Boost B2B Pipeline ROI by Building a Trustworthy Community with Ronen Shetelboim

In the world of SaaS, the product-led growth (PLG) strategy has become the go-to approach for many companies. However, there is no one-size-fits-all strategy.

From leveraging virtual events to understanding user behavior, Ronen shares actionable insights that have proven successful in his career.

Main Takeaways

• PLG strategies may not work for all industries and personas. Field marketing and building a community through referrals are more effective in the cybersecurity industry, where the risk of implementing something without due diligence is high.
• Tessian’s virtual summit, with its high-quality content and production, has been a successful channel for generating pipelines and building a strong customer base.
• Amplifying and repurposing content is crucial for maximizing its reach and impact. Content should be distributed across channels and promoted through existing programs and partnerships.
• Tracking word-of-mouth referrals can be challenging, but tools like Gong calls, adding a field on forms, and reading reviews can provide insights into how people hear about a company.
• Tools like Full Circle Insights and User Gems help track and measure the effectiveness of marketing efforts, including pipeline generation and customer referrals.

Tessian’s Stack and Tools

• Tessian: A cybersecurity platform that uses machine learning to secure enterprise email and prevent threats.
• User Gems: A platform that helps companies identify potential leads by tracking job changes of their users and contacts.
• Google Sheets: Google’s cloud-based spreadsheet tool for real-time collaboration and integration with other Google services.
• HubSpot: An inbound marketing, sales, and service software that provides tools for social media marketing, content management, web analytics, and more.
• Salesforce: A customer relationship management solution that brings companies and customers together, offering a variety of tools for sales, service, marketing, and more.
• Sprout Social: A social media management tool that provides engagement, publishing, analytics, and team collaboration tools.
• Full Circle Insights: A marketing performance measurement platform that provides response management, attribution, and funnel metrics for Salesforce users.
• Drift: A conversational marketing platform that connects businesses with their website visitors in real-time using chatbots and artificial intelligence.

The Nuances of Marketing in the Cybersecurity Space

Ronen focuses on field marketing and building a community through one-on-one interactions.

Tessian, a cybersecurity software company, has developed a distinct and rather effective approach to marketing. While Product-Led Growth (PLG) is a popular strategy among many in the SaaS industry, Tessian has found this PLG less suitable due to the cautious nature of cybersecurity professionals.

Instead, Tessian emphasizes field marketing and community building, nurturing relationships with customers and relying on their referrals.

Driving Engagement through Virtual Summits

One of Tessian’s most successful initiatives is its high-production virtual summits. These events, which have grown from 50 to over 2000 attendees, feature interviews with customers and industry thought leaders to educate and engage their target audience.

The virtual summit is the one that brings us the most pipeline.

Virtual summits offer several unique advantages that contribute to their success.

• Global Accessibility: Virtual summits break down geographical barriers, allowing attendees from all over the world to participate, thus broadening the potential audience reach.
• Expert Insights: These events provide a platform for thought leaders and industry experts to impart their knowledge, insights, and experiences, adding substantial value for attendees.
• Community Building: The interactive nature of virtual summits cultivates a sense of community and engagement among participants, promoting networking, collaboration, and discussion.
• Content Repurposing: Content produced during these summits can be repurposed and amplified across different channels, extending its lifespan and reach.
• Data Collection: Virtual summits allow for the collection of valuable data on attendee behavior and preferences, enabling more targeted and effective future marketing efforts.
• Cost-Effective: Without the need for physical venues or travel, virtual summits can often be more cost-effective to host, making them a budget-friendly option for many organizations.

Maximizing Impact through Content Repurposing

Content repurposing is a crucial component of Tessian’s marketing strategy, helping them extend the efficacy and reach of their valuable content. This involves modifying and adapting existing content to serve different formats or purposes. For example, snippets from a webinar could be transformed into a blog post, an infographic, or a series of social media posts.

There are numerous reasons why content repurposing is advantageous:

• Extended Reach: Repurposed content allows Tessian to reach a wider audience by distributing the same message across different platforms, catering to the varied content consumption preferences of their target audience.
• Improved SEO: By repurposing content across different channels, Tessian can generate more backlinks and improve organic search visibility, enhancing its SEO efforts.
• Maximized ROI on Content Creation: Creating new, high-quality content can be resource-intensive. By repurposing existing content, Tessian can maximize the return on the time, effort, and money invested in content creation.
• Strengthened Message Consistency: By reiterating their key points across different formats and channels, Tessian ensures that their core message is reinforced and remains consistent.

Monitoring Effectiveness and Balancing Automation with Manual Labor

To measure the impact of their marketing efforts, Tessian employs sophisticated tracking systems, using UTM codes and tools like Full Circle Insights. This allows them to monitor the journey of their potential customers and understand how they interact with their campaigns. Additionally, they utilize Gong calls and customer feedback to understand how people are discovering them.

We measure everything in a scorecard and every department within my team has input metrics that lead to pipeline.

But beyond relying on automation and tracking tools, Tessian also understands the importance of the human touch in marketing. They focus on activities such as listening to phone calls and personalizing follow-up emails, believing these manual efforts contribute significantly to a superior customer experience. This balance between automation and manual labor is a testament to Tessian’s commitment to building strong, lasting customer relationships. It is a reminder that while technology can aid marketing efforts, the human element remains irreplaceable.

There can be no substitute for getting your hands dirty.

The Future of Tessian’s Marketing Strategy

Ronan sees great potential in tools like User Gems, which helps track and engage with customers who change jobs. He also emphasizes the need for marketers to adapt and experiment constantly with new tools and strategies. Ronan advises, “Tools can be your competitive advantage, but you really need to understand the architecture and get buy-in from different leaders before you go and buy new stuff.”

Ronan’s field marketing strategy demonstrates the power of building a community and leveraging word-of-mouth buzz. By focusing on field marketing and creating meaningful connections with customers, Tessian has stood out in the cybersecurity industry. Virtual summits, content repurposing, and amplification have allowed them to reach a wider audience and maintain a consistent message. While automation tools are important, Ronan emphasizes the value of manual labor and the need for a balanced approach. As Tessian continues to evolve its marketing strategy, it will be interesting to see how they leverage new tools and tactics to drive even greater success in the future.

Join us next time as we journey to the bleeding edge of the modern tech stack.  You’ll hear from real experts on how to nail your strategy, build a revenue machine, and take your sales to the next level.

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