easy to budget for, which makes it attractive to potential buyers.
  • However, per user pricing means large organizations end up paying a lot more for your services, which could be a deal breaker for them.

Tiered Pricing

Under a tiered pricing model, you’d charge companies different amounts for different levels of service. Higher price points would come with more advanced products, features, and support.

  • Tiered pricing models encourage customers to pay extra for full services and support. This helps them customize their package and pick the option which is best for them.
  • However, tiered pricing can become complicated, especially if you offer several different tiers. It could also make it more likely that customers pay for products they don’t want or need.

Develop Your Marketing Strategy

It’s now time to develop cybersecurity marketing campaigns that will get your product in front of the right buyers at the right time.

At Hushly, we’re proponents of proven digital marketing techniques like account-based marketing (ABM) and content marketing. We believe the best way to attract high-value customers is through customized content that addresses every stage of your buyer’s journey.

Here are some examples of marketing strategies you can focus on that can generate demand and help turn leads into buyers.

Account Based Marketing

ABM is the practice of focusing on high-value accounts via targeted marketing materials. We believe ABM is the best way for cybersecurity firms to develop partnerships that result in strong relationships and long-term mutual growth.

Here are a few tips for learning how to market cybersecurity services using ABM:

  • Start with buyer personas to get to know your buyers and target them effectively.
  • Create omnichannel content so your buyers always have answers at their fingertips no matter when or where they’re researching.
  • Invest in a marketing platform that provides unique website experiences, customized landing pages, and detailed visitor analytics for each account on your list.
  • Focus on providing value up-front. This generates trust and builds your authority with your targeted buyers, leading to increased conversions and better relationships.

Service Landing Pages

Consider creating dedicated landing pages for each of your products or services. These pages should highlight important features and benefits relevant to the buyers you’re looking to convert. Service landing pages are effective because they allow you to speak directly to the buyers you’re looking to target and present only the most relevant information to them.

For example, if your company has developed a new identity and access management (IAM) system, you could create a service landing page explaining how your solution provides increased security, full compliance within your chosen vertical, and reduced risk of data breaches.

Content Marketing (eBooks, Blogs, Whitepapers, etc.)

Cybersecurity content marketing is essential for companies looking to compete in 2023.

Your cybersecurity solution is complex. This means the value it provides is not always obvious to those without industry knowledge. Even to those within the industry, your solution may require in-depth research before buyers are comfortable closing deals.

To help with this, Hushly recommends a comprehensive inbound content marketing strategy that guides customers through every stage of the buyer journey.

Examples of inbound content you should create are:

  • eBooks: introduce complex topics to a wide audience. They are also perfect opportunities to build authority and help your customers understand why your solution is valuable.
  • Blogs: provide customers with up-to-date information on your services, industry developments, and trends in the cybersecurity world.
  • Whitepapers: present an emerging cybersecurity problem and take a deep dive into your proposed solution. More detailed than both blogs and eBooks, an influential whitepaper could bring tons of traffic and even shift industry standards for years to come.

Hushly Takes the Stress of Marketing Off Your Shoulders

If you’re interested in breaking into the rapidly growing cybersecurity space, marketing is bound to be one of the most time-consuming and important aspects of your launch. Your company can’t afford to go too long before finding profitability, so getting your cybersecurity marketing campaigns right the first time is critically important to your burgeoning operation.

If you’d like a cybersecurity marketing agency with years of experience that helps firms like yours establish themselves and see rapid growth, Hushly can help.

Get in touch to see how Hushly can guide your cybersecurity marketing strategy and put you on the path toward growth.

How to Create a B2B ABX Strategy That Gets Results

The best customers are those that keep coming back over and over again. They spend the most money on your best products, know you on a first-name basis, and are committed to mutual growth.

Forming relationships like these is only possible through dedication to the customer experience. On the front end, account-based marketing tactics will help you communicate your vision to these customers and convince them why you’re the best solution for their money.

However, account-based marketing stops when the customer is no longer a prospect. Once they’ve reached the point of actually forming the relationship, you’ll need new tactics to keep them around for a long time and continue to sell your vision to them for years to come.

For this, we recommend creating a B2B ABX strategy that will bring your sales and customer service operations into the mix and ensure you always treat these customers with the utmost importance.

What is ABX Marketing?

ABX stands for account-based experience. It’s an extension of the popular idea of account-based marketing.

As the name ‘account-based’ suggests, each strategy is predicated on the idea that each buyer and company you do business with is unique. By acknowledging and catering to these unique qualities, you’ll be better equipped to build long-lasting relationships and deep trust.

ABX vs. ABM

ABM is the predecessor to ABX. It stands in contrast to ABX in a few key ways:

  • ABM stands for account-based marketing. It’s a marketing technique, first and foremost, meaning it doesn’t focus on anything that happens once the marketing is complete. This excludes both sales and customer service.
  • ABX is a holistic extension of ABM. It includes ABM, but seeks to tailor the entire customer experience.
  • ABX includes everything from the website experience, checkout process, content engagement, and customer service.
  • While ABM is suitable for bringing in large customers, ABX should be your focus for holding onto those customers.

What Does ABX Consist Of?

ABX should be crafted using:

  • Data: you need to know who your best customers are and what it will take to keep them.
  • Tools: you shouldn’t try to carve marble with your hands. Invest in proper tools for the job.
  • Authentic Relationships: Buyers are people. You should treat them as individuals with unique needs, goals, and visions for their companies.
  • Goals: What does success look like? Determine this early, so you always know what you’re aiming at.

