Welcome to Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing, where we explore the hottest topics in cyber marketing, interview experts, and help you become a better cybersecurity marketer! In this episode, Jennifer Leggio, CMO at Netography, joins Maria and Gianna to discuss the changes she has seen in marketing throughout her career.   To begin, Jennifer shares that she began her career in journalism. In 2000, she decided to make a change and moved to Silicon Valley. She first worked for a small PR agency specializing in cybersecurity for clients. Here, she was able to spin her journalism background into PR. She fell in love with working at startups. Then, Jennifer shares her perspective that comm is separate from marketing before unpacking her perspective of the current market shift. Marketing and the economy come and go in cycles. Throughout her career so far, Jennifer has found that security is very resilient and an always-needed market.    After unpacking how the journey of buyers and marketers has changed, hear what marketers can do to make sure our heads are above water with these changes. Jennifer shares that, sadly, many companies have had to make major cutbacks for their marketing teams, and there will likely be even more to come. Some leaders are making these decisions based on 2008 principles of how marketing is done. Jennifer talks a lot about the importance of doing “outside-in” programs, meaning going where the buyers are. While a sales force is important to build a business, it can’t be the only area companies rely on for growth and scale. Cutting off the resources which are more difficult to track right away will nearly always backfire.     The best communications, Jennifer explains, include industry analysts. This all comes back to go where your buyers are rather than waiting for them to come to you. Getting the right type of content that ties into your values and will move a buyer persona in the right direction requires a strong communication team. Before wrapping up, Jennifer shares her best advice for sales and marketing alignment and tips for marketers who want to become CMOs one day. Finally, they engage in a fun guessing game to reveal what career Jennifer would pursue outside of the cybersecurity marketing field.    Links:   Follow Jennifer Leggio on 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.

! In this episode, Ashish Malpani, the head of global product marketing for DX, joins Maria and Gianna to discuss the journey into cyber security and digital experience for AR programs.   Ashish shares his thoughts on digital experience, how they provide the right tools to maintain good cyber hygiene, and how to improve the cyber security program. They also try to see what the customer experience is like. He goes on and explains how DX team is spread out in different parts, the types of content Ashish sees resonating so well with developers and technical customers. There are things you can do to reach out to the practitioner developer audience but still reach a high level of management in the IT space. Ashish explains that in the space of cyber security, we are either victims of it or itself serving the narrative.   Ashish further explains how he dealt with analyst relation programs in the past, He explains the different analyst firms and their categorization. Foresters spend a lot of the time in research doing analyst experience, which is the experience of your product to cybersecurity analyst within the company. He shares the tips to get the most out of your product analyst. Ashish shares his opinion on the employee-to-analyst ratio and why marketers need to know employee to analyst ratio. Ashish also tells us how many people are at his firm vs. employees. Market studies can be future looking, but it’s a challenge for product marketers to talk about the future and address today's reality. People need to evolve their cyber security programs to address the needs of tomorrow.   Before wrapping up, Ashish is engaged by our hosts in a fun guessing game to reveal what career he would pursue outside of the cybersecurity marketing field.   Follow Ashish Malponi on LinkedIn, Twitter, and  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.

Welcome to Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing, where we explore the hottest topics in cyber marketing, interview experts, and help you become a better cybersecurity marketer! In this episode, Gianna and Maria share some powerful insights into cybersecurity marketing society, what they do, and what other cybersecurity marketing societies are doing. Gianna and Mariana shed more light on the cyber security marketing society. It is the world’s largest community for cybersecurity marketers built by cybersecurity marketers for cybersecurity marketers. The cybersecurity community has created an opportunity to get together for those working hard in cybersecurity. They have provided an all-day marketer launch for people and also did a marketer party which was completely sold out. There were around 800 people on the waitlist. The party felt like a reunion where all marketers were coming together. Mariana and Gianna continue to talk more about the changes in cybersecurity since the previous year. They say that the cybersecurity industry lacks creativity. It is great to see vendors stepping up and thinking outside the box, pushing the envelope to get creative, and having fun doing what they are doing. This year there were a lot fewer outside activities than last year. The vibe overall, from the security perspective, feels normal and big again. Maria and Gianna also discussed their favorite booths they had seen. There are fully immersive booths with screens on the ceiling above people’s heads. Nowadays, things are moving to screening and lighting. Games are also taking the floor. Multiple people are doing comic superheroes, which is appealing to the audience. Magicians are back, and they are also drawing the crowd. There are so many ways to do things to grab attention. Some other security vendors even use sneakers for everyone to wear. There is also a continuation of the axonious campaign, controlling complexity and more. Even No name security provides rides to go to places around the city. In the marketing community industry, we do not want to lead with fear, uncertainty, and doubt, this industry is stressed enough, and we do not need to add stress from our messaging and marketing perspective. Selling, educating, and helping is a way to market, and the cybersecurity marketing society is here to help you stand out. Finally, Gianna and Maria conclude with conferences for more cybersecurity marketers where they say cybersecurity marketing will host an annual cyber marketing conference in Texas. Cybersecurity is ready to open opportunities for marketers in cybersecurity, cybersecurity agencies, and more. If you work with cybersecurity customers and have references for all customers who are happy with your services, members can find a free and open vendor directory. 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.

