By definition, cybersecurity is technical, tight-lipped, and protective of metrics.
Which makes producing case studies and testimonials for cybersecurity even more challenging.
After all, the entire premise of a successful engagement in cybersecurity is hard to capture—how do you translate “we did XYZ… and then nothing bad happened” into a success story that CISOs, CTOs, and CIOs will care about?
As an end-to-end partner in creating customer success stories and video testimonials, we’ve successfully delivered over 99 stories in the cybersecurity space. So we’ve learned a thing or two.
More recently, our deep roots in the cybersecurity industry motivated us to embark on a research project in this space. We conducted a deep dive into the case studies and testimonials of 22 enterprise businesses with strong capabilities in cybersecurity. This time, they were all AWS Partners, but our findings are relevant to non-AWS Partners as well.
We used this research to spot trends, establish what cybersecurity companies do right (and wrong!) with their case studies, and generate data-led answers to common questions.
Here are some of our top findings:
1. Simple, jargon-free writing pays off
Most of the cybersecurity companies we analyzed (95%) miss vital engagement with website visitors because their customer success stories are difficult to read.
In our experience across 2,000+ stories, customer success stories should aim for a readability level of about Grade 9 to maximize your potential audience. We found only one cybersecurity company that achieved it.
2. Long-form content goes a long way…
The average length of on-page case studies on the websites we analyzed was 1,093 words. So leading cybersecurity companies continue to view long-form case studies as super-valuable marketing assets.
We recommend putting long-form case studies—that tell the whole story—on individual case study pages.
With potential buyers looking to understand your solution’s features, functionality, deployment time, ease of use—and what it’s like to work with you—it only makes sense.
3. …but make it scannable for time-starved buyers
While putting long-form customer stories on your website improves online visibility and provides proof of your expertise and authority, consider this…
Most prospective buyers won’t find it easy (or have time) to fully absorb 1,000 words or more.
So make in-depth case studies digestible using layouts and design elements that help easily distracted eyeballs stick with your story. Think sidebars, pull quotes, and images.
Most of the cybersecurity companies we researched (91%) use a scannable topbar, sidebar, or both. These UX components—and the others we mentioned—are important in how customer success stories are presented and received.
4. Make customer success stories easy for prospects to find
We all get frustrated when we can’t find what we’re looking for. It doesn’t matter if that’s your glasses, your kid’s shoes (arrrgggh!), or customer success stories that are relevant to your pain points.
The fewer clicks it takes, the better.
Most of the cybersecurity businesses we analyzed make their case studies easy to locate on their websites, which we love to see. It took 2 clicks or less to reach the case studies of 78% of them.
Want to be even more helpful? Provide search and filter functionality. This makes it easy for prospects to slice and dice your content, and get their hands on case studies that resonate.
We were heartened to see that 77% of analyzed businesses provide filtering options. We recommend every business include filters to help prospects find the most relevant success stories. And consider a search tool if you have more than a handful of studies on your website.
5. Build trust with the right signals
Customer success stories are a proven way to accelerate decision-making and close deals more quickly. Maximize that opportunity by sprinkling ‘trust indicators’ throughout.
Customer headshots, customer quotes, and customer logos all do the job.
We’d love to see more businesses using customer images, as they appeared in just 5% of the success stories we analyzed.
Even a basic headshot transforms your customer from an invisible enigma into a real-life person, proving that your story is real.
6. Promote, promote, promote on all marketing channels
You might put your case studies and testimonials on your website and think your job is done. But don’t stop there! Share your case studies on all your marketing channels, from social to newsletters to advertising.
We found that just 55% of the cybersecurity companies we analyzed had promoted a customer success story on their socials in the past three months. Give yourself a competitive edge by posting regularly and consistently.
7. Inject emotion with video assets
Video testimonials are growing in popularity among enterprise companies.
However, only 50% of the companies we analyzed offer video testimonials on their websites, alongside written assets.
Creating video content alongside written testimonials builds more trust, gives you more versatile assets, and even increases conversion rates. And remember: when an on-location shoot isn’t an option, remote videos can capture customers’ delight in you, more conveniently and cost-effectively.
Want to see what else we found?
Download your free copy of our cybersecurity case studies and testimonials report. Alongside more tips and recommendations, it’s bursting with examples you can model and iterate on right now.