If you’re reading this right now, you belong to the 60% of humans who use the internet.
In the digital age — and with so many people using the same service — cybersecurity companies are challenged with the momentous task of keeping our online data secure. Their other challenge? Ensuring they’re delivering the best services for a vast range of users. On our Integrate and Ignite podcast, Kristin Miller discusses the importance of customer-first public relations in the cybersecurity landscape. Here’s a breakdown of her best advice for connecting with your customers.
1. Weave the customer-first mentality into your marketing strategy
The benefits of customer-perspective storytelling are endless! As Kristin — Global Corporate Communications Executive at Ping Identity — declares, cybersecurity affects almost all of us. To help gain insight into their customers’ points of view and tell their stories, Ping Identity has enlisted the help of a Celebrity Customer Identity Champion in actor Terry Crews. Co-star and host of Emmy-winning and nominated television shows, Crews serves as Ping’s Chief Identity Champion.
His role is to raise awareness about Ping Solutions and how they can help their customers challenge their toughest identity problems. According to Kristin, a Chief Identity Champion is highly visible to the company, engrained in the culture, and helps employees live the identity of their purpose: to simultaneously deliver their product and answer the right questions surrounding putting their customers first. Did you know? Customer Stories — where real customers share success stories of integrating Ping’s products, services, and solutions — is a tab on their homepage. How’s that for customer commitment?
2. Demonstrate originality to stand out among clichés and buzzwords
Kristin shares that part of the customer-storytelling process is focusing on being different
from competitors. While it may be tricky for companies to dedicate internal resources to keep their finger on the pulse of industry trends. That’s why at Avocet we are so focused on taking an integrated approach that allows us to provide more unique and customer-based perspectives for the work we do for our clients..
When it comes to modern and post-COVID public relations, Kristin acknowledges the fluidity of communications and PR. Another tip for owning your originality is to explore the benefits of easy-to-use and ever-evolving modern platforms like social media and traditional media coverage to share your company’s identity, story, and drive your narrative. To do this, consider mobilizing your thought leaders. Who are the people in your organization that build trust among customers and provide authentic viewpoints? Collaborating with celebrities, celebrating current customers, and working with PR professionals are stellar ideas generated from taking the crucial thought leadership approach to integrated marketing.
3. Leverage your KPIs and metrics
Yes, there are multiple ways to measure success! Kristin’s go-to is placing a slightly
higher value on quality over quantity. To measure the quality of their work, she zeros in on Ping’s message pull-through — creating focused messaging and determining how well it’s resonating with customers. As for quantity, she monitors volume metrics, or shared voice, to identify where they stand among others in the cybersecurity industry. Ask anyone at Avocet; we agree that dedicating our attention to quality over quantity is beneficial. This method — which carries Kristin’s stamp of approval — is a fabulous example of how taking a targeted approach with a predetermined publication list versus sending out a release on the wire can be more fruitful when generating leads.
As she peers into the future of communications and PR in the cybersecurity industry,
Kristin predicts that more organizations will deploy corporate social responsibility initiatives that support the communities in which their employees live and work. She also suggests companies make it a point to respect their employees and their needs because, after all, most cybersecurity professionals are consumers of the same products and services they distribute.
Whether you specialize in marketing, public relations, or corporate communications, the unifying goal is to connect with our customers. In a world of me-first oriented retailers and service providers, overused buzzwords, and buckets of raw data lies opportunity. When we live and breathe the customer-first approach, when we are brave and bold in bringing our uniqueness to the forefront of our efforts, and use metrics wisely, we better understand our customers and propel our organizations forward. Listen to this discussion and subscribe for more thought-provoking episodes on the Integrate and Ignite Marketing Podcast. Have a question for me? Send an email to [email protected].
