There is one thing no marketer wants you to know: Gaining an audience and then getting them to convert is freaking hard. No single magic formula, best practice, theory, model, or guideline can take your brand to the top.

Anyone telling you so is selling the equivalent of marketing snake oil.

No matter how cool the technology, how amazing your website, how optimized your ads are, or how compelling your content is, marketing is never without this significant challenge.

This is especially true in the security industry, where the products can be interesting, the services necessary, but the market vertical is not particularly sexy and is surrounded by harder and more sensitive topics. It can be a real marketing buzzkill.

It’s a tough pill to swallow, but it’s the truth.

The fact is, most companies are in the same boat as the security industry.

Not every company is an Apple or Nike. The Apples of the world are outliers and get all the glory. They are the cool kids on the block, sporting their 1984 Michael Jordan game-worn, autographed Nike Air Ships that make us wonder what we are doing with our Asics jogger lives.

But who says you can’t win in Asics?

The Security Industry Boasts a Brilliant Purpose

One of the biggest mistakes security industry businesses make is to place themselves inside a box of limitations. They compare Apples to oranges and then shift all of their efforts and expectations to competing in the wrong lane in a race that is impossible to win.

But here is another equally important truth: the security industry and all its products and services boast a brilliantly essential purpose. These are the products that make the world go round, and that is what we should creatively embrace.

Spice Up Your Marketing & Destroy Your Limitations

Whether you are a security dealer, integrator, or manufacturer, your marketing choices are your chance to destroy business limitations. Even better, online marketing opportunities have leveled the playing field, giving every security company a chance to stand out, go viral, and reach new audiences.

Here are some ways to make your marketing un-boring:

Subvert Expectations

You may have noticed quite a few marketing campaigns lately that have taken topics and products that not so long ago would be considered off-putting, unappealing, or even taboo to talk about but have gained attention by subverting expectations. Security marketing does not always have to be about the products. It can be about what life is like with and without them.

Turn Stereotypes on Their Head

Sometimes our industry can be limited because of stereotypes. Business owners may not see the full advantage of security guards, for example, because they think of the mall cop stereotype. You can acknowledge those stereotypes and turn them on their head. Consider what a 15-second, tongue-in-cheek spot where you take a troop of massive guards that look like The Rock and put them on Segways for “The New Mall Cops” would do to boost exposure and interest.

Tell a Story

Nothing connects people to a brand like a story. Use the elements of story, such as storyline, villains, guides, and heroes to lead your audience to action.

Be Direct

Many companies try to tell too much and lose customers before asking them to call. Get to the point fast: What do you do? How will it solve the problem? What should they do next? Many a sale is lost because nobody said what to do next.

Be Funny

Internet marketing has opened the door to more marketing humor. It’s a risky approach because you have to be funny for it to work. But nothing can grab more attention than a good laugh, even if it is at ourselves. Not long ago, a struggling restaurant near our office had a car plow into the building during the night, leaving a gaping hole. On opening day, instead of a sign that said “now open,” they sported a huge sign on the building: “Best Hole in the Wall in Town.” Now you’re lucky if you can get a seat.

Connect it to Pop Culture

Security and automation technologies are infinitely cool and you up the cool factor when you connect it to pop culture in a fun, funny, or unique way. Whenever you see the technologies used in television or movies, let that play out as far as it can go in your mind and see where it can take your marketing. Think about the amazing security and automation elements in Batman (even Lego Batman, for that matter) and connect it to your customers in new ways. They don’t have to be Bruce Wayne to have access to that kind of technology and you can make them feel just as cool.

Do Good

Another way to make your brand un-boring is to do good. It’s even better when you can do good and tie it to other elements within the industry. For example, you can fund police dog training, sponsor much-needed fire equipment for the local fire department, or support groups that teach first aid and CPR. You can even direct it back to technology by sponsoring the technology to monitor something of local interest.

Now, go win. Obliterate boring by embracing and sharing the exciting elements that exist within the industry.