Reaching the Wider Community - Tips on creating an audience for your Apps!

[#1]

G'day App Central!

I'm @Andy Gladstone , an online Community Leader and overall ambassador and enthusiast for Atlassian products and culture. On any given day my wife, children and Confluence vie for the top spot on my greatest loves list!

I'm here to present some tips that I personally have seen help Marketplace Partners, App Developers and Solutions Partners increase the awareness and market share of their apps, products and services.

DISCLAIMER: I am an Ops professional, not a Marketing professional. This is thoroughly unqualified advice, but is based on a few years of observation and personal experience in the Online Community!

💁‍♂️ TIP #1 Think like a stalker

Find active members from the community and reach out and engage with them via LinkedIn, Twitter, and any professional platform you may both have a presence on. 

Spend time in the Atlassian Online Community looking for high volume contributors that can potentially become a brand ambassador for you if they get to touch and feel your app/product/service. 

Where to look? Check out user badges, kudos and where they are answering questions via their profile page. If someone is spending a lot of time answering Jira questions, they may be a fit for your Jira add-on. Now that you've identified your lead, let them know you're a player in #2...

💁‍♂️ TIP #2 Show them your a player

Do you read the MARS report? Do you even know if your app gets mentions there? If it does, cross-publish about it on your social channels. Find any (positive) mention of your app on blogs, YouTube, whitepapers, etc. and highlight it on LinkedIn or whatever channels you use to reach customers. The majority of the active members in the Atlassian Community are using the products professionally and have LinkedIn profiles. You'll get more eyes on your posts there than anywhere else. But don't inflate your self-worth just yet, check out #3...     

💁‍♂️ TIP #3 Free is where you want to be

Not forever, but upfront. Consider offering free licenses of your apps or a free consultation engagement to create ambassadors of your app, product or service. Everyone appreciates a real world user over an influencer! The benefits of finding a true ambassador will certainly outweigh the costs - and generate more sales for you. Which brings us to #4... 

💁‍♂️ TIP #4 Don't be too salesy

Consider highlighting non-app related content on your general social feeds. See a great article or discussion in the community (check out The Watercooler for a ton of great content from community members). Engage with potential customers instead of selling to them. Let them to get to know your product and brand without begging them for the sale. And speaking about letting them get to know your brand, #5 is where the stick(iness) hits the fan... 

💁‍♂️ TIP #5 - Swag creates snag

Atlassian was once described as a T-shirt company that makes software. What is your swag game? How do you manage it? Creating an image around your company, products and services that is tangibly touched through swag is a great way to create and maintain brand and product recognition.

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No major revelations. Just reminders of how members of the community like to interact with the App Developers and Marketplace Partners. 

Thoughts on any of the above? Let me know in the comments.

[Dave Rosenlund _Trundl_]

I am a marketing guy, @Andy Gladstone, and I wholeheartedly  agree with your points. Nice work!

Most especially, point #4. The Atlassian Community is a great and free platform for marketplace partners to build—or drag down—their brand. IMHO low-value, ad-like, "try-my-product" replies to member questions about using Atlassian products do more harm than good.

I'm not suggesting marketplace partners should not offer/suggest solutions where appropriate, but they should do so after carefully considering things from the OP's perspective and responding accordingly. 

[Anand Inamdar_Amoeboids]

After reading Tip #5, I'm convinced our swag game needs a level up! Who knew T-shirts had so much power? Awesome insights, @Andy Gladstone ! Do let us know where to send your t-shirt ;)

Best,
Anand

[Andy Gladstone]

@Dave Rosenlund _Trundl_ thanks for the validation! I agree that besides for the general guidelines in the community that are there to ensure Marketplace Partners are not spamming us, engaging on content is a great way to develop a following. I can think of at least 3 Marketplace Apps I have tried because of the perception I had from the contributors in the community and not at all related to a direct sales pitch.

@Anand Inamdar_Amoeboids thanks for the offer, but I don't want this to be perceived as a plea for free swag! 

[Anand Inamdar_Amoeboids]

Of course @Andy Gladstone , I wrote it in jest :)