Episode 109 Anna Redbond, marketing manager, positioning and content strategy

Have you ever wondered what marketing people think of developers? As it turns out, it’s very positive, at least according to Anna Redbond, founder of flagsmith.com. Anna joins us to talk about the world of marketing in a technical space. As someone who works with words, how does she market towards people who work with numbers? Anna and flagsmith find ways to bridge the divide with their work helping companies eliminate risk and increase efficiency in their development process. The first thing to say about flagship is that there’s a reason they’re in the business of marketing. Just have a look at their website. Jargon-free, easy to follow, and clear about what they offer. This is Anna's magic recipe when it comes to developer-first marketing. So what’s the secret? Speak to people in the language that they themselves use. This may seem obvious, but it’s a key factor in how Anna delivers marketing to coders as someone who’s not from a technical background. She speaks about how she draws inspiration from the very conversations she has with developers about what they do day-to-day. The reason for this? It’s a simple truth that no-one wants a stack of flashy adverts dropped in their inbox - spam folders were invented for a reason! So Flagship avoids speaking down to developers, instead it simply gets on their level. It’s a thin line to walk. Avoid jargon, but don’t simplify your language to the point of vagueness. Be specific, but keep things accessible to someone just glancing at your materials. If you’ve ever seen an advert or a piece of marketing that made you physically cringe, you’ll know that it’s a challenging task. Lastly, Richard broaches that awkward preconceived notion held by many of us; if a product is good, I’ll hear about it! Why does it even need marketing? Well Anna has the perfect response to that idea - she thinks it’s healthy, and it keeps a fire lit under her to remember that developers don’t want to be fed marketing. At the end of the day, Anna believes marketing is all about reaching out and talking to another human being. We were certainly glad she spoke to us.

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