When I first started my business, I did what every new founder does: I learned marketing. Funnels, lead magnets, email automations, CRMs, analytics dashboards—I was swimming in new terms and concepts.
Somewhere between setting up my first landing page and building a nurture sequence, I discovered the customer journey map—that diagram showing every step a person takes from discovering your business to becoming (and eventually leaving as) a customer.
But when I looked at it, my cybersecurity brain kicked in.
I thought, Wait a second… this isn’t just a marketing tool. It’s a gold mine for understanding risk.
Every form, every email, every checkout page—each touchpoint is a moment where customers, technology, and data meet.
And that’s when I realized something big: your marketing team (or you and your marketing know-how, if you don’t have a team yet) might just be one of your most powerful cybersecurity allies.
From Frameworks to Real Life
When I began teaching cybersecurity, I came from the traditional side—using frameworks like the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. Those frameworks are solid: they give structure, standards, and shared language.
But as I talked to small businesses, something bothered me. These frameworks are designed for enterprises, not entrepreneurs. Shrunken-down versions do exist for small businesses, but they don’t quite fit – some sections don’t apply, and other relevant areas aren’t covered at all.
So I developed my own framework, one that bridges the gap between cybersecurity experts and everyday business owners. It maps back to the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, but it starts somewhere else entirely: with your customers.
Why Your Marketing Team Belongs in Your Cybersecurity Plan
Most people think cybersecurity belongs to IT.
But marketing knows something the IT world doesn’t: how customers actually move through your business.
They know the ads people click, the forms they fill out, the systems they use to pay you, and the emails they open. In other words, they already know every digital doorway into your company from the customer’s point of view.
And each of those doorways is also an entry point for risk.
When your marketing and cybersecurity efforts line up, you don’t just block attacks—you design experiences that are safe by default.
Here’s why that matters:
- Customers expect privacy and professionalism.
- Regulators expect data protection.
- You use your marketing to build trust, not break it.
When your marketing team understands where trust and data intersect, they can help you protect both.
What Is a Customer Journey Map (and Why It’s a Security Goldmine)
A customer journey map is a visual outline of how a customer interacts with your business—from the first time they hear about you to the moment they leave (and hopefully refer others).
Marketers use it to improve conversions and retention.
Cybersecurity professionals can use it to uncover vulnerabilities hiding in plain sight.
Imagine listing out every stage:
Awareness → Consideration → Purchase → Delivery → Offboarding.
At each stage, ask three simple questions:
- What is the customer doing here?
- What data or tools are involved?
- What could go wrong if that data were mishandled or lost?
It’s the simplest way to bring cybersecurity into your business strategy.
The Customer Journey Through a Cybersecurity Lens
Let’s walk through what that could look like in real life.
Awareness
Touchpoints: Social media, ads, blog posts, lead magnets, web site.
Risks: Fake profiles impersonating your brand, insecure website forms, phishing lookalikes.
Quick win: Use verified social accounts, HTTPS everywhere, and branded URLs. Protect and monitor your domains.
Consideration
Touchpoints: Email sign-ups, webinars, consultations.
Risks: Unsecured forms collecting personal data, weak privacy disclosures, unprotected Zoom links.
Quick win: Use double opt-in forms and a simple privacy statement explaining how data is used.
Purchase & Onboarding
Touchpoints: Payment pages, contracts, welcome emails.
Risks: Insecure payment processors, spoofed invoices, shared passwords.
Quick win: Enable two-factor authentication on payment tools. Use email monitoring tools to prevent spoofing.
Delivery & Experience
Touchpoints: Portals, file sharing, customer service platforms.
Risks: Accidental data exposure, unauthorized access, weak login credentials.
Quick win: Categorize data and protect each layer appropriately.
Offboarding
Touchpoints: Exit surveys, testimonials, unsubscribes.
Risks: Retaining unnecessary data, leaving shared documents accessible, forgetting to remove users.
Quick win: Create a “goodbye checklist” that includes data deletion and permission cleanup.
Every one of these touchpoints is both a moment of connection and a moment of risk.
And when your marketing team sees them that way, your cybersecurity posture improves.
How to Build Your Own Customer Journey Risk Map
You can do this in under an hour with a whiteboard, Google Docs, or the free template I'm going to share in our newsletter this week. Already have a customer journey map? Add a row for security notes!
Step 1: Map the Customer Stages
Start from Awareness and move to Offboarding. List every touchpoint—emails, forms, invoices, automations, and human interactions.
Step 2: Identify What’s Shared or Accessed
For each touchpoint, note:
- What information is exchanged
- Which tools or people are involved
- How that data moves or is stored
Step 3: Apply the HER Method™ Lens
Use the five categories from my Holistic Evaluation of Risk (HER) Method™ to assess risk:
- Operations – Are your internal processes consistent and secure?
- Customers – Are you protecting their privacy and experience?
- Connection – Are your devices, apps, and logins protected?
- Information – Is data stored, shared, and deleted safely?
- Money – Are payments and financial data handled correctly?
Step 4: Prioritize Fixes
Highlight the touchpoints that involve sensitive data or money.
Start with quick, inexpensive wins—like updating forms, reviewing permissions, or tightening app access.
The goal isn’t perfection. It’s progress.
Each improvement strengthens both customer trust and business resilience.
Why This Beats a Traditional Cybersecurity Audit
Traditional audits start with systems.
Customer journey mapping starts with people.
This approach:
- Feels natural for non-technical teams.
- Uncovers issues that don’t show up on IT checklists.
- Turns security into part of your customer-care culture.
And when you build security into everyday operations—marketing, onboarding, client care—you stop treating it as “extra work.” It simply becomes how you do business.
Common Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)
Mistake 1: Treating the map as a one-time project.
→ Fix: Revisit it whenever you update your marketing funnel or add new tools.
Mistake 2: Mapping from your business view instead of the customer’s.
→ Fix: Follow their actual experience—what they see, click, and share.
Mistake 3: Forgetting contractors and third-party tools.
→ Fix: Include everyone who touches customer data, even freelancers.
Mistake 4: Keeping marketing and security in silos.
→ Fix: Schedule quarterly reviews with both teams—trust depends on collaboration.
Bringing It All Together
Your customer journey already tells a story—how people find you, trust you, and choose to work with you.
By overlaying cybersecurity on that same map, you turn marketing insight into risk visibility.
Your marketing team isn’t just generating leads. They’re generating intelligence about how your business really runs online.
When they understand how those touchpoints connect, they become your first line of defense—protecting both your reputation and your revenue.
Cybersecurity doesn’t start in a server room.
It starts in the moments your customers decide to trust you.
Sign up for our 👉 newsletter Phish & Tell (phishandtell.securitydoneeasy.com) 👈 to get a free spreadsheet template for the Customer Journey Risk Map later this week! Good for marketing, good for security.
About the Author
Alexia Idoura is the founder of Security Done Easy, where she helps entrepreneurs and small business owners protect their businesses without needing to be tech experts.