When is ABX ROI the Most Valuable?

Holding onto existing customers is often more valuable than acquiring new ones. Because of this, you’ll see the greatest returns on ABX when your company is struggling to hold onto those big accounts you worked so hard to get in the first place.

This is probably happening because your ABM was effective. You communicated your message and promised the relationship-building that appealed to your largest customers. However, if you find that you aren’t holding onto them as well as you’d like to, there’s probably a drop-off in experience at the back end.

From a customer’s standpoint, there is no worse feeling than paying a company money only to see them slip away and stop offering such personalized service.

Surely you’re not doing it on purpose. However, to right this problem, you’ll need to invest in some ABX tactics.

How to Get Started Creating Valuable B2B ABX Strategies

Start with a buyer persona. This will allow you to visualize your ideal customer. You can then practice creating an experience that best appeals to that B2B buyer.

1. Pick Your Most Valuable Customers

ABX is a costly and time-consuming investment, so you’ll want to save it for only your most valuable customers.

You can determine this using any metric you like. Just make sure everyone involved agrees on these few clients.

2. Assign Accountability

Ensure all stakeholders are present when accountability is decided. Ultimately, it’s the customer experience you’re seeking to maximize here. This means marketing, sales, and customer service must be aligned. If someone feels left out of the decision-making process, that’s already a gaping hole that must be repaired.

3. Manage the Program Through a CRM Platform

Tracking the customer experience takes work. It will require capturing and analyzing a lot of data right from the get-go. Every contact with the customer should be documented, including small details like how long the conversation lasted, who it was with, and what they spoke about.

Beyond this, you’ll want to keep track of the customer even when they aren’t in contact with you. This includes whenever the customer browses your website for answers or turns to your resource page for instructions on using your product.

A dedicated CRM platform can help you keep track of all of this information automatically.

4. Start with a Soft-Launch

After building out your buyer persona profile and going through the motions of your new ABX, you can begin using it on select customers.

There will be growing pains—best to prepare for them in advance. Start with a soft launch, or beta test, that only includes a few select clients. Calling it a beta test will take the pressure off your teams and decision-makers to get everything right the first time.

Plan to ensure that all your beta-tested clients won’t experience any disruption or downgrade in service while you’re testing.

5. Focus on Personalized and Relevant Engagement

You want to ensure that anytime you’re reaching out to customers or prospects, it’s with relevant information. Marketing executives get too many emails to read them all. Those emails with irrelevant subject lines will quickly be dismissed as noise.

A key feature of ABX will be your ability to design relevant and personalized engagement. You need to know the following:

  • Where the buyer is on their journey.
  • What content they’ve already consumed.
  • What products they’re interested in, if any.
  • How best to speak to this individual.
  • How best to reach them.

If you can master these five elements of personalized engagement, you’ll be well on your way to crafting valuable ABX strategies that get results.

6. Measure and Reiterate

Lastly, any good marketing program requires analytics and updates. You need to know what’s working and what isn’t so you can make quick adjustments and keep the marketing content flowing.

Ensure your accountability leaders understand the metrics they’ll be judged on, and ensure there’s a plan to bring those metrics up to par whenever necessary.

Don’t assume your first plan will be perfect. The best ABX strategies are molded over time with trial and error. Be flexible, open-minded, and reactive, and you’ll have success.

Create Better ABX With Hushly

Hushly’s platform is perfect for creating excellent ABX for your diverse range of clients.

Our account and visitor analytics can help you keep track of:

  • Visitor demographics and activity
  • Analytics by groups of accounts, activity stage, and individual buyers
  • Score account and visitor engagements
  • Content performance insights

Hushly’s digital content marketing expertise is also here to help you create the best and most engaging website experiences so that every customer you draw to your website receives a unique and relevant experience.

Find out more about how Hushly can help you create ABX strategies that get results.

How Do You Know Your Why in Business?

It’s 5:00 AM and the alarm is buzzing. Just after you stretch before rolling out of bed, you open up your phone to peer at the day’s calendar through sleepy eyelids.

That presentation you were up late working on already has a few revisions you need to go over. You’ve got about 10 emails you still need to respond to. You have a morning meeting, so you’ll absolutely need some coffee before you get to the office.

There is only one force in the world that’s going to get you to greet this overly-full day with a smile, excited for where life is about to take you, and grateful for another opportunity to make a living running the business you love.

That force is your why.

What Does It Mean to Understand Your Why?

Sometimes why is basic. You eat because you’re hungry. You work because you need to eat. Other times the why is more complicated. You run a business because you enjoy being your own boss. You got married because you loved that person more than anything else in the world.

At the end of the day, there’s always a why. The purpose that drives us forward, makes us get up early, helps us find the willpower to take care of ourselves so that we can live a long life for those around us.

In business, why performs a similar function. It’s the catalyst that keeps us growing, delivering value to customers, greeting our employees with a smile and being genuinely grateful for their hard work.

In business and in life, the “why” is the simple statement which, if satisfied, pushes all other aspects of the operation into the background. It makes it possible to deal with dissatisfied customers, push yourself through a workout, or give 100% of your attention during an early meeting.

No matter the endeavor, knowing why you’re doing it is the most important aspect of success.

How Do You Discover Your Why?

To start the process of finding your why, begin by asking yourself a few questions.

