Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing

Making Friends & Vanquishing Enemies: The Story of the Cybersecurity Marketing Society

Gianna Whitver, our fearless co-host, finds herself on the opposite side of the microphone this week as she talks about community— specifically the community of the Cybersecurity Marketing Society. From the founder’s story to present-day, Maria interviews Gianna about the journey of the Cybersecurity Marketing Society, including how it was formed, who was in mind when it was created, and what’s next for our ever-expanding community. Have you joined the Society yet? You will after this episode! 
Timecoded Guide:
[00:00] Carving out our own community for in-house cybersecurity marketers
[07:29] Aligning our community with the aspects of identity, participation, and rewards
[12:36] Encouraging participation & knowing the limits of the high-stress cyber industry
[16:22] Introducing our upcoming events at RSA and Cyber Marketing Con 2022
[24:45] Connecting our community with marketing job boards, networking opportunities, and a place that they can call their ownCan you walk through the founder’s journey of the Cybersecurity Marketing Society?
After connecting during a job interview, Gianna and Maria developed both a strong friendship and a mutually beneficial relationship as cybersecurity marketers at smaller companies. As many of our Society members know, there are very limited resources for cyber marketing specifically, and even less of those resources provide mentorship or intel. Right before the pandemic hit, an idea was born: What if there could be an entire group of cyber marketers helping each other online? 
“Being cybersecurity marketers at smaller companies, we didn't have a lot of internal resources or people to bounce ideas off of, or people to ask, ‘What are you seeing in the market? What's the best practice in this area? What do you think about this event?’”
 
Community needs to align with identity, encourage participation, and provide reward. In your opinion, how did the Cybersecurity Marketing Society achieve these three?
The Cybersecurity Marketing Society is run by cyber marketers for cyber marketers, and we aren’t afraid to admit that we vet all of our applications for potential new members. While this helps with the identity of our group, it also encourages participation from our members, who know that the CMS is a safe space to inquire and seek more information without just being advertised to or manipulated. Not only is this safe space a reward, we also offer exclusive events, virtual and in-person, and produce assets like the 2021 State of Cybersecurity Marketing report.
“There are some groups I know of that require that you post once a day or once a week, and we actually don't require that. One of the reasons we don't is because we know that cybersecurity marketing can be a really, really intense industry.” 
 
What does the Cyber Marketing Society have planned for Cyber Marketing Con 2022? What about at RSA?
Considering the Cybersecurity Marketing Society was born in 2020, we haven’t been able to execute in-person event opportunities for our members. However, Gianna has incredible news: in-person meetups and events are coming— twice! Join us at RSA on June 7th from 3:30 to 5:30 at the Press Club for a cyber marketing meet-up, and mark your calendars for Cyber Marketing Con 2022, happening virtually AND in-person in November.
“Beyond the internal core, the heart of this, which is the Cybersecurity Marketing Slack community, there's so many ways to get involved. There's so many ways to be rewarded and to feel the connection of the group beyond that, including our Cyber Marketing Con.”
 
What does the Cybersecurity Marketing Society mean to you personally, in your career and in your personal life? 
For Gianna, the community of the Cyber Marketing Society isn’t just about the posts, the events, or the data shared; it’s also about the lives changed and the people helped by everything the Society does. Hearing feedback from cybersecurity marketers who have gotten a job from our job board, improved their budget with the insight they’ve received, and learned something new from what we have to offer has been invaluable.
“My ethos is that I treat everybody who joins the Society as if they're my best friend, and I have made some amazing friendships with some wonderful people, just based off of us congregating in a digital room together every day for the past 600 days.”
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Links:
Get tickets for our upcoming Cyber Marketing Con 2022, and check out what we did during Cyber Marketing Con 2021.
Join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, and keep up with us on Twitter. 
Read the 2021 State of Cybersecurity Marketing report.
Follow Gianna on LinkedIn.
Catch up with Maria on LinkedIn.
Keep up with Hacker Valley on our website, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.

Finding Success Under the Product-Led Growth Umbrella with Breezy Beaumont

Breezy Beaumont, Head of Growth at Correlated, takes us into the new and noteworthy world of product-led growth this week. Breezy walks us through the essentials of what product-led growth (PLG) is, top strategies in the PLG world, marketing team tactics for PLG cyber companies, and how data looks differently with this go-to-market strategy. Is the secret to tackling the market hidden in product-led growth? Breezy helps us uncover the mystery!
 
