3. 1
1.0 Executive Summary
Security B-Sides Orlando is a non-profit organization that holds security meetups with the
purpose and mission of delivering security content to help technologists and people new to
the field to become better at being security professionals or even to introduce them to the
field. Security B-Sides Orlando has hosted their past two conferences at Full Sail University
and plans to have their next one at Full Sail as well (1). During these conferences, it can be
expected up to 800 people for attendance. With each passing year, Security B-Sides
Orlando shows an increase in attendance and shows an increase in the diversity of the
attendees. The meetups are designed to bring people together that share a common
interest in security and learning new things, meeting new people, and gaining new
experiences.
Research in this plan goes into detail on how Security B-Sides Orlando can attract a more
diverse group of individuals to their security meetups. This plan will also highlight how B-
Sides Orlando can market outside of their current market. Considering B-Sides Orlando is a
non-profit organization, they do not have much of a budget, which is why their sponsors
play a significant role in helping these events take place.
Marketing plan lays out how Security B-Sides Orlando plans to bring in a more diverse
group of attendees to their security meetups and how they can market outside of their
echo chamber. This plan covers multiple strategies for social media promotion and
engagement. By following these strategies for social media, B-Sides Orlando will be able to
gain a more diverse following on social media channels and bring a more diverse group to
their meetups. The social media channels that are being used will be significant for the
company considering the popularity of the sites and their functionality. LinkedIn and
Instagram will be the primary sources for social media promotions. LinkedIn offers
excellent resources that can be used to network with individuals, and Instagram allows
them to reach more users, considering the popularity of the site. Section 5.0 of this plan
goes into greater detail of the social media promotions being used.
4. 2
2.0 Situation Analysis
2.1 Company Overview
Security B-Sides Orlando is hosting a security conference at Full Sail University on
April 10th and 11th. Unfortunately, due to a global pandemic knows as COVID-19,
the world has been advised to practice social distancing, and all events that would
have more than ten people would have to cancel or postpone their events. Due to
this, B-Sides has followed the proper procedures to ensure the safety of staff and
attendees and have postponed the event to a later date. B-Sides was founded in
2009, while B-Sides Orlando was founded in 2013 and resides in Orlando, Florida. B-
Sides Orlando acts as a supplement to larger events like SANS Orlando. This
facilitates a laidback environment to all the attendees and professionals while
providing unique access to accomplished speakers. The goal is to bring the
conversation to another level and inspire a passion for security. (B-
Sides Orlando.N.D.)
2.2 SWOT Analysis
This SWOT analysis will be going over the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and
threats for Security B-Sides Orlando.
Strengths
Great relationships with venues
Excellent knowledge on security
Experience with hosting events
Weaknesses
Low following count on social media
Small budget
Lack of social media presence
Opportunities
Gain new attendees to events
Gain more sponsors
5. 3
Introduce new people to the field
Threats
Inclement weather
Unforeseen closure of venue
Sponsors backing out
2.3 Resources
Security B-Sides Orlando is a nonprofit, so they don’t rely on making money to stay
afloat. That said, they receive donations and grants to help produce the events.
Sponsorships play a significant role in providing funds for these events. B-Sides
Orlando has tons of qualified individuals that have more than enough expertise for
these meetups. B-Sides Orlando plans way ahead for the games making sure there
is always enough time allotted.
