Shift your marketing strategy from persuasion to education by adopting a maintainer mindset, prioritizing transparency and community trust.
Developers don’t trust traditional marketing. They’re tired of flashy campaigns, vague promises, and intrusive tactics. What they want is clear, honest, and technical communication. Here’s the solution: adopt a maintainer mindset. This approach prioritizes transparency, collaboration, and continuous improvement, just like maintaining a software project.
Key Takeaways:
- Developers value substance over hype: Provide detailed documentation, data-backed claims, and tools that solve real problems.
- Think long-term, not quick wins: Focus on building trust and community health instead of chasing clicks or conversions.
- Treat marketing like software development: Iterate, test, gather feedback, and improve continuously.
By shifting from persuasion to education, marketers can earn developers’ trust and build meaningful, lasting relationships. Start by providing resources that help developers thrive - not just sell to them.
Why Developers Ignore Your Marketing – And What to Do About It
What Maintainer Thinking Means
Maintainer thinking shifts the focus from chasing quick wins to building lasting value within a community. Unlike traditional marketing, which often prioritizes immediate conversions, this approach treats marketing like managing a software project - it requires clear documentation and a genuine commitment to user feedback.
The key difference lies in the purpose. Traditional marketing aims to persuade and convert, but maintainer thinking is about educating, enabling, and inspiring. As one expert puts it: "Developers want to be educated, enabled, and inspired. Developers DO NOT want to be persuaded". This perspective influences every decision maintainer-minded marketers make, laying the groundwork for the principles they follow.
Core Principles Maintainers Follow
Maintainers rely on four guiding principles that resonate deeply with developers:
- Transparency: They openly document decisions, share roadmaps, and discuss limitations without exaggerating. This builds trust by setting clear expectations.
- Collaboration: Maintainers treat their community as partners, actively seeking input, addressing concerns, and valuing feedback as a tool for improvement.
- Continuous Improvement: Instead of aiming for one-time success, they focus on regular updates - fixing bugs, refining documentation, and enhancing features based on real user needs.
- Ownership and Accountability: Maintainers take full responsibility for their projects, monitoring performance, gathering feedback, and iterating continuously. They don't abandon efforts after launch but stay engaged throughout the lifecycle.
When marketers adopt these principles, they move beyond being seen as outsiders trying to sell something. They become trusted members of the developer community, countering the common pitfalls of traditional marketing.
Why Developers Reject Standard Marketing
Standard marketing often fails with developers for practical reasons. First, it tends to overpromise and underdeliver, which damages credibility. Developers have seen too many "game-changing" tools that turn out to be basic solutions wrapped in flashy branding. They value data-backed claims over exaggerated promises.
Interruptive tactics are another sore point. Developers work in states of deep focus, so marketing strategies that demand constant attention - like mandatory lengthy demos - are frustrating and quickly dismissed.
A lack of technical depth is also a common problem. Developers need detailed answers about implementation, performance, and integration. Glossy overviews and vague claims don’t provide the specifics they need to make informed decisions.
Additionally, developers prefer to explore products independently. Most rely on product trials, thorough documentation, and peer recommendations rather than traditional marketing materials. They appreciate having access to clear, detailed resources that allow them to evaluate solutions on their own terms.
The solution isn't to tweak traditional marketing tactics - it's about adopting maintainer principles. By prioritizing education over persuasion, transparency over hype, and long-term value over quick wins, marketers can align with how developers think and work. This approach not only earns trust but also creates meaningful connections within the developer community.
Building Campaigns Like a Maintainer
This section dives into practical ways to apply maintainer principles when creating marketing campaigns. By embracing these values, campaigns can move beyond short-term goals and focus on fostering community growth and trust. Here's how to integrate this mindset through sustained community health, transparent communication, and iterative campaign strategies.
Focus on Long-Term Community Health
Maintainer-inspired campaigns prioritize providing resources that enhance daily workflows instead of chasing immediate results. This could mean producing educational content, sharing industry insights, or offering tools and guides that help developers grow professionally.
Think about how successful open source projects approach their communities. They focus on solving real problems, sharing lessons from actual implementations, and creating resources that developers genuinely need. Adopting this mindset shifts the focus from "How can we get developers to buy?" to "How can we help developers thrive?"
