🇩🇴 I'm a Technical Program Manager and Content Strategist with an MSc in UXD. I help developers become better content creators and DevRel teams build robust content programs.
“Is just making a good README and documentation marketing? Is it still marketing if you just give information.” The answer is yes, in the same way that good documentation and READMEs are good UX. Community engagement is marketing. The lines between certain disciplines blur upon further inspection. It’s marketing because these are touch points between you and a brand or company; it’s how you become aware of the company and what it does. At a very foundational level, that’s what marketing is: awareness.
I agree and hear you on many of your points. None of us like to feel we are being manipulated. Not to defend this behavior, but as a means of explanation, the crux of the problem is this: marketing teams at every company, including companies that make products you like and use, are tasked with making money for the business. They are often under immense pressure to hit high numbers, and these numbers are also tied to sales goals. Marketing teams at tech companies face a lot of pressure; if a company doesn’t hit their revenue targets, marketing and sales leaders are put in the hot seat. Marketing teams are also given large budgets in order to hit these numbers; there must be an ROÍ for the business. Thus, facing these pressures, marketers might adopt tactics that are questionable but might generate quick “wins”. This is not the case for EVERY tech company but it is a pattern I have observed having worked in this space for years.
And you’re right: a company doesn’t need gimmicks in order to attract your attention! A good product that is well positioned to solve a real need and a company that listens to the problems of its users. As I argue in my piece, developers are doing amazing at this. I subscribe to newsletters by individual developers and follow developers on social media. These are forms of marketing and yet they don’t feel forced, sleazy, or irrelevant. When marketing is done right, it doesn’t feel sleazy. :)
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In answer to some of your questions:
“Is just making a good README and documentation marketing? Is it still marketing if you just give information.” The answer is yes, in the same way that good documentation and READMEs are good UX. Community engagement is marketing. The lines between certain disciplines blur upon further inspection. It’s marketing because these are touch points between you and a brand or company; it’s how you become aware of the company and what it does. At a very foundational level, that’s what marketing is: awareness.
I agree and hear you on many of your points. None of us like to feel we are being manipulated. Not to defend this behavior, but as a means of explanation, the crux of the problem is this: marketing teams at every company, including companies that make products you like and use, are tasked with making money for the business. They are often under immense pressure to hit high numbers, and these numbers are also tied to sales goals. Marketing teams at tech companies face a lot of pressure; if a company doesn’t hit their revenue targets, marketing and sales leaders are put in the hot seat. Marketing teams are also given large budgets in order to hit these numbers; there must be an ROÍ for the business. Thus, facing these pressures, marketers might adopt tactics that are questionable but might generate quick “wins”. This is not the case for EVERY tech company but it is a pattern I have observed having worked in this space for years.
And you’re right: a company doesn’t need gimmicks in order to attract your attention! A good product that is well positioned to solve a real need and a company that listens to the problems of its users. As I argue in my piece, developers are doing amazing at this. I subscribe to newsletters by individual developers and follow developers on social media. These are forms of marketing and yet they don’t feel forced, sleazy, or irrelevant. When marketing is done right, it doesn’t feel sleazy. :)