Timecoded Guide:
[00:00] Introducing the (still relatively new) concept of product-led growth companies
[05:38] Implementing PLG go-to-market strategies in the cybersecurity industry
[12:29] Breaking through highly competitive industries and being the first to market
[20:35] Understanding the product you’re marketing and achieving customer success
[26:16] Following the journey data takes in a product-led growth company
 
What is product-led growth? 
Product-led growth, or PLG, has become a buzzword that cybersecurity marketers hear, but rarely do we understand PLG as a go-to-market strategy. If you can go to a website and immediately get started with a product, that is product-led growth. Putting product at the forefront of your company, especially if this is a product-led growth cybersecurity company, changes the roles within your organization and removes many barriers in the sales process.
“Product-led growth is a little bit of an umbrella term for a lot of things that people are probably a little bit more familiar with. Basically, it's a way of describing any way that you can go to a website and immediately get started with the product, it's easily accessible to you.” 
 
What are some cybersecurity companies or cybersecurity use cases that you've seen work with PLG?
Although product-led growth can feel at odds with the cybersecurity industry, Breezy assures us that PLG works for companies in all areas of cyber, including identity management, IoT security, and security ops. While PLG can thrive anywhere, tactics can range from freemium product levels, free trials, or product preview options, all of which encourage a product-forward approach to the sales process. Breezy explains that even product tours are becoming an early element of product-led growth strategy for many cyber companies. 
“It's all about reducing friction in the buying process, because the buying process today stinks. It especially stinks for people who don't want to talk to people that much. We shouldn't have to put up X amount of dollars before purchasing.”
 
How do you respond to people who say, "I don't want my competition to see my products?" 
Cybersecurity teaches us to think twice and to act cautiously with our data and information, and cybersecurity companies can embody this mindset as well. Product-led growth can feel like foolishly you’re giving away all your assets and information to your competitors, but Breezy explains that your competitors already have access to previews and demos of your product. Instead of fearing your competitors seeing your product, focus on product-led growth as a means to becoming the first in the market.
“The competition is fierce. And so, I'd say first of all, your competitors are already seeing your product out there, but second of all, you want to be first in the market. You want to get that market share as quickly as possible.”
 
Do PLG companies have to have an official customer marketing team, or one customer marketing person that's fully in charge of customer marketing? 
Roles change when an organization shifts from a traditional go-to-market strategy to a product-led growth strategy. Marketing is not exempt from these changes, and instead often acts as a huge part of the sales and revenue processes as result of these changes. Breezy explains that, although we’re used to each department having separate data silos and clearly divided roles, the streamlined data approach of product-led growth facilitates collaboration and communication. 
“One of the big changes that happens in a product-led company is the data that we're working off of, on both the marketing side and across the company. In a lot of product-led companies, the entire revenue team, if not the entire team altogether, all work off of the same dataset.”
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Links:
Get tickets for our upcoming Cyber Marketing Con 2022. 
Spend some time with our guest Breezy Beaumont on LinkedIn.
Learn more about Correlated on LinkedIn and the Correlated website. 
Follow Gianna on LinkedIn.
Catch up with Maria on LinkedIn.
Join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, and keep up with us on Twitter.
Keep up with Hacker Valley on our website, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.

Overcoming Startup Go-To-Market Hurdles with CMO & Advisory Board Member Carol Meyers

Carol Meyers is an Independent Board Director, Advisor, and Investor. She has held CMO positions at companies like Rapid7 and LogMeIn, along with numerous consulting and advisory positions at cyber startups. Carol develops go-to-market plans that drive growth and strategy in businesses. In this episode, she shares her wisdom for building a successful go-to-market strategy…and career, covering inbound marketing, target audience development, start-up hiring, and career self-confidence.  
 
Timecoded Guide: 
[01:59] Struggles faced and advice for young women starting out in tech
[03:28] Carol’s components of a go-to marketing plan
[12:10] Who to pick for your team at a start-up
[19:41] Ways to measure success
[28:41] How advisory boards can be your cheerleaders
 
What are the ingredients of a go-to marketing plan?
Carol says to have a solid plan, you have to have the resources and information prepared to best support your channels. If you are unable to tell your channels who you are and what you’re selling, then your business isn’t ready. It’s all about knowing your buyer; who they are and how you can solve their problem. It's also important to consider why they should choose you to solve it. Once you have a clear plan and ways to measure and test it, you will be better suited for taking the first step.
“It's not that someone has to spend money to buy your solution, but they have to invest their personal time to evaluate your solution and to think about the problem that you're solving for them.”
 
