Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing

Mastering Public Relations In Cybersecurity with Sonia Awan

In this episode, Gianna and Maria are joined by the Senior Public Relations Specialist at Sotero, Sonia Awan, to talk about all things PR in cybersecurity. Sonia explores the challenges of standing out in cybersecurity public relations, her tips for crafting a newsworthy story, and ways to improve your relationship with reporters and news outlets. Lastly, Sonia shares her thoughts on HARO’s usefulness and her philosophy on getting the most out of your content. 
 
Guest Bio:
Sonia Awan is a seasoned Public Relations professional with over 19 years of experience in technology PR specializing in cyber security. With a degree in Journalism, Sonia has been working with companies in the US and abroad, bringing focus into branding and visibility. She is the principal at Outbloom PR.
 
Links
Check out Sonia’s fireside chat here and visit the Haro website
Stay in touch with Sonia Awan on LinkedIn
Connect with Gianna on LinkedIn 
Connect with Maria on LinkedIn 
Follow the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on Twitter or learn more at the Cybersecurity Marketing Society website
Check out  Hacker Valley Media and the Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing Podcast.
 

Cybersecurity Marketing Sucks, But It Doesn’t Have To Richard Melick

In this episode Gianna is joined by Richard Melick, Director of Product Strategy at Zimperium, to have an honest conversation on why cybersecurity marketing sucks and how we can do it better. Richard takes a deep dive into his thoughts on product misrepresentation in cyber, ways in which marketing leadership can better support their teams, and how 'The Great Resignation' in cyber and burnout culture are creating unforeseen problems in the community. The two share their stance on white papers and how to make swag that is both useful and memorable. Lastly, Richard explores his philosophy that all good marketing starts with sharing stories people can relate to.
 
Guest Bio:
Richard Melick has spent over a decade advancing through the security industry with his considerable experience and focus on the stories surrounding enterprise attack surfaces, hacking, and cyber attacks. He has presented various thought leadership to global audiences, including RSA, GISEC, Infosec London, and more.
 
Links
Stay in touch with Richard Melick on LinkedIn and Twitter
Connect with Gianna on LinkedIn 
Connect with Maria on LinkedIn 
Follow the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on Twitter or learn more at the Cybersecurity Marketing Society website
Check out  Hacker Valley Media and Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing Podcast

Building the SOAR Category: The Siemplify Story with Nimmy Reichenberg

In this episode, Nimmy Reichenbery joins Maria and Gianna to discuss the highs and lows of building a marketing program from the ground up at Siemplify. Nimmy explores the building blocks of successful marketing teams, his first few essential hires, and why branding is a crucial element in the early stages. Lastly, Nimmy shares his biggest wins and takeaways from his journey at Siemplify.
See the famous SOCStock conference here. Fingers crossed for future SOCStocks! 
Guest Bio:
Nimmy Reichenberg is a four-time CMO and cybersecurity industry veteran with 20+ years of experience growing B2B technology companies. He is passionate about building, leading and mentoring world-class marketing teams and working with companies to solve their security challenges. He currently heads security operations marketing at Google following the acquisition of Siemplify, where he served as CMO.
Links
Stay in touch with Nimmy Reichenberg on LinkedInConnect with Gianna on LinkedIn Connect with Maria on LinkedIn Follow the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on Twitter or learn more at the Cybersecurity Marketing Society websiteCheck out  Hacker Valley Media and Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing Podcast
 

Is Your Marketing Annoying to Security Folks? How to Fix it with Dani Woolf

Gianna is joined by the Director of Demand Generation at Cybersixgill, Dani Woolf, to discuss her core marketing values: empathy, trust and loyalty. Dani shares her philosophy on creating meaningful, customer-centric experiences, how to identify customer challenges and buying motivations, and how asking the right questions can help transform your marketing efforts. Lastly, Dani shares the story behind the uncomfortable encounter that sparked a great friendship with a cybersecurity practitioner. 
 
Follow Dani’s newsletter and her podcast launch at the Audience 1st Substack!
Get the book Buyer Personas: How to Gain Insight into your Customer's Expectations, Align your Marketing Strategies, and Win More Business by Adele Revella at Amazon or the bookstore of your choice!
 
