My first takeaway from CyberMarketing Con 2024 is that I need to sit down and watch Rocky.
This year’s conference was in Philadelphia. And when I tell you this fictional sports hero was plastered all over the city and the convention itself, I’m not exaggerating.
Most people, myself included, probably can’t name any real player on a real Philadelphia sports team. Most tourists and out-of-town cyber marketers aren’t going to stop and take a picture with a statue or cardboard cutout of [Insert Name of Local Philly Sports Star Here].
But we all know Rocky Balboa. Even me, someone who has admittedly never seen the movie.
And this was perhaps the biggest thing I learned at CyberMarketing Con: when getting people excited about your industry proves difficult (whether it be cybersecurity or Philly sports), you need to find alternate ways of connecting with your audience. For the city of Philadelphia, that means claiming a fictitious boxer as a local legend.
For cybermarketers…well, let’s get into it.
Here are my five key takeaways from CyberMarketing Con 2024:
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Content MATTERS.
I’ve been to a lot of conferences. Like, a lot. That means I’ve heard more than my fair share of chatter about how “the content shared here is so good, but the real value comes from connecting with the people.” While this is certainly true for larger conferences (for cybersecurity, think RSA or Blackhat USA), I noticed something unique about CyberMarketing Con.
This event was notably smaller than some of the industry mega-conferences, and I think that worked in our favor. With somewhere around 500 cyber marketers in attendance, it became clear that the targeted nature of the crowd lent itself to incredibly deep and actionable content. There was very little room for fluff or irrelevance; everything shared within the keynote speeches, presentations, and at individual booths was valuable.
As fantastic as the networking was, you couldn’t catch anybody talking about the content at this conference as an afterthought. Because all the marketers in attendance work in a similar space, that empowered the presenters to make every bit of information or collateral shared as targeted and useful as possible.
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Marketing is hard!
This is true across every industry, but it’s a challenge uniquely felt by marketers in spaces as complex as cybersecurity. As an aspiring (and I mean aspiring) LinkedInfluencer, I spent much of my time creating video content for social, interviewing cyber marketers about their experience at the conference, how their efforts are evolving over time, and the challenges they face trying to connect with their audience.
A common theme emerged as I held these conversations: cybersecurity professionals are extremely difficult to market to. They are exceptionally smart and technologically savvy, which means they are some of the most risk-averse customers out there. To put it frankly, they can smell BS from a mile away. They’re going to be skeptical of campaigns touting flashy offerings that might overpromise and underdeliver. Creating messaging that resonates requires not only a deep understanding of the industry, but also a deep respect for the cybersecurity audience.
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Creativity cuts through the noise.
Let’s face it: cybersecurity is a pretty dry and technical topic. As a marketer, it’s hard to get people as excited about a pentesting service as they are about the latest iPhone. So when campaigns showcase creativity and inspire people to have fun, they really stand out!
The most memorable campaigns mentioned in the presentations I attended were the ones that were just…fun. Take Endor Labs as an example. An application security company named after the home planet of the Ewoks (A.K.A the cutest creatures in the Star Wars universe – a movie franchise I HAVE seen), Endor Labs excites audiences by leaning into the sci-fi origins of its name.
Sarah Hartland, Director of Demand Generation at Endor, treated me to a peek inside their swag strategy. She shared that at a past conference, visitors to the Endor Labs booth were gifted their very own lightsaber, which meant wannabe Jedis with sabers sticking out of their backpacks could be found milling about the convention center. When folks inquired about where the merch came from, they were pointed towards the booth.
This stuck out to me as a powerful strategy to get people excited about a brand in a mind-bogglingly technical space. Instead of leaning on product offerings or capabilities, Endor Labs drew people in first with brand recognition. Sadly, there were no lightsabers for me to swing around and make whooshing noises with at this event, but I will be seeking out the Endor Labs folks at future conferences and demanding one. Or two.
Definitely two.
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We can’t ignore the opportunity of executive social.
This one came up a lot in my conversations with fellow marketers. We’ve established that cybersecurity is a BS-averse industry, which means laying a foundation of trust is extremely important for those wishing to cultivate a strong brand reputation. The trust level that’s required to effectively communicate with this audience is higher than other industries – so getting subject matter experts in front of the cyber audience is one surefire way to get people to buy what you’re selling.
Attendees agreed that executives and SMEs who are able to meaningfully engage with this audience will lead the charge here. Brands should show up anywhere their potential buyers live online, especially on social media. Establishing your brand’s authority in professional spaces is important, and platforms like LinkedIn offer several methods to make that happen through collaborative articles, communities, promoted thought leadership ads, partnership opportunities, and more.
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Community is everything!
There is no better place for a cybersecurity brand to build trust than within a community of its users. This can be accomplished in a number of different spaces. Beyond your typical social media profile, cyber execs should get involved in online communities like LinkedIn groups or Discord servers. By joining a digital network of peers, executives can make new connections and showcase thought leadership among a highly targeted audience.
Contributing to a LinkedIn collaborative article serves a similar purpose – when a brand’s messaging is included in conversation with other respected industry leaders, it contributes to brand reputation and credibility.
Conference attendees were also quick to point out the impact of brands investing in a community that’s specific to users of their products. Giving your users a place to interact, share tips and tricks, and ask for support is a creative way to encourage conversations about your brand. This is especially useful for brands that are active within that community, demonstrating to users that you care about their success.
All told, CyberMarketing Con was informative, exciting, and inspiring. The conference reaffirmed that there’s nothing more valuable for marketers than meeting your audience with the right content in the right places at the right time.
Whether that content is actionable materials shared in a presentation, thought leadership posted on social media, or even swag given out at a convention, you can encourage even the toughest audiences to get excited about your brand.
And you don’t even need the eye of the tiger to do it.
