Okta Marketing

To enable any organization to securely connect the right people by becoming the primary cloud identity platform with zero breaches

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To enable any organization to securely connect the right people by becoming the primary cloud identity platform with zero breaches

Strengths

  • PRODUCT: Industry-leading IDaaS solution with 94% customer retention
  • INTEGRATION: 7,000+ pre-built integrations across cloud/on-prem apps
  • SECURITY: Zero-trust architecture with advanced MFA capabilities
  • CUSTOMER: Strong enterprise focus with 17,300+ global customers
  • REPUTATION: Gartner Magic Quadrant leader for 9 consecutive years

Weaknesses

  • COMPETITION: Increased pressure from Microsoft Entra ID in mid-market
  • AWARENESS: Limited brand recognition outside IT security circles
  • COMPLEXITY: Platform perceived as complex for SMB implementation
  • CONVERSION: 42% of trial users cite difficulty in initial setup
  • PRICING: Premium positioning creates barrier for smaller businesses

Opportunities

  • EXPANSION: Growing $25B identity security market (18% CAGR)
  • COMPLIANCE: Stricter regulations driving identity solution adoption
  • HYBRID: 76% of enterprises adopting hybrid workforce models
  • SECURITY: Rising breach costs ($4.45M avg) increasing security focus
  • PARTNERSHIPS: Channel expansion could unlock 30% more market reach

Threats

  • CONSOLIDATION: Platform vendors bundling identity with core offerings
  • INNOVATION: Emerging passwordless solutions gaining rapid adoption
  • ECONOMICS: IT budget constraints impacting new solution investments
  • TALENT: Cybersecurity talent shortage affecting implementation speed
  • BREACHES: Security incidents could damage trust in identity platforms

Key Priorities

  • EXPANSION: Increase enterprise market penetration through security
  • AWARENESS: Build stronger identity brand position vs. competitors
  • EDUCATION: Simplify platform adoption journey for all segments
  • INNOVATION: Accelerate passwordless and zero-trust capabilities
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To enable any organization to securely connect the right people by becoming the primary cloud identity platform with zero breaches

SECURE LEADERSHIP

Position Okta as the premier identity security platform

  • AWARENESS: Increase unaided brand awareness among security leaders from 32% to 45% by end of quarter
  • THOUGHT LEADERSHIP: Publish security research with 5+ tier-1 media placements generating 10K+ qualified leads
  • COMPETITIVE: Develop battle cards and training to improve win rate vs Microsoft from 58% to 65% in enterprise
  • CONTENT: Create vertical-specific security compliance frameworks for healthcare, finance, and government
SIMPLIFY ADOPTION

Remove friction from the customer journey experience

  • ONBOARDING: Redesign trial experience to increase successful activations from 58% to 70% within 48 hours
  • EDUCATION: Launch new Academy certification program with 2,500+ IT professionals trained in first 90 days
  • SELF-SERVICE: Create interactive product tour increasing website-to-trial conversion from 2.3% to 3.5%
  • CUSTOMER: Develop 15 new case studies showcasing time-to-value under 4 weeks with quantifiable results
FUEL PIPELINE

Accelerate enterprise demand generation and conversion

  • ENTERPRISE: Generate $175M in new enterprise pipeline (>$100K ACV) with 28% sourced by marketing
  • ABM: Launch account-based program targeting 250 Fortune 1000 companies with 40% engagement rate
  • EVENTS: Host 3 executive roundtables in key markets with 80% target account attendance and 15 opps
  • DIGITAL: Optimize channel mix to reduce cost per SQL by 15% while maintaining lead quality scores
HARNESS AI

