Behind the SteelCloud Brand with Jamie Coffey
Jamie Coffey is an accomplished marketing executive with 20+ years of proven success. In the time she has been the Chief Marketing Officer at SteelCloud, revenue has quintupled and continues to grow. Which should give you an idea of the kind of professional she is—passionate, strategic, determined and, most of all, highly effective.
We recently sat down with Jamie to find out the answer to the age-old question, “What do marketing people even do anyway?” Read on to find out.
What does the Chief Marketing Officer at SteelCloud do?
My role is to create an identity for the company and promote it across various marketing channels—social media sites, email, Google ads, conferences—so people know who we are and how we can help them. I lead a marketing team of writers, graphic artists, social media strategists, web developers and whatever else is needed to create marketing content that gets results.
How did you find SteelCloud?
I was introduced to Brian Hajost, SteelCloud’s COO, back in 2019. At the time, he was looking for someone to help him promote the company at the TechNet Cyber Conference and Expo. It was going to be SteelCloud’s biggest show to date. We had a conversation about it and he said, “It’s either you or me that’s going to put all this together.” At the time, Brian was wearing several hats, which is part of the reason why businesses hire people like me. They need more legs. So, Brian brought me on for that project and the relationship grew until he hired me as CMO.
What kind of results have you achieved?
At the time I came on board, SteelCloud wasn’t a known name. This created issues on sales calls because nobody knew who we were. My charter was to get the name out there, educate the marketplace and enable more sales conversions. Now, five years later, the salespeople don’t run into those issues anymore. Alongside that, revenue has increased five-fold since I’ve come on board.
What is the most memorable campaign you’ve created for SteelCloud?
Considering our customers are cybersecurity professionals, many of which have an interest in sci-fi, my team created a “STIG Wars – May Compliance Be With You” campaign based on Star Wars to use at trade shows. The campaign was initially launched during the week of May 4th, 2023 (May the 4th be with you). The campaign included t-shirts, booth graphics, social media posts, light sabers, hats, stickers and direct mail packaging for customers. It was—and still is—hugely popular. Prospects began to associate SteelCloud with future-ready, cutting-edge technology and the idea of going to battle with hackers or rather “defeat the dark side”.
Why do you love being CMO at SteelCloud?
The conditions at SteelCloud make it a great place to work. The camaraderie and culture are fantastic. I truly feel part of a cohesive, multi-disciplinary team. Everybody’s a hands-on person and wants to do good work. People are trusted to do their jobs. If you have a business case and justification and want to propose something new, the company will support you. I just love it so much. The people are so innovative and they’re just a joy to be around. Like a family. And I’m not the only one who feels that way. Last year SteelCloud was voted one of The Washington Post’s Best Workplaces, which is an award that is driven by employees. You don’t get that if your employees don’t love working there.
You used to be on the Board of Women in Technology. Any insights to share about how women—or anyone—can find success in the industry?
A few things. My biggest piece of advice is to learn the dynamics of the organization and play within them. They are different in every organization and can change over time. Keep paying attention and adjusting. And make sure you’re visible, especially now in the hybrid/remote working environment. For me, it’s about not only working for brand awareness of your company, but for brand awareness for your team. You have to market the value your team provides. I come from the school of “managing up”, which includes a weekly cadence of status reports with management, regular team meetings and quarterly performance reports. It’s part of being visible, but also part of forming a relationship with the person you report to, so they know you’ve got the ball and are making progress each week. All of that is advice for everyone, but for women in general, I’d say to speak up and be loud and proud about the value and outcomes you’re delivering for the organization.
Creating Experiences at Work and Home
With two teenage girls, a husband and a dog, Jamie has more than enough ways to spend the work/life balance SteelCloud provides. Her eldest daughter is in college and loves traveling the world whenever she can and has already been to Germany and on a mission trip to Sierra Leone, Africa, all at the age of eighteen. Her younger daughter is a three-sport athlete who plays volleyball, basketball and softball. Jamie is there to support her at all her games and has taken on the mantle of Softball Mom for her High School team. Beyond that, the family loves to travel and attend concerts from all genres (e.g. rock, country, pop) but Jamie prefers 80’s hair bands or “has beens” as her husband likes to say. She loves to create unique birthday party experiences for her girls and family and is also an enthusiastic supporter of Halloween, decorating her home and conjuring up costumes for the entire family.
