Why 99% of Cybersecurity Marketers Are Doing Demand Gen Wrong

The Front Lines

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Tony Lombardo.

VP of Marketing · ThreatModeler Software

Anthony (Tony) Lombardo is a seasoned marketing leader who leverages a background in Computer Science to help companies break through growth barriers—whether on the path to $100M or $1B in revenue. With two decades of experience in the B2B software industry, his career spans software development, product marketing, and growth marketing. He has supported the buyer’s journey from every angle—having even been the buyer himself.

Most recently, Tony led a Growth Marketing team through a significant transformation, evolving a traditional software company into a modern SaaS business and reinventing customer marketing as a key pipeline driver. He has guided teams through critical growth stages, from $0 to $100M and from $500M to $850M in ARR, always applying a consistent, scientific approach grounded in his technical and analytical roots.

Tony’s leadership style focuses on building innovative, accountable teams and creating cultures where creativity thrives. Whether tearing down and rebuilding a house or reengineering a car for speed, he brings curiosity, discipline, and drive to every challenge—always ready to build something better.

Guest

Tony Lombardo

VP of Marketing

Company:

ThreatModeler Software

Location:

Ringoes, New Jersey, United States

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In this episode of The Marketing Front Lines, we speak with Anthony (Tony) Lombardo, VP of Marketing at ThreatModeler Software. Tony brings a unique engineering-to-marketing background to cybersecurity demand generation, where he's discovered that most companies are confusing demand capture with true demand generation. In a noisy cybersecurity market where every vendor sounds identical, Tony has developed a systematic approach to standing out through customer research, market studies, and thought leadership that actually educates rather than just amplifies. His framework challenges conventional wisdom about paid search, content syndication, and the timeline for measuring true demand generation success.

Topics Discussed:

The critical difference between demand generation and demand capture
Why cybersecurity marketing has become an echo chamber and how to break through
Building thought leadership content that buyers actually want to consume
Using market research and customer interviews to identify content opportunities
The real ROI timeline for content syndication (12+ months)
When paid search actually works in B2B cybersecurity sales
Framework for the first 90 days at a new marketing role

Seven takeaways from this conversation.

Actionable for Cyber security Builders marketers

Stop Confusing Demand Capture with Demand Generation
Most cybersecurity marketers think they're doing demand generation when they're actually just doing "fancy demand capture." True demand gen creates interest in your category and builds preference over time, while demand capture simply tries to convert existing intent through paid search and lead magnets. The website traffic bump from paid search often consists of non-buyers, creating vanity metrics while wasting spend.
Invest in 12-Month Demand Generation Cycles
Content syndication gets dismissed as ineffective because marketers expect immediate results. The reality is that educational content consumed through syndication builds brand preference slowly - it typically takes 12 months for syndicated content to develop into opportunities. This requires patience and long-term investment thinking, but it creates sustainable demand rather than just capturing existing intent.
Use Three-Layer Customer Research for Content Strategy
Combine personal experience (thinking like your past technical self), direct customer conversations (understanding their daily challenges beyond just product usage), and formal market studies through platforms like Hanover Research. This layered approach reveals the gap between what you think buyers want to hear versus what they actually need to know.
Target Influencers, Not Just Decision Makers
Instead of trying to reach every CISO with expensive targeting, focus on the directors and VPs who are researching solutions for their bosses. Create content that helps them look good to their leadership by addressing the problems that keep CISOs awake at night. This approach is more cost-effective and often more successful than direct executive targeting.
Segment Market Research by Industry for Messaging
Tony's threat modeling study revealed that while aggregate data showed predictable patterns, industry-specific splits revealed crucial differences. Some verticals are driven primarily by compliance requirements while others prioritize security outcomes, even within heavily regulated sectors. This granular insight enables vertical-specific messaging that resonates with the real drivers.
Budget $15-20K for Comprehensive Market Studies
Quality market research including audience building, incentivization, expert survey design, and cross-tabulated analysis costs roughly $15-20,000. Use subscription models when possible to maximize study frequency. The investment pays off by revealing blind spots in your assumptions and uncovering messaging opportunities that customer interviews alone might miss.
Implement First 90-Day Listening Framework
Spend the first 30 days interviewing customers, analysts, and internal stakeholders without preconceived solutions. Use this input to formulate your plan during days 31-60, then begin measuring early success metrics by day 90. Avoid the temptation to implement predetermined solutions from your previous company - every market and customer base has unique characteristics.

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