Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing

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.” --------- 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

“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

“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  

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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