  • When you started your business, what did you hope to accomplish?
  • What aspect of your business brings you the most satisfaction?
  • What aspect of your business do customers love the most?
  • What aspect of your business do your employees love the most?
  • How satisfied are you that these aspects are aligned, and how often do you feel they are achieved?

There are no right answers here. Sometimes they may need some serious reflection. You could even have multiple answers for each question.

Ultimately, the goal is to be able to easily answer the question: “who are we as a business?”

Take some time and write down your answers. Speak with your colleagues to get their opinion on the matter. Perhaps even take a few days or weeks to ask for customer feedback to get a clear sense of how you’re performing in their eyes.

Regardless of how you define the answers, one thing is certain: the more discord among these factors, the more turbulence you’re likely to encounter on a daily basis.

What Is the Why in Marketing?

Marketing is the story that your business is telling your potential customers.

This story needs to have everything: a main character, a narrative, and a reason for that character to move through the narrative. In other words, it needs a why.

Since you’ve taken the time to understand your business why, you can now figure out how to communicate that to customers.

Think of it like this: the why in your advertising is the reason prospects will decide to research your product. It’s the reason they’ll decide to speak with a sales rep. And it’s the reason that sales rep will be able to convert them into a customer.

Without a strong why, there’s no motivation for the prospect to continue on any part of the journey.

Your why could be…

  • That your product is the best there is. It’s the most effective, has the best ROI, and comes with the best team in the business to lend support.
  • Your product is the least expensive, promising great results for a fraction of the competitor’s prices.
  • That your product is cutting-edge, utilizing state-of-the-art technology that only a few other companies even know how to use.
  • Your expertise and knowledge is widespread, ensuring there’s no situation the customer can encounter that you haven’t seen 100 times already.

Business Why Examples

Here are 5 examples of great company why statements that can help you figure out your own why:

1. Spotify

“To unlock the potential of human creativity by giving a million creative artists the opportunity to live off their art and billions of fans the opportunity to enjoy and be inspired by these creators.”

This is a simple yet far-reaching idea, one filled with a haughty spirit of inspiration and creativity that has driven Spotify to incredible heights.

2. Ted

“Ideas worth spreading.”

With just three words, Ted’s mission statement provides a catalyst that begs the next question: how? Just like that, the ball is rolling.

3. Patagonia

“Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.”

Patagonia’s statement is a reminder of its commitment to quality and environmental protection. These are two factors that must often come into conflict with each other, so a clear statement like this can be a grounding mechanism that keeps them on track.

4. Walmart

“Save people money so they can live better.”

A philosophy that is centered around helping others. Considering Walmart’s status as the nation’s largest retailer, these humble words are an idea that is easy to return to when conflicts arise.

5. Starbucks

“To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.”

Starbucks’ global reach is contrasted with its narrow focus on each customer, one cup at a time. Another simple guidance mechanism that will keep the company properly oriented and productive.

Why Discovering Your Why Is the No. 1 Business Move

Whether it’s for marketing or just so you can keep the ship moving in the right direction, knowing your why is the most important factor to the success of your business.

A great why statement will help you build an efficient growth model. It will also serve as a lighthouse for when challenges start to pile up and decisions arise that require you to pick a winner and a loser.

The only way to make it through choppy waters is to be prepared. Consider your why statement the armor on your hull that will bring you into port when the going is rough.

Hushly Can Help Communicate Your Why

To tell the story of your business, you need customers ready to pay attention.

Hushly’s platform is dedicated to helping you design content and websites that will allow you to communicate your why anywhere and anytime.

Through custom website experiences, customers can learn why your business exists and what problems you can solve for them. Our content analytics team will monitor how well your why is reaching customers and help you adjust on the fly.

Hushly was formed to create personalized experiences and convert buyers. Let us build a demo for you and see if we can help communicate your why to a wide audience.

How to Choose the Right Content Pillars to Prioritize

Your content marketing strategy is a key factor in your long-term marketing success. If you get your content right, you’ll continue to see returns on it even years into the future.

The best topics, or content pillars, cover general, evergreen topics that will perform well on SERP pages for a long time.

How can you determine what content pillars to write about first?

Hushly is here to help. We’ve created today’s guide to help you understand the process of finding and creating content pillars and how to choose which ones to develop first for maximum efficiency.

What are Content Pillars?

If your website is like a building made up of content, then your content pillars are the essential pieces you’ll be creating. They’ll hold up and define the shape of your overall content strategy.

The best content pillar examples are:

  • Large, generalized pieces of content about subjects related to your company and your customer’s interests.
  • Consisting of overlapping subjects that share a similar theme—this theme is your pillar.
  • An overview of a topic that can be broken down into several smaller pieces of content with more specific information.

Why Are Content Pillars Important?

Your content pillars will be:

  • A hub for backlinks.
  • An introduction to critical topics that define your business.
  • High-performing SEO pieces.
  • Authoritative content marketing that will draw traffic and drive conversions.

They also serve as important touchstones for your content marketing roadmap. They can guide the rest of your content and even reveal weak points that give you an idea of where you need to build up your content portfolio.

If you plan to get serious about content marketing, you’ll want to start with pillars and build from there.

How to Determine Content Pillars

To start, you’ll need to gather information about the following:

  • What you do best.
  • What you want your customers to know you for.
  • Who are your competitors, and what are their strengths and weaknesses in content marketing.
  • The key search terms you need to be found under to generate leads and conversions.
  • The kinds of content you want to create.

Uncovering this information will immediately start to form the foundation for your content pillars to rest on.