In this episode, Wesley Belleman, Consulting Engineer at Colossal LLC,  joins Maria and Gianna to discuss marketing in the federal government.   Wesley began his career in the military in acquisitions, specifically as a cybersecurity operations officer. Here, he was in charge of multi-million dollar programs, acquiring cybersecurity for the space force, and more. From there, he went into Palo Alto Networks and finally Colossal LLC, a value-added reseller providing services specific to the products they sell. Because he has advertised and marketed products internally as a customer in his previous roles, Wesley has a solid understanding of the challenges marketers face. Since the Department of Defense is the country’s largest employer, there is a ton of internal business that goes on within it overall. Wesley touches on Kraken, a newly released product that the Space Force is currently leveraging for public defense.  He worked with a team of engineers and contractors to design, build and deploy the product. It required marketing to get people within the space force on board with implementing the product. Wesley also highlights the various AFCEA events coming up nationwide.   When building Kraken, Wesley also had to build consensus internally to get the product off the ground. He began this process by getting certified on the product and fully understanding it inside out.  On that, he leveraged the strength of his colleagues on his team to fulfill different operational roles. The final step was to get to know the customers and what exactly they are looking for. It is crucial to leave your opinions and ideals at the door and understand what the customer wants from a cybersecurity product. He also recommends all founders use the resources and team members they already have. Although it is still growing, Kraken officially launched in 2019. Finally, our guest and hosts engage in a fun guessing game to reveal what career Wesley would pursue outside of the cybersecurity marketing field.     Links: Visit Wesley on LinkedIn. 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.

This week, Beth Barach, the Director of Product Marketing at Onapsis, joins the hosts to discuss the intersection of product marketing with product launches, Cabs, and eCabs. With over 20 years of experience in tech, Beth began her career working with channel and technology partner programs, which ultimately led to her pivot into product marketing. Beth also shares that to execute a successful product launch, it's important to create a plan and synchronize the different teams and departments involved, such as sales, marketing, customer success, and product. getting into the idea of using product launch as an opportunity to educate customers and partners on the value and benefits of the product. Lastly, Beth stressed the importance of using marketing channels to create a buzz and engage the target audience. The conversation also touches on the importance of getting executive buy-in for a product launch. Beth gave an example of someone on the team who is often overlooked but should be included, the support team. While Maria highlighted that product marketers should aim to think beyond their usual suspects when planning a launch. Finally, Beth provided a story about a manager who was great at recognizing the importance of executive support. Timecoded guide: 0:02:44 Product Launch at a Billion Dollar Company: People, Process, and Performance 0:04:43 Conversation on Securing Executive Buy-In for Product Launches 0:07:42 Presenting to the Executive Team: A Successful Product Launch Story 0:09:43 Conversation on Applying the RACI Model to Product Launches 0:11:51 Discussion on Detailed Content Planning for Product Launch 0:13:39 Conversation on Adapting to Delays and Roadblocks in Product Launches 0:16:05 Conversation on Empathy, Cabs, and Testimonials in the Cybersecurity Industry 0:18:04 Exploring the Benefits of Customer Advisory Boards for Product Marketers 0:25:21 Conversation Summary: Potential Career Paths for Product Marketer Beth 0:27:38 Interview with Beth Barach: Exploring the Intersection of Coaching and Entrepreneurship Links: Check out Beth on LinkedIn 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.

