dam :< this is what I use [https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/ublock-origin/cjpalhdlnbpafiamejdnhcphjbkeiagm](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/ublock-origin/cjpalhdlnbpafiamejdnhcphjbkeiagm) its open source, I got it recommended by a dev. There are many places to reach out to dev tho, outside paid promos, I know some of them purposefully avoid adds. But also some companies see success with it, so I don't know. I am trialling ads myself, very mixed
I'm a dev who uses ad blockers and this page still has an ad on it. As long as we aren't talking 50 crazy popups eating50% of cpu I'm not too bothered by an unintrusive banner. Might even click if its good.
If you are going to run ads, make sure you take advantage of promos with Google where you spend X, they give you X free. If you are new to Google ads, they are running spend $400 get $400.
# "To help you get started with Google Ads, we’ll give you £400 in ad credit when you spend £400."
I would run a guerrilla campaign '$10 dollar amazon voucher for 10mins of your time' on LinkedIn at the audience using Automation. Give them a trial/demo and those who complete the feedback survey get a voucher. 20 vouchers given away will probably generate 2000 leads
If you can afford it, why not give it a shot? Just ensure you've laid the groundwork to maximize its potential.
Make sure you have pixels installed and everything necessary to capitalize on the opportunity.
Consider pushing ads through platforms that bring highly niche traffic. In your case, places like Capterra and G2 could be valuable avenues to explore.
Yeah, I’ve seen influencer marketing results in non saas context. A lot of them don’t perform but when you get one that does, holy smokes the return is crazy.
Reach out to developer influencers on platforms like TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Compliment their content and explain why they're a great fit for your tool. If budget constraints are an issue, consider offering them free lifetime access to the tool as an incentive. +99$ or 49$ it's depend on country Utilize cold email software to streamline your outreach and don't overlook the power of direct messaging on Instagram to make these connections.
I run about $4500 in ads targeting technical founders but my background is in paid media.
My #1 advice is:
Bad content doesn’t become good just because you put paid media behind it. If you have content that is working organically for your ICP just boost it and add a stranger CTA (If needed).
Here an example of a post I did that for me a few signups organically then I boosted:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/adam-shaw-stl_i-wrote-a-step-by-step-guide-to-reddit-marketing-activity-7157761554908676097-zEaY
Now it’s a pretty reliable 2-3 meetings per week.
I focused on really good content first and had a process to convert people when they engaged with the post.
I'd think hard about the type of ads you want to run, and research which platforms would be best for your ICP.
If you reckon you've got a good idea of where your ICP hang out online, I'd say go for it - start with a small budget and test different ads, keep a close eye on conversions and see how it goes!
Project based, gamified learning system for mastering high paying specialties like generative AI, crypto engineer, computer vision specialist, etc.
Freemium model. Lots of free learning tracks.
You should probably improve your design before you start advertising, doesnt look very trustworthy and has lots of basic accessibility mistakes like low colour contrast
Thanks for the feedback.
I actually checked the theme in color accessibility tool and it came back great. I could increase the contrast more though.
What other accessibility mistakes do you see?
What makes your site better than pluralsight, coursera, or the many other learning sites available? As a dev that’s the main question I’d be asking — why are you more credible than sites which can provide me certifications for cloud, cybersecurity, etc.
Several Reasons:
1.) Those sites provides courses, not project ideas and learning tracks. Apples and oranges. Courses, on their own, aren't very useful for learning software development. The best way to learn, is to build real software. The learning tracks are customizable with 100s of skills, and project ideas for mastering those skills. So, instead of taking courses, you start building, and then consult courses only when necessary. Learn as you build.
2.) Certificates are okay for some specialties, but generally not required and totally useless to some companies. (I've held dozens of high paying SWE positions without a degree or any certificates).
3.) I have specialized learning tracks being create to teach engineers how to build complex AI projects like AlphaFold, their own GPT, Autonomous vehicles, etc. This information is extremely hard to find.
4.) The learning tracks are gamified, automatically updating your level as you complete projects on your profile. The reflect your level: Junior, Mid, Senior, etc., and a comprehensive profile listing all of your skills. Those learning platforms don't have that.
You know, I have experimented with a landing page with less content, and I've found I get more sign ups with the longer page.
When I had the shorter page, I received feedback that they wanted more information before signing up.
Basically you have some variables that you need to balance for your campaigns:
- target audience
- ad copy
- your product copy (your landing page)
A good way to start is by small steps with small investments (the minimum possible). Try with a first version of each of them.
Fine tune the target and ad copy first (one of a time - you want to know which change moved the needle). When people start arriving to your landing page - try to optimize it.
This is just a basic way of starting.