If we use cybersecurity as an example, you may want to check for key terms like “best cybersecurity companies,” “how to choose a cybersecurity partner,” or “what is cybersecurity?” among others.

These very general subjects will pull up a long list of content aimed at customers who know little about your industry. The best-performing content will address these questions in ways that are effective at attracting consumers and keeping them interested, which immediately gives you an idea for a content pillar.

However, a proper content pillar can be broken down into smaller subjects in more detail. You’ll need to do more research to ensure you have an actual pillar and not just a single standalone piece.

Start With Research

Put yourself in the audience’s shoes and look for information like:

  • What types of content is my audience searching for?
  • What are the highest-volume keywords for my industry?
  • What do these search results indicate regarding what my audience wants and needs?
  • How can I create content that addresses these concerns?

When it comes to the best-performing content that already exists, ask yourself:

  • Is the content organic (forum posts, Q&A websites, etc.) or marketing material?
  • How old is the content? Can it be updated, or is it evergreen?
  • How difficult will it be to rise on the SERP page for these keywords?

Ultimately, you may still want to create the pillar even if it’s highly saturated and difficult to rank with. This is because you create the pillar as a value statement to your customers. Furthermore, you will be breaking down the pillar into more specific subjects that could be easier to rank with.

Organize Your Data

Now that you’ve gathered a lot of information about the content you hope to produce start making connections that will reveal more content pillars and sub-pillars you can start to work with.

Look for overlap between certain subjects.

For example, you are a SASE vendor. You may notice that many customers don’t understand what SASE is or why it’s valuable, let alone how to evaluate it between different SASE vendors. On searching further, you notice that many cloud products suffer the same problem and get tons of inquiries per month.

You could choose to create a content pillar titled “What is Cloud Computing” as a result. This piece could contain a general overview of the subject and what products are often advertised as “cloud solutions.” The SASE solution you provide and any related subtopics would naturally be within the breakdown.

Repeat this process a few times until you’ve accumulated 2-3 solid content pillar ideas.

How to Prioritize Your Content Pillars

Now that you’ve got a few content pillars in mind, you’ll need to prioritize them to ensure your content marketing is as effective as possible.

First, you need to determine which keywords are absolute must-haves. These keywords are terms or phrases that your customers are searching for. These will be your #1 priority.

Here are a few tips when prioritizing content pillars:

  • Your main pillars don’t necessarily need to be created first. It’s always possible to backlink pieces and update them with new information. If a subtopic is a must-have while the central pillar isn’t, you can start with the subtopic and link to it later.
  • Pick the must-haves which are evergreen first. For example, general cloud computing is a topic that will continue to be relevant for years. In contrast, the article you want to write about your industry-specific cloud solution could be subject to change.
  • Rank the importance of the topics you want to create content for so that you always know which direction to go in next.
  • Be ready to update your list as SEO changes or your industry adapts to shifting market forces.

General Tips for Prioritizing Content Pillars

At every step of the way, check to make sure that:

  • Your topics align with your original goals and are relevant to what your customers are searching for regularly.
  • Whether or not you can tie your topic to a product you sell. If not, it may not be a “must-have.”
  • How difficult the SERP rankings will be for a given keyword or subject? Higher-difficulty keywords could still be worth creating content for. However, you must be realistic about where you think you’ll end up on the rankings.

Hushly Can Help with Content Strategy for All Businesses

The best content strategies will involve a layer of analytics that tracks how your customers respond to them.

You need to know information like:

  • What content is being viewed the most.
  • How long do customers spend with each piece.
  • Where customers are finding your content.
  • How well each piece is converting customers.

In addition to this information, the best content management partner will help your company design content hubs and website experiences that draw customers in and keep them interested for longer.

Let Hushly get started on a demo that will turn your website into a content hub that engages customers and drives massive conversions.

6 Types of GTM Strategies for Businesses

Maybe your company is releasing a product completely different from anything you’ve released. Perhaps you’re entering a market you’re not experienced in and hoping to convert customers you’re not used to talking to.

In either case, you could be unsure how to market yourself and get the revenue flowing quickly.

The faster you can figure it out, the better it will be for your company. This makes the pressure to get it right the first time seem overwhelming.

To help, we’ve compiled this guide which includes six go-to-market strategies to get started.

Each strategy is designed to be flexible and generic to fit any industry or niche. We’ll explain the key terms involved and suggest ways to apply these go-to-market strategy steps immediately.

What is GTM?

Your go-to-market strategy is the motion your company makes whenever it hopes to enable a new revenue stream.

Any time you are making a foray like this, you’ll want to have a strategy in place which helps you:

  • Identify key people (buyers, executives, points of contact).
  • Identify market soft spots that you can move in on.
  • Identify companies to work with.
  • Determine and execute marketing and sales strategies.

We recommend picking a go-to-market strategy template like the one below and reiterating it over time.

Here are six types of GTM strategies for you to draw inspiration from.

1. Inbound

An inbound go-to-market strategy framework uses content marketing to attract customers and drive conversions. This up-front value generates demand and leads to conversions.

Inbound GTM strategies will require a diverse array of content, which can include:

  • SEO Blogs
  • Social Media Posts
  • Whitepapers
  • Case Studies
  • Podcasts
  • Videos

Each piece of content serves a dual purpose: to entertain and educate.

Creating valuable content without asking for anything in return is the simplest way to earn a customer’s trust and build authority simultaneously.