In this episode, Daniella Alpher, VP of Marketing at RevealSecurity joins Maria and Gianna to discuss Israeli vs American cyber marketing.   To begin, Daniella shares that she began her career in film and television as a producer for ABC News. In the early 2000s, tech began threatening the television industry. This inspired her to get a degree in business administration and enter the tech sector, specifically focusing on marketing. Next, Daniella highlights the differences she has noticed working as a marketer in Israel vs. America. 10% of attacks at a national level are directed at Israel, 40% of investments in cybersecurity go to Israeli companies and 16% of  cybersecurity vendors are Israeli. Compared to the size and population of Israel tech (specifically cybersecurity) is a huge income-driving sector for the country.  In the last 20-30 years, Israel also built a large strength in product and development of cybersecurity products. In more recent years, it has naturally become a hub for cybersecurity marketing.   For most Israeli startups, the sales portion is often based in the U.S. Marketing, however, is often a mix between the two companies. In Daniela’s experience, American marketing tends to have a more long-term philosophy, while Israelis often have a much shorter-term strategy for survival. Israeli marketers are still learning the importance of branding over performance. Most Israeli marketers are focused on selling in the U.S., but it is rare for a U.S.-based company to consider marketing in other countries. Stereotypically, Daniela shares, Israelis tend to come off rude, aggressive, and emotional to American analysts, whereas Americans are the opposite. Then, there are those smaller, technical differences like the use of WhatsApp vs. Slack for digital communication and group messages.   Before wrapping up, Daniela engages alongside our hosts in a fun guessing game to reveal what career she would pursue outside of the cybersecurity marketing field.   Links:   Follow Daniella on 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.

This week, Brandon Hoe joins hosts Gianna and Maria to discuss controversial topics related to cybersecurity marketing. Brandon is the VP of Marketing at Oxeye and has held CMO and head of marketing positions at multiple cybersecurity companies, including SCYTHE, HackEDU, and StrongKey. Brandon and the hosts also discuss in depth the idea that demand generation as a marketing discipline is the key to success. How while the funnel is still alive, the timelines associated with each step have changed, and the idea that companies often think that bringing on a demand gen wizard will solve all their problems. They concluded that the marketing environment is much more challenging for everyone involved, especially in the cybersecurity world.   Timecoded Guide:   [06:29] Cybersecurity Regulations and Market Trends [12:17] Advice for Marketers Considering Joining an Israeli Startup at the Seed Stage [16:30] Balancing Strategy and Volume of Activity in Early-Stage Leadership Positions [17:59] Demand Generation and Critical Hires [27:35] Pizza Toppings and Alternative Careers [33:28] Starting a YouTube Channel and Noodle Shop Business [34:52] Exploring the Journey of Launching a Product Company ----------- LINKS: Follow Brandon on LinkedIn Check out and follow Oxeye on 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.

In this episode, Luke Tucker, VP of Marketing at Lightspin, joins Maria and Gianna to discuss building cyber community.   To begin, Luke unpacks his cautious optimism for the current market and shares why startups need to celebrate even the smallest wins. Prior to his current position, Luke held leadership roles in marketing at HackerOne as well as an executive role in the community side. As his very first VP marketing role, he is focused on making the lives of end users and cloud engineers better. Lightspin understands that the most efficient way to secure a cloud is to think like an attacker, then build like a graph. This is how they make their mission, to best support cloud engineers along every stage of their journey, possible.   Community is a popular topic within cybersecurity lately. Luke explains Hackerone’s flywheel model. It is the outliers on the fringes of communities that need to be focused on at all times. Having moderation, best practices, and onboarding experiences early on will help to instill company culture. Luke defines community as people who consistently show up to collaborate together on a common cause. It took a physical location to really collaborate on the platform. Luke recounts what it was like seeing the security team face-to-face with the hacker community. It all began with allowing collaboration as bounty sharing and reward sharing within the platform itself. Thankfully due to some of the early adopters, Hackerone was able to build some momentum As the business began to scale, it became necessary to stay up to date with the CFO. The next step was asking users what they wanted to see next on the platform. The majority of users were there to further their careers, so they were given Hacker 101 and CTF. Luke shares that the majority of these hackers just want to have a safe space to share their discoveries with other people. Another key component of community, and where a mission really accelerates, is to give your community members the stage.   Before wrapping up, Luke encourages listeners to join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society.  Finally, he engages in a fun guessing game and reveals what career he would pursue outside of the cybersecurity field.   Links:   Follow Luke on LinkedIn. Keep up with Hacker Valley on our website, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. Follow Gianna on LinkedIn. Catch up with Maria on LinkedIn.

