What could you learn from 70+ cybersecurity marketing programs?

That’s how many cybersecurity companies I’ve worked with over the last decade-and-change.

I’ve gone behind the curtain of many dozens of marketing programs to see what works, what doesn't, and what consistently causes companies to stumble when marketing cybersecurity products and services.

Want to know what tops that list? 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐤𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.

By that, I mean:

• Limited grasp of who the customer is, what they do, and their experience of any pain points they feel
• Poor understanding of industry and category context (beyond asking “what are our competitors doing?”)
• Incomplete knowledge of their own products and services

All this leads to…

Unclear positioning. Ask a cybersecurity marketer what their company sells, to whom, and why, and there’s a good chance you won’t get a straight answer. If you do, they may not have a clear rationale for why and how those decisions were made.

Vague messaging that doesn't speak to the customer's needs, concerns, and personal experience. Most messaging in this industry fails the “so what?” test — and as a result, fails to engage and excite buyers.

It's hardly surprising.

How can marketers possibly position and message for success if they don't have (or build) solid foundations to work from?

The HUGE problem (that never gets addressed)

(Almost) every time I start working with a new cybersecurity company, I discover they are working from shaky foundations. It’s a problem that’s rife across practically every category, region, and company size.

Why? Because the symptoms of shaky foundations generally look like something else.

They look like missed KPIs, underperforming campaigns, and same-y promotional materials. They look like rapid turnover of marketing leaders, budget cuts, and layoffs. They looks like marketers being excluded from crucial conversations about product and strategy, hamstringing their ability to add value to the company.

They can even present as business leaders losing faith in marketing altogether — and that never ends well for anybody.

The truth is, almost nobody ever comes to me and says “we have a positioning and messaging emergency because we haven’t nailed down our marketing foundations.”

They say things like…

“We’re spending a fortune on ads and it makes no difference to our bottom line.”

“We keep missing our targets and nobody is sure why.”

“We can’t seem to get prospects excited about our product or service, even though we know it’s what they need.”

“We’re generating all these leads, but sales won’t touch them. They say the leads suck.”

And perhaps worst of all...

“We just can’t seem to make marketing work for us.”

If any of this sounds familiar… maybe I can help.

You are not alone

Look, I’ve seen it all.

I’ve worked with just-funded startups struggling to build brand recognition and “stand out” in crowded categories.

I’ve been brought in by marketing leaders at major cybersecurity vendors who discovered their sales team had deprioritized MQLs because they were such low quality. And by deprioritized, they meant ignored in favor of cold outreach.

I’ve helped massive companies launch brand new cybersecurity service divisions.

…and in nearly every case, there were foundational issues that needed to be addressed to set up the marketing function — and the business — for success.

For over a decade, I've helped cybersecurity companies 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 and use them to 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬. Done properly, this work enhances and supports all aspects of marketing — from strategy and KPIs to every one of the 4 Ps.

I've worked with:

• Startups on their journey to IPO or acquisition
• Established companies expanding their market share
• Specialist vendors seeking to dominate a niche market
• Large vendors growing their brand and partner networks
• MSSPs of all types and sizes

If your cybersecurity marketing isn't performing at the level you need — you can learn more about working with me here.