"Marketing is about selling. Open Source is free. I don't have to try to sell anything, so why would I need marketing? The thing is, you are selling. You're just not selling stuff, and you're not directly asking for money. You are selling ideas, and the currency you are requesting in return is something extremely valuable, which is people's time and attention." - Deirdré Straughan, Open Source Content Lead at Amazon Web Services (AWS)
This approach requires patience but delivers long-term rewards. While traditional ROI metrics may take time to materialize, the trust and loyalty built through these efforts are invaluable. Developers remember brands that genuinely help them solve challenges or learn new skills, often becoming advocates for those companies.
Clear Communication and Trust Building
Maintainer-style campaigns thrive on honest and transparent communication. Developers value understanding the purpose behind marketing efforts, so being upfront about campaign goals, data usage, and targeting strategies builds trust.
"The marketing tactics should be very, very different in company versus community. If you just duplicate what's done in company marketing, people could get turned off that this is a commercial sales pitch, or it's too slick, or it's too smooth, and they don't want to be involved in that." - Nithya Ruff, senior director of the Open Source Practice at Comcast
Transparency also involves acknowledging the limitations of tools or services. Rather than overselling, campaigns should clearly outline what a product can and cannot do. Developers will uncover limitations anyway, so being upfront demonstrates integrity and sets realistic expectations.
Documentation plays a vital role here. Just as maintainers craft detailed README files, marketers can provide clear, accessible information about how campaigns work, what data is collected, and how developers can engage - or opt out. This openness makes developers more comfortable engaging with campaigns because they understand the process.
Treat Campaigns Like Software Releases
Once clear communication is in place, campaigns can be managed like evolving software products, with a focus on continuous improvement. Borrowing from software development practices, campaigns can be treated as iterative releases, complete with version control, testing, and changelogs.
Agile marketing fits perfectly with this approach. Instead of launching massive, static campaigns, marketers can create smaller, flexible campaigns that evolve based on community feedback. This allows for quick adjustments to meet developers' changing needs.
"I'm a big believer in iterative agile style marketing projects. I call them MVPs, minimum viable programs instead of where it's so tempting in marketing to create this huge mammoth campaign that's gonna last 18 months." - Pete Steege, founder of B2B Clarity
For example, a B2B software company using agile marketing saw a 35% increase in qualified leads, a 28% boost in conversion rates, and a 42% rise in revenue. These results stemmed from their ability to adapt campaigns in real time based on feedback and market shifts.
Campaign "releases" should include clear updates about changes and improvements. Just as software maintainers publish release notes, marketers can inform the community about new features, content updates, or changes in targeting. This keeps developers in the loop and shows a commitment to ongoing improvement.
Regular retrospectives are also essential. Teams should analyze each campaign iteration to identify successes, failures, and areas for improvement. This mirrors the iterative evolution of successful open source projects and ensures marketing efforts remain relevant.
Finally, involving the community in campaign development can be transformative. Just as open source projects welcome user contributions, marketing campaigns can benefit from developer input during planning and execution. This collaboration ensures campaigns address real needs rather than assumptions, creating a stronger connection with the community.
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Creating Community-Focused Marketing Systems
Forget one-way, top-down campaigns. Instead, think about creating systems that align with how developers work - systems built on participation, valuable input, and metrics that truly reflect community engagement. This approach mirrors the mindset of maintainers, focusing on transparency and ongoing collaboration with the community.
Include Developers in Content Creation
Want authentic content? Get developers involved directly. This approach transforms marketing from "targeting" developers to actually partnering with them.
Take Lego Ideas, for example. They use community votes and contributions to create branded products. Similarly, developer-focused companies can succeed with community writing initiatives. Both Strapi and LogRocket have grown their blogs into major traffic drivers by inviting freelance contributions from their communities. This not only keeps content fresh but also helps identify talented writers within the developer ecosystem.
Another example is Codecov, which has built an extensive library of tutorials. These guides cover step-by-step instructions for various combinations of programming languages and CI/CD tools, like Python with GitHub Actions, PHP with CircleCI, or Java with Jenkins. Each tutorial addresses the subtle challenges developers face.
The Visa Developer Community fosters collaboration through forums, blogs, API documentation, and direct support. Similarly, Autodesk has built a vibrant peer-to-peer network where professionals ask questions, share knowledge, and even participate in special programs like the Expert Elite group or Answer Days, where users interact directly with Autodesk experts.
Then there’s SuprSend, which created a dedicated error guide section in their documentation to help developers troubleshoot during implementation. This simple but effective move shows developers that their feedback matters and builds trust.
By involving developers in these ways, companies can shift their focus to measuring success through community engagement rather than just chasing clicks.
