In our experience working with cybersecurity startups, there's both need and passion for marketing projects, but a fundamental misunderstanding about what it takes to realize success. Most outside marketing investments are pitched as one-time projects to get your business. They don't prepare founders for what success actually looks like or how much time is needed to get there.
Here's what we know: there are core marketing efforts that should stay consistent and others that can be more transactional and experimental. Your foundation needs to be on all the time. The light switch mistake is ceasing all activities instead of just adjusting.
Signs of a Strong Foundation
- Your sales team uses the content you've created
- In conversations, prospects mention they've seen your messaging
- You have the systems in place to track assets to pipeline activity
- Your audience engages: comments, shares, mentions
Once You Have This in Place, You Experiment
- Test new channels: ads, podcasts, events
- Try different content formats: video, interactive tools, webinars
- Explore new perspectives of core themes and angles
- Amplify reach through partners
You'll Know It's Working When
- Your audience says they feel like they know you or see you everywhere
- You have enough engagement and deal traction to measure what's actually influential
- You can track that influence and make smarter investments over time
- People ask how you're doing it with such a small team
Most early-stage teams experiment with several platforms but won't see an immediate payoff. That's normal. For 6-7 figure enterprise sales, it might take 12-18 months to see multiple deals close.
The biggest compliment for your marketing efforts? Hearing that your team seems so much bigger than it is. You can always do more with less if you're smart with your resources.