You should use an inbound GTM strategy:

  • If you hope to build a reputation as a topic authority or become an industry thought leader.
  • If you can make short-term investments in content creation and are ready to be patient for results.
  • If you sell a product that won’t change fundamentally over time. For example: if you run a construction firm, a blog about choosing a specific type of roof for a metal garage will be valuable today and five years from now.

2. Product

If you have a ton of confidence in your product, you can build massive trust and authority by letting it speak for itself.

This means you must have a product capable of marketing, facilitating purchases, tracking customer behavior, conducting analytics, and receiving feedback all on its own.

This kind of GTM strategy reduces the pressure on sales and marketing but requires a robust product offering that must be constantly monitored and updated as you go.

A Product-Led GTM strategy is right when:

  • Your product is robust and has many uses, potentially even ones you haven’t thought of yet.
  • You have a team of talented workers ready to make significant changes to the product on the fly.
  • You have a product that you know is powerful but haven’t determined the best audience for it yet. A product-led GTM will allow customers to get to know your product and determine its best use.
  • You sell freemium-model software or other products that scale quickly and easily and generate massive value over time.

3. Sales

A sales-led GTM motion will pressure your sales team to drive conversions using their skill.

Your product is obviously important here, but it won’t be the center of the show. Instead, you’ll focus on supporting your sales team by positioning your product and company as good value investments via outbound content like emails and paid leads.

Sales-led GTMs work best when:

  • Your product requires long sales cycles but produces high-margin sales.
  • Your product is not necessarily superior. This could be because you’re already entering a very competitive or saturated market.
  • Your product is complicated. This will make it harder for customers to quickly grasp the value and necessitate skilled salespeople to overcome many objections.

4. Demand Generation

With demand generation, your primary marketing goal will be to generate high-quality leads that convert more often.

In some respects, it’s the opposite of a sales-led GTM. This is because a demand generation campaign will focus on creating leads that aren’t difficult to convert. They should arrive warm, with good knowledge of your product and a healthy interest level.

To achieve this, you’ll use any mixture of inbound and outbound marketing strategies to create high-quality leads. Think content marketing, email campaigns, and paid leads.

Focus on demand generation if:

  • You aren’t sure who your best customers will be just yet. Widescale demand generation techniques will reveal who and where to market yourself to.
  • You want to decrease pressure on your sales team by delivering better leads that convert more often.
  • You hope to spread awareness of the type of product you offer. This could be because your product is so new or has no direct competitor.

5. Account-Based

Account-based go-to-market strategies utilize 1:1 marketing tactics aimed at single companies or buyers.

Rather than casting a wide net, you’ll sharpen your harpoon and go after the biggest whales you can find.

This means orienting all teams toward building personal relationships, identifying decision-makers, and creating marketing content for specific buyers.

Account-based marketing GTMs are good for:

  • Companies looking to market their products to a small group of high-margin buyers.
  • Companies selling products that don’t require a lot of sales to succeed. These would be high-margin products with long sales cycles that deliver massive value over time.
  • Companies who see relationship-building as more valuable than short-term sales opportunities. These companies want to grow alongside their buyers and align themselves toward mutual goals.

6. Channel Specific

Our last go-to-market strategy example is channel led. A “channel” in this context means a sales channel such as retail, ecommerce, social media shopping, etc.

A channel-led GTM focuses on building up a particular sales and marketing channel rather than focusing on any particular product or marketing technique.

This entails forming relationships with important people within the channel, building influence there, then launching products that benefit the channel and your company.

Example: you could offer a product that promises to help people build social media followings. In this case, it’s best for you to focus on building up these channels to make your product more valuable through its growth.

How Hushly Can Help With Any GTM Campaign

Regardless of what product you’re marketing, you’ll want customers to feel like they can go to you with questions.

You’ll want a robust website that welcomes prospects, directly addresses them, and is capable of capturing lead information accurately. Customer analytics will also help you identify how your GTM strategy works and what needs to be adjusted.

Hushly’s platform can do all of this for you, freeing you to focus on developing products and relationships that will help your company grow.

Check out our free eBook, A Go-to-Market Perspective, to learn more about formulating and executing a powerful GTM strategy.

A Guide to Lead Generation for SASE Vendors

As SASE continues to expand into the wider consciousness of businesses worldwide, SASE vendors are emerging and promising unique solutions everywhere.

Gartner predicts that by 2024, “30% of enterprises will adopt cloud-delivered SWG, CASB, ZTNA, and branch office firewall as a service (FWaaS) capabilities from the same vendor.”

To keep up in the coming melee, SASE vendors need a robust marketing strategy that includes clever ways to generate leads from multiple sources.

In addition to SASE lead generation, it will be necessary for any SASE business plan to include long-term partnerships as their chief marketing strategy.

How can SASE vendors generate leads that are focused on relationship building? Through content marketing, ABM, and smartly targeting the right customers. Read on to learn Hushly’s select tips on these essential marketing strategies and generate more SASE leads starting today.

What is Lead Generation?

Lead generation is the process of generating consumer interest in your product or solution.

In other words, it’s the steps you take to reach out to potential customers and let them know what you’re selling, why they might want to buy it, and how to reach you.

SASE lead generation can be done in many ways only limited by your creative ability.

Typically, you’ll generate leads via inbound and outbound marketing campaigns that include:

  • Content marketing
  • Social media marketing
  • Account-based marketing
  • Email marketing
  • & Paid advertising

Why SASE Vendors Need Lead Generation

Two things are true in 2023:

  • Almost every company in the world needs some form of IT support to keep itself functional, including robust networking and security. However…
  • Most companies don’t understand networking or security well enough to judge a SASE product on their own.