Measure Community Impact, Not Just Clicks
Traditional metrics like click-through rates often miss the mark when it comes to developer communities. They don’t capture the depth of engagement or the long-term health of a community, which are key for sustainable growth.
Instead, community-focused metrics emphasize relationship quality over transaction volume. Success is measured by factors like active participation, meaningful interactions, shared goals, inclusivity, and recognition programs. In fact, a small but highly engaged community can often provide more value than a larger, inactive one.
| Traditional Metric | Community-Focused Alternative | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Click-through rate | Engagement quality | Prioritizes meaningful interactions |
| Conversion rate | Retention rate | Reflects long-term value and satisfaction |
| Impressions | Active contributors identified | Highlights those driving real value |
| Cost per acquisition | Community sentiment analysis | Shows overall satisfaction and advocacy |
Tracking active users on daily, weekly, and monthly timeframes gives a clearer picture of community health. Additionally, analyzing interactions like likes, comments, and shares helps identify which content resonates most. Recognizing top contributors based on participation further strengthens community bonds.
For instance, ContainIQ has built a leading Kubernetes blog by focusing on developer engagement and knowledge sharing rather than chasing quick conversions. Similarly, Earthly.dev grew from nothing to millions of annual visitors by measuring success through developer adoption and community growth. Meanwhile, Fly.io publishes thoughtful blog posts authored by their engineers and DevRel leaders, measuring success through developer discussions, implementation stories, and feedback.
To make this work, teams need centralized dashboards that aggregate data from multiple platforms, offering a clear view of engagement. Regular reviews help pinpoint which efforts truly add value versus those that just generate noise.
The ultimate goal? Build lasting relationships. By focusing on transparency, collaboration, and continuous improvement, companies can create a foundation for long-term growth that aligns with how developers think, work, and make decisions.
Putting Maintainer Thinking Into Practice
Shifting from theory to action means taking clear, deliberate steps. Just as maintainers create systems to uphold code quality, marketers can integrate these principles into their workflows with practical strategies.
Form Developer Advisory Groups
Think of advisory groups as the campaign equivalent of a code review. These groups offer an outsider’s perspective, helping ensure your campaigns truly resonate with the developer community.
Start by identifying what you want the group to achieve. Are you looking for feedback on technical content, validation of messaging, or insights into developers' current challenges? Clear goals lead to better outcomes.
Write clear job descriptions for your advisors. Seek developers with varied expertise - frontend, backend, DevOps, or mobile - and at different career stages. Senior engineers bring deep knowledge, while junior developers provide fresh insights, especially on onboarding and learning resources.
Plan to compensate advisors fairly. For startups, this could range from $100 to $500 per meeting. Larger corporations might allocate a third to half of what they pay board directors. This investment reflects the value you place on their input.
"There are much cheaper and easier ways to get feedback than trying to get a group of advisors together. The primary purpose of an advisory board should be to drive outcomes." – Bob Arciniaga, Founder of Advisory Board Architects
Set performance metrics to measure the group’s impact. Track things like the quality of feedback, faster campaign launches, and changes in developer sentiment. If someone isn’t contributing effectively, it’s okay to make adjustments to keep the group productive.
Lastly, engage with advisors as equals, not as a faceless corporation. Truly listen to their feedback and work together to solve problems, rather than just seeking approval for pre-existing ideas.
When you incorporate trusted input, remember to acknowledge and celebrate contributors.
Credit Developer Contributors
Just like open-source projects thrive on recognition, marketing campaigns can benefit from transparency and acknowledgment.
Public recognition can take many forms. If developers contribute to your campaigns, highlight their involvement. This could mean bylines on blog posts, shoutouts on social media, or a dedicated section in your documentation.
Create clear guidelines for how contributions will be credited. Document these processes so your team knows what to expect, fostering trust among contributors. You can also link recognition to tangible perks - early product access, exclusive community memberships, or professional development opportunities. This makes the acknowledgment even more meaningful.
Once you’ve established strong advisory input and contributor recognition, focus on keeping your campaigns dynamic.
Maintain and Update Campaigns Continuously
Adopt the maintainer mindset by treating campaigns as ongoing projects that evolve with input from the community. Think of them like software - regularly maintained, updated, and improved.
Use agile principles to keep campaigns flexible. Break work into short sprints, lasting one to four weeks, to adapt quickly to feedback and changing circumstances. This mirrors the iterative cycles used in software development.
Build cross-functional teams that include marketing, design, and analytics experts. This ensures all necessary skills are on hand and that tasks are reprioritized as needed .
