Simplify Cybersecurity Messaging

This document, "Fixing Technical & Complex Messaging in Cybersecurity Marketing," discusses strategies for effective communication in the cybersecurity industry. It highlights the common pitfall of using overly technical jargon and suggests focusing instead on benefits over features. The text advocates for plain language and analogies to make complex concepts understandable for diverse audiences, including non-technical decision-makers. Additionally, it advises layering content to cater to different levels of technical understanding, ensuring that information is presented clearly and concisely. Ultimately, the article emphasizes that clarity is a significant competitive advantage in a crowded market.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Welcome back to Digital Rage. I'm Jeff the producer here at Byer Company. Today is the

(00:06):
first installment of the eight strategies for identifying and overcoming marketing
pain points and cybersecurity. This is point one. We'll just dive into it quickly, but
if you want to download the whole book and get all eight in depth, go to jbyer.com
So let's check out number one, how to simplify cybersecurity messaging and still sound smart.

(00:31):
Welcome to the deep dive. Today we're digging into just one source, nice and focused.
It's an article by Jeff Byer called How to Simplify cybersecurity messaging and still sound smart.
Yeah, and this piece, it really hits on something big, doesn't it? It's, you know, way broader than
just cybersecurity really. Definitely. It's about talk about anything complex. How do you get these

(00:56):
like sophisticated tech ideas across without sounding, well, confusing or losing your street cred?
Exactly. And that's our mission for this deep dive. Pull out the really practical bits,
the strategies from the article that you can, you know, grab and use right away to make your own
messages clearer, especially with technical topics. Right. Because clarity, it's kind of a super

(01:16):
power, isn't it? Doesn't matter if you're in marketing or sales or maybe just trying to explain a new
system at work or even just get your own head around something complicated. It's the bridge.
It is. It bridges what you know and what your audience actually understands. Okay, let's jump in then.
The article starts by setting the scene. It talks about the basic problem. In fields like

(01:38):
cybersecurity and lots of tech areas, really, the default is, well, it's complexity.
It kind of has to be sometimes. The subject matter is complex. You've got acronyms everywhere,
intricate systems, ideas that are pretty abstract. But the article points out the downside,
the negative effects of leading with all that complexity, especially in your messaging.

(01:59):
If you just sort of dump features and jargon on people, what happens? Well, yeah, the source says it
just sounds like a spec sheet, right? Dry, boring. Totally. Not exactly gripping stuff. And it
confuses people, doesn't it? Prospects don't immediately see like what's in it for them. Exactly.
And confusion. It's a killer. It stops people from understanding, sure. But it also

(02:20):
stalls any kind of action in sales that can literally kill deals. Oh, for sure. And maybe even worse,
it can actually make your brilliant tech seem less valuable. All that amazing innovation gets kind
of buried under jargon. So the article's main point, the core argument is actually pretty interesting.
It argues that clarity, it's not about dumbing things down. It's not pretending the tech isn't smart.

(02:44):
No, no, it flips that completely. It says clarity itself is the competitive advantage.
Okay, unpack that a bit. Well, think about it. If everyone else in the market is defaulting to this,
like dense technical language, and you're the one who makes it easy to understand.
Oh, right. That makes you stand out. Massively. It's a huge differentiator. You're removing the friction,

(03:06):
the effort the audience has to put in just to figure out what you're even offering.
That makes so much sense. Make it easy for people to see the value and they're more likely to choose you.
So, okay, how do we actually achieve this clarity? The article gives some concrete strategies.
What's number one? Strategy one is, it sounds basic, but it's critical. And often missed because,
you know, the tech folks and marketers are just so close to it. Speak benefits, not features.

(03:31):
Oh, yeah. The temptation is huge, isn't it? You're proud of the technology. You want to
shout about the AI-powered XDR with behavioral anomaly detection. It sounds so advanced.
But who is that really for? Good question. Right. And the article's point is that most of your
audience, especially the decision makers, they aren't buying a list of features. They're buying an

(03:53):
outcome. They're buying like relief from some kind of pain point. So instead of that tech-heavy
description, what does the source suggest? How should we phrase it? It's a shift to the result.
So instead of listing the specs, you talk about the benefit. Like,
get peace of mind knowing threats are caught before damage happens, something like that.
Ah, okay. That immediately hits differently, doesn't it? Peace of mind, avoiding disaster.

(04:18):
It's tangible. Human. Exactly. And there's a really crucial point here in the article,
this benefit focus. It's especially vital for the non-technical bosses. You know, the CFO,
maybe the COO. Right. They might not care how it works.
Probably not the deep details know. But they absolutely care about the bottom line results.
Things like risk reduction, saving time, protecting the budget. Your message has got to resonate

(04:41):
with your priorities. Speak their language. Often that's the language of results, value, money.
Makes sense. Okay. Strategy one. Benefits over features. Got it. What's the next strategy for
the article? Strategy two is about the words you use and how you explain concepts. Use plain
language and analogies. No, this isn't about talking down to people. Is it? That's important.

