Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing

10 Cyber Marketing Commandments with Jennifer VanAntwerp

We invite Jennifer VanAntwerp, Principal at JVAN Consulting, to talk about taking the challenge of cybersecurity marketing by the horns. Her secret weapon? Kindness. Jen shares stories with us about her marketing journey to becoming a consultant, explains her development of the 10 Commandments of Kindness for Cybersecurity Marketers, and reminds us why communities like the Cybersecurity Marketing Society are so important for marketers and for the cybersecurity industry as a whole.
 
Timecoded Guide:
[02:12] Explaining Jen’s background in automotive marketing and healthcare, as well as connecting those industries to her newer roles in cybersecurity 
[08:36] Breaking down Jen’s 10 Commandments of Kindness for Cybersecurity Marketers and revealing which commandments feel most important for the industry currently
[18:34] Taking the challenge to develop handouts and merchandise beyond cheap plastic pens and unoriginal assets that don’t leave an impact on your audience
[23:40] Avoiding falling into the marketing trap of FUD: fear, uncertainty, and doubt, which is especially common in the cybersecurity industry
[32:08] Wrapping up Jen’s commandments with reading the room, avoiding common lies in marketing, and connecting better with our cyber community
 
You’ve worked in the automotive industry and in healthcare, what have you seen from those two industries be applicable in cyber?
Jennifer VanAntwerp has a very impressive marketing resume, including work in the automotive industry and the urgent care side of the healthcare industry. We were curious about differences, especially with Jen being relatively new to the cyber marketing world. The biggest difference, which we’ve actually discussed previously on the podcast, is the skepticism of the cybersecurity audience. Cyber professionals are already worried about the online threats we see emerge every day, but they're also skeptical, sometimes, of the tactics marketers use and the buzzword-y, almost meaningless language we can fall victim to. 
“There's always a new element or facet of cybersecurity that you can go into, but I would say the biggest difference between cybersecurity and the two other industries that I worked in, is the audience. Our audience is very, very skeptical. We've almost trained them to be.”
 
What do you think are the pros and cons of being a generalist in marketing?
With Jen having experience outside of the industry, she considers herself more of a generalist in her cybersecurity marketing tactics. She’s entirely willing to admit that she’s not the most technical marketer of the bunch. Although this presents a well-rounded mindset for the companies she consults with, she acknowledges that there may need to be an extra set of hands to do some technical explaining or a lot of extra time to do her research. There’s always something new to learn in cyber marketing, but it’s important to point out that it can be overwhelming, which is one of the reasons Jen developed her 10 commandments.
“It's a blessing and a curse. It's a good thing, because I can see the big picture, do a lot of the strategy elements, and understand what levers to pull, but with some of the levers, I might need a specialist to assist in that regard.”
 
Can you tell us about which of your 10 Cyber Marketing Commandments are the most important and why?
With these 10 marketing commandments, Jen shares all the basics of not only being a good marketer, but also being a good human in the cybersecurity industry. One of the most important commandments is the first of the 10, which is to respect your audience’s time. Everyone is busy, with a lot on their plate, and not acknowledging that in your marketing tactics not only can annoy your audience, but it can be a waste of time for you, as well. If your audience doesn’t have the time for your current strategy, you won’t get through to them.
“That's one of the things I love about the Cybersecurity Marketing Society, is that it is a way for us to share ideas and do that coopetition thing. Even though we might be competitors, we can still share ideas within the space, but I feel like it's a good chance for us to have constant reminders of what not to do.” 
 
What is so special about commandment 10: give back to the community? 
Although all 10 commandments offer lessons to be learned for our fellow cybersecurity marketers, commandment 10 emphasizes community and the importance of giving back. This can be traced all the way back to Jen’s mother, a passionate volunteer always lending help to her community. She’s been incredibly influential on Jen’s opinion of community, and the Cybersecurity Marketing Society has given Jen one of many opportunities to give back. From volunteering to donating, mentoring to offering someone a shoulder to cry on, your community needs your help, and the 10th cyber marketing commandment says just that.
“I ended it with that one, because I feel like that's the one that's going to keep going on forever. It's like commandment number 10 lives on for the rest of time, because those little acts of service within your community, they spread tenfold.”
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Links:
Spend some time with our guest Jennifer VanAntwerp on LinkedIn. 
Read Jen’s original 10 Commandments of Kindness for Cybersecurity Marketers.
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. 
 

