Finding the Key Ingredient to Developer Marketing Success

Bill McGee describes the reason he chooses DZone to help Sauce Labs drive awareness this way, “Developers are raising their hand when they go to DZone. They are searching for resources to help them.”

For six years, Sauce Labs has gotten in front of those raised hands by sponsoring Zones, research reports, and Refcards.

“We appreciate that the audience is self-selecting,’’ says McGee, Sauce Labs’ director of marketing. The company’s recently revamped Refcard on Selenium, the leading open source web testing framework, netted 3,088 downloads in just two weeks (the original version drove more than 13,000 downloads over two years). Downloaded contact information is passed within a week of receipt and any duplicate contacts that turn up are replaced with new contacts.

In addition to the Selenium Refcard, Sauce Labs also created a Refcard for Appium, the leading open source framework for mobile device testing. That initiative netted an additional 1,162 downloads. Refcards, which provide a deep dive into specific user issues or product capabilities, not only help alert developers to the existence of a product, they help them evaluate it and support deeper, more effective use.

Engaging a Moving Target

One of the reasons McGee likes using DZone is that while the audience is large, its content targets specific types of developers. This, McGee says, has supported Sauce Labs’ ongoing growth and evolution.

Sauce Labs’ co-founder was the creator of Selenium and a co-creator of Appium, and the company remains actively involved with both open source initiatives today while constantly working to ensure it remains on the bleeding edge of innovation in testing. So, as the testing landscape – and with it, the role of the modern developers – continues to evolve, McGee can always find the right audience on DZone.

“There are a lot of channels that cover testing very broadly,’’ McGee says. “But, historically, we ‘ve had a specific message around front-end functional testing, and DZone was one of the only marketing channels that could help us target developers with that level of specificity. As we begin to deliver new capabilities and target additional personas, we can really take advantage of the segmentation DZone offers with options like the Zone, Refcards, and Trend Reports.’’

Along with hosting 14 topic Zones, DZone promotes Trend Reports and Refcards to segmented email groups.

“DZone gives us the ability to reach specific audiences based on verticals, channels, and segments,’’ said McGee.

Tracking Success

The content Sauce Labs places on DZone is designed for the top of the marketing funnel. It’s not always easy to trace the success of that kind of marketing, but McGee says DZone’s impact is clear. “We continue to work with DZone because we see success moving people from the top of the funnel through to qualified leads and, in some cases, to closed-won business. It’s contributing to influencing people along their purchase journey.’’

A Plan that Helps Sauce Recycle Great Content

While the sponsorship includes leads from downloads, McGee particularly likes the six-month license to publish the Refcard independently.

“We can offer the Refcard as a download on our website or in paid search or social campaigns. It’s a win-win,’’ McGee says.

Ultimately, McGee says DZone provides the brand association that he is looking for in a content-publishing partner. “There’s significant value in having Sauce Labs associated with a great developer-focused brand and its high-quality content.’’