Guest Bio:
Dani Woolf is a swimmer turned marketer. She has been applying lessons learned as a distance freestyler to B2B organizational success for the past 10 years. Dani's core specialty is in digital marketing with a focus on net new customer acquisition via digital channels - website optimization, SEO, SEM, social media, conversion rate optimization and marketing automation. Dani currently serves as the Director of Demand Generation at Cybersixgill.
 
LInks:
Stay in touch with Dani Woolf on LinkedIn and Twitter
Connect with Gianna on LinkedIn 
Connect with Maria on LinkedIn 
Follow the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on Twitter or learn more at the Cybersecurity Marketing Society website
Check out  Hacker Valley Media and Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing Podcast

Specifics of Federal Government Marketing with Mary Yang

Getting your marketing in front of government customers can be a very difficult endeavor, especially when traditional marketing tactics don’t apply. In this episode, Mary Yang joins Gianna to discuss the strategies she uses to connect her message and product with her FedGov clientele. Mary breaks down the importance of leveraging thought leadership and content marketing and why understanding your audience and their needs is a critical ingredient in your government marketing strategy.
Guest Bio:
Mary Yang is the Chief Marketing Officer of LookingGlass Cyber Solutions and is an expert in cybersecurity marketing in the federal government industry. She has more than a dozen years of experience doing everything from creating sales collateral to nurturing campaigns and corporate messaging.
Links:
Download and read the NIST framework that Mary mentioned here: https://www.nist.gov/cyberframework 
Stay in touch with Mary on LinkedIn and Twitter
Connect with Gianna on LinkedIn 
Connect with Maria on LinkedIn 
Follow the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on Twitter or learn more at the Cybersecurity Marketing Society website
Check out  Hacker Valley Media and Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing Podcast
 

Getting Your Brand Noticed with Samuel Tyler

How do you make your brand stand out in a sea of cybersecurity marketing? Sometimes, all it takes is a fresh idea, a killer pitch, and a wee-bit of luck. In this episode, Samuel Tyler shares the story behind Bugcrowd’s famous out-of-home RSA campaign and his advice on how to make your brand stand out in the crowd.
 
Guest Bio:
Samuel Tyler is the Senior Manager of Corporate Marketing at Bugcrowd. Samuel is a B2B marketer working at the intersection of cybersecurity and data. He has an interdisciplinary background in growth-stage product marketing and brand management, plus a wealth of hands-on skills in creative direction. As a professional by day, and scholar by night, he passionately integrates discipline, intuition, and experience to deliver work that's both effective and evocative.
 
Links:
Read the blog wrap-up and get more resources from this episode here
Stay in touch with Samuel Tyler on LinkedIn
Connect with Gianna on LinkedIn 
Connect with Maria on LinkedIn 
Follow the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on Twitter or learn more at the Cybersecurity Marketing Society website
Check out  Hacker Valley Media and Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing Podcast
 

Maria & Gianna on Sales Alignment

In this episode, Maria takes a turn in the hot seat to talk about her favorite subject: improving sales and marketing alignment. Gianna and Maria explore what a healthy sales and marketing relationship looks like, how a combination of communication and incentives can help educate your sales team on the MQL process, and their tips for rolling out an account based marketing strategy. Lastly, Maria takes a moment to gab about her love of food. 
 
Key Takeaways
00:42  Maria’s bio
01:19  Why Maria loves sales alignment 
02:24  The “ideal” sales person
04:15  Goals and KPI alignment
06:31  Mindset and tactical tips 
09:25  Being patient and flexible
12:17  Communication, documentation and incentives 
18:14  Do BDRs belong in marketing or sales?
23:22  ABM steps and strategy
27:49  Asking the right questions
30:30  Dishing out marketing tips & good food
 
Links:
Check out and download Maria's Pipeline Spreadsheet and SLA Template!
Connect with Gianna on LinkedIn 
Connect with Maria on LinkedIn 
Follow the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on Twitter or learn more at the Cybersecurity Marketing Society website
Check out  Hacker Valley Media and Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing Podcast

No Product Marketing Alignment, No Strategy! With Seth Goldhammer

In this episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing, Gianna is joined by the VP of Marketing at Spyderbat, Seth Goldhammer. Seth shares his perspective on how and how not to be successful in product marketing, why role clarity is essential when establishing your marketing chain of command, and his excitement in building out marketing programs and functions at a virtual startup. Lastly, Seth gives his advice on how to work alongside strong personalities and shares the story behind his favorite film of all time!
 
