The Ultimate Guide to Security Guard Marketing: Proven Strategies for Growth

Here’s a resource for your new or established security company to help market your business and develop a high-performing marketing plan. With this step-by-step guide, you’ll create proven strategies that enhance your marketing efforts and drive your business growth. We will talk about two marketing strategies specifically designed for security guard and private security businesses. If you’re working with a limited budget, we suggest starting with the Traditional Plan. Here’s a quick overview:

• Basic for Startups: best for those with smaller budgets.
• Advanced Plan: for businesses ready to take their marketing to the next level.

You are a proud security company owner. You’ve worked hard to develop your company’s security services and train your personnel to meet the high demand for security solutions. And you realize that only result-driven marketing plans will secure your company’s success and growth. You wonder “How do I market my security guard company?”

There are 3 key questions that must be addressed to formulate a successful marketing strategy:

DO YOU KNOW YOUR PRODUCT (SO YOU CAN SELL IT)?

What exactly is your company offering? You cannot successfully market your company without a detailed understanding and analysis of what your product is. For instance, your company could offer patrol security services, event security, or bodyguard protection services. Each of these distinct products have unique characteristics to offer clients. Successful business owners thoroughly scrutinize the strengths and weaknesses of their company products in order to do insightful marketing. For example, here’s a sample analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of a private security guard company: 

STRENGTHS

• An innovative security solution distinct from competitors (e.g. A mobile app for clients to receive real-time alerts and communicate with the security team, or security guards equipped with smart wearables like body cameras and GPS-enabled devices to improve accountability, safety and response times).
• Very well-trained personnel (e.g. Fully certified guards completing all required training, or guards who also have additional specialized training for VIP executive protection, or customized crowd control/event security training).
• A solid company reputation (Positive customer testimonials, certifications from credible industry organizations, or awards like an international Outstanding Security Performance Awards OSPA or a Security Industry Association New Products Showcase award). Strong client relationships (High customer retention rates and steady repeat business).
• Advanced security technology (e.g. Use of AI powered cameras that monitor high-risk areas and identify unauthorized access in real-time so as to help focus responses by security teams).
• 24/7 monitoring capabilities (This could be monitoring centers where personnel continuously oversee multiple feeds and alarms, or ongoing CCTV cameras and AI surveillance technology that detect unauthorized access or hazards to which security personnel respond).

WEAKNESSES

• Limited funding (e.g. leading to outdated equipment or no marketing funds).
• A service area very saturated with competitors.
• Low customer retention.
• Sole reliance on a specific market segment.
• High employee turnover.
• Dependence on subcontractors.

Ultimately a strength/weakness analysis of your business determines what sets it apart from the competition, so you know what differences to highlight in your most effective marketing plan. This key part of your marketing plan becomes known as your unique selling proposition (or USP).

DO YOU KNOW YOUR MARKET (SO YOU CAN REACH IT)?

Who is your target customer? There are many tried-and-true ways for a business to figure out who its target customers are. Some of these strategies include:

• Conduct interviews with potential customers. Offer gift cards to set up some interviews, and then get input on solutions that you can provide to clients. Obtain customer demographics, shared characteristics, identify any trends.
• Look at what market you already reach. Seeing what services are your most popular gives ideas about what is working best for you (e.g. mall security…? Event security management…?)
• Use SEO to study those that visit your website. (An SEO platform can also analyze your competition’s website too). Keywords that are being searched give valuable information about what visitors are seeking, and what pages get the most views. 
• Study your existing customers. A customer relationship management system (CRM) can store and organize user data for you to figure out your target market. 
• Check out the competition. Learn about your competition’s target audience, their current customers, or a possible niche market they are missing that you could obtain. See what is working (or not) on their social media platforms and posts. Notice what content attracts lots of attention. When comparing your business to another, make sure to do so against businesses of similar size- to obtain accurate marketing data that applies to your company.
• Tune into Social Media. See if there are any services you can identify and meet. Define a target customer by needs rather than just demographic factors. 
• Create buyer profiles. These customer personas list buying habits, age, location, education, income level, etc. Such data can give you specifics about your target audience, along with clues to how to get clients for security.