Automotive vs Cybersecurity Marketing with Zereen Ali

Zereen Ali, Cyberforce Q’s Marketing Coordinator, brings her one-person team to the podcast today. Together, we talk about being new to cybersecurity, finding educational resources for cybersecurity marketers, and growing with Cyberforce Q from regional to national. With a variety of skills under her belt and a work history that includes automotive marketing for a tier-one supplier, Zereen has become a vital part of Cyberforce Q’s success. She hopes to take this company even further with leveraging partnerships and managing data quality. 
 
Timecoded Guide:
[03:08] Transitioning from an automotive to cybersecurity marketing position
[07:07] Structuring her work calendar around her one-person digital marketing team
[12:40] Approaching Cyberforce Q’s scaling from a marketing perspective and utilizing former automotive marketing strategies
[16:15] Marketing campaigns and techniques that have worked and haven’t worked for Cyberforce Q
[20:19] Joining the cybersecurity industry during the COVID pandemic
 
What is it like moving from automotive to cybersecurity marketing? 
After leaving the automotive industry during the pandemic, Zereen saw an opportunity in cybersecurity marketing to grow her content strategy skills, as well as learn the technical side of the cybersecurity industry. Leaving behind the more rigid and traditional world of automotive marketing, Zereen joined Cyberforce Q and immediately felt the personal impact that increased security has on their clients.
“In cyber, you can really feel that impact because you’re protecting people…We’re really protecting the end users in a lot of cases, and it feels really fulfilling.”
 
What marketing educational materials have been the most helpful for you? 
New to cyber, Zereen found herself with a lot to learn about the ins and outs of Cyberforce Q and their competitors’ products and services as well. Focusing on researching and networking, she joined our Cyber Marketing Society and has found an incredible community willing to answer questions and provide feedback for people just like Zereen. New to cyber, or looking for fellow cyber security marketers? Check out the Cyber Marketing Society! 
“[Cybersecurity Marketing Society] is such a wonderful place to start because you get an instant network…you can ask anyone any questions.” 
 
How does being a one-person team impact your work and your schedule?
From her experience in automotive marketing, Zereen has gotten used to small marketing teams and high accountability. In her role at Cyberforce Q, Zereen is a one-person marketing team. From email campaigns to content marketing to website editing, she has a high volume of work and often collaborates with only an intern or two. To manage this workload, she keeps a tight schedule and a flexible calendar that allows for last minute changes. 
“The brand touches every single piece of your organization. How I interact with clients, how our sales team interacts, and how our technical team interacts all need to have some strain of our vision within it.”
 
What is the next marketing strategy for Cyberforce Q? 
In the transition from regional to national, Zereen has been focusing Cyberforce Q’s marketing strategy around leveraging strategic partnerships and increasing opportunities for Cyberforce Q to be seen as a subject matter expert. While partnering with other companies and organizations helps potential customers learn about Cyberforce Q, using speaking engagements and other educational opportunities to share knowledge and explain case studies builds trust in their knowledge of cybersecurity.
“[At Cyberforce Q], we are really trying to position ourselves as that subject matter expert.”
 
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Links:
Spend some time with our guest Zereen Ali on LinkedIn and Facebook, or shoot her an email at zali@cyberforceq.com.
Learn more about Cyberforce Q on their website, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. 
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.
 