What are the most important metrics to keep an eye on? 
The most important metric is also the most obvious; that customers are buying and using your products and services. You might see your audience in varying stages that may not match the one you’re in. Be sure to look at all the stages of conversion. Some that are not on the traditional pipeline might get overlooked when they play a big part in lead generation. Carol reminds us to keep a sharp eye on micro-conversions; while they may not be counted in the pipeline, they can still play a huge factor in a sale or lead.
“Your number one goal in marketing is you've got to be a part of revenue, you've got to be driving revenue.”
 
What is the role of an advisory board? 
Carol explains that the role of an advisory board can look different from company to company. In her experience, a set of challenges are brought to the board, and then they present possible solutions and advice for that problem. There is also a one-on-one side to being an advisor, which is one of her favorite aspects. Talking through roadblocks and bouncing ideas creates a valuable and intimate relationship between advisors and company leaders.
“Having a group of advisers around you and people who can even just be a cheerleader for you can be really helpful.”
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Links: 
Connect with Carol Meyers on LinkedIn.
Catch up with Maria on LinkedIn.
Follow Gianna on LinkedIn.
Grab your ticket to the Cyber Marketing Con 2022.
Join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, and keep up with us on Twitter.
Keep up with Hacker Valley on our website, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. 
Additional resources: BlackKite Security, Security ScoreCard

Influence as Currency in Modern Marketing: Channel Partnerships ft David Brown

David Brown is the Director of Global Partner Marketing for ZeroFox, a computer and network security company based out of Baltimore, MD. David has over fifteen years of experience in the international B2B marketing field. He joins us as we discuss partnership channel marketing. David believes it's a positive direction for businesses to go in the future of marketing.
Timecoded Guide: 
In this podcast, David covers: 
[1:06] The breakdown and variables of channel partner marketing
[13:36] Where your program partners are and what they need from you
[21:24] Tactics to enlist new partners for small companies
[35:19] How David’s early career prepared him for cybersecurity marketing
 
What is channel partner marketing?
This fresh approach to marketing allows for a broader market and network, while also increasing revenue for the companies involved. When partnering with another company through channel partnership, both remain independent. They share the benefits of re-selling and distributing each other’s products. Not only that, the partners act as influencers for each other’s brands.
 
“Really, what we're looking at with partner marketing is working with another organization in order to amplify your sales and marketing capabilities.”
 
Why is channel partnership the future of marketing? 
David thinks everyone can benefit from a channel marketing partnership, especially when it comes to inbound marketing. This may be his hot-take in the industry, but he has seen the growth and advantage of inviting other companies to endorse your products. With these channels comes influence, and David believes that influence is the new currency of business.
 
“And when the channel team in the partnership team is more integrated into sales, marketing, and product, it seems to be a lot more successful.”
 
How does this fit into sales?
Your channels are out there building brand awareness, relationships, and networking. As they drive engagement up, leads will follow suit. It also gives the sales team more resources to get the job done. By creating a partnership program that works alongside your sales team, hitting target goals becomes much easier.
 
“My job, and people that I work with on the marketing team, is to take our limited resources and direct them at those partners that are starting to build that momentum and go out there.” 
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Links: 
If you have questions or want to chat, email David at dabrown@zerofox.com or message him on the Cybersecurity Marketing Society Slack!
Find David Brown on LinkedIn.
Follow Gianna on LinkedIn.
Catch up with Maria on LinkedIn.
Grab your ticket to the Cyber Marketing Con 2022.
Join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, and keep up with us on Twitter.
Keep up with Hacker Valley on our website, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. 
Additional resources: ZeroFox, Crossbeam, Cybersecurity Marketing Con, Forrester, Menlo Security, Tierra Security
 

Marketers are Ethical Hackers Prove Me Wrong with Clark Barron

Joining Maria and Gianna this week is Clark Barron, the Demand Generation Manager at Nisos. He has a background in cybersecurity marketing, photography, and independent film, and is an avid gamer. Clark shares his unconventional ways of lead generation through websites. Every marketing campaign might feel like it says the same thing, but Clark defies the user’s expectations to bring in user interest and stand out in the field.
 
Timecoded Guide: 
[05:48] Marketers are hackers of different colors
[09:14] Campaigns that changed the game
[15:08] How Clark tracks his unprecedented marketing campaigns
[22:31] Communicating with leadership to try your ideas
How can marketers apply this approach to messaging branding?
Marketers have more influence and power than they often realize. The similarity between hackers and marketers is that marketers are gathering data in an ethical manner. Both are building personas, exploiting pain points, researching, and reaching vulnerabilities. Clark believes that is the power of choice to be good ethical marketers. 
“Marketers, a lot of times, don't realize the kind of powers that they have, they have to make a choice to use them for good. That's the way I look at it.”
 