This week, Cami Ragano, VP of Marketing at SightGain, joins Maria and Gianna to share her expertise as a marketing leader managing SDRs so that SDRs over-achieve their goals!  In fact, Cami’s SDR program has helped SightGain achieve significant increases in:    Demos Booked: ⬆ Demos Complete: ⬆ Pipeline Growth: ⬆    From Washington DC to Australia to London, Cami has led digital demand generation and brand campaigns that touch nearly every corner of the globe. With a focus on start-up cybersecurity SaaS enterprise software, she has built a career around innovative digital marketing campaigns and customer-focused events that drive revenue. Prior to joining SightGain, Cami was a marketing and business development leader at Cybrary, Endgame, Invincea (acquired by Sophos), and Risk Analytics—where she developed go-to-market strategies that disrupted and dominated the cybersecurity industry. Cami graduated from Radford University with a B.S. in Communications specializing in Public Relations and a minor in Marketing. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her wife and three golden doodles in Richmond, VA hiking, exploring, and brewery hopping.   Connect with Cami on LinkedIn. Visit the SightGain website or the company LinkedIn page.  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.

This week, Hushly CMO James Kessinger joins hosts Gianna and Maria to talk about the "bowtie" funnel and marketing's new(er) role in creating upsell and cross-sell opportunities. They discuss ABM, the unique buyer in cybersecurity, and tying experiences across the digital journey. James also gives them a peek under the hood into how Hushly uses their integrated experience cloud to market to marketers like us, and shares the data that Hushly has aggregated from their platform on ABM for cybersecurity buying. About James: James Kessinger has been the CMO at Hushly over the past 5 years.  He’s expanded his responsibilities and taken on the title of COO with overarching responsibilities for Marketing, Customer Success, Sales, Partnerships, and Revenue Operations. James has built a 20+ year career working at global enterprise technology companies in hardware, software, security, virtualization, SaaS and Cloud. He has held leadership and executive roles across marketing functions such as brand, demand generation, corporate marketing, digital marketing, segment marketing, product marketing, services marketing, along with field and partner marketing where he has led both large marketing organizations and smaller teams.   Connect with James on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesbkessinger/ Reach out at james [at] hushly.com  Grab the Hushly cybersecurity marketing report, and learn more about how Hushly helps marketers improve demand generation and ABM results: https://www.hushly.com/solution-cybersecurity-marketing/ Learn about the Cybersecurity Marketing Society Party for Marketers at RSAC2023 here: https://cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com/event/party-rsa-2023/ 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.

Welcome to Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing, where we explore the hottest topics in cyber marketing, interview experts and help you become a better cybersecurity marketer! In this episode, Tom Kish, Director of Growth Marketing at CardinalOps, joins Maria and Gianna to discuss demand gen and more!   To begin, Tom unpacks the difference between the titles demand gen and growth, both of which he has held at various points in his career. Demand gen is a time-consuming role and requires balancing quick wins with long term strategies. Typically, a marketing team will come in to build some foundational elements before demand gen enters the scene to scale up. Since demand gen is so closely tied to pipeline, it is also easily and quickly measured. Tom shares the benefits of working for organizations who were operating with a tight budget and how he has carried that mindset with him to larger organizations. While the goal of demand gen is to create opportunities and revenue, the process of getting there is still part of demand gen, too. There is no one size fits all when it comes to demand gen. Marketers should be constantly adding new things to their toolbox and know when (and when to!) not apply them.   Next, Tom shares the strategies which he has found most successful in his demand gen roles. They all come back to finding the proper balance among the fundamentals goals of creating demand, identifying demand and capturing demand. A successful framework not only finds the proper balance of these things, but ensures that they all flow together seamlessly while covering all of their bases. Checking your social engagement is also really important. Tom’s team has designated people who manually identify the individuals who regularly interact with their posts. Building off this, he elaborates on the lack of innovation and creativity he often sees in marketing as a result of the rise of automation and data. His most successful marketing campaigns have been those that were totally creative and were not based on previous engagement.   Before wrapping up, Tom reveals his favorite thing about being a member of the Cybersecurity Marketing Society now that he has been a member for two years. Finally, he engages in a fun guessing game and reveals what career he would pursue outside of the cybersecurity field.   Links:   Follow Tom on 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.