Having Fun with a Brand with Lori Cohen

Lori Cohen, fractional CMO at Chief Outsiders and former VP of Marketing for Percona, joins us this week to talk about the importance of your brand— not just your branding. From popping balloons with Veridium to saying “Mongo Wrongo” with Percona to falling in love with Made In pans, Lori explains how brands earn the right to live in our heads through keeping it personal and not being afraid to have a little fun with longer term strategies.
Timecoded Summary:
[03:27] Navigating brand identity and metrics in a high pressure environment
[07:48] Effective guerrilla marketing through thought interruption
[15:39] Showing up beyond the gimmick to create an impactful convention experience
[25:01] Getting in the heads of your audience and earning brand recognition
[33:36] Personalized communication and its impact on audience connection
Be sure to check out the photos and videos of the Mongo campaign, referenced by Lori, here!
How do you navigate that brand when you're in one of these venture-backed, high pressure, high performance environments?
When talking about branding goals, Lori is quick to explain her distaste for short-term goal measurement and how much focus certain brands spend on MQLs. Although short-term metrics can seem extremely successful, longer term projects with larger goals often lead to higher chances of profitability. Although it might take some convincing, Lori advises her fellow marketers to ask for the resources for longer term projects over the MQL-focused short-term.
“No one likes to talk about it. Nobody likes to put money towards it, and everybody confuses brand with branding. So, those are even some places that we can start.”
Can you explain how you go about sourcing these creative things instead of just sorting by cheapest?
As Lori explains her adventures in brand marketing, one question we kept asking ourselves was: How can we do that? It’s easy to fall for cheap marketing materials, like coffee cups and
pens, but those items rarely connect to our brand’s message. In Lori’s experience, the best way to source these creative ideas is long-term planning, similar to other marketing strategies she endorses. When we make our swag a part of our brand message, we avoid the gimmicks.
“It wasn't just a gimmick for gimmick sake. We got to translate that message into the pain that we know everybody feels and then demonstrate our technology.”
Tell us why you prefer that consumer brand over others. What is it that they do that's really good in brand building?
For an example of a brand that speaks to her heart, Lori tells us about her love of Made In. Made In makes pots, pans, and assorted cookware for people just like Lori, who are passionate about high quality tools to make high quality meals. Made In speaks to Lori and inspires her loyalty not only through living up to their high quality purpose, but for their consistent messaging and their focus on the right audience.
“They want to speak to me. They don't want to speak to my friend Robin, who we may look alike in terms of our demographics, but she has never cooked in our life. They would be wasting a fortune to go after her. They're really going after people like me.”
How would you feel if our brand disappeared?
Brands make their way into our heads and have the permission to stay there through connecting with us on a personal level. Lori is quick to remind us that, no matter how our customers and potential clients are connecting to us, there needs to be a personal approach to what we do and how we speak to them. From making sure our emails aren’t just automated by no-reply accounts to reaching out with fun messages and memes, we only can succeed with inspiring brand loyalty when we make ourselves worthy of that loyalty.
“I'm not saying it's easy, but the ones that do that well, I think they actually get invited into your home and begin feeling about your brand in a different way. And then your emails seem less spammy, and maybe more welcome in their inbox.”
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Spend some time with our guest Lori Cohen on LinkedIn, Twitter, the  Chief Outsiders website 
Additional resources mentioned in this 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

Content Marketing Strategies for “Securing Your Cheese” with Karen Walsh

We’re joined by Karen Walsh, Founder and CEO of Allegro Solutions, on the podcast today to talk about the good, bad, and ugly of cybersecurity content marketing. As a compliance expert, former professor, lawyer, and kickass cybersecurity auditor, Karen shares her formula for content marketing success, educates us on educating our audience, and even gives us a quick peek at one of her many talents outside of the cybersecurity space. 
Timecoded Summary:
[01:17] Introducing Karen and the concept of GRC (governance, risk, compliance)
[04:27] Educating your audience through correct usage of webpage real estate
[13:02] Discovering the formula for solid content marketing copy
[22:46] Throwing out a few vague and unhelpful content marketing “bad words” 
[34:41] Kicking ass in cybersecurity as a woman, a marketer, and a freelancer
Sponsor:
Thank you to our sponsors and producers Hacker Valley Media! Chris Cochran and Ron Eddings run an amazing studio, which produces not only the Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing podcast, but a bunch of other shows that you're going to want to listen to as well. You can check these all out at HackerValley.com. 
 
Do we really need to explain this again? 
When explaining the essentials of educating your audience, Karen encounters more than her fair share of clients who think they don’t have to explain or educate as much as they do. Education cannot be made with assumptions or without proper research into your audience. Although many of your potential clients may understand the terms you’re using, explaining and educating instead of assuming will avoid making an “*ss” out of anyone. 
“Have high standards of educating those who are coming into your website. They need to know things and they're not going to take that next step to convert if they don't understand and if you haven't educated them.”
 
How do you mix in SEO in order to be telling a good story to your buying audience, but also try and rank for terms for when people are searching?
Karen believes that SEO and content marketing is a formula, and bases a lot of her work around the essentials of that formula. These are three challenges that X industry has when trying to do Y security functions. Through explaining the challenges faced and the methods that could be used to solve them, you’re training yourself to not only educate, but to take up essential website real estate with impactful on-page SEO.
“I mean, it's formulaic. You set out a business problem that you're looking to solve, right? You define what that business problem is, and when you're defining what that business problem is, you focus on certain terms.”
 
What are your top marketing buzzwords to avoid on content?
Karen loves many things about content marketing, but there are some words that she cannot stand, including frictionless and actionable. For Karen, these words are vague and unhelpful in your marketing, leaving more questions than answers for potential clients. Get specific and explain why or how what you can provide separates your company from the pack. Don’t fall victim to meaningless marketing words when specificity can help so much more. 
“And I think part of the problem with a lot of these terms is people haven't really thought about what they mean by the term and so, it makes them meaningless.” 
 
