Working with your organization’s marketing team, or the media in general, can be a drag. It can also be a rewarding, mutually beneficial experience”one that can bring awareness to your work, and/or position you as an industry thought leader. I know, I know, ew. Marketers have some bad habits: we can get carried away, we’re pushy, and we don’t always know what we’re talking about when in comes to new technology (not that we’ll ever admit it). Also, we tend to be loud. Not exactly the beginning of a beautiful friendship. But…as the security industry grows, and becomes more mainstream, establishing a personal brand will be more important than ever. It will serve as a differentiator and give you the visibility you need to land paid speaking slots, jobs, even bylines. Your org’s marketing team can help”and, swear on the precious, they’re not as awful as you think. (Mostly.) This talk will focus on making marketing work for you”mainly focusing on corporate teams, but also providing help for you lone rangers. We’ll look at social and communication best practices, different strategies to keep discussions productive and on-topic, how to build your personal brand, and a case study that proves the value of a good pitch.