(05:03):
No, not at all. The article is really clear on this. Using plain language isn't making the idea
simpler or dumber. It's making the explanation sharper, clearer, more accessible. Okay.
So the idea is cut the jargon where you can. And if you do need to bring in a complex technical
concept, use a simple, relatable analogy to like bridge that understanding gap. Yeah, the examples

(05:24):
in the piece are good for illustrating this. Like, instead of just saying perimeter security,
you could say it's like building a digital fence around your system. Right. Or the one about
zero trust. That's often tricky to explain. Oh, yeah. Instead of getting lost in, you know,
network segmentation or mutual authentication details upfront, the analogy was something like
every door in your house requires a key, even the bathroom. Huh. That image sticks. It makes that

(05:49):
abstract idea constant verification really concrete and memorable. It works, right? And the article
gives a really simple test for this strategy, which I love is basically, would your target audience
understand this without needing to pause and Google terms or acronyms? Oh, that's a great filter.
If the answer's no, you probably need simpler words or a better analogy. Okay. Good practical advice.

(06:12):
So we've got benefits, plain language, analogies. What's the third main strategy the article lays out?
The third one is about managing different needs. It's very practical. Layer your content by audience.
Because let's face it, not everyone needs the same fire hose of technical detail. A CISO thinking
about risk is looking for different info than say a DevSecOps engineer who needs API docs.

(06:33):
Exactly right. So the article says don't try to make every single piece of content serve everybody.
Keep your high level stuff your homepage, your main brochures or one pages. Keep those focus squarely
on the benefits and the core value. What's the problem you solve? What's the big outcome?
Simple and clear at the top. And then for the techies, the ones who actually do want the new

(06:54):
Dgritty, the architecture diagrams, the performance benchmarks. That's where you provide the deep dives.
That's your white papers, your detailed guides, technical FAQs, maybe specific demo scripts that go
into the weed. That's where you cover the how, the integrations, the specs. So the trick is making it
easy for each group to find their level of detail without getting bogged down and stuff that's too
basic for them or totally overwhelmed by stuff that's too technical. Yes. And the source suggests being

(07:19):
really obvious about it. Use clear labels, call something an executive summary or a technical deep dive
or maybe a compliance checklist developer guide. Like signposts. Exactly. Guiding the right people to
the right layer of information. That respects their time. And it means your sophisticated message
doesn't get lost just because it landed at the wrong altitude for that particular person.

(07:41):
So if you pull back and look at the big picture, the overall principle here is that refining your
message, aiming for clarity, aiming for the right audience. It's not about watering down your product
sophistication, not at all. It's actually about enhancing its accessibility. It's making sure the
true value comes through clearly because you've removed the mental effort needed for the audience

(08:07):
to get it. Clarity is the competitive edge, especially where things are inherently complex, like tech
and cybersecurity. That's a really powerful way to think about it. It totally shifts the focus,
doesn't it? Instead of trying to impress people with how complex you are, you impress them by showing
how well you understand their problem and can explain the solution in a way they easily grasp.

(08:27):
Okay, so let's recap the key takeaways we pulled from this article. Number one, focus on the benefits,
the outcomes, not just the features. Number two, use plain language, cut the jargon or possible,
and use really good, relatable analogies for the complex bits. And number three, layer your
information, tailor the depth of detail for your specific audiences from high-level overviews

(08:51):
to deep technical dives. Now, this piece was focused on cybersecurity marketing, sure, but
think about how these principles apply elsewhere, maybe in your own work, or even just everyday life,
the next time you have to explain something technical. Yeah, maybe in a team meeting or
giving a presentation, or even just, you know, explaining a new gadget to a friend or a family member.

(09:14):
Ask yourself, am I leading with the cool specs or am I explaining what it actually does for them?
The benefit is my language clear or am I falling back on jargon they might not know.
Am I giving them the right amount of detail? Not too much, not too little.
And flip it around too. Think about the last time you were completely lost listening to someone
explain something technical, you know, that feeling right? Oh yeah, the eyes glaze over.

(09:35):
Exactly. How could that person have used these strategies, benefits, clarity,
analogies, layering to help you understand what difference would it have made?
It's definitely something worth considering. It makes communication just work better for everyone.
That's something to chew on.
Reach out to us at jbuyer.com for comments and questions. Follow us at buyer company on social media,

(09:59):
and if you'd be so kind, please rate and review us in your podcast app.