How have specific campaigns you’ve implemented changed the game?
Clark started his process by evaluating voice and brand identity. He sat back and watched what others were doing. Noticing that all the cybersecurity websites were saying the same thing over and over, Clark decided to take action in a wacky way. He developed a marketing strategy that changed the game.
“Subvert their expectations from the very beginning. They're expecting one thing, and they're getting something completely different. We know what they're expecting, but instead, what we're gonna do is, we're gonna say, ‘Enjoy a completely different cybersecurity landing page.’”
 
 How do you have conversations with leadership to go along with these ideas?
The first step is to have those conversations. If the CEO or higher-up doesn’t understand marketing processes, then you need to have those conversations with them. Long-term growth is what you should be working toward. Before you cast out the big campaigns, you have to have small wins so you’re better prepared for a marketing plan with bigger risks.
“A lot of bigger organizations are not going to be able to do this. I have that level of self-awareness that I know that, however, what you can do is change the way you look at conversations with leadership.”
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Links: 
Find Clark Barron on his website or LinkedIn and check out his blog here!
Follow Gianna on LinkedIn.
Catch up with Maria on LinkedIn.
Grab your ticket to the Cyber Marketing Con 2022.
Join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, and keep up with us on Twitter.
Keep up with Hacker Valley on our website, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. 
Additional resources: Nisos, PhishFirewall, DEF CON, Cybersecurity Marketing Society, Celeste

Video Marketing at Any Budget with Sky Kennedy

Sky Kennedy, Video Storyteller and Content Creator at Studio Sky, joins us to talk about her expertise— video! Inspired to become part of the cyber world after her work with Cylance, Sky loves teaching the cybersecurity industry about the amazing stories we can tell through videos. Whether you’re a one-person cyber marketing team on a shoestring budget or a corporate marketer looking for your next project, Sky shares the tips and tools marketers need to use video content to connect with their audience.
 
Timecoded Guide:
[00:00] Sky’s history and background in cyber with Cylance
[05:52] Video projects at Cylance and their influence on Sky’s work today
[08:50] Customer testimonials and the value of emotional connection in video
[17:09] DIY video content ideas for low budget marketers
[24:53] Video marketing budget breakdowns for cybersecurity teams
 
In your opinion, what makes a good customer testimonial video?
Testimonials can feel repetitive and disingenuous when customers repeat what a company already says about themselves. “You’ve got a great cybersecurity solution,” is nice to hear, but Sky believes that the value of a good testimonial is in the connection a customer feels to the organization. When a customer is willing to explain how the organization helped them behind-the-scenes, connected with them after their product was purchased, and solved their problems beyond the surface-level solution, that creates a testimonial that makes an impact.
“The best testimonials, in my opinion, are about how the company and the product and the people are really there for the customer, which engages the whole emotional side.”
 
What important aspects of video storytelling are critical to making sure your message gets across?
When cybersecurity professionals tell Sky, “I want a video,” the unfortunate reality is that they rarely know what kind of video content they’re looking for. Sky believes in upfront input and understanding with all of her clients. She goes in depth, asks a lot of questions about what they’re looking for, and guides them every step of the way to ensure success. The end goal is to show off the value of this company, of the products and solutions they create, but Sky understands that she needs to know their value inside and out in order to showcase it.
“I’ve created a list of questions about what a customer wants, what their expectations are, how much they want to spend on the project, and what their timeline is all about. I cover the whole issue of what their expectation is for this particular video that we're going to create.” 
 
Can you share some DIY tools for marketers making video content on a shoestring budget?
We’ve interviewed some one-person marketing teams on the podcast before, so we wanted to ask Sky about what low budget video marketing might look like. Sky explained that the videos filmed on smartphones and edited on simple applications can still make an incredible impact. Numerous commercials, viral videos, and even Oscar-nominated films have used smartphone cameras. What matters more is the value of the content from a messaging standpoint. Use your small budget to show off how much you love your organization, not how much you love your new camera.
“My whole goal is to not use cameras. Not because I don't like video cameras, but I am not a camera technician. Cameras cost a lot of money, and they take a lot of effort and energy to learn how to use them.”
 
