Top Tips to Boost Analyst Relationships at Cybersecurity Events
Cybersecurity industry event season is in full swing, with Infosecurity Europe just a few days away, and Black Hat just over the horizon in the Las Vegas summer heat. Events are an ideal opportunity to get face-to-face time with clients and prospects and rub shoulders with industry journalists, and also present a perfect chance to meet influential cybersecurity analysts.
Technology and cybersecurity analyst houses play a crucial role in the industry, identifying and sharing key trends and helping organisations make more informed decisions on solutions.
For cybersecurity vendors, analyst relations provide an effective counterpart to press outreach and marketing efforts in helping to build awareness with your target audience. Speaking with analysts can help to boost your brand’s credibility and reputation, especially if you feature in an industry report.
Here are a few tips to help you secure and maximise analyst briefings this year and beyond.
Research your targets
Analyst outreach demands a targeted approach. You’ll want to focus your efforts on the analysts who are most relevant to your market areas.
This means taking the time to research the field and identifying the right houses for you, and then the most relevant individual analysts within them. Analyst house profiles and previously published work, along with social media, should provide everything you need.
Prepare a focused pitch
Cybersecurity analysts are much in demand and their time is limited, so you need to make sure your pitch has a laser focus. You need to succinctly get across why your organisation is interesting and worth spending the time meeting with. What are your USPs? What challenges are your products helping to solve that no one else is? Can you offer interesting insights about industry trends? What are the benefits to meeting you in person rather than conducting a call or video chat?
Make the best of the in-person meeting
On that note, you need to make sure your spokespeople are fully prepped for the meeting when you get something secured. Be ready to carry out a live demo of your solution if that’s possible and come armed with physical and digital copies of any supplementary material such as reports. Unlike a journalist interview, analysts want details about your company and product offering, so the more preparation the better.
A face-to-face cybersecurity analyst meeting requires more preparation than jumping on Zoom, too. Think about where the meeting will take place. If you need to do a tech demo, is there a comfortable and quiet place at your booth? If it’s more conversation led, have you considered booking a place nearby to eat? Ask the analyst if they have a favourite spot and book some pre-emptive slots at popular locations in advance.
Don’t neglect your follow up
Once the dust from the event has settled, it’s time to maintain that relationship. A quick follow-up immediately after the event never goes amiss. You should be sure to keep in regular contact moving forward with any developments they might appreciate. This includes significant product updates, client wins, new research, and so on, to keep them in the loop.
A successful face-to-face meeting is a great way to build your relationships, so make the best of it.
If you’re looking for more cybersecurity events advice, download our free eBook for more practical tips. You can get your copy here.