Since many SMBs don’t have the in-house expertise needed to properly judge IT products (especially regarding security and networking), SASE vendors can’t rely on these potential customers to find them on their own.

Even if you spend money on paid advertising, B2B buyers might not understand your product and look right past it.

It goes without saying that if you have no customers, you soon won’t have a business either.

So, to correctly generate leads as a SASE vendor, you’ll need to reconcile the two statements above.

How to Get Clients for a SASE Company

Here are a few ways SASE vendors can generate leads effectively.

Content Marketing Can Educate and Generate Leads

To overcome the knowledge gap, you’ll need to get serious about your top-of-funnel strategies, beginning with education.

You’ll need to educate customers on what your product does and why it’s valuable. Then, you’ll need to perform traditional marketing techniques to get them to buy your product instead of someone else’s.

Content marketing is a great way to solve both problems simultaneously. It has the added benefit of generating authority and building trust with potential consumers.

Examples of content marketing are:

  • Whitepapers that explain your unique solution in terms that customers can understand.
  • Blogs on how to use your product.
  • Podcasts, videos, and written content that explain the state of your industry, technology, and where the future might lead you.
  • Social media posts that break down complicated information and allow you to reach a broad audience.

Each type of content comes with unique advantages that make them appropriate for different occasions. In general, Hushly recommends focusing on all types of content marketing for maximum reach.

Account-Based Marketing Can Help You Build Relationships

Your products will evolve over time, and they aren’t likely to become less technically complicated.

To keep your customers up-to-date, nourished, and happy, you should employ a few ABM techniques.

ABM is the process of marketing to a specific buyer or company over the long term. It contrasts traditional marketing, which might end once the first sale is completed. Instead, we recommend building relationships with clients that focus on mutual growth.

By forming partnerships, you’ll increase trust and continue to generate sales over a long lifetime. This will make it easier to market new products and features to buyers that already trust you.

Identify the Right Targets

Marketing in 2023 isn’t just about casting a wide net.

Sure, your message must reach a big audience. This will ensure that you generate leads from as many sources as possible. However, being too general with your marketing will cause a few problems:

  • Your solution won’t seem pertinent to everyone who sees it, even if you could be their best fit.
  • Lack of specificity also means running into knowledge gaps more often.
  • You’ll have a harder time finding businesses that are interested in long-term partnerships.
  • We recommend identifying targets in advance and pitching them as a prospective partner to solve this. You can identify targets by crafting unique buyer personas representing your ideal buyer. Then, craft marketing content that is specifically meant to reach those buyers.

When it comes to identifying these targets, look for companies that:

  • Occupy a niche you have expertise in.
  • Are of similar size, age, or experience level.
  • Are looking for a solution-oriented partner.
  • You have existing contact with.
  • Are unhappy with their current SASE vendor.

When crafting your marketing content, focus on the big picture. Focus on how your SASE company is the right one to carry them into the future. Your solutions are excellent and should be the highlight, but don’t forget that your goal is mutual growth and a long-term partnership.

How to Offer SASE Solutions

The marketing funnel consists of three main sections: the top, the middle, and the bottom.

Your top-of-funnel (TOFU) marketing is the most important for a SASE vendor. This is because of the knowledge gap we discussed above.

To get customers interested, they first need to understand what you’re doing.

To focus on your TOFU as a SASE vendor, do the following:

Make Education Your Bread and Butter

Education serves two functions:

  • Helps customers understand why they need your product.
  • Garners trust by providing value up-front.

If you make your website a hub for SASE education and information, you’ll be attracting potential customers and those who are just curious. Either way, you’re driving website traffic and building authority.

Pick a Niche

One day, SASE might serve businesses in all industries around the world. Your best bet will be to find an industry and specialize in it early on.

By establishing a niche, you’ll be better able to speak the language of your potential customers, who will have proof of your expertise.

Learn Your Customer’s Existing Technologies

Another advantage of picking a niche will be learning how best to integrate with existing technologies inside that industry. This is another opportunity to flex your content marketing to educate B2B buyers on how your SASE solution is uniquely positioned to integrate seamlessly with a wider network and security technology.

Let Hushly Help Craft Your Marketing Experience

When it comes to reaching a wide audience with the added value of customization, there is no platform better suited to SASE vendors than Hushly.

We pride ourselves on marketing based on two fundamental principles:

  • Forming long-term partnerships with our clients that are focused on mutual growth.
  • Customizing the marketing experience for our clients to gain their trust and build authority.

From content marketing to ABM to sales, Hushly’s platform is simple and ready to help you expand your SASE operations.

Let us craft a demo for you today and see how we can get started on the path of mutual growth.

How to Build a Winning Cybersecurity Go-to-Market Strategy

Go-to-market isn’t just the process of designing a marketing strategy for a new product. Nor can it be boiled down to the process you’ll use when promoting a new feature or entering a new market.

Instead, your GTM motion should be viewed as a set of heuristics your company follows whenever you create a new opportunity to earn revenue. These heuristics should be flexible, scalable, and fit into any new product or market you plan to enable.

For today’s guide, we’ll go over what it takes to create a winning cybersecurity GTM strategy and include some key examples to help you start building and refining.

What is Go-to-Market?

Your go-to-market strategy is the plan you have in place to enable a new revenue stream.