The more you know about your target customer, the more you learn how to get more security contracts. 

DO YOU KNOW YOUR INDUSTRY (SO YOU CAN SURVIVE AND THRIVE)? 

Stay current with industry trends. Read about your industry, your market and world events. Use data from agencies that have statistics on demographic groups, regions, industries and more (e.g. US Census Bureau, or the National Bureau of Economic Research). Follow industry associations such as the Security Industry Association (SIA) or ASIS International. Attend industry events. Network with colleagues, partners, or clients about their businesses. Update your training. Regularly keep up with industry trade publications and websites.

The latest security trend that people want to know is what is the highest paying security guard job? One of the highest paid traditional security guard jobs is a control officer with a national average salary of $83,992/year. A control officer manages all the authorized access into a secured building- issuing badges, checking ID, registering guests, and creating profiles for the authorized personnel. Security operations managers who create high-level security strategies for companies- make national average salaries of around $69,813/yr.  

Traditional security guards handle physical threats such as theft, trespassing, or physical safety of clients. However there is the rise of cybersecurity guard jobs that deal with digital defenses against virtual threats. Some of the lucrative roles in the growing cybersecurity field are jobs such as cybersecurity consultants. They help clients maximize their information security protocols- and have a national average salary of $111,357/year. Cybersecurity specialists called identity managers are in charge of access levels for authorized personnel and their average salaries hover around $109,527/year. 

Studying your industry and the broader environment will help you identify opportunities and threats to your business. Again using the example of a private security guard company, here are some external factors to consider:

OPPORTUNITIES

• Growing demand for security (e.g. new businesses moving into the area).
• New market expansion (for instance the growth of cybersecurity).
• Potential partnerships available with local businesses.
• Upcoming government contracts.
• Specialized training programs for employees being developed.
• Emerging trends and technological advancements in surveillance taking place.

THREATS

• Economic fluctuations that are affecting client budgets.
• New regulations leading to increased business costs.
• Recent competition from other security companies in the area.
• Security breaches or data theft.
• Negative publicity affecting your reputation.
• Natural disasters impacting operations (e.g. Hurricane Milton).

HOW DO YOU DEVELOP A CUSTOMIZED MARKETING PLAN? 

Knowing your product, understanding your target market, and mastering your industry and environment are the foundations for a successful company. But a customized marketing plan is built upon that foundation, and is essential for your company’s existence. If potential customers never hear of you, your business will eventually fail. So to succeed, businesses must develop a marketing plan tailored specifically to their brand. Marketing means using every resource possible to share, promote and grow awareness of your brand and ultimately to gain customers.

Several key factors shape a marketing plan:

• What is your budget? (How much can you invest for ads, in-house staff or a marketing agency…?)
• What are some clear goals? (Achieve X% sales growth, or add X amount of new clients…?)
• Which marketing channels do you choose? (Print ads, direct mail, events, social media, email campaigns…?) Develop a plan for the type of content used and key messages for each. Establish a timeline for marketing campaigns (aligned with local events, continuous or..?) Set a timeline with deadlines for each marketing activity.
• How do you monitor results? (Use reporting tools, spreadsheets, or CRM software…?) Based on data results, adjust strategies to achieve goals. Gather customer feedback to keep adjusting to their needs and preferences.

HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY INCREASE YOUR SECURITY COMPANY LEADS?

Marketing your company is all about generating leads that turn into clients. While all customer lead generating used to be done solely with direct mail, print ads, or a brick-and-mortar store, now the vast majority of your prospective leads begin their fact-finding with online searches by computer, tablet or phone. Today’s prospective clients are found online. To effectively capture these leads and grow your business, contact us for a customized marketing plan tailored to your needs.

There are two basic digital ways that businesses obtain leads now:

B2B appointment setting. This is where your internal team of business/sales reps pitch your company’s product/services through cold-calling, emailing marketing, LinkedIn InMail messaging (all hopefully ending in appointments with potential clients). Lead generation like this can also be outsourced.

