Case Study: Rugosus

From quietly excellent to clearly compelling: giving a cyber security specialist the foundations to grow.

In summary

Rugosus had built a strong reputation in cyber security, connectivity and IT services but recognised that word of mouth could only take them so far. We worked together to define what set them apart and give them a strong market focus with a compelling proposition. This was all captured in clear messaging and a new website, as well as a marketing plan the founder could run himself. They came away with both the focus and the marketing foundations to grow.

A business poised for growth

When I first spoke with the founder of Rugosus, he had been investing heavily in cyber security certifications and partnerships, building the credentials his business needed from solid IT support foundations. He was ready to take it to the next level.

Rugosus had grown on reputation and word of mouth, and he knew that to grow further the business needed to be clearer and more deliberate about how it presented itself.

He knew that investment in marketing needed to be sharply focused; he didn’t have the budget to dilute his effort across a lot of different markets.

However, Rugosus has strong, valued clients across different sectors including law firms, construction, rural businesses and specialist consultants. Choosing to focus the marketing on one area meant carefully weighing the risk of seeming less relevant to the others.

After working through it together, we established a common theme that many of his clients and new customers would identify with: their involvement in construction, critical national infrastructure and working on challenging sites.

The team at Rugosus have built-up specific skills that are important to many in this sector, so this marketing focus gives them a strong, defensible position.

Finding a focus that others could not match

You brought the clarity and direction that only an external expert can, helping us land on a clear customer-centric articulation of who we are and what we can do for them. Everything else flowed so naturally after that.
Paul Wolferstan, Director, Rugosus

A proposition built on what clients really value

With the focus clear, we drew out a proposition rooted in what this market genuinely needs. For construction and infrastructure businesses, cyber security is fast becoming a prerequisite for large contracts and government work. Rugosus helps ambitious firms get ahead of that, preparing their systems and their people so they are certified, secure and ready to bid for the contracts that will grow their business.

To get the proposition right, I spoke directly with some of Rugosus’s best clients. Those conversations let me understand the value of the business from the customer’s own perspective, without anything lost in translation. These insights sharpened the proposition and gave us authentic material to build on.

It is a proposition that speaks to the real ambitions of a growing, professional firm: staying productive and secure, avoiding the cost and disruption of an incident, and being demonstrably ready for the demands that come with bigger, more serious work.

Building on this strong proposition, I developed the messaging to take it to market, focusing particularly on a new website and LinkedIn profile.

We planned the website content carefully to appeal to his target customers, outlining the way Rugosus helps them without descending into technical complexity.

The customer case studies were a significant part of this. Drawing on those direct conversations with clients, I was able to tell their stories convincingly and from their own point of view, so they carry real credibility with the customers Rugosus wants to win.

Clear messaging, a new website and strong case studies

A plan the founder could run himself

My role was to set the founder up to run the marketing himself, rather than to do it for him. We worked out a set of practical, immediate tactics he could put into action, including a smart way to use LinkedIn to reach the customers of one of his most enthusiastic and well-connected clients.

By the time we finished, Rugosus had a clear proposition, the materials to present it well, and a founder equipped and confident to carry the marketing forward. We also agreed that he could call on me for strategic marketing input and discussion as the business grew, a continuing relationship rather than a one-off project.