This new revenue stream could be anything from a brand-new product launch to an expansion into a new market.

Without a GTM motion in place, you’re essentially spending time and money to create a new product or feature, then waiting around hoping customers will find you. Creating a flexible, iterative GTM motion is key for any business that wishes to expand efficiently across markets, regions, products, and services.

What Are Examples of Go-to-Market Strategies?

Developing a GTM strategy is dependent on the following:

  • What kind of revenue stream you plan to enable: This could be a new product launch, a new feature, entry into a new region, or contact with a new industry.
  • How you plan to market your product: whether you plan to rely on inbound, outbound, or product-driven marketing.
  • Who you’re competing with: how different is your solution?
  • What niche you’re trying to fill: are you entering a saturated market or trailblazing a new one?

In general, you can plan a GTM motion based on the following strategies:

Product Led

In a product-led motion, your product will be the main driver. You will position the product as market-leading or defining in some way, then design marketing materials that reinforce this message.

You could use this motion when you have competitors with obvious disadvantages, including price, history, or technological inferiority.

Market Led

You may be creating a new market with your product or feature. At any rate, you may want to give that appearance.

With a market-led GTM, you’ll position your newest revenue stream as innovative or market-leading in some way, then design marketing around this idea.

Inbound Led

With an inbound motion, you’ll prioritize content and social media marketing to attract attention to your company.

This kind of motion is one where you’ll want to quickly demonstrate value to potential customers and establish yourself as an authoritative voice on whatever subject you’re discussing.

Why Cybersecurity Firms Need Unique GTM Strategies

Cybercriminals constantly invent new ways to attack vulnerable businesses, while security firms hope to develop new ways to deter attacks before they become a problem.

Since cybersecurity is theoretically a problem for businesses worldwide and in every category, cybersecurity firms need particularly flexible GTM motions for a diverse range of products.

When crafting a GTM strategy for your network security product, we recommend focusing on the following:

  • Flexibility: Your products are capable of protecting businesses in a wide array of industries, niches, markets, and regions. Your GTM strategy must be capable of reaching them.
  • Adjustability: With every new campaign, you will generate data on what works and what doesn’t. Your GTM motion must be capable of being quickly modified in the face of this data.
  • Scalability: The more effective you are at scaling, the faster you’ll grow.

A Guide to Creating a Cybersecurity Go-to-Market Strategies

Here are 5 steps your cybersecurity firm can follow when designing your GTM strategy.

1. Get Familiar with Your Market

You’ll want to understand your prospect’s current security concerns, their current solutions, and their interest level in additional cybersecurity protection. You’ll also want to understand how your competitors address these issues.

Example: Let’s say you’re interested in developing a new ransomware solution for those vulnerable to these kinds of information-hostage attacks. You’ll need to research who the largest ransomware protection services currently are, who they market to, and what their solution entails.

Do this for a wide range of prospects from large to small and medium businesses and a diverse range of industries. Through this research, you’ll identify soft spots in the market that your company can fill.

2. Determine What Kind of Revenue Stream You Want to Enable

Are you releasing a new product or just a new feature? How best to go to market will depend on this.

Example: Perhaps your new ransomware solution is efficient enough that it can be layered into your existing cybersecurity protocol. In this case, it could be an additional paid (or unpaid) feature on top of your primary software. Alternatively, maybe it’s extensive enough that it needs to be its own product.

This kind of determination will also help you find out what pricing model best fits your new revenue stream.

3. Plan to Engage Customers on Multiple Fronts

The best marketing plan engages customers through multiple channels at once. This means reaching customers via email, social media, and inbound marketing efforts like content marketing.

The best kind of content will depend upon your new solution.

Example: Let’s say your new ransomware protection utilizes brand-new technology. You’ll want to showcase this technology in an industry-defining whitepaper that will establish authority and position your new product as market-leading.

4. Establish a Team of Experts for All Industries

You should have point people for each industry you plan to engage with. These SMEs can become experts on the needs of these industries and specific laws and regulations that apply to them.

Doing this will ensure you always have one person responsible for keeping up with laws and regulations specific to each industry.

Example: Your new ransomware services must accommodate laws and regulations pertaining to healthcare and the financial industry. Rather than having one person learn all the laws for each industry, split this task up and assign one person per industry.

5. Be Ready to Iterate Based on New Data

Your GTM motion needs to be flexible.

This is because you’ll need to do this every time you plan to enable a new revenue stream. This doesn’t just pertain to product or feature launches. It also will apply when you enter a new market or region or hope to engage with a new industry for the first time.

The better you use data to refine your GTM strategies, the easier it will be to expand rapidly.

Hushly Can Bring Your GTM Strategies to Life

Hushly specializes in creating websites, landing pages, and digital marketing content for all types of firms.

We understand the need to be flexible when creating marketing content. This need drove us to create an easy-to-use solution that can be specifically targeted to unique businesses in your sales pipeline. Like cybersecurity, Hushly’s solution is one we hope to market to businesses in all industries.

Everything from ABM emails, account & visitor analytics, and website experiences can be curated using Hushly’s platform.

Let us create a demo for your cybersecurity business today and see how Hushly can help your team grow.

7 Tips to Sell Network Security Products Better

There are many companies promising dreams of 100% effective security measures that can stop all breaches. On top of this, many SMBs don’t understand the value of cybersecurity measures and are unwilling to spend money on a problem they can’t perceive.

