Discover how applying marketing principles to your information security awareness programme can drive real behaviour change and engage employees on a personal level.
Show the value of secure behaviour
Every employee has a role to play in protecting an organisation’s information. This means the effective size of your information security team extends far beyond the people working directly in security.
Technology can reduce risk and block many threats, but it cannot prevent every employee from clicking a malicious link, sharing sensitive information or bypassing a security control.
A successful security awareness programme must therefore place people at the centre of the organisation’s security approach. Its purpose is not simply to provide information. It is to influence behaviour.
You do not need to be a behavioural psychologist to achieve this. You need a structured approach that makes security relevant, understandable and valuable to employees.
Define the value of secure behaviour
Marketing is often described as communicating the value that a product, service or action can create for an audience.
The same principle can be applied to security awareness.
Rather than simply telling employees what they should or should not do, explain why secure behaviour matters and how it benefits both the organisation and the individual.
“Marketing communicates value to people. Effective security awareness should do the same.”
For the organisation, secure behaviour can help prevent:
- Operational disruption
- Financial losses
- Regulatory penalties
- Legal costs
- Reputational damage
- Loss of customer trust
For employees, the benefits extend beyond the workplace. The same behaviours used to protect business information can help people protect their own accounts, finances and families.
This could include:
- Creating and securely storing strong passwords
- Recognising suspicious emails and messages
- Avoiding online scams
- Protecting personal and financial information
- Thinking carefully before opening links or attachments
Connecting security awareness to familiar subjects such as online shopping, banking and family safety makes the message more personally relevant.
With online shopping and auction fraud costing UK consumers £61.8 million across more than 58,000 reported incidents, the importance of staying vigilant online is clear.
Use marketing techniques to improve engagement
Once the value has been defined, it needs to be communicated effectively.
Marketing and internal communications teams already understand how to capture attention, adapt messages for different audiences and reinforce important information over time. Security teams can apply the same techniques.
A security awareness campaign could use a combination of:
- Short videos
- E-learning
- Face-to-face sessions
- Email communications
- Posters and digital displays
- Team discussions
- Phishing simulations
- Practical guidance
Using several channels gives employees more opportunities to see, understand and act on the message.
Make security awareness personally relevant
Realistic scenarios are often more effective than abstract warnings.
For example, a short video showing how someone responds to a convincing phishing email can help employees recognise the same warning signs in their own inboxes.
The most effective content encourages people to think:
“I could have fallen for that.”
This moment of recognition makes the lesson more memorable and helps employees connect security risks with their own decisions.
Security content should also reflect the situations employees are likely to encounter. Communications can be tailored by factors such as:
- Job role
- Department
- Access to sensitive information
- Working environment
- Common threats
- Previous behaviour
- Level of risk
Employees working in finance, customer service or senior leadership may face different threats and require different guidance. Relevant content is more likely to attract attention than generic messages sent to everyone.
Reinforce messages regularly
Security awareness should not be treated as a single annual training exercise.
People are more likely to remember and apply guidance when important behaviours are reinforced regularly through short, relevant communications.
This does not mean repeatedly delivering the same content. Messages can be refreshed through new scenarios, examples, formats and practical reminders.
A consistent programme helps keep security visible and supports the development of lasting secure habits.
Emphasise the benefits of secure behaviour
Employees are more likely to engage when security communication focuses on positive outcomes rather than fear, blame or compliance alone.
Show how secure behaviour helps employees:
- Protect their personal information
- Avoid financial loss
- Work with greater confidence
- Prevent disruption
- Protect colleagues and customers
- Contribute to the organisation’s success
Relevant content captures attention. Regular reinforcement helps turn that attention into lasting behaviour.
By combining information security expertise with the communication skills of marketing and internal communications teams, organisations can reach employees who may otherwise remain disengaged.
The result is a security awareness programme that does more than communicate information. It helps people understand the value of secure behaviour and apply it in their everyday decisions.
Build a more engaging security awareness programme
TSC helps organisations strengthen data protection through practical awareness training that builds GDPR knowledge, supports DPOs, reduces human error and embeds a strong data protection culture.
Explore our Human Risk Platform
Improving security awareness engagement FAQ
How can you make a security awareness programme more engaging?
Make the content relevant to employees’ everyday lives, use realistic scenarios and communicate through multiple channels. Messages are more effective when employees understand how secure behaviour protects both the organisation and themselves.
Why should marketing techniques be used in security awareness?
Marketing techniques help make security messages clearer, more relevant and easier to remember. Audience segmentation, repeated messaging and benefit-led communication can all improve employee engagement.
How often should security awareness messages be delivered?
Security awareness should be reinforced regularly rather than limited to annual training. Short, relevant messages delivered throughout the year are more likely to support lasting behaviour change.
