Open Source Marketing
Workshop

This session might be
of help to everyone who wants to
make money
with products
being or based on
Open Source software

What you will learn
• How to communicate effectively to your audience
• How to market your products and services
• How to successfully execute your marketing efforts

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What is
Open Source marketing?

The dark side
of marketing

“By the way, if anyone here is in advertising or
marketing...kill yourself...you're the ruiner of all
things good...you are Satan's spawn, filling the
world with bile and garbage...kill yourself.”
(Bill Hicks)

The bright side
of marketing

“Markets are conversations.”
(The Cluetrain Manifesto)

Any side
of marketing

World-wide word-of-mouth marketing

World-wide word-of-mouth marketing
People regard peers
as the purest form of
accurate information

Marketing to social networks

Stakeholders
Individuals

Stakeholders
Individuals
Developers
Designers
Bloggers
Newbies
Journalists
...

Stakeholders
Individuals Organizations
Developers
Designers
Bloggers
Newbies
Journalists
...

Stakeholders
Individuals Organizations
Developers Companies
Designers Partners
Bloggers Not-for-profits
Newbies GOs
Journalists Media Corps
... ...

Stakeholders
Individuals Organizations Communities
Developers Companies
Designers Partners
Bloggers Not-for-profits
Newbies GOs
Journalists Media Corps
... ...

Stakeholders
Individuals Organizations Communities
Developers Companies OSS projects
Designers Partners Scientists
Bloggers Not-for-profits ...
Newbies GOs
Journalists Media Corps
... ...

Open Source marketing is about
peer-to-peer, horizontal communication
among multiple persons and groups
with various roles

The big picture
and small details

1. Marketing Strategy

It’s not about the logo

It’s not about the logo
It’s about the
compass that
guides you

It’s not about the logo
It’s about the
compass that
guides you
Strategies can change

It’s not about the logo
It’s about the
compass that
guides you
Strategies can change
You want to
track implications
of what changed

The 4 C’s
1. Corporation
2. Customer
3. Competitors

The 4 C’s
1. Corporation
2. Customer
3. Competitors
4. Community

Positioning

Strategy Elements
Market trends | Competitive analysis | Window
of opportunity | Benefits of Open Source |
Product portfolio | Product features | Support
and services |
Sales | Pricing | Conversion rates | Brand
development | Media relations | Partner program |
Community building | Thought leadership |
Corporate culture

2. Marketing Plan

P roduct
P ricing
P romotion
P lace

P roduct
P ricing
P romotion
P lace
P eople
P rocess
P hysical evidence

P roduct
P ricing
P romotion
P lace
P eople
P rocess
P hysical evidence
P ersonalization
P articipation
P eer-to-peer

Plan Elements
Tasks | Milestones | Budget | Team |
Benchmarks

3. Marketing Execution

Branding

Branding
Using
marketing to
influence peoples’
attitudes towards, and perceptions of, the brand.

“A brand is not what you say it is.
It’s what they say it is.”
(Marty Neumeier)

Who?

The Open Source Alternative for E-Commerce Platforms
Who?

Media Relations

Social Media

Target Audience
• Informed intuition
• Follow the sun
• Communicate early, communicate often
• The higher up the stack, the more fierce competition,
the more important the positioning

Awareness Circle

Pieces of Wisdom

Be BOLD

Talk about what you do

Talk about what you do
Have an opinion, share expertise

Talk about what you do
Have an opinion, share expertise
Don’t please everyone

$ave money

Use advertising carefully

Use advertising carefully
Keep printed brochures simple

Use advertising carefully
Keep printed brochures simple
Avoid multilingual corporate Web site

Do it!

Do it and adjust as you go

Do it and adjust as you go
Ask others for advice

Do it and adjust as you go
Ask others for advice
Keep it simple, stupid

Be o p e n

Share all product-relevant information

Share all product-relevant information
Do favors to people

Share all product-relevant information
Do favors to people
Join peer groups

Questions
?

Thank you!
www.initmarketing.com
© 2008 InitMarketing e.K. (except where otherwise noted). Some rights reserved.
Distributed under a Creative Commons, Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Deed.

Credits
• Chess board: http://flickr.com/photos/waponigirl/162798520/
• iPhone at MacWorld: http://flickr.com/photos/wahaha_wu/352709963/
• Who are you?: http://flickr.com/photos/zigwamp/2645598186/
• Butterfly: http://flickr.com/photos/wwworks/2396177587/
• The conversation prism: http://www.flickr.com/photos/briansolis/
2735401175/
• “BS” on newspaper box: http://www.flickr.com/photos/
87913776@N00/517063978/