To become great at selling network security products, you’ll need to:

  • Overcome widespread beliefs that cybersecurity isn’t that important.
  • Rise your voice above the snake-oil salesman promising impossible results.
  • Connect with clients on a personal level to build trust around an inherently fearful concept.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of regulations and laws in a diverse range of industries.

We want to help network security experts learn how to sell security products better by mastering these 7 steps.

How to Sell Network Security Products

No matter what you’re selling, the sales process always boils down to a few key principles:

  • Identify pain points and how to evoke them tactfully.
  • Earn trust by demonstrating knowledge, personability, and genuine care for the customer.
  • Provide specific, actionable solutions that the customer can digest quickly.

Here are 7 ways network security firms can achieve these results more frequently and reliably.

1. Assume Your Customer Knows Little About Cyber Security

Large businesses have traditionally been the targets of cybersecurity attacks. These companies have more data and more valuable information to steal. For criminals, it’s the difference between fishing and whaling.

However, attacks on SMBs are on the rise. According to cybersecurity magazine, 61% of all small and medium-sized businesses have reported at least one cyber attack in the last year.

Despite these risks, 43% of SMBs have 0 cybersecurity protection in place.

In general, you are dealing with a marketplace ignorant of the risks of cyber-attacks. This means that the first step in your presentation should be painting a vivid picture of these risks.

Still, you cannot go overboard. Going too heavy on the fear factor will come off as disingenuous. As important as it is to stoke fear and create pain (so that you can solve it), you must do it in an authentic way.

2. Make Your Presentation About Trust and Protection

When it comes to cybersecurity, the threats are serious enough to create some dire consequences.

This is both good and bad for your sales pitch. Discussing these consequences too frequently can actually come across as disingenuous.

You can spend a whole meeting explaining how a bad cyber attack could put them out of business, but if they don’t believe you (and there’s a good chance they won’t), this will backfire in a big way.

To avoid this, let the numbers speak for themselves without spending too much time hammering at them.

Once you’ve painted the picture of the risks involved, spend lots of time reassuring the prospect that you understand these dangers and how to prevent them. Ensure that the prospect feels like you’re looking out for their best interests first and foremost.

In short:

  • Stick to the facts. Never lie or embellish.
  • Speak to them on a human level without exaggeration or too much emotion.
  • Keep the presentation solution oriented.
  • Focus on the value of having your product, not the consequences of lacking it.

If you follow these steps, you’ll avoid seeming as though you’re trying to scare the prospect into a sale.

3. Keep Your Offer Realistic

The average customer will understand that you cannot keep them safe from every threat in perpetuity.

If you explain your product truthfully and authentically, the customer should understand that cybersecurity will always be a game of cat and mouse. There will never be a 0% chance that hackers will invent a new way to attack their system before experts can learn to prevent it.

Be honest about this. Seriously, just come out and say it.

This kind of authenticity is needed when it comes to cybersecurity sales for a few reasons. It will:

  • Earn trust from the prospect.
  • Set proper expectations.
  • Get their attention: brutal honesty like this will literally make them perk up in their seats.
  • Give them permission to believe in your authority.

Most importantly, it will give them the impression that you understand these threats on a deep level and how to respond to them.

4. Talk About How You’ll Respond to Incidents

Now that you’ve truthfully explained that not every attack can be prevented in advance, you can begin explaining how you’ll be able to save the day in the event of an attack.

Get specific here. Case studies & client testimonials are your best friends. Explain your process of responding to an attack from start to finish. Make sure your customers know you have a plan in place that will begin automatically.

Give the customer the impression that you’ll always have their back and have gone a long way towards securing the sale.

5. Make Your Pitches Industry-Specific

No one wants a “one-size fits all” solution to cyber security. You need to make your customers feel safe and secure, knowing that you understand their industry from top to bottom. This includes the threats involved and the regulatory and legal requirements they’ll need to meet.

Get comfortable with the regulations for each industry. Design a pitch that speaks directly to these regulations and mentions them by name.

On the security front, make sure you address specific industry pain points that they’re experiencing.

Pro Tip: A great sales discovery process will make this step much easier.

6. Focus on Building Long-Term Relationships with ABM

Account-based marketing is a strategy built around developing long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with your clients.

By committing to mutual growth instead of one-off sales, you can change the nature of B2B transactions into long-term partnerships.

To accomplish this, Hushly maintains a suite of tools and techniques we employ with our clients. A few examples of account-based marketing are:

  • Dynamic landing pages that change their appearance and content based on the prospect visiting.
  • Content hubs that can display relevant content to educate and provide value up-front.
  • Automated ABM emails that can provide value and nourishment to leads with just a few button clicks.

7. Summarize with Objective Benefits

Since you’ve already developed the pain and explained how you would solve that for them, you’ll want to end the presentation by focusing on the objective benefits that your product will provide.

Mention those key regulations by name. Get specific about numbers, long-term value, and your company’s steps to maintain a long-lasting partnership.

Your clients want to feel secure in your product and the people they’re buying from. Make sure you spend time at the end of your presentation reinforcing your company’s willingness to step up to the plate when incidents occur.

Final Tip: Let Hushly Manage your ABM Strategy

The best part of account-based marketing for cyber security is that it doesn’t end when you make the sale. This aligns with the principle of relationship building that we believe in here at Hushly.

Finalizing the first deal is step one in a multi-year process of cultivating trust and partnerships that will allow you to grow as an industry leader.

Let Hushly create a customized demo for you and see how we can begin the process of improving your business relationships and automating your B2B marketing today.