The Newbies Guide to Marketing a Content Management System

After building and perfecting your content management system, it's now time to market it

There is already an ocean of content management systems available, and so it's very easy for new products to get lost in the currents, never to be exposed to the masses.

This marketing struggle doesn't only affect newcomers to the CMS world either. Many platforms which have been active for months and sometimes even years can find it difficult to stand out from the crowd.

So, to help get your product heard, seen and spoken about, I've put together a handy guide which outlines the best ways to market a content management system.

Start a Blog

Blogging is one of the most powerful ways to market online. Period.

By setting up a blog for your content management system, you can detail some of its core features, explain answers to commonly asked questions, and even comment on wider issues which are trending in your niche.

Using your blog, you can produce free, valuable content which will breed trust in your product and keep customers informed. The content you create can then be shared on social media and will eventually be picked up by search engines – both of which will bring you traffic.

A blog is also a great way to keep your customers up to date with product news and updates surrounding your product. Additionally, the comments section of a blog is the perfect setting to engage with customers directly, and personally.

Write Quality Press Releases

Whether you're launching a new product, or releasing an update, pushing out a press release to news websites is a great way to get exposure.

But don't just write a press release – write a damn good one.

Nobody likes a lengthy, boring press release, nor a long list of impersonal bullet points. If your press releases don't intruige the reader, they won't bother trying to find out more about your product, which is assuming that your boring press release got published by anybody in the first place.

So instead, ensure that your news actually is news worthy, and present it in a way which is concise, professional and above all, engaging.

Get Active on Online Communities

Marketing isn't all about beng formal, nor is it about staying within the zones of your own digital spaces. In fact, marketing requires you to branch out.

Online communities like Quora allow you to interact with people who are asking questions relevant to your industry. By answering these questions and presenting yourself professionally under the name of your product or brand, you will naturally enhance your reputation, and gain some targetted traffic whilst you're at it.

Furthermore, online forums related to your industry are ideal for getting your product seen. The trick is to find relevant discussion boards, sign up, take part in the community, and make good use of your forum signature to link back to your website for yet more targetted traffic.

Jump on to Social Media

Speaking of branching out, there's no better way to do it than with social media.

For starters, get your product a dedicated account on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn. Then, start to engage with customers and people in your target market directly by answering questions, partaking in hashtags and showing a bit of personality.

Although, showing personality doesn't mean losing your professionalism altogether. Keep your social media updates relevant more often than not, and avoid tangents which will alienate your fans and followers