How do you earn respect in cybersecurity as a woman and a marketer who knows her shit?
There are already huge barriers for women in cybersecurity, especially when coupled with non-technical roles, such as marketing and writing—  both of which are Karen’s specialties. Karen explains that, for her, there’s also the third layer of being a freelancer. Oftentimes, cybersecurity companies are playing into their own internal biases without realizing it and hurting freelancers by assuming negative things about their skills and quality of work. 
“I know I'm a good writer. It's what I like doing. I don't want to code, but I have to make sure people don't treat me like I'm stupid because I don't do the technical job, which goes along with the marketing because they think marketing is fluff.”
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Spend some time with our guest Karen Walsh on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and the Allegro Solutions website 
Additional resources mentioned in this podcast: Karen Walsh on Rate My Professor, Dark  Reading, Security Mag, Feedly’s cybersecurity feed, Help Net, Votiro, TryHackMe, Black Girls in Cyber, Tricia Kicks SaaS, Everest Shoulder Rest, Lindsey Stirling
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 Intersection of Marketing, Tech, & Sales with CMO David Leichner

This week, we interview David Leichner, the CMO of Cybellum, currently residing in Tel Aviv, Israel. We talk to David about his move from America to Israel, his admiration for Israel’s focus on cyber startups, his decades of experience in sales and marketing, and his dedication to relationship building -- no matter what he’s marketing!
Timecoded Guide:
[01:17] David’s personal and professional journey to Cybellum
[05:03] Israel’s transformation into a cybersecurity startup mecca
[08:44] Creation and mission of the Cyber Elite
[18:32] Tying together marketing and sales in the cyber world
[31:27] Passions David has outside of being a CMO
 
How did you get to where you are today to be the CMO of Cybellum?
From his start on Wall Street to his current position in Tel Aviv, David has worn many hats. After taking advice from a VP of Engineering in Israel who advised him that marketing may be a better place for him, he realized his unique perspective and experience working hands-on in cybersecurity and software gave him a leg up and made him a very well-rounded marketer.
“One of the things I realized was that most marketeers at the time didn't really understand technology. I had an advantage that I understood technology on one side, and then I also understood marketing and then, later on, sales.”
 
How has Israel evolved into a place known for very successful cybersecurity vendors?
As a kid, David dreamed of living in a country like Israel, and his dream became a reality when he moved to Tel Aviv to work for the Bezeq. He quickly learned about how much energy Israel focuses on hands-on cybersecurity and tech training, especially in the army. With many resources available for this education, it's clear how Israel has risen to the top of this industry.
“Israel is cultivating, not just in cyber, also in data analytics, also in a lot of biomed technology. There are all kinds of technologies that have come from military bases, and then are commercialized for use in industry.”
 
Can you give us some of your secrets to making a relationship between marketing and sales successful?
With experience in marketing and sales, David is our expert in where those roles need to intersect to be successful. Throughout our discussion, David explains that marketing is a creative role, but the credit to closing deals and making profits can be equally divided between sales and marketing for them to thrive together.
“I mean, we have a fun profession here in marketing, we get to try new things, we get to innovate, we get to be creative, we get to go out to conferences, and to meet people all over the world. It's a great profession.”
 
What are some other things that marketing can learn from sales?
David’s tips and tricks don’t stop with sales and marketing collaboration, they extend also to the relationships cultivated between you and your clients. David has realized that through being genuinely interested in learning about his clients and their problems, he forms an authentic connection and a real sales relationship beyond a quick pitch.
“I think, whether you're doing email sequences, or you're doing events, or you're doing podcasts, whatever it is, you should always have in mind that you have to build the relationship. You're not selling features, you're selling benefits, you're selling value.”
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Spend some time with our guest David Leichner on LinkedIn and on the Cybellum 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

Humanizing Your Cybersecurity Marketing with Allan Alford

“Marketing is too often sidelined from the bad news about the product and from the good news about the competitors. What we do is cool, but we don't do everything and that is okay!”- Allan Alford 
No one knows how to get product marketing in front of a CISO better than, well, a CISO! In this episode, Gianna and Maria are joined by Allan Alford, CISO and CTO at TrustMAPP, to talk about his biggest takeaways from his time spent as a CMO. Allan shares his tips on bringing more personality into cybersecurity marketing, why building your personal brand is just as important as building the company’s, and the best ways to position your marketing to the CISO community. Lastly, Allan shares his philosophy on meeting customers where their challenges are and acknowledging your competition. 
If you enjoyed our guest as much as we did, be sure to check out his show, The Cyber Ranch Podcast
 
Guest Bio:
With 20+ years in information security, Allan Alford has served as CISO four times in three industries. Alford parlayed an IT career into a product security career and then ultimately fused the two disciplines. Alford gives back to the security community via The Cyber Ranch Podcast and by authoring articles and speaking at conferences.
 
