SECURITY MARKETING

What is A Security Company’s Greatest Asset?

Not Knowing How to Use Your Best Asset Could be Costing You Millions of Dollars Every Year … and That Next Big Contract Right Now. Discover Three Keys to Turning Prospects into Clients with Market It Write.

Whether you are a $200 million-a-year security firm with branches in four states or a 250-employee company serving one city, your most important asset is the TRUST you earn from your clients.

But, if you are like most security firms, you have trouble conveying the trust that you’ve built up over the years through your online and traditional marketing tools.

You may have been in business for years … have great client testimonials … and have a professional-looking website, BUT so do almost all of the other guys out there. You can’t build TRUST if you don’t build a relationship with your prospects first. And, you won’t build as many relationships with your prospects if you say the same thing that everyone else in the industry is saying.

Let’s be frank – it is rare to find a great security firm that is also great at copywriting and marketing. It’s almost like a right-brain, left-brain thing. The skills and mental qualities that make you good at what you do – analytical thinking; the ability to thrive with disciplined routine; and a behind-the-scenes sensibility – are not the same skills needed to market your company effectively.

If qualities like empathy, creativity, originality, daring, inspired communication, and impassioned expression are also part of your company resources, then congratulations! You are in a great position to succeed in marketing yourself and may not need outside help.

But if you are …

… Just pouring money into your website without generating many good leads …

… Printing up expensive brochures for your sales force that don’t quickly and easily convert your prospects into clients …

… Or you are NOT gaining on the competition …

… Then it’s time for something BETTER. It’s time to Market It Write!

At Market It Write, we understand the needs of security companies like yours because that’s where we came from – nine years in-house marketing for one of the most enduring and successful security companies in North America and the UK.

But before we tell you who we are and why you should trust us with your marketing projects, we want to show you how you can build trust with your prospects on your own.

KEY #1 – It’s All About Them, Not You

Too many security firms approach their front-door marketing pieces like a glorified business card (this is who we are, this is what we do, this is how you can contact us, etc.). The typical emphasis is on the “features” of a company – the type of services you provide, how many employees you have, and the quality of employees.

Instead, turn those features around and showcase them as “benefits” to your prospective customers. Here are some examples that you could adapt to your specific situation and use on your next marketing project:

• Services: “The night patrols and desk security services that you see everyday are only one piece of our process. With our highly advanced reporting and communication systems, you’ll know exactly what is going on in your facilities (at the touch of a button) whether you are onsite, at home, or on the road. We not only deliver physical security. We provide peace of mind.”
• Size: “With 2500 employees throughout the East Coast we give you the flexibility to quickly and easily shift from a small core of regular guards to a larger team for special events, so that you only have to deal with one security company no matter how many personnel you may need.”
• Employees: “Because we have one of the highest employee-retention rates in the business, you’ll enjoy consistency, stability, and the added benefits that come when you and your employees know your security team and your security team knows you and your employees.”

KEY #2 – What’s the Big Idea?

Your initial marketing materials should have at least one big idea that helps distinguish you from the competition. It can be as simple an idea as “Small Details Make a Big Difference.” For example, you could highlight a real scenario like one of our client’s did when a security guard noticed a small noise coming from a piece of equipment, called it in, and saved the company that he was guarding a million dollars.

Here’s a big idea we would love to see a larger security firm try out that’s based loosely on the CBS television show “Undercover Boss.” Let’s call it “Trusted Professionals from Top to Bottom.” Have the CEO try out a variety of jobs in his company and show what he discovers … highlighting Tip #3 …

KEY #3 – Don’t Just Take it From Us

Credibility and Track-record go hand-in-hand, and should be part of your introductory marketing materials because they help establish trust with your prospect. There is, however, an important distinction between these two components.

Credibility is your licensing, professional affiliations, background of your employees, testimonials from clients, positive press you may have received, and the great security ideas you can provide prospects for free before they even hire you.

Is there a common security mistake that you find your new clients making that is a quick and easy fix and a not a real source of revenue for you? Then, tell your prospects about it and see if they can help themselves first. Even if they don’t become clients, they are likely to refer you to anyone who does need to hire a firm like yours.

Track record can include some of the above, but it’s also your list of clients … testimonials from long-term clients … and case studies of security solutions you’ve provided. Even if you are just starting out, you can weave your past security-related background into your track record.

While some savvy marketers know to use credibility and track record to some extent, you can make your marketing even more useful to your prospects by presenting these critical marketing components in the context of useful information that you provide freely to your prospects.

We hope you’ve found these 3 Keys to Successful Security Company Marketing useful. We’ve helped over a dozen of the best and biggest security companies in the country break through the marketing clutter and reach new clients since 1995. You can find out more about us at www.marketitwrite.com or by calling (212) 757-7572.

Ask us about how you can make your online marketing work harder for your bottom line by adding white papers, email autoresponders, and blogs that provide ongoing contact with your prospects.

Market It Write

“The power of words. Working for you.”