#1 Address Your Audience

Step one of aligning a landing page and advertising is pretty basic, but it requires awareness and review. Gather examples of your landing page(s) and advertising, and look to see if they address your target audience, both in content and visually. You may have different segments, so messaging can be different, but it has to be deliberately different. If your messaging has veered off track over time, determine what’s needed to bring it back on track. Consistency has a force-multiplier effect because it reinforces your brand and message. Inconsistency has a force-divider effect because it distracts and creates incongruity in the minds of your audience — who are expecting consistency. Realigning and re-establishing consistency are easy fixes, but it may take a fresh set of eyes to see where you are drifting from your target audience.

#2 Micro and Macro-targeting

According to the March 2021 DeveloperMedia Audience Survey by Evans Data Corp, the gender of developers is gradually shifting away from predominantly male. Most of the developers surveyed are also lifelong learners, and they typically have degrees in computer science or math. Using data points like this will improve your chances of resonating with the right audience.

To grab a developer’s attention, your advertising and landing page should be enticing — without telling the whole story — so that the reader is engaged and wants to learn more. Top-of-mind issues for developers, according to the State of the Developer Nation Survey by SlashData, include changes in programming language preferences, machine learning, emerging technologies, AI, and cybersecurity. Specific aspects of these issues can be used to position products, and connect with developers in ways which are relevant to their values. Considering that developers have  significant influence on purchase decisions, your message needs to be framed in a context that appeals to their areas of interest.

#3 Go for the Goal

Sometimes in campaign development, the goal is lost due to conflicting requirements and too much input from too many people (the term “scope creep” comes to mind). Scope creep has to be controlled for a campaign to be effective. Advertising typically requires only a handful of goals, and all are legitimate — but you need to know from the outset what your intentions are, and what results you expect. Think of effective advertising as a confirmation of assumptions about the right message that will resonate with the right audience, who — as a result, will respond as predicted.

And as the nexus of your campaign, the ideal landing page has to be constructed to focus on one of the following:

  • Demand generation or brand awareness that will lead to better recognition and acceptance of your brand and products
  • Lead generation that will generate marketing qualified leads, which will lead to sales and generate revenue for your company
  • Education through the use of information and tutorials that excite developers, and help to build a strong relationship between your brand and your audience.

#4 Go for the Close

Landing pages must have a call to action, and that call to action has to be explicit. Don’t expect people to figure things out for themselves. Make sure that landing page links are clear and that the content those links send your audience to delivers on your promise. Don’t confuse or deceive — deliver on your promise and earn the trust of your audience.

Assuming that you are using electronic advertising, your visuals and content should direct your audience to the landing page. It may help to diagram a flow chart to identify the possible paths a developer can take from an ad to an action. Create the flow so that people are logically guided to the result you want. It’s all about the buyer’s journey and the actions they take.

Unless you are a fan of cognitive dissonance, visual appeal is important. One of the key points of visual impact includes using white space to effectively highlight the critical aspects of your message. And your choice of colors, use of colors, text and layout can either reduce or amplify your message.

#5 Consistency is the Key

Landing pages are critical to the success of your advertising campaigns. They present your intentions, reinforce messaging, and present the call to action. Consistency within your landing page’s elements will resonate with the developer audience and lead to positive reactions and uptake. Set goals to go beyond increasing click-throughs. Instead, stretch toward building relationships and developing advocates for your products and your brand!

Resources

DeveloperMedia – Audience Survey
https://developermedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/DeveloperMedia-Audience-Survey-2021-v210503.pdf

SlashData – State of the Developer Nation Survey
https://www.slashdata.co/free-resources/

DeveloperMedia – Visual Elements
The Developer Experience: What Should Your Landing Page Look Like? · DeveloperMedia

DeveloperMedia – Best Practices
Developer Marketing Best Practices: Make Your Landing Page Developer-Worthy · DeveloperMedia