Besides the operational worries for a guarding company or many a services contractor, of filling vacancies and shifts, a perennial concern for the guard firm MD is a strategic one: how to differentiate from all the other providers out there?
For there are hundreds of Security Industry Authority-approved contractors; it can be hard even to have a distinctive name, among the Security and Protection and Guarding. Hence some firms seek to set themselves apart from the rest by going for environmental or information security management certifications, to show ‘green’ or other good corporate governance credentials. While that has value in itself, and may show a contractor as more trustworthy, and may align with what a procurement department is looking for, particularly in the public or charitable sector, it’s not to do with the core product offering: guarding protection.
Besides, in whatever way a guard firm tries to put its best foot forward, even if only on the quality or consistency of service, the business has to tell others about it; it has to do marketing.
That’s a five-figure sum a year, whether a firm chooses to hire a full-time marketing person, albeit cheaper (although maybe not) if you bring in someone on a contract by the month or task. That may be a sum that a firm feels it cannot afford, in times of low margins. Or, marketing may be one of the functions lumped in with others for a manager, among nice to haves.
So often a guard firm has good intentions, and has an online blog or newsletters, only for them to peter out. It doesn’t look good; the viewer may think that the firm has run out of good things to say about itself; or that the enthusiasm to write has waned.
The February print edition of Professional Security magazine features Richard Sumner, who started his own firm, RS Security Consultants, after decades in the industry, just on the eve of the first covid lockdown in early 2020. He’s made it through, and has two dozen clients to show for it, having like so many others embraced home working (although he’s recently taken a Leeds office for himself and colleagues) and video conferencing over Microsoft Teams. He’s also a regular and keen user of Linkedin, which as he says is free.
He’s far from the only one in private security or in business more generally to have made Linkedin, or other social media platforms, work for him. What matters is two-fold; first the content. It need not be lengthy, just to broadcast a meeting, or a new client, or new starter or a finished project (always with the client’s permission, needless to say, if they’re named). Second, the tone. Richard Sumner is by his own admission a ‘hundred miles per hour man’ and this comes across in his Linkedin posts; a relentless enthusiast about his work.
Yes, number of followers matters, and takes time to build. But as in so many things, you can try to do as much marketing in as many ways as you like, but you can only go so far without substance; how you market yourself or your business has to be authentic.
Likewise case studies take writing and take time to get sign-off; you have to have the work in the first place, and an agreeable customer. But the benefit is that it gives you the contractor credibility with a buyer. If you’re going for work with a sports stadium or a hospital for example, how much stronger you look if you can point to a case study in that field.
You have some choice in what sort of case study you produce: one that’s words or photos-based, or a video shoot? If you can run to several thousand pounds, and can arrange a day’s site filming (and fingers crossed for the weather, if outdoors), you can hire professionals to produce a broadcast-quality short.
More in later editions of Professional Security magazine, covering options for a security firm such as making your own promotional video and placing it online, or doing podcasts (Roy Cooper in his February gossip mentions his appearance on distributor DVS’).
Want to share with readers your experience of doing marketing – at the risk of giving ideas to everyone else to copy?! Email Professional Security magazine editor Mark Rowe at [email protected].
Institute webinar
The Security Institute is continuing its webinars on Wednesday morning, February 2 from 10am with ‘Marketing Priorities for SMEs’, by Shivanshi Sharma. Visit https://security-institute.org/product/02-02-22-webinar-marketing-priorities-for-smes-and-smbs/. Any queries, contact Becky or Martina on [email protected] or 02476 346464.
