ECSM 2023: A Golden Ticket for Marketing IT Services
ECSM 2023: A Golden Ticket for Marketing IT Services
Written by Acer Ann Amansec and Sakti Violy Kumar | October 05, 2023
FOCUS: ECSM
European Cybersecurity Month (ECSM) is here, and it’s not just a yearly event for technology junkies; it’s a golden opportunity for B2B companies to catapult their lead generation efforts into success! This year’s event centres around the theme, #BeSmarterThanAHacker, and you can very well leverage this theme to attract more leads. And what’s the key to unlocking this potential? Effective marketing, of course! Before we give you the inside scoop, let’s first see what this month is all about.
In this article
What is European Cybersecurity Month?
European Cybersecurity Month, or ECSM for short, is an annual event that spans the entire month of October. Organised by the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) and various private and public sector partners, this month is all about helping people and businesses understand why cybersecurity is important and giving them insights on how to improve their online safety
#ECSM: #BeSmarterThanAHacker ?️♂️?️
In 2023, with the theme #BeSmarterThanAHacker, the campaign zeroes in on social engineering to arm individuals against cyber threats. How? By imparting knowledge and tools to recognize and avoid cybercriminal tactics because social engineering is one of the most deceptive tactics. It manipulates individuals through psychology, targeting sensitive information and systems.
Why is ECSM Relevant in Marketing IT Services?
• Cyber Wake-Up Call: When you get involved in ECSM, you basically give your audience a friendly nudge that reminds them to put their attention on cybersecurity and its importance. It’s marketing with a purpose, promoting IT services/products and reminding people to stay vigilant online.
• Educated prospects: ECSM activities help to educate businesses on the latest cybersecurity risks and the best ways to deal with them. As a result, a more knowledgeable audience can see the real value of your IT services and may be more inclined to seek your professional help.
• Building trust: Being safe online is key for any IT service. If potential customers see that you’re actively involved in ECSM and know a lot about the topic, they are more likely to trust and use your services.
• Demonstrating Expertise: ECSM is your golden opportunity to shine as a cybersecurity expert. This is a chance to position your brand as an authority in this field by showing off your knowledge and experience. With this, you can attract clients who value your proficiency in keeping their digital assets secure, boosting your brand visibility and solidifying a reputable foundation.
• Boosting Engagement: Engaging in discussions around timely events that align with your field of expertise can spark meaningful interactions and elevate your business into a thought leadership position. It’s not just about talking; it’s about leading the conversation.
Taking Advantage of ECSM for Your Marketing Strategies
As you set forth on creating content that is tailored around ECSM, it’s important to focus on two key areas: social media content and email marketing.
A. Cyberslaying on Social Media
1. Targeted Content
Aligning your marketing strategy with events like #ECSM2023 brings an emotional element into play, making it all the more captivating. It’s a momentous event/campaign that’s eagerly anticipated by many.
When you craft campaigns with specific themes, taglines, and messaging, you fine-tune your content to precision. And for this, it isn’t just knowing about the ‘what’, but also the ‘whys’ such as:
• Why is this event celebrated? / What started this campaign?
• Why is it important?
• Why should we actively participate?
• Why do we need to talk about it?
With this level of precision, you can fine-tune your content production, creating a diverse range of engaging materials such as videos, podcasts, webinars, promos, and more, all centered around your target audience’s preferences and needs.
Grab the chance during these time-limited campaigns — as they’re most likely the internet’s coolest trends. People will be talking about them all over, and it’s your time to jump in. Connect with them and engage within your field of expertise, whether it’s with your audience or even potential competitors. It’s time to make waves in your niche!
2. Hashtags (#)
Okay, unless you’ve been living under a rock (or maybe just aren’t super into social media), you’ve definitely heard of hashtags. They’re those words or phrases glued together without spaces, usually starting with an octothorpe (#) symbol. Think of hashtags as digital file folders – each one gathers up posts on a specific topic, just like how you sort papers.
But let’s cut to the chase. Hashtags are your ticket to joining online conversations and connecting with folks who share your interests (or even dislikes). So, for time-sensitive or seasonal events like #ECSM or #ECSM2023, using them with the right timing can effectively place your brand in front of users who are involved in those very discussions. A great way to lead like-minded potential customers to your business and boost engagement.
3. SEO
As you prep your content for participation in time-sensitive or seasonal campaigns like ECSM, it’s not just about resonating with your audience; it’s about giving it the potential to stand out in a crowd of others doing the same. Make sure your content also captures the spotlight in a competitive digital landscape.
For this, SEO is the knight in shining armour of your marketing efforts to ensure that your content production efforts do not just get lost in the digital shadows. Through strategically optimizing content, you can ascend search engine rankings and improve brand visibility for event/campaign-related information or products – a great opportunity for organic traffic.
In the case of promoting a campaign like ECSM 2023, comprehensive SEO research takes the spotlight. Identifying and optimizing for campaign-specific keywords, such as “ECSM,” “ECSM 2023,” and “European Cybersecurity 2023,” is key. This ensures your content seamlessly aligns with what your audience seeks; driving not only engagement but kindling genuine interest in the event itself.
B. The Most Effective Email Marketing Tactics for ECSM
1. Personalise your campaigns:
Craft emails that address the cybersecurity issues that resonate most with your recipients. Remember that people respond more frequently to pain points that concern them or their industry. Moreover, make sure that your subject lines are not only attention-grabbing but are relevant to your content as well.
2. Offer valuable resources:
Include embedded links to ECSM resources and articles in your emails. You may also share practical tips and insights on enhancing cybersecurity. Remember that the goal of ECSM is to spread awareness, and that’s what your emails should aim for, too.
3. Invite people to webinars:
If you’re hosting ECSM-related webinars or events, leverage email marketing to extend warm invitations to your subscribers or prospects. Of course, be sure to highlight the topics that will be covered and how these relate to their cybersecurity needs.
4. Nurture your leads:
Don’t let the conversation end with ECSM. Send follow-up emails to your email list; summarise events, give key insights, and provide extra resources to serve as their cybersecurity guide.
By implementing these techniques in your social media content and email marketing strategies, you will not only be raising awareness about cybersecurity but also positioning your brand as a trusted name in the technological industry.
And here’s the best part!
The Point Company is here to make your ECSM marketing journey even smoother. We specialise in content marketing services, specifically email marketing. Whether it’s creating email campaigns or inviting the world to your cybersecurity webinars, we’ve got you covered. Let’s make your cybersecurity message heard loud and clear!
SOURCES:
https://cybersecuritymonth.eu/smarterthanahacker
http://www.marketingcyber.com/4-tips-for-successful-cybersecurity-email-marketing/