Leverage AI to differentiate and optimize operations

  • MESSAGING: Launch AI security value proposition campaign with 50% of prospects recognizing differentiation
  • PERSONALIZATION: Implement AI content engine delivering dynamic web experiences increasing CTR by 35%
  • EFFICIENCY: Deploy marketing AI tools reducing campaign execution time by 25% and improving outcomes
  • ANALYTICS: Build predictive lead scoring model improving MQL-to-SQL conversion rate from 18% to 24%
METRICS
  • NEW ENTERPRISE CUSTOMERS: 550
  • MARKETING SOURCED PIPELINE: $175M
  • BRAND AWARENESS AMONG SECURITY LEADERS: 45%
VALUES
  • Love our customers
  • Never stop innovating
  • Act with integrity
  • Be transparent
  • Empower our people
Align the learnings

Okta Marketing Retrospective

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To enable any organization to securely connect the right people by becoming the primary cloud identity platform with zero breaches

What Went Well

  • REVENUE: Subscription revenue grew 21% YoY reaching $621M for quarter
  • ENTERPRISE: Added 210 customers with >$100K ACV (15% above target)
  • RETENTION: Net retention rate remained strong at 115% vs 112% target
  • PRODUCT: Successful launch of Identity Governance solution drove 7K leads
  • PARTNERS: Channel contribution increased to 38% of new bookings vs 31%

Not So Well

  • PIPELINE: Sales pipeline generation fell 8% below quarterly projection
  • COMPETITION: Win rate against Microsoft decreased from 62% to 58%
  • EFFICIENCY: CAC increased 14% YoY due to higher digital ad spending
  • AWARENESS: Brand recognition metrics remained flat among IT decision makers
  • CONVERSION: Website-to-trial conversion decreased 3 percentage points

Learnings

  • TARGETING: Security-focused messaging outperformed efficiency messaging
  • CHANNELS: LinkedIn campaigns delivered 2.3x higher ROI than Google Search
  • CONTENT: Technical webinars generated 4x more qualified leads than ebooks
  • SALES: Longer sales cycles (avg +12 days) require earlier marketing touch
  • SEGMENTS: Healthcare vertical showing strongest growth opportunity (+27%)

Action Items

  • MESSAGING: Reposition core value proposition around security and compliance
  • DIGITAL: Increase performance marketing investment in LinkedIn by 35%
  • PIPELINE: Launch ABM program targeting Fortune 1000 security executives
  • CONTENT: Create industry-specific security frameworks for key verticals
  • ENABLEMENT: Deploy advanced attribution model to optimize channel mix
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To enable any organization to securely connect the right people by becoming the primary cloud identity platform with zero breaches

Strengths

  • AUTOMATION: AI-powered threat detection reduces false positives by 47%
  • ANALYTICS: Advanced user behavior analytics identify anomalies faster
  • EXPERIENCE: Intelligent workflows reduce authentication friction
  • SCALE: Machine learning enhances performance across global deployments
  • INTEGRATION: AI capabilities embedded across entire platform ecosystem

Weaknesses

  • TALENT: Limited AI/ML specialized expertise on marketing team
  • MESSAGING: Unclear AI value proposition compared to competitors
  • DATA: Insufficient customer journey data for predictive marketing
  • ADOPTION: Slow internal uptake of AI tools for marketing analytics
  • CONTENT: Limited AI-focused marketing assets and customer stories

Opportunities

  • PERSONALIZATION: AI can deliver hyper-targeted prospect experiences
  • EFFICIENCY: Automation could reduce campaign execution time by 35%
  • INSIGHTS: Predictive analytics to identify highest-value prospects
  • DIFFERENTIATION: AI security messaging can counter Microsoft's scale
  • EDUCATION: Position as thought leader in AI-enhanced identity security

Threats

  • COMPETITORS: Microsoft leveraging vast AI investments in security
  • EXPECTATION: Customer AI feature expectations outpacing development
  • ETHICS: Growing concerns about AI bias in security algorithms
  • REGULATION: Evolving AI compliance requirements adding complexity
  • CONFUSION: Market confusion about real vs. marketed AI capabilities

Key Priorities

  • DIFFERENTIATION: Develop clear AI security value proposition
  • EDUCATION: Create thought leadership on ethical AI in identity
  • ENABLEMENT: Build AI-powered marketing operations capabilities
  • STORYTELLING: Showcase customer success with AI-enhanced security