What advice do you have for marketers struggling to convince leadership to allocate a part of their budget to video? 
While small teams with meager budgets might have to make something out of nothing, marketers with larger teams and larger budgets have to make value out of their video investment. Sky encouraged us to consider how much content can come from just one video. A couple of minutes of well-planned video content can be broken up, edited, and used in many ways. It’s never just a video. Instead, it’s numerous marketing assets and an invaluable look at the behind-the-scenes of what your organization does and how you can differentiate yourselves from your cybersecurity competitors.
“We can take that video, we can cut it up, and we can use it in a variety of different ways. So, that $5,000 investment, when we amortize over 20 or 30 elements that we're using it in, ends up being only a couple hundred dollars per element.”
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Links:
Spend some time with our guest Sky Kennedy on LinkedIn and on her website, or shoot her an email at SkyKennedy@StudioSkyVideo.com
Follow Gianna on LinkedIn.
Catch up with Maria on LinkedIn.
Join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, and keep up with us on Twitter.
Keep up with Hacker Valley on our website, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.

PLG & the Secret Marketing Sauce with Ashish Rajan

Ashish Rajan does SO many things. He is the producer and host of Cloud Security Podcast, the Head of Security & Compliance at PageUp, a Course Instructor at SANS Institute, a Faculty at IANS, a trainer, an AWS builder, and the founder of the DevSECOps Melbourne meetup and Cybersecurity for Startups— and he even has time to have beef with Ryan Reynolds. We asked Ashish on the podcast to find out how he does it all in cybersecurity, as well as his thoughts on cyber marketing and the latest focus on PLG.
 
Timecoded Guide:
[00:00] Introducing the many roles of Ashish, including his meetups with Cloud Security and DevSecOps in London
[05:21] Missed cyber education opportunities with Ryan Reynolds’ 1Password commercial
[15:02] Vendor process for product purchasing, right from the mouth of a CISO
[25:07] Product lead growth (PLG) and how security product become eligible for PLG
[34:44] Ashish’s strategy for consistent multi platform social media marketing 
 
Recently, you were in London for an event. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
Ashish takes his many roles in cyber and tech super seriously, managing to schedule a variety of professional meetups and live streams on his trip to London. Originally planning to travel for personal reasons, Ashish found himself working with DevSecOps, planning a meetup for Cloud Security, and working through a very different, yet very tech savvy live stream setup. Consistency is key from Ashish’s perspective— rain or shine, he’s been running this live stream for three years, which is a huge commitment but a worthwhile investment in his audience.  
“The whole thing took exactly a week to plan, and I think it was really fascinating that we just announced a meetup with the DevSecOps London group over there.  We had about 120 people turn up for that event. That was great.”
 
What was your opinion on Ryan Reynolds’ ad for 1Password?
Ashish had some choice words on a recent Ryan Reynolds’ commercial online, but we wanted to pick his brain even further. Does Ashish have beef with Ryan? It turns out, not really (although he is definitely open to working with him), but he does think Ryan and 1Password missed an opportunity to further cyber education. With that wide of a platform and that prominent of a figure, Ashish would have liked to see Ryan and his team break down the necessity of strong, secure passwords, as well as advocate for everyday people to consider the security threats they might encounter. 
“I thought: Why not use that video as a way to educate and piggyback on the thing that Ryan Reynolds was trying to talk about? But give it a more cybersecurity value spin. So, the video that I made was more around what he was really trying to talk about.”
 
What are your opinions about marketing in the cyber vendor space?
As a CISO friend of the Cybersecurity Marketing Society, we know we can count on Ashish to notice and pay attention to solid marketing strategy in the cyber industry. A major pain point, not only for us, but for Ashish, has been a lack of creative freedom amongst marketing teams in the industry. Ashish has felt honestly disappointed by the tough constraints that certain cyber companies have placed on their marketing departments, including forcing them to color inside the lines of board and investor opinions on marketing strategies.
“I feel the true marketing is where you're just giving value. Someone buying the product is literally just a byproduct of this. You've given so much value, it doesn't make sense to the person to not buy the product.”
 
Can you expand on your thoughts around PLG?
PLG, or Product Lead Growth, just might be the future for developers in the cyber community. Developers have a voice, and Ashish has encountered a few companies ready to listen to those voices— even though their competitors still might not be. Using ease of adoption, or how fast someone can get used to your product, and time of value, or how fast a developer can see the results of your product, PLG is not only achievable, but profitable. PLG is already happening, according to Ashish, and it's only a matter of time before companies will have to start asking themselves: How do we convince the developers?
“Once you've got there, is it going to take 1 week for them to get the result? Or, is it going to be a few seconds? No developer is going to spend more than an hour waiting for this result.”
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Links:
Spend some time with our guest Ashish Rajan on his website, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
Follow Gianna on LinkedIn.
Catch up with Maria on LinkedIn.
Join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, and keep up with us on Twitter.
Keep up with Hacker Valley on our website, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.
The Candy Industry website has a candy-related podcast. 