2.4 Employees
The staff loves what they do and work together to achieve their goals. This year’s
staff includes Bree Helton, Daniel Polimeni, Ean Meyer, Furey Didomenico, Heather
Lawrence, Jonathan Singer, Jose, Rodriquez, Julianne Renowden, Lee Mangold,
Steve Hardee, Tabatha DiDomenico, Tim Krabec, Tony Turner, and Willa Riggins. (3)
2.5 Sponsorships
Security B-Sides Orlando currently has three main tiers of sponsorship level and one
sponsorship that is free for student groups and not-for-profit organizations only,
but a $500 donation is suggested. Gold tier values at $1,000 and includes verbal
recognition, logo on event website, and logo in guide and signage. Platinumtier
values at $2,000 and includes everything in the previous level plus social media
promotion, logo on the back of the t-shirt, and vendor table space. Finally, there is
the Diamond tier that values at $3,000, which includes everything in the previous
tiers plus attendee email blast on behalf of the sponsor, sponsor-provided item or
6. 4
flyer, optional 2-3 minutes at closing. B-Sides Orlando currently has six sponsorships
in the Diamond tier and five sponsorships in the Platinum tier. (4)
3.0 Market Analysis
3.1. Target Market
Security B-Sides Orlando and the industry are focused on targeting male and
females 18-35 years old students, young professionals, advanced professionals, and
infosec stars looking to expand their knowledge and skills. Technology savvy
individuals, Engineers, Security analysts, Non-experience professionals, and
individuals looking to change careers. Focus on diversity, different cultures,
nationalities, ethnicities living in the Orlando, Florida Area.
3.2 Market Trend
Industry trends are moving towards Cloud Security and different strategies that will
prevent any future breach and massive attacks. There is a high demand to provide
Cloud security that focuses on providing the hosts or tenants a reliable
experience—prioritizing privacy and vulnerability. Most of the recent attacks are
application-centric, which are taking advantage of the slightest vulnerabilities in the
application layers—focusing on the cloud structure that could be affected not by an
external attack, but by being deployed by an actual customer. All these
requirements represent a significant evolutionary step for security platforms aiming
to support cloud and containerized environments and now seeing some progress in
the industry.
On the other hand, more Security B-Sides is being sponsored and promoted around
the United States and the world. There is a growing interest in the industry and
individuals looking to participate and learn new skills. Therefore, the opportunity
for more jobs, professional development, and higher earnings are there. Tech
companies are hiring big time and increasing salary earnings to cover the gap in the
7. 5
need for such professionals. This interest, being one of the most significant benefits
of participating and attending Security B-Sides conferences.
3.3 Market Needs
The need for new talent and professionals motivated to be part of the security
industry is one of the primary objectives. On the other hand, the gap exists in the
number of job opportunities. Therefore, there is much interest in the tech industry
to develop such individuals that will join this career path. Security becoming a
priority for big corporations benefits the local market to hold more conventions and
for sponsors to provide more budget towards promoting such events and attract
people. The problem is that these conventions are not being appropriately
promoted and that there is not much awareness that will get the required
attention. There is a significant need for new strategies to capture the audience and
increase participation.
4.0 Objectives
Security B-Sides Orlando's main objective is to create a more laid-back environment that
will give visitors a better opportunity to interact and communicate with industry
professionals, other students, and hobbyists. At the same time, attract more visitors from
diverse backgrounds and ethnicities. Therefore, create a marketing plan that will attract
more customers of at least 1000 new attendees. Create interest in the industry and
promote the event as an opportunity to network, begin a new career, learn new skills, and
participate in something relatively different in a smaller and intimate setting.
Furthermore, Security B-Sides Orlando wants to create a year-long strategy to keep prior
visitors, guests, and prospects engaged throughout social media. One of Ean Meyer’s, the
President of Security B-Sides Orlando concerns, is that engagement drops right after the
convention is over. Therefore, keep all social media networks, promoting content, and
creating different strategies to maintain engagement at a higher level. Most likely, allocate
8. 6
a small portion of the budget in conjunction with the sponsors to make this possible and
continuously feed the followers new content, trends, interviews, and anything related to
the convention and the industry.
5.0 Social Media Strategy
5.1. LinkedIn
5.1.1. Networking Tips
Provide essential tools and success stories that will facilitate networking
and mentoring. LinkedIn is all about networking. Sharing professional
experiences and mentorship will be a great tool to students and current
professionals to participate and prove a comfortable platform to interact
and exchange information.
5.1.2 Interviews
Share interviews done to special guests and influencers that are part of
the industry. Provide tips, Q&A, and interaction. Be able to share relevant
information and networking opportunities. Share a quarterly interview to
these professionals that will be able to bring value to the listeners and
the convention.
