150% growth in 6 months

CyberSmart was born out of a GCHQ accelerator in 2017. It was created by a group of forward-thinking security experts who noticed that many companies needed to secure themselves and meet information security standards, but found the process too complicated or were limited by money or people.

That is a large and fairly quiet market. Small and medium businesses know security matters, but many have no specialist on the payroll and do not know where to start. They are often reacting to something: a customer asking for proof of certification, an insurer's question, a news story about a breach. The people searching are usually owners and office managers rather than security professionals, so the advertising and content have to explain the problem plainly before they ask anyone to buy.

Cyber security is also a crowded field, with large vendors, specialist consultancies and a steady stream of new products all competing for the same attention and the same search terms. A newer company has to earn its place with clear messages and useful content, and has to be easy to find at the point where a worried business owner starts to look.

After securing 1.3 million pounds in venture capital funding, CyberSmart was investing aggressively in growth. Its website today describes an all-in-one platform for small and medium businesses, covering device monitoring, training, compliance and insurance.

A company with that ambition cannot rely on one channel. Paid search catches people who already know they need help, SEO and content build trust with people who are still learning, and social media keeps the brand in front of both. It came to DPOM for both PPC and SEO, for its rapidly growing security solution.