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HOWTO Go About Marketing to Developers?

Posted by Cliff on from the where-traditional-marketing-strategies-fail dept.

byrnereese asks: "My company has finally realized that one of the keys to our success will be to create a strong developer program (IBM's Developer Works, and Palm's PalmSource come to mind as examples). It just so happens that I have been appointed to lead this program. Now I have a lot of my own ideas, but I wanted to ask a large developer community directly the one question I know I am going to have to articulate a coherent answer to at some point: 'What is the most effective way to market a toolset, or development platform, to a developer in order to encourage them to build products using your product, without turning them off at the same time?'"

8 of 267 comments (clear)

  1. The Best Way... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    is to use beer and naked chicks.

    Yep.

    Other than that... having a *good* toolset would help.

  2. Free T-Shirts and useless toys to sit on your desk by iforgotmyfirstlogon · · Score: 5, Funny

    Well, that's what most companies seem to think...

    - Freed

    --
    "Coffee should be black as hell, strong as death, and sweet as love." -Turkish Proverb
  3. Re:Make it friendly by cjpez · · Score: 4, Funny
    Unlike many markets, yours isn't full of people that can't tie their shoes.
    I don't know about that one . . . Personally, I avoid the whole issue by wearing boots w/ buckles and straps and the like.
    --
    Al Qaeda has ninjas!
  4. easy by Chundra · · Score: 4, Funny

    email marketing. It works, and developers really appreciate the convenience of receiving email marketing.

  5. This is easy... by SPYvSPY · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...just make ads that disparage lawyers, Apple Computer, the government, Star Wars: Episode 1, and forego proper grammar and spelling.

    :P

  6. Hookers and Blow by teamhasnoi · · Score: 4, Funny
    have always worked for me. Our sales are up, and so are our customers!

    Luv, Bill

  7. Tried and true method of brainwashing developers by guttentag · · Score: 5, Funny
    1. Lock the developers in a large auditorium.
    2. Hire a fat, bald man to charge onto the stage and chant "DEVELOPERS, DEVELOPERS, DEVELOPERS" nonstop for 20 minutes, or until one of the following occurs:
      • he collapses from exhaustion
      • the pulsing vein in this temple bursts
    3. Introduce your product/service/ideology.
  8. Don't Ruin it for the rest of us by sweatyboatman · · Score: 4, Funny

    Shhhhh! Man!

    It's true that t-shirts and toys don't sell didley-squat, but don't tell everyone.
    Without those free t-shirts I might have to do laundry once in a while.

    And without the toys on my desk I might have to do work!

    So mums the word.

    Sweat

    --
    It breaks my pluginses, my precious!