Treat us like Humans! How Marketers Can Evade the Block Party with Ken Underhill

How do marketers get “blocked” by cybersecurity practitioners? We’re making a list with Ken Underhill, CEO of Cyber Life. Along with what NOT to do, we’ll also talk about his awesome career in cyber and his most recent work with his company’s training program, Cyber Life School. Using his years of experience and his reputation as one of the funniest guys in cyber, Ken sheds some light on low-cost educational opportunities for future security practitioners, discusses his new book about crushing your next job interview, and even shares what might be next for Cyber Life’s television show.
 
Timecoded Guide:
[00:00] Introducing Ken beyond his accolades & reputation
[07:12] Seeing the human side of technology marketing
[13:34] Private InfoSec communities & cyber safe spaces
[20:00] Future guests & technology topics on Cyber Life’s TV show
[23:45] Hacking your next security job interview with expert advice
 
Can you tell us about your journey in networking and building your brand?
Although Ken has a strong personal brand, he’s completely willing to admit that he took a less traditional route to get there. Focusing less on branding and more on giving back to his community, Ken’s personal brand happened because of his other actions, not because of his focus on personal professional development. Sharing his authentic self with the world on tv, in speaking engagements, or at networking events doesn’t scare Ken, even though he considers himself introverted. It’s instead all about sharing what he’s learned, no matter how small, in cybersecurity, in the other industries he’s been a part of, and in his personal life. 
“Look back a couple of years, or even just six months, right? You were a different person back then. You've learned something since then. Whatever that is, share it.”
 
What are some ways that cybersecurity marketers or marketing cyber products have fallen short or failed you as a security practitioner?
As a security practitioner, Ken represents the people we market directly towards as cybersecurity marketers. Considering his role in our security audience, we were curious about what he considers the dos and don’ts of cyber marketing. Ken’s biggest cyber product pet peeve actually centers around too much focus on the product itself. If you’re spending all your focus and energy on just considering the technology and not acknowledging the humans you’re marketing towards, Ken believes that you’re just shoving tech down someone’s throat and not making an impact. 
“I think the mistake a lot of people make, especially around technology products or services, is they think it's just technology. You have got to remember that there's a human on the other side there.”
 
What are some exciting things in the works at Cyber Life?
With his roots in podcasting and content creation, we’re excited to give Ken the spotlight to share his company, Cyber Life, and the amazing work they’re doing. Currently, Cyber Life centers their services around a television show, which Ken loves being a part of because of its combination of podcast-style interviews and Bill Nye-esque learning segments. However, education television isn’t the only thing Cyber Life is doing these days. Considering Ken’s low income upbringing and his passion for educational programming, Cyber Life School exists alongside Cyber Life to democratize cybersecurity education and offer free training for security practitioners, regardless of their stage in the industry.
“At Cyber Life School, we've democratized cybersecurity education. Everything's the ‘pay what you can’ model. If you grew up like me and have no money, you can still afford to go there, because it's free. If you want to pay, you can pay, if you want to pay at a discount and support us, you can do so.”
 
Can you tell us about the book you co-authored, Hack the Cybersecurity Interview?
Alongside television, education, and security, Ken has most recently dipped his toes in the water as a writer. Co-authoring a book with Tia Hopkins and Chris Foulon, Hack the Cybersecurity Interview will be hitting the shelves soon and is already available for pre-order on Amazon. Using years of experience interviewing and being interviewed for cybersecurity jobs, Tia, Chris, and Ken share personalized advice about the process of job searching and interviewing for open cyber positions. Customized to include numerous types of security practitioner roles, this book is a major resource for future cyber professionals and for cybersecurity marketers looking to better understand their audience.
“Pretty much every interview I've ever been in has the exact same questions, they go off a checklist for the behavioral interview questions. So, the ones in that chapter of the book are things you want to study, definitely, no matter what job you're going for.”
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Links:
Spend some time with our guest Ken Underhill on LinkedIn.
Learn more about Cyber Life on their website and LinkedIn.
Check out Ken’s book, Hack the Cybersecurity Interview.
The Candy Industry website has a candy-related podcast.
Follow Gianna on LinkedIn.
Catch up with Maria on LinkedIn.
Join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, and keep up with us on Twitter.
Keep up with Hacker Valley on our website, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.