Set up feedback loops throughout the campaign’s lifecycle. Use data, customer insights, and stakeholder feedback to refine strategies. Run small tests to validate ideas, measure results, and guide improvements .
"Agile practices let us respond to market changes swiftly and efficiently. The iterative process allows us to continuously test and optimize our campaigns, ensuring they are always aligned with customer needs and market trends." – Michelle Taite, CMO at Intuit Mailchimp
After each campaign, conduct thorough reviews to assess performance. Analyze key metrics, gather feedback, and document lessons learned to improve future efforts.
Track the speed of your processes to identify bottlenecks and improve your time-to-market. This operational focus mirrors how maintainers fine-tune code for better performance.
"We maintain a culture of continuous improvement by setting clear expectations and providing the psychological safety to experiment, fail, learn, and succeed." – Michelle Taite, CMO at Intuit Mailchimp
The goal isn’t perfection from the start - it’s about building systems that grow stronger and more effective through iteration and community collaboration.
Conclusion: Building Trust Through Maintainer Principles
Shifting from conventional marketing strategies to a maintainer-focused approach changes the way you connect with developers. By putting long-term community well-being ahead of short-term gains, you set the stage for growth that developers genuinely want to support.
Studies highlight that trust is the cornerstone of every thriving developer community. It’s not something you achieve overnight - it’s built through consistent effort and genuine interaction.
The maintainer mindset works because it mirrors the values developers hold dear. They look for transparency, technical precision, and the freedom to engage on their terms when dealing with brands.
Throughout this guide, we’ve discussed actionable steps - like forming advisory groups, recognizing contributors, and sustaining campaigns over time. These efforts all aim toward one goal: nurturing authentic relationships rather than chasing fleeting results. By focusing on providing meaningful value, you create an atmosphere where developers feel acknowledged and respected.
Consider this: 62% of developers influence technology purchasing decisions within their organizations. By earning their trust through maintainer principles, you’re not just building connections with individual developers - you’re also reaching key decision-makers who champion your solutions within their teams. This underscores the power of a maintainer approach that prioritizes lasting relationships over one-off interactions.
Adopting the maintainer approach takes time and dedication. By fostering spaces for thoughtful engagement and empowering your community to amplify your message, you create something far more impactful than any traditional marketing campaign: a dynamic ecosystem where developers choose to engage and contribute.
Start small, stay consistent, and remember that every interaction is a chance to embody the maintainer values developers admire. Trust is the foundation of effective marketing, making outdated tactics unnecessary.
FAQs
How can marketers shift from selling to educating when connecting with developers?
To connect with developers in a meaningful way, marketers should prioritize education over sales pitches. Focus on crafting content that genuinely helps by addressing the challenges developers face or aligning with their interests. Instead of pushing products, offer tutorials, step-by-step guides, or case studies that show how your solutions can tackle real-world problems.
Positioning your brand as a go-to resource builds lasting trust. Developers value transparency, practical advice, and solutions that work, so make sure your content reflects these principles. Incorporating a variety of formats - like blog posts, videos, or webinars - can make your educational content more engaging and easier to access for a broader audience.
How can marketers build trust and maintain transparency with developer communities?
To earn trust and be transparent with developer communities, it's all about clear and honest communication. Be upfront about product features, pricing, and policies so developers know exactly what to expect. No one likes surprises when it comes to tools or services they rely on.
Get involved with the community by joining conversations, sharing educational content, and actively seeking feedback. Showcasing user testimonials and real-world success stories can go a long way in proving your dedication to addressing genuine challenges. By focusing on openness and collaboration, you'll build lasting trust and create meaningful relationships with developers.
How can marketers evaluate the success of campaigns focused on building developer communities without relying solely on traditional metrics like clicks and conversions?
To evaluate the effectiveness of campaigns aimed at developer communities, it’s essential to go beyond the usual metrics and focus on measures that highlight long-term engagement and trust. Some of the key indicators to track include Customer Lifetime Value (CLV), which reflects the overall value of your relationships, and Net Promoter Score (NPS), a tool to measure loyalty and satisfaction. Additionally, community growth metrics, such as the number of active participants or new members joining, can provide valuable insights.
Qualitative feedback is equally important. Pay attention to input from the community - comments, discussions, or direct conversations can offer a clearer picture of how well your campaigns resonate with developers. By focusing on these deeper metrics, you can better understand the true impact of your efforts in building meaningful and lasting connections.