In this episode, Samara Williams, Senior Manager of Security Engineering at New Relic, joins Maria and Gianna to share her insights on building relationships and making strategic partnerships in the cybersecurity industry. She talks about the importance of trust and transparency in building successful partnerships, and how working with vendors and other industry players can help organizations make informed decisions and stay ahead of emerging threats. Samara also shares her perspective on the role of VARs and how they can serve as an extension of a security team, providing valuable feedback on tools and partnerships. She emphasizes the need for VARs to understand an organization's goals and pain points in order to provide the best possible solutions, and stresses the importance of transparency in the VAR-buyer relationship. This episode provides valuable insights and practical advice on building successful partnerships and collaborations in the cybersecurity industry. Whether you're a security practitioner, vendor, or partner, Samara's experiences and perspectives can help guide you towards more effective and mutually beneficial relationships   Follow Samara on 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.

In this episode, Gianna and Maria interview Michelle Radlowski, Sr. Director, AMS & EMEA Regional Marketing and ABM at DigiCert, Inc. (former Director of Regional Marketing at Zscaler). Michelle shares her experience of working in the IT tech space for over 15 years, starting in a small startup that got acquired twice and ultimately became part of Dell Software Group, before joining Zscaler as employee 240, and now the company has almost 6,000 employees globally. She explains that field marketing, which she started doing at Zscaler, is not just about planning events but driving campaign execution in-region, focusing on account engagement, and landing campaigns from corporate marketing. Michelle discusses the misconception about field marketing being solely administrative and event planning, and how her role has evolved to encompass much more.    Michelle talks about the importance of aligning with the sales team and building relationships with them to drive business value. She explains that it is essential to understand the sales team's objectives, pain points, accounts, and personas to align marketing plans with them. She also emphasizes the significance of tracking data to measure the success of field marketing programs. Michelle shares her journey of transitioning from being a marketer who focused on lead generation to a marketer who aligned with the sales team's goals of revenue and pipeline creation. Michelle also highlights the significance of partner ecosystems, and she talks about how Zscaler has a large partner ecosystem, including strategic alliance partners, service providers, and system integrators. She emphasizes the need for a strategic approach to partner marketing that involves sales leadership alignment, account mapping, messaging, and training. Michelle concludes that a better-together story with partners that focuses on bettering the customer experience is a powerful message. Follow Michelle on LinkedIn The Concert in the Clouds Michelle’s Non-profit Experience 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.

This week, Kelsey LaBelle joins hosts Gianna and Maria to talk about marketing soft skills and returning to empathy in the workplace. Kelsey, who is the VP of Marketing at DomainTools, also shares how she works soft skills in her role at the company. Along with the emotional skills, Kelsey goes into creative ways to generate lead pipelines, why you should build trust with an audience, and shares the nuts and bolts of podcast production. Listen in for some deep talk on marketing—and lots of puns!   Timecoded Guide: [07:28] Wrapping uniqueness and empathy into marketing [15:26] Building lead pipelines with domain blooms  [32:00] Podcast workflow and process of production  [34:45] Can you be happy at work?   [36:04] Closing with the guessing game   ---------- Definitions:  DDoS: DDoS or DDoS’ing stands for ‘denial of service attack.” This is a cyberattack in which the perpetrator attempts to render a network resource unavailable to its users by disrupting the services of a host connected to the network.  SANS: SANS stands for SysAdmin, Audit, Network, and Security and is the world’s largest cybersecurity research and training organization. DNS: DNS stands for Domain Name System which makes the internet accessible by allowing the use of domain names. ----------- Links: Spend some time with Kelsey on Mastodon and Twitter @punsandrosess Follow Kelsey on LinkedIn. Visit DomainTools on LinkedIn and Twitter. Check out the DomainTools website. Tune into the Breaking Badness podcast. 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.

This week, Claire Mckenna and Michelle Rawlings join us from BARR Advisory to talk about their roles and how they work with numerous people in the field to bolster their company’s goals. Claire is the senior writer and researcher at BARR while Michelle is the media coordinator. Together, they discuss communicating with SMEs, connecting experts in the field, and how they get everyone in their company involved with outreach through a curated media program.    Timecoded Guide: [06:09] Incentivizing SMEs and finding content [10:46] The Media BARR Program [14:12] Choosing content for the program [18:43] Challenges met with the BARR program [23:45] ROI on the Media BARR Program  ---------- Links: Follow Claire on LinkedIn. Spend some time with Michelle on Twitter and LinkedIn. Visit BARR Advisory on LinkedIn and Twitter. Check out the BARR Advisory website Go back and listen to our previous episode on recycling brand content. 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.

