How Cybersecurity CMOs Can Harness the Power of Data

Cybersecurity marketing leaders have a tough job. Keeping up with emerging tools, trends, and technologies in cybersecurity and marketing – two of the world’s most dynamic industries – is no mean feat. As we rattle into 2025, many of you will be considering how best to adapt your strategies to succeed in the face of new challenges.

The Censuswide 2024 Voice of the CMO report offers unparalleled insight into how CMOs adapt to the ever-changing marketing landscape.

In this article, we’ll explore some of its key takeaways, focusing on its lessons about how cybersecurity marketing leaders can harness the power of data.

Market Research Informs Customer-Centric Marketing

2025 will be the year of customer-centric marketing. As budgets tighten and expectations rise, cybersecurity marketing leaders must be laser-focused on understanding their target audience, fostering meaningful engagement, and delivering precisely what their customers need.

The Voice of the CMO report clearly shows that marketing leaders already understand the value of customer data: 55% rely on qualitative research to understand customer behavior, while 51% rely on quantitative data. But how, exactly, can they use that data to improve their marketing efforts?

In 2025, cybersecurity marketing leaders must leverage data analytics to inform their brand messaging and marketing content. Analyzing this data gives you precise insights into what your audience wants. If they want educational content, write educational content that delivers them value. If they want more proof of your product’s efficacy, write more detailed case studies. The list is endless, but the bottom line is that data analytics tells you what your customers want, so don’t miss the opportunity to give it to them.

Proving Marketing’s ROI to Secure Buy-In

In today’s challenging economic climate, persuading senior executives to maintain or increase marketing budgets is no easy feat—especially when 39% of CMOs report having to manage more activity with a smaller budget for a reason.

Part of the problem is that many executives view marketing as a non-essential department with poor return on investment (ROI). Data can help you convince them otherwise and secure a bigger – or at least sustained – budget for the next financial year. Measurement tools – like web analytics, customer relationship management (CRM), and social media analytics – help marketers quantify and demonstrate the enormous ROI an effective marketing strategy can have. 47% of CMOs who use market research tools report greater stakeholder buy-in.

AI Adoption: Balancing Efficiency and Creativity

Anyone who has spent time on LinkedIn recently will be aware of the great AIWhat is AI? Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to the simulation of human intelligence processes by computers in an aim to mimic or exceed human cognitive abilities across a range of domains.... More debate. Some people are staunchly against using AI for marketing, some are all for it, and some fall somewhere in the middle. Wherever you stand, AI already plays and will play an increasingly important role in marketing – it’s how you use it that really matters.

73% of CMOs have adopted generative AI, with 52% reporting higher-quality content and 43% viewing it as a facilitator for creativity. That said, 20% see the technology as a hindrance to creativity, while 37% are concerned about its potential to create unoriginal content. Again, it’s really all about how you use AI.

However, this article is about how cybersecurity CMOs can harness the power of data, so let’s focus on that rather than AI’s content-creation abilities. One of AI’s most powerful capabilities is collating and analyzing data quickly. To drive this point home, 53% of CMOs already cite improved analysis as a key benefit of adopting AI.

The point here is that AI is better used to inform content than create it. This is what we mean when we say AI facilitates creativity. By collecting and analyzing vast quantities of customer data, AI tools shoulder a burden that traditionally fell to marketers, allowing them to spend more time and effort developing intelligent and creative campaigns.

Using AI Responsibly

Sticking with the AI theme, cybersecurity CMOs face unique challenges in embracing emerging technologies, particularly AI. Working in a tech-savvy industry, cybersecurity companies and customers will expect marketing leaders to take advantage of the technology, but they will also be much more wary of the risks than those in other sectors.

This contradiction is reflected in the CMO report: 62% of CMOs embrace AI with open arms, but 97% say they have specific concerns about it, chiefly its data security and privacy issues (50%). While it’s encouraging to see that cybersecurity marketing leaders are considering AI use, how can they demonstrate this to customers?

Using AI responsibly in any context relies on transparency. Cybersecurity marketers must be transparent about their use and, perhaps more importantly, don’t use the technology. Bora, for example, has an AI Policy that explains the type of behaviors we encourage and prohibit. This policy, accessible on our website, ensures our clients have a clear understanding of how we utilize AI, fostering trust with our clientele.

How Bora Can Help

At Bora, we’re all too aware of the importance of data for cybersecurity marketing. Our project management, creative, and content creation teams are experts at delivering tangible results for overstretched CMOs at a fraction of the cost of an in-house marketing team.

If you enjoyed this blog illustrating how cybersecurity CMOs can harness the power of data, and you want to find out more about what we can do for your organization, contact us today.