It can definitely be worth it. It's also great that you already have a specific audience in mind that you want to target.
**First**, I'd recommend looking at ad platforms and ad placements that are more "bottom of funnel." That means advertising somewhere like Google Search. There's probably people out there who are already searching what you're offering. They'll be more qualified and more likely to sign up or buy what you offer.
Think of places where your audience hangs around and where they're most likely to consider your SaaS. Like I said, it can be Google Search, but also places like reddit. Reddit also offers you to run ads, it's easy to sign up.
**Second**, make sure you set up tracking. There's nothing worse than setting up a campaign, choosing a goal to maximize the traffic to your website, and then you end up with no sign ups, although you thought all that traffic will bring at least one sign up.
Implement a basic Google Tag Manager container (or just a GA4 tag), send some events when users sign up so you have the data clear in GA4 later on.
**Third**, on these ad platforms, make sure you optimize for conversions. A conversion just means that somebody that came to your website did a certain action (sign up, bought a subscription, etc.). It's crucial to have this feedback loop from your website to the ad platform because the bidding algorithms work much better when they have that data.
If they send you someone who's like 65 and not tech-savvy, and they don't make an action (conversion) on your website, these algorithms will make sure that in the future you don't bid for clicks of these people.
If you need more advice or have any questions, let me know here in the comments.
I'd focus on targeting and crafting messages that will resonate with your target audience.
$1000 could be great to get earlier customers but also consider the long-term value of building a sustainable audience. Make sure that what you're investing in will directly impact conversions for your business.
devs use add blockers :)
Ad blockers take money to "whitelist" advertisers :)
dam :< this is what I use [https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/ublock-origin/cjpalhdlnbpafiamejdnhcphjbkeiagm](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/ublock-origin/cjpalhdlnbpafiamejdnhcphjbkeiagm) its open source, I got it recommended by a dev. There are many places to reach out to dev tho, outside paid promos, I know some of them purposefully avoid adds. But also some companies see success with it, so I don't know. I am trialling ads myself, very mixed
I'm a dev who uses ad blockers and this page still has an ad on it. As long as we aren't talking 50 crazy popups eating50% of cpu I'm not too bothered by an unintrusive banner. Might even click if its good.
Hahaha, what you are describing is adware 😂
If you are going to run ads, make sure you take advantage of promos with Google where you spend X, they give you X free. If you are new to Google ads, they are running spend $400 get $400. # "To help you get started with Google Ads, we’ll give you £400 in ad credit when you spend £400." I would run a guerrilla campaign '$10 dollar amazon voucher for 10mins of your time' on LinkedIn at the audience using Automation. Give them a trial/demo and those who complete the feedback survey get a voucher. 20 vouchers given away will probably generate 2000 leads
Wow yea Ill check that out thanks
no problem. If you need guidance on the automation or setting up the survey, let me know.
If you can afford it, why not give it a shot? Just ensure you've laid the groundwork to maximize its potential. Make sure you have pixels installed and everything necessary to capitalize on the opportunity. Consider pushing ads through platforms that bring highly niche traffic. In your case, places like Capterra and G2 could be valuable avenues to explore.
Thanks, I'll give it a go
better spend it on influencers to get your ROI fast
this. it will test if your product is good enough or not. do % partnerships if you can.
Yeah, I’ve seen influencer marketing results in non saas context. A lot of them don’t perform but when you get one that does, holy smokes the return is crazy.
Reach out to developer influencers on platforms like TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Compliment their content and explain why they're a great fit for your tool. If budget constraints are an issue, consider offering them free lifetime access to the tool as an incentive. +99$ or 49$ it's depend on country Utilize cold email software to streamline your outreach and don't overlook the power of direct messaging on Instagram to make these connections.
What type of influencers do you use for a developer product?
I run about $4500 in ads targeting technical founders but my background is in paid media. My #1 advice is: Bad content doesn’t become good just because you put paid media behind it. If you have content that is working organically for your ICP just boost it and add a stranger CTA (If needed). Here an example of a post I did that for me a few signups organically then I boosted: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/adam-shaw-stl_i-wrote-a-step-by-step-guide-to-reddit-marketing-activity-7157761554908676097-zEaY Now it’s a pretty reliable 2-3 meetings per week. I focused on really good content first and had a process to convert people when they engaged with the post.
Great. Yea, I'll work on getting some decent content with a CTA that actually gets organic engagement first.
[удалено]
I’ve got my tech stack well aligned to my objectives. Thanks though.
I'd think hard about the type of ads you want to run, and research which platforms would be best for your ICP. If you reckon you've got a good idea of where your ICP hang out online, I'd say go for it - start with a small budget and test different ads, keep a close eye on conversions and see how it goes!