Key Takeaways:
01:27  Seth’s bio - from screen writing to marketing 
06:25  Why product marketing?
07:59  What’s your motivation? 
09:41  Alignment and role clarity
13:21  Decision making  - who’s responsible?
15:30  Communication is key
21:04  Working with strong personalities 
22:55 Seth’s favorite film!
 
Links:
Stay in touch with Seth on Twitter and LinkedIn, and check out his favorite film, Apocalypse Now, as well as the RACI matrix
Connect with Gianna on LinkedIn 
Connect with Maria on LinkedIn 
Follow the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on Twitter or learn more at the Cybersecurity Marketing Society website
Check out  Hacker Valley Media and Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing Podcast

How To Kickoff Research Programs with Joanna Jones

In this episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing, Gianna and Maria are joined by CEO and founder of InterQ Research, Joanna Jones. Joanna does a deep dive into the qualitative market research process, why focused market research can take product and services marketing to the next level, and how to leverage your product team to help drive company support buy-in. Lastly, Joanna gives a crash course on focus groups and what you need to get started. 
 
Key takeaways:
00.34  Bio
03:13  The qualitative research process
05:19  Participant sourcing and engagement
08:00  Will there be food?! - Gianna has to know!
08:48  Remote focus groups 
10:03  Qualitative Vs. Quantitative research
12:20  Company support buy-in
15:54  Is there an ideal time?
18:23  Focused driven research
21:15  Focus groups 101
25:21  Stay in touch with Joanna!
Read the blog wrap-up and get more resources from this episode here
Stay in touch with Joanna Jones on Twitter and LinkedIn, and at InterQ
Connect with Gianna on LinkedIn 
Connect with Maria on LinkedIn 
Follow the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on Twitter or learn more at the Cybersecurity Marketing Society website
Check out Hacker Valley Media and Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing Podcast

Building Trust, Culture, and Communities with Tyler Shields

In the first episode of Breaking Through In Cybersecurity Marketing, Gianna and Maria are joined by JupiterOne’s self proclaimed “accidental CMO,” Tyler Shields. Tyler shares his three step approach for building out marketing programs at startups, how to establish company culture remotely, setting realistic expectations with internal stakeholders when building community at companies, and why your company is in need of a “talking head.” Lastly, Tyler spills the beans on the true mastermind behind his Yeti swag and the current marketing models and platforms he’s engaging in.  
 
Key takeaways:
00:40  Bio
02:10  Tyler’s 3 step approach for startup marketing
06:39  Remote working - communication is key!
09:54  Trust building and authentic leadership 
11:06  Establishing company culture remotely
13:43  Accountability and teamwork 
15:35  What’s in store for JupiterOne in 2022?!
18:18  Building community - foundation first  
22:54  Setting realistic expectations 
24:28  Spokespeople and “talking heads”
27:03  Favorite swag and the true Yeti mastermind
31:35  Product-led growth and establishing value
34:10  Social media, podcasting, and modern marketing models
35:41  Platforms - Youtube, Shopify, Slack, and the whole gambit!
39:01  Stay in touch with Tyler
 
See photos of Tyler’s favorite swag, a list of the tools mentioned on this episode, and get the episode transcript here 
 
Stay in touch with Tyler on Twitter and LinkedIn, and JupiterOne
Connect with Gianna on LinkedIn 
Connect with Maria on LinkedIn 
Follow the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on Twitter or learn more at the Cybersecurity Marketing Society website
Check out more from Hacker Valley Media and Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing Podcast