Security Awareness for SMBs with Rodrigo Leme

Rodrigo Leme, Marketing Director at Right-Hand Security, joins us this week to cover the often ignored topic in cybersecurity of marketing to small and medium-sized businesses, or SMBs. Covering the concepts of business use cases, security awareness training, and post-sales support, Rodrigo explains the ins and outs, the good and the bad, the tips and the tricks of cyber marketing in the SMB world and when we should consider the bottom line (hint: it’s probably more than you think).
 
Timecoded Guide:
[03:14] Talking to non-technical customers in SMBs about cybersecurity and security awareness training and getting to the root of their problems and pain points
[08:30] Seeing past the term of SMB to understand the people you’re marketing to and what a good culture of cybersecurity can bring to them
[23:39] Advocating against fear, uncertainty, and doubt when marketing to SMBs and the importance of focusing on what’s good for your people, not what’s scariest
[29:09] Understanding the importance of post-sales support, engaging with customer feedback, and recognizing what customers want to see from your services
[35:39] Exploring strange and unusual business use cases and seeing the commonality of empathy for pain points in marketing 
 
Rodrigo, can you tell us about marketing to the SMB customer?
We don’t always get a chance to dive into SMB marketing with such a knowledgeable source, but Rodrigo invites us to consider the differences between an SMB and a large company customer throughout this episode. First, consider the size of a team you may be working with. Instead of having a CISO or a head of security, a business owner may be working on security themselves, hoping to find guidance from you on how to move forward in a small team. Additionally, Rodrigo warns that many SMB clients may not see the security opportunities beyond their tech goals, such as a restauranter seeking to add WI-FI to their offerings and missing additional security awareness strategies that need to be pointed out to them.
“The SMB customer has problems on the surface that he knows he has, like, ‘I want Wi-Fi in my restaurant for my guests.’ And he has issues that he's not aware of, or he has opportunities he's not aware of, like he may have security issues behind that Wi-Fi access that he doesn't know about.”
 
Can you tell us how Walmart used cybersecurity for PR?
According to Rodrigo, good cybersecurity is even better for PR. This idea could be held up with a myriad of examples, but one Rodrigo is particularly enamored with is Walmart’s prevention of gift card scams. With the ability to prevent scams and return funds before customers lose their money, Walmart has saved their customers over a million dollars and have been praised for this initiative by major news outlets. Although this is a drop in the bucket within an ocean of an issue, Rodrigo points out that saving any customer any amount of money and preventing them from being scammed in any way leads to massive PR benefits, especially when you can show off how well you understand your customer’s pain points. 
“Let's say that you're protecting those customers from getting into scams that make those people lose their mortgage money, or whatever. You're saving them a million, even if it's only a million, that's good PR. That only happens if you understand the end customer pain points, not the immediate pain points of the organization.”
 
What are your thoughts on FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) in marketing to these SMBs and in these business use cases? 
We’ve discussed the idea of FUD before on the podcast, and how it’s never a good cyber marketing tactic to exploit someone’s fear, uncertainty, or doubt. Although our examples have ranged from large corporations to individual consumers, we wanted to talk with Rodrigo about his perspective on marketing for SMBs and the danger of FUD. Rodrigo, considering himself a positive person with a lighthearted demeanor, finds using FUD in marketing to SMBs to be manipulative and redundant. Rodrigo argues that not only do small business owners fear for their security, they also come to Right-Hand with a desire to enhance their security already in mind. They don’t need to be scared further if a positive approach could be just as influential.
“I do not like fear, uncertainty, and doubt. I do believe that, since we're in the education business, I do like educating. We do believe in empathy. We listen to our customers, we do ask the ‘why,’ to understand the pain points of the customers.”
 
What are some best practices around supporting the post-sales process, after you've sold a product? 
Marketing so often focuses on the beginning of the sales cycle. We love to reach out to new customers and encourage those doing their research to check out our products, but we don’t always talk about what happens after a sale takes place. For Rodrigo and his team at Right-Hand, the post-sales process requires its own understanding of your customer and their security goals beyond what they might see for themselves. Following up with customers post-sale not only leads to high-quality feedback for Rodrigo and his team, it also allows for them to see where support is still needed for their customer, including analyzing the results of their security awareness training and setting up further opportunities to reduce human risk.
“Are we really reducing human risk? If we're not: How can we help them? Can we help them leverage the services? Can we sit down with them and help build stronger content training content? Are they having problems creating content for the training?”
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Links:
Spend some time with our guest Rodrigo Leme on his website and LinkedIn
Learn more about Right-Hand Cybersecurity on LinkedIn and their website
Follow Gianna on LinkedIn
Catch up with Maria on LinkedIn
Join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, and keep up with us on Twitter
Keep up with Hacker Valley on our website, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter
 