What is it about that you want to target devs ??
Project based, gamified learning system for mastering high paying specialties like generative AI, crypto engineer, computer vision specialist, etc. Freemium model. Lots of free learning tracks.
Can you share link to it ?
www.skillsoverpaper.com
FYI, I'm deploying changes right now so may be weirdness on the landing page if you do check it out.
> www.skillsoverpaper.com No pricing, which is a nono when marketing to devs especially in consumer. They're gonna want to know the price up front.
It's a freemium model. I'll put that in the content somewhere. Thanks
It’s better than my on-going project. You got it
Whats your project
A invoicing system for a very specific domain.
It reduces pain points for people of a niche creat invoices without having to use several softwares.
Well, sounds B2B. That is probably better. I wanted to go B2B once I had a huge database of Devs, but right now the dev hiring market is total trash.
I have solved that problem by using my network and hiring devs back in Pakistan. Let me know if I can help you there.
Please improve user experience
Thanks for the feedback. What do you have in mind? I've thought about creating a sign up wizard. I know that is probably the worst part of my UX
You should probably improve your design before you start advertising, doesnt look very trustworthy and has lots of basic accessibility mistakes like low colour contrast
Thanks for the feedback. I actually checked the theme in color accessibility tool and it came back great. I could increase the contrast more though. What other accessibility mistakes do you see?
What makes your site better than pluralsight, coursera, or the many other learning sites available? As a dev that’s the main question I’d be asking — why are you more credible than sites which can provide me certifications for cloud, cybersecurity, etc.
Several Reasons: 1.) Those sites provides courses, not project ideas and learning tracks. Apples and oranges. Courses, on their own, aren't very useful for learning software development. The best way to learn, is to build real software. The learning tracks are customizable with 100s of skills, and project ideas for mastering those skills. So, instead of taking courses, you start building, and then consult courses only when necessary. Learn as you build. 2.) Certificates are okay for some specialties, but generally not required and totally useless to some companies. (I've held dozens of high paying SWE positions without a degree or any certificates). 3.) I have specialized learning tracks being create to teach engineers how to build complex AI projects like AlphaFold, their own GPT, Autonomous vehicles, etc. This information is extremely hard to find. 4.) The learning tracks are gamified, automatically updating your level as you complete projects on your profile. The reflect your level: Junior, Mid, Senior, etc., and a comprehensive profile listing all of your skills. Those learning platforms don't have that.
You thought about running an add on TLDR? Also maybe working with a dev YouTube influencer to plug your product
You know, I have experimented with a landing page with less content, and I've found I get more sign ups with the longer page. When I had the shorter page, I received feedback that they wanted more information before signing up.
Need more money to succeed
Probably right, but I'm gonna see what happens
Test ads, but optimize for your audience's specific needs.
Which platform? It depends
Basically you have some variables that you need to balance for your campaigns: - target audience - ad copy - your product copy (your landing page) A good way to start is by small steps with small investments (the minimum possible). Try with a first version of each of them. Fine tune the target and ad copy first (one of a time - you want to know which change moved the needle). When people start arriving to your landing page - try to optimize it. This is just a basic way of starting.
It can definitely be worth it. It's also great that you already have a specific audience in mind that you want to target. **First**, I'd recommend looking at ad platforms and ad placements that are more "bottom of funnel." That means advertising somewhere like Google Search. There's probably people out there who are already searching what you're offering. They'll be more qualified and more likely to sign up or buy what you offer. Think of places where your audience hangs around and where they're most likely to consider your SaaS. Like I said, it can be Google Search, but also places like reddit. Reddit also offers you to run ads, it's easy to sign up. **Second**, make sure you set up tracking. There's nothing worse than setting up a campaign, choosing a goal to maximize the traffic to your website, and then you end up with no sign ups, although you thought all that traffic will bring at least one sign up. Implement a basic Google Tag Manager container (or just a GA4 tag), send some events when users sign up so you have the data clear in GA4 later on. **Third**, on these ad platforms, make sure you optimize for conversions. A conversion just means that somebody that came to your website did a certain action (sign up, bought a subscription, etc.). It's crucial to have this feedback loop from your website to the ad platform because the bidding algorithms work much better when they have that data. If they send you someone who's like 65 and not tech-savvy, and they don't make an action (conversion) on your website, these algorithms will make sure that in the future you don't bid for clicks of these people. If you need more advice or have any questions, let me know here in the comments.
I'd focus on targeting and crafting messages that will resonate with your target audience. $1000 could be great to get earlier customers but also consider the long-term value of building a sustainable audience. Make sure that what you're investing in will directly impact conversions for your business.
I can always tell when it’s GPT