Maximize ROI: Market Your Certification

Taking the time, effort and resources to achieve FIPS 140-2 or Common Criteria certification or DoDIN APL listing is a big deal. It’s not an insignificant investment, and when it’s finally completed, you want to see a significant return, right? The most obvious solution is just to sell more product. And while this may seem both simple and obvious, we all know it’s not always easy. But your new validation can help you. Marketing your certification—not just your product—can give your sales a big boost and increase the ROI on your certification. Here are some tips for marketing your new certification once you have it in hand.

First and foremost, make a big deal about it. Create a press release to announce that you’ve received your certification and include the details about your product, certification details, and your company in the release. While it may not make it into the New York Times, be sure to submit to industry publications who may very well pick up the news.

If your company has a blog, write an announcement blog post. If you worked with a consultant on your certification, ask them to announce the certification, as well. And then, make sure you distribute via social media channels. Also ask your staff and colleagues to distribute to their social networks via LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+ and Twitter. If you are concerned about people sending out the correct message, create some language for those social media updates and send them to the staff so that they have an example of exactly what to post.

Email (or even snail mail) your customers, partners, and prospects about your achievement and let them know that you are available to discuss what the new certification means for your product—and for them. Remember, you will now have prospects who may not have been able to consider your product before you received this certification. Make sure you reach out to them.

Design a banner for your website homepage and product pages. This may seem elementary, but why make your website visitors ask whether your product has the security validation that they are looking for? Make it obvious. While you are making updates to the website, have a special page created that gives a detailed explanation of the product that has been certified including specific versions, and include links to the validation listing(s) on the Common Criteria Portal, NIST, or DISA websites.

Revise all sales literature and collateral material to include the certification number and details about the product certification. And make sure that your sales people are well educated on your certification and have been trained to speak about it and the value it brings.

Not putting the effort into marketing your certification is like leaving money on the table. Make sure you get the most out of your FIPS 140-2 and Common Criteria certification and DoDIN APL listing. Continue the work after you get that coveted validation and market what you’ve achieved.

Corsec has completed more than 300 certifications for clients over the last 15 years. How can our experience help with your company’s security validation? Contact us to find out.

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