5.1.3 Career Opportunities
Provide users with a better understanding of the industry from a
professional level. Share current career opportunities in the industry as
well as news and upcoming trends. Be able to Demonstrate what
corporations are needing and give a platform to support professionals
looking to begin a new career or change their current path.
9. 7
5.2 Instagram
5.2.1 Monthly Video Content
Doing videos for the company is a form of storytelling. Storytelling is an
amazing way to creatively showcase the brand with visually appealing
content.
5.2.2 Weekly Podcast Streaming
Podcast listeners are the most loyal and engaged audience out there.
They listen to a podcast while they travel or merely sitting in their home.
(Kupferman,2018) The good thing about podcasts is that it is never just
offered on one platform. It is offered on multiple platforms such as social
media networks, websites, and other streaming services. Podcasts are a
creative way to engage with the listeners on a more personal level. The
podcast will provide listeners to get more information about the
convention and the quality of the information that will be shared as well
as knowing some of the special guests and influencers.
5.2.3 Engagement & Interactions
Instagram allows followers to interact and react to the stories. It is
essential to build relationships with followers and increase the number of
followers. Instagram allows followers to ask questions, create polls, and
provides many other interactive features that will be beneficial when it
comes to engagement levels. This strategy is vital towards maintaining a
connection with the consumers throughout the year and increase
awareness. Instagram and Facebook offer a great way of reaching out to
a more diverse group of followers. Through both social media channels,
posts can be directed more towards minorities, religions, and differently
abled individuals. We could start off by showing our current diverse
workforce through social media posts and live streams. In some future
10. 8
posts, the captions can be added in multiple languages to engage more
than just English followers.
5.3 Twitter
5.3.1 Weekly Blog Update
Weekly blog updates on B sides Orlando with the latest events, photos,
and engaging content is a great way to interact with followers on twitter.
Twitter allows a low amount of characters to be typed, which makes it
better for the overview information of the tweet. The use of hashtags in
the tweets will allow people who are interested in viewing the tweets
about the facility and its latest events and share it, comment on it, and
retweet it on their twitter account. Twitter has a feature that allows
marketing teams to schedule the tweets to post when their followers are
most active, which will help get much more views, retweets, and
interaction with the followers. (Sproutsocial, N.D)
5.3.2 Daily News and Trends
Company trends give the brand or company more exposure. When brand
gains more exposure, it increases customer satisfaction. With twitter,
trending companies can communicate more efficiently with the
followers. (Karasiewicz.2019)
5.4 Advertising Strategy
5.4.1 Instagram Ads
Using Instagram to advertise a product, facility or event is one of the
most efficient ways to reach a big audience. With the ability to post
photos, video, and live feed, the company can advertise visually
appealing content. Instagram has 800 million active users around the
world. Over 60% of these users buy the advertised product. Instagram
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users fall between ages 18 to 65 years of age. The majority of the users
are young adults, between 18-29years of age (55%), 30-49 years old
(28%), and only 11% of users are ages 50-64 if the target audience is
young adults. Therefore, promoting the content by-weekly will provide
an excellent chance to increase awareness of the event and attract new
future visitors.
5.4.2 Google Ads
Google ads allow the company to reach potential customers when they
are searching for products and businesses that are similar to the service
that you are providing. The company will only have to pay for google
advertising when retrieving results. There are many options to choose
from when advertising on Google, and ones that suit your budget best
and still get good results. (Google, N.D.) Google is the most popular
search engine for all demographics which makes it easy for hackers to
target users. When searching google for facilities, events, or
even nearby movies, atypical audience will be provided with variety of
choices through which they can view the information about what it is
that they are searching for, which involves photos, videos, shopping, and
all. Having pictures of diverse people would help a lot and allow people
to see the that whatever that they are searching for is meant for big
audience and all ages.