Joining us this week is Chris Spellman, Senior Demand Generation Manager at SCYTHE. Chris has been in cybersecurity marketing for over six years and has also worked in marketing operations and analytics. Gianna and Maria ask Chris about his marketing expertise as they cover gated vs ungated content, demand gen, analytics, and much more. Also, listen in to hear about Chris’s fantasy novel trilogy that he authors with his wife!   Timecoded Guide: [06:49] Creative ways to generate demand [09:58] Gated or ungated content? [11:51] Big failure or success in cyber marketing [16:26] Where Chris does analytics [18:32] How Chris does attribution ---------- Links: Follow Chris on LinkedIn. Check out the Spellman Books website, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Keep up with SCYTHE on LinkedIn and Twitter. Visit the SCYTHE 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.

Along with your hosts Gianna and Maria, this week we have Joshua Gonzalez joining us from Beyond Identity to talk shop in creativity. Joshua comes from years of experience as an actor on broadway and on screens—you may have even seen him on the Travel Channel! As the Media Producer, Joshua and his team put a twist on marketing at Beyond Identity and he shares some tips that you won’t want to miss. This is also the record number of times the word “corn” has appeared in an episode here: tune in to find out why! Hint: it has to do with creative marketing.   Timecoded Guide: [04:21] Applying an acting background to marketing  [06:59] How to sell a product with a story [11:05] Tips on pitching story ideas [14:29] Things learned while catering to a cybersecurity audience [25:47] Advice for companies taking on creatives ---------- Links: Spend some time with Joshua on Twitter. Check out Joshua’s memoir!  Tune in to Joshua’s podcast. Pictures of Joshua performing Midsummer Night’s Dream on broadway. Joshua and his team’s latest cyber ad music video. Visit Beyond Identity on LinkedIn and Twitter and on 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.

This week, Wade Wells joins us to talk about being on the board of BSides San Diego, being a brand ambassador, and being on a podcast—all while also being a mentor and working his day job. Gianna and Maria ask Wade about his research workflow and why marketing to CISOs isn’t always the best route for leads. Tune in for a mini-lesson on what the “pyramid of pain” is in cybersecurity and to hear how Wade picked up some valuable cybersecurity marketing tips from working at In-N’-Out.    Timecoded Guide: [11:19] Searching for new products and evaluating them  [13:06] The significance of POV (Point of Value) [16:24] Marketing to the CISO’s team [17:36] Integration and why it’s important  [23:36] Wade’s favorite part about his job    Researching new products With the market being saturated with products, it can get tedious, sifting through everything online. Wade has spent a lot of time researching products and Maria asks him about his workflow. First, he says that he lists what they’re good and not so good at and evaluates from there. He goes through Google, Twitter, and LinkedIn and pings people about the product, seeking more information. Wade also evaluates through POV for every product and his company tests each one before they put it to use.   “So the first thing we'll do is we'll talk to them, we'll go through and understand: what does it do? How does it do it? ”   Why marketing to the CISO isn’t always the best route Maria stresses to Wade that marketers are taught to seek out the CISO. Wade offers some insight into more effective marketing routes. In practice, Wade says that it’s often a team that will decide whether or not a particular product would be worth it in their company—and that the CISO just signs it off. So, often, targeting an audience made up of team members rather than only the CISO is a much more effective method of marketing. “It may come down to they just do the check mark to okay, but if we're the ones in the trenches using the product every day, it better be us who really like it.” ---------- Links: Follow Wade on LinkedIn. Reach out to Wade at wade@bsidessd.org 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.