Links
Follow Allan Alford 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 the Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing Podcast

Behind the Axonius-Simone Biles-Amy Bream Campaign with Nathan Burke

“If you want to do something that no one has ever done before, you have to be different.” Nathan Burke
In this episode, Gianna and Maria are joined by Nathan Burke, Chief Marketing Officer at Axonius, to talk about how Axonius approaches innovation and creativity – from company culture to marketing practices. Nathan explores his desire to shake things up in cybersecurity marketing and ways to position both your brand and message in a way that is both unique and effective. He announces his biggest project yet!! – working with CrossFit champion and kickboxer, Amy Bream and US Olympic gold medalist, Simone Biles. He shares how the campaign emerged, from ideation to conception, and his intentions for the future. 
Stop by the Axonius booth, #943, during RSA Conference in San Francisco from June 6-9, 2022, where both Biles and Bream will be making an appearance!
 
Guest Bio:
Nathan Burke is the Chief Marketing Officer at Axonius. Passionate about bringing new technologies to market to solve real problems, he has held marketing leadership roles at Hexadite (acquired by Microsoft), Intralinks, MineralTree, CloudLock (acquired by Cisco), and is a frequent speaker and contributing author on topics related to the intersection of collaboration and security. 
 
Links:
Check out Amy Bream’s promo video, Axonius’s video submission to Simone Biles, Simone Biles’s promo video, and Dinner With The Biles
Follow Amy Bream and Simone Biles on Instagram
Stay in touch with Nathan Burke on LinkedIn and Twitter, and read more about this campaign on the Axonius blog.
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
Hear more episodes from Hacker Valley Media and the Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing Podcast
 

Actual Demand Gen with Liam Barnes

In this episode, Gianna and Maria are joined by Liam Barnes, Head of Demand Generation & Programs at Bionic, to talk about his transition from SEO to Demand Gen and why he thinks SEO is a ‘confused industry.’ Liam explores the need for more intentional and strategic SEO practices, shares his tips for capturing buyers that are lower in the funnel, and why he chooses not to invest in paid search/PPC. Lastly, he shares his key marketing tools as well as his favorite BBQ restaurants in Texas…plus much more!
 
Guest Bio:
Liam Barnes is the Head of Demand Generation and Programs at Bionic, an Application Security startup. He has previously worked at Harness and consulted for companies like Sumo Logic.
 
Links:
Check out Liam’s key tools Metadata and Clearbit, as well as Canva, LinkedIn, Zapier, and Slack
Get your ‘Liam approved’ Texas BBQ fix at Terry Black’s, Roady’s truck stops, and Snow’s 
Stay in touch with Liam Barnes on LinkedIn and Twitter, and listen to his podcast
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
Hear more episodes from Hacker Valley Media and the Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing Podcast

Creating Influencer Marketing Programs with Doron Youngerwood

As cybersecurity marketers, we are always in search of ways to get our content in front of the community and stand out from the noise. This, at times, seems like an impossible endeavor – but what if we told you your CISO network could be your missing link?
In this episode, Gianna and Maria are joined by the Vice President of Marketing at Continuity, Doron Youngerwood, to share his experience in establishing successful influencer marketing strategies. Doron dives into the key elements when building an influencer program, how he leverages his network of CISOs to build trust within the cybersecurity community, and the positive impacts the program has delivered both in business and the cyber community at large.
 
Guest Bio:
With a successful track record in B2B tech marketing, Doron has driven significant growth for both early-stage startups and well-established enterprises for 17 years.
 
Links
Stay in touch with Doron Youngerwood 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.

Understanding Your People with Ronen Shetelboim

In this episode, Gianna and Maria are joined by the Vice President of Demand Generation at Tessian, Ronen Shetelboim, to explore his philosophies on company culture and relationship building in the workplace. Ronen shares his tips on remote hiring, how personality tests have helped him become a better, more empathetic leader, and the key to building strategic relationships. Lastly, Ronen reveals why helping others achieve success can greatly impact yours as well. 
 
Guest Bio:
Ronen Shetelboim is a marketing leader and avid learner that is passionate about helping companies scale through developing data-driven, revenue focused marketing. He currently serves as the Vice President of Demand Generation at Tessian
 
Links
Learn more about the Johari window, as mentioned in this episode, here
Stay in touch with Ronen on LinkedIn and subscribe to his newsletter here.
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.