6.0 Website
Security B-Sides Orlando focuses on creating engagement and increasing traffic to all social
media networks, including the website. It is vital to use the website as a tool for new
individuals that are not familiar with the industry to get their attention, provide the
necessary information, and share important news. Work as a friendly platform to learn and
interact with future attendees. Currently, there is an opportunity to make this happen and
12. 10
take full advantage of the benefits of maintaining an up-to-date site with much great
information. Therefore, providing detailed information from a point-of-view of someone
that has no knowledge or experience about what these conventions are about,
expectations, and what is in it for the visitor. Now, the website only gives information
towards users that are familiar with all the terminology and concepts. Security B-Sides
Orlando is to keep growing and provide a platform for individuals to learn and network.
The website will play an essential role in promoting these benefits and work as a
foundation for all information.
7.0 Budget
Security B-Side Orlando depends mainly on the sponsors and ticket sales. However, prior
years they did not allocate a budget towards marketing. Therefore, creating a small budget
for the future marketing strategies that will increase attendance and diversity—taking into
consideration all social media networks, websites, and the necessary staff, to complete
such a project yearly.
Social Media and Website Management $1,000 (recurring yearly)
Graphic Design and Content Creation $600 (recurring yearly)
Branding $300 (one time)
Promos and Ads $1,200 (3 months)
Total $3,100 Annually
13. 11
8.0 References
(1) Our Client This Term Week 1 Interview with the client. (03/02/2020) Retrieved
from: https://online.fullsail.edu/class_sections/79721/modules/230744/activities/1407167
(2) B-Sides Orlando About page (n.d.) Retrieved
from: https://2020.bsidesorlando.org/#/about?lang=en
(3) B-Sides Orlando About page (n.d.) Retrieved
from: https://2020.bsidesorlando.org/#/about?lang=en
(4) Sponsorship Guide 2020 (n.d.) Retrieved
from:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xpa3Qxrbv149hR_r6VgPlSYnnSf0tiVZ/view
(5) @bsidesorl • Instagram photos and videos. (n.d.). Retrieved
from https://www.instagram.com/bsidesorl/
(6) Bsidesorl. (n.d.). BSides Orlando 2020. Retrieved
from https://2020.bsidesorlando.org/
(7) Lua, A. (2019, February 22). How to Spend a Social Media Budget. Retrieved from
https://buffer.com/library/social-media-marketing-budget
(8) Security B-Sides Orlando. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.facebook.com/BsidesORL
(9) Subhraveti, D. (2020, March 19). Council Post: Upleveling Of The Cloud Infrastructure
And Its Implications On Cloud Security. Retrieved
from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/03/16/upleveling-of-the-cloud-
infrastructure-and-its-implications-on-cloud-security/#552d611a3192
(9) (Sadler.R). (June 16,2018) – “7 linkedin tips and tricks to help you make connections
and find your next job’. - Retrieved from: https://www.businessinsider.com/linkedin-
networking-tips-tricks-2018-6#make-sure-your-profile-has-a-picture-your-current-position-or-
education-location-industry-and-skills-1
(Google.com) – Grow Your Business with Google Ads – retrieved
from: https://ads.google.com/home/
(10) (Kupferman.J.(April 10th,2018) - “Benefits of Podcasts advertising over other
mediums” – retrieved from: )http://truenativemedia.com/benefits/
(11) (Whitney.M). (February 7,2020) – “The complete Guide to Advertising on
Instagram” – retrieved from: https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2017/11/20/instagram-
advertising
(12) (Sproutsocial.com) - “How to create a twitter marketing strategy for your brand”
retrieved from: https://sproutsocial.com/twitter-marketing/
(13) (Karasiewicz.C).(April 2,2019) – “How to create Instagram stories people love to
watch” – retrieved from: https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/how-to-create-instagram-
stories-people-love-watch/
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9.0 Appendices
A. Editorial Calendar
This editorial calendar outlines social media posts for LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Posts will be made on a weekly basis updating followers on any news, events, or
updates that would be useful for the followers.