Shaun Walsh joins today, offering a cybersecurity marketer’s handbook worth of advice in navigating job transitions in the industry. Shaun, a veteran in the cyber industry, is the Vice President of Global Marketing at SimSpace. We’ve all been there—and in today’s world within the cybersecurity industry, layoffs have come to be expected. In this episode, Gianna and Maria get fantastic and practical advice from Shaun, asking him about preparation for layoffs, how to transition between jobs, interviewing red flags, and more. Listen in to get the laydown on layoffs.    Timecoded Guide: [00:00] Start of episode [05:51] Skill sets in anticipating layoffs [11:30] Red flags indicating a possible layoff [14:59] Layoff preparation [18:24] How to handle layoff questions in interviews [22:34] Red flags in joining a company   What are some skills we can equip ourselves with to quickly land another job? Gianna picks Shaun’s brain on the best way to handle the limbo of layoff. What can we do in the meantime to get back into another job? Shaun says, first, to cope. He says it’s important to take the time to process what just happened and recognize that everyone overthinks and has their insecurities. Then? Shaun says to spend little time coping and to start thinking. He lays out some vital key self-questions and to analyze where to go next. In these moments of transition, Shaun also mentions that it’s perfectly okay to switch up the path a little bit.   “Sit down and say, ‘Okay, what do I want next? I've coped. Now define. Where do I want to go? What do I want to do next? What skill sets do I need to develop?" And then how do you build that?’”   How do you figure out what you want to do next if you have no idea?  Here, Shaun says that the most important thing to do is to start with one big question: why do you work? From there, Shaun says, people can quickly get through that coping mechanism and get a clearer picture of what they should be doing next. Starting with “why” allows someone figure out how they can achieve that goal which can set them in the right direction. Understanding “why” might lead to some heavy introspection and some grief but it gives one a sense of purpose Shaun says, which can set up the next necessary, tactical steps to take.  “We've all run marketing launch plans. We all know how to dissect something, but you got to know where you're going. And that would be the next piece of advice I'd give people.”   What are some red flags indicating that a layoff is coming? In having the right tools to prepare for a layoff and the right mindset to transition to another job, how do you know when a layoff is actually coming? Shaun lays out three distinct markers of a potential layoff and where to look for them. First, if a company is public, listening to quarterly calls can give some indication of how the company is doing and if a layoff can be expected. Second, Shaun explains how watching section 16 officers can also indicate this. Third, Shaun says to talk to your SE’s. They’re the “truth tellers” of the business, he says.  “Go make friends with the SE's because the SE's will tell you whether they're busy, whether the deals are happening, whether deal reg is coming in, whether or not they're doing enough demos or POCs. Every place I've ever been in, the SE's are really the clue to the future.”   When the signs are in the air, how do you prepare for a layoff? Shaun lays out three different answers to the question. He says that even before anything could seemingly go wrong that it’s important to get experience in many different areas to create a portfolio that’s marketable for various jobs. He says that when you start to see those red flags to also activate your network early, dedicating time every day to identifying new possibilities in the job market. Shaun also says it’s a good idea to rehearse interview questions and do research on some prospective employers. He emphasizes how it’s vital to not get bogged down in the process, either—and to be sure to take some time for yourself.  “Once you've done the base work, you've done your follow-up, you’ve followed the right protocols. Enjoy that time off. Don't let it get away from you—because it's a rare gift in and of itself. It's maybe not a gift you wanted. But it's one you should take advantage of.” ---------- Links: Spend some time with Shaun on Twitter. Follow Shaun on LinkedIn. Visit SimSpace on LinkedIn and Twitter. Reach out to Shaun at shaun.walsh@simspace.com Check out the SimSpace website. 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.

Join Gianna and Maria for a crazy live episode with their very own audience at Cyber Marketing Con! Hear your hosts discuss the cybermarketing industry as they also try to say a few nice things about sales. Also, listen in to hear a few audience members talk about their roles in the industry.    Timecoded Guide: [00:00] Start of episode [01:52] Welcome to Cyber Marketing Con [07:59] Building rapport with sales [11:47] Cyber marketing industry, hearing from the audience [14:46] Interviewing CSO’s [15:30] Closing out Building a solid relationship with sales While Maria was setting up for Cyber Marketing Con, she overheard conversations about marketers and salespeople working together. She found that trying to work out communication between the two roles is a pretty common theme everywhere and that many people are facing the same challenges in building solid relationships with sales. She emphasizes that, aside from bribing salespeople with cookies, automating as much of the process as possible between marketers and salespeople is important.  “Automate as much as possible. I think I heard one time someone made a joke that salespeople would rather clean toilets than enter data into Salesforce.” Onward and Upward Maria discusses the theme of the first Cyber Marketing Con. “We've seen some of the crazy ups and downs in our industry lately, lots of layoffs, lots of really weird signals, confusing signals on what's happening in the market. And so we're hoping that these two days that on the marketing team, we can come together and take a little glimpse of hope that it's probably going to be okay and we'll keep going together.” ---------- Links: 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.