Marketing in Male-Dominated Fields with CMO Sherry Lowe

Sherry Lowe, CMO of Exabeam, joins us this week to talk about marketing strategies during the pandemic as well as representing women in the male-dominated industries of tech and cybersecurity. With CMO experience at Druva, Expanse, and Exabeam, Sherry explains how her encounters with sexism in the cyber industry inspired her to pursue high-level management and board opportunities, including her work with FirstBoard.io, and how she’s pivoted to focus on digital marketing during the uncertainty of COVID-19.
Timecoded Guide:
[01:55] Witnessing changes in cybersecurity marketing tactics and practices as the online and digital world continues to influence our audiences
[04:11] Shifting away from events-based marketing budgets during the COVID-19 pandemic and embracing more digital cyber marketing opportunities
[08:29] Changing her strategies and altering her marketing budget when joining Exabeam as the CMO, especially considering the timing for the pandemic
[15:17] Acknowledging progress being made for women in cyber, while also keeping in mind the impact of the pandemic and the economy on mothers working in tech
[20:18] Dealing with sexism and toxicity in the workplace, especially in male-dominated industries, and advocating for more women in marketing and in leadership
 
How has cybersecurity marketing changed from when you started?
With a storied career both behind and ahead of Sherry, we were excited to ask her about what she’s seen change the most since beginning her career in the cyber industry. Her answer? An increased focus on digital marketing and online content. When Sherry started, websites were not the focus for many cyber companies, versus today where websites are a hugely influential part of the marketing team’s job and generates the best leads for the majority of cyber and tech companies. 
“A really huge shift that I've seen over the years is just how powerful driving prospects to your website is. To interact on the website, not just to land on it and read something, but to actually do something there. Those conversion rates are going to end up being really some of the best leads that you ever see.”
 
Can you pinpoint any specific changes that happened at Exabeam and in cyber marketing, specifically around the pandemic?
Although cyber marketing has changed in leaps and bounds since Sherry became a part of the industry, the pandemic brought a huge shift in the marketing perspective and the marketing budget for cyber marketing and for Exabeam. Joining Exabeam during the pandemic, Sherry was admittedly horrified to realize that a large majority of their budget, nearly 80%, was focused on marketing at in-person events. With the pandemic making travel restricted and group gatherings nearly impossible, Sherry quickly pivoted their efforts and their budget to digital marketing, striving to engage customers online and continue to innovate their outreach beyond what it would be in an event setting or at large gatherings.
“Cyber security marketing loves the trade show. They love the big box trade show, and it was a forced shift for the cybersecurity industry because COVID changed all of that. If you were not a digital-first marketing organization when COVID hit, you had to do that shift so quickly.”
 
What's the mission of FirstBoard.io, and what ceilings are you trying to break?
We’ve accomplished so much in the cyber world, continuing to bridge the gap between where men and women are represented in the industry. However, Sherry points out that a large majority of company boards fail to provide strong opportunities for women in cyber and in tech. Hoping to give more women the opportunity to serve on their first boards and get a start in leadership in the industry, Sherry became a founding member of FirstBoard.io.
“Right now, women are just not as represented as men on boards…and there's a tendency to keep using the same women on boards. So, we're trying to expand it, so that opportunities go beyond just the same four or five women.”
 
Do you have any advice that you could share with people listening today about workplace toxicity and sexism?
There’s thankfully a lot of emphasis around creating safe work environments for any company, but especially in cyber these days. Unfortunately, Sherry has seen the reality of what it’s like to experience unsafe work environments first-hand. After being harassed on more than one occasion by a male coworker, Sherry spoke up and had to cope with the consequences of doing so, losing friends and leaving her job after doing so. As difficult as this situation was, Sherry is thankful for the realization that brought her: she could be a CMO, she could be a leader in cyber, and she could build a safer environment for the women that worked with her.
“Everyone always says, ‘If you see something, say something,’ but what they don't tell you is the sentence that comes after that: ‘But prepare for the consequences of saying something.’ That's the sentence they forget to say after that, and you have to weigh that for yourself.” 
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Links:
Spend some time with our guest Sherry Lowe on LinkedIn
Learn more about Exabeam on the Exabeam website and LinkedIn
Keep up with Hacker Valley on our website, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter
Follow Gianna on LinkedIn
Catch up with Maria on LinkedIn
Join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, and keep up with us on Twitter