Developer Experience Begins With Advertising
If your goal is to use advertising to attract developers to your brand’s product, tool, feature, or developer community, then the developer experience begins with your ad. It’s easy to focus on how that can go wrong, but what about best practices? Learn more about the best practices that promote a positive developer experience with your ad campaigns.
Offer Value
Developers are like many other professionals –– they are squeezed for time. Advertising that speaks directly to a true developer need is valuable (which means advertising a solution to a specific problem, not just presenting slick slogans). Value-based ads lend credibility and authenticity to your brand and help your audience accurately self-select. Remember, both you and your audience are busy professionals. Avoid wasting their time and yours.
Be Accurate
Developers will lose their patience with an ad that overreaches. Accuracy begins with technical accuracy. Use technical terms that are easily understood, and accurately describe what the ad points the developers to. Then, make sure that the experience the ad promises is accurate.
Offer Ads In A Professional Context
Developers spend a lot of time in digital professional environments, including industry newsletters, developer influencer websites and shows, developer forums, and developer portals. They expect to see brands advertising programming tools in their professional online haunts. Make sure your brand advertises in a professional context.
The Destination Is As Important As the Ad
The developer experience after they respond to your call to action is as important as their experience with your advertising. Ensure the experience after click-through meets expectations. If the ad was too brief to forecast an experience, add language to the destination that makes it clear what they are getting and how to get it (and, of course, your brand must deliver on what is promised).
The Advertising Developer Experience
While the details of creating a positive developer experience with your brand’s advertising campaigns are necessarily technical and specific to your brand’s product, applications, and market, the principles are the same as any other type of advertising. You are creating a touchpoint for your brand with your customer. It can be relationship-building or busting depending on the experience it creates for your audience. With a few simple best practices, your brand’s advertising can be the first step in creating a positive developer experience.