Digital Marketing. This strategy is using websites, landing pages, blogs, social media posts, online ads, or pay per clicks (PPCs) as possible sources of client leads/sales. (e.g. when people reply to a website invitation for more information, sign up for a newsletter or a promotion, or respond to an ad and order a product). Leads can also come directly to your company through organic (unpaid) online results by people browsing the internet with questions, or through paid results (e.g. those paid ads that search engines generate when people search online).

What is dubbed SEO for Security Guard Companies or Search Engine Optimization is the strategy of a business improving its website or copy content to increase the ranking and number of online searchers it receives. Optimizing your digital marketing is an easy tactic to use to gain leads for your security company, especially “local SEO” that puts your company at the top of the search list when people in your area search online (e.g. “security company near me”). 

HOW DO YOU EFFECTIVELY USE THE INTERNET AND OPTIMIZE YOUR LOCAL BUSINESS SEO?

GMB. Since Google remains the most used search engine in the world, use their free online tool Google My Business (GMB) now integrated into Google Business Profile. Fill out your company profile with address, phone, services, and positive customer reviews. Note that a consistent NAP:Name, Address, Phone Number is essential for online visibility and rankings. So make sure your NAP information is the same on all online directories, websites and social media for your company. 

Ask happy clients to leave good reviews on Yelp or Google My Business to build your business credibility. Also train your employees to politely ask for reviews or feedback after completing services. Better yet, engage customers through email surveys or feedback forms, and reply to all reviews, even negative ones to show that you value customer opinions.

Boost your website with search-engine-optimized articles/pages for each location that you serve (e.g. “Best Security Firm in Irvine, CA”) to reinforce your brand as a local market leader. Have clear calls-to-action on your website for potential clients to request a quote, or ask questions. A carefully tailored website may also be how to get security guard leads, by offering a link to any interested job applicants, or even those with questions about a security guard career. 

Use relevant business directories (like Yelp Biz, Facebook Business, CitySquares) to get your security services listed for your city. Surveys have found that 8 in 10 consumers search online for local businesses at least once a week. This makes business directories a good venue to lead customers to your company. 

MORE MARKETING STEPS TO PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS AND GAIN CLIENTS

1. Use social media like Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn effectively as outreach tools to get your company some informal marketing presence to customer mobile devices and computers.
2. Utilize email campaigns. These are not overly costly, and can bring a lot of return on investment (ROI). Email campaigns boost sales and referrals, can upsell to your current customers, and re-engage inactive customers. Also note that email lists obtained from email campaigns are owned/controlled by your business. This is unlike social media, where a platform can change policies, and a business loses control of its content visibility.
3. Use practical and deliberate ads for your security company advertising. For example if your company is handling security at a concert or ball game, take out ads in that event’s program/playbill showcasing your security services. Other advertisements like website banner ads, print ads, local publications, PPC (pay-per-click), or Google ads can also be effectively used.
4. Your brand is the sum total of your company name, logo, colors, and imagery. Let your employees be recognizable with professional-looking uniforms, patrol vehicles, letterhead, and signage. Even signs posted at any of your clients’ businesses can increase your brand recognition and reach new clients.
5. Make promotional items like calendars, pens or notepads with your information on them and give them out to potential clients at events. Promotional merchandise is a great way to increase brand recall.

Are you Looking for advance plan?

These are the basic or traditional marketing steps in how to value a security guard company. A successful marketing plan will boost your company’s reputation, showcase your company’s work track record, attract/keep experienced well-trained personnel, emphasize the licenses and certifications you’ve met, and show your company’s involvement in national, state and local industries and associations. The value of your security guard company additionally depends on financial stability, client base, and market positioning with your target customers, your USP, and competitors. For a tailored marketing strategy to grow your business, contact us.

In summary, with this step-by-step guide, you can implement proven strategies that boost your marketing efforts and accelerate your business growth. But keep in mind we have a full advanced strategy that could bring you a competitive advantage in the market, contact us to get help. 

Enjoy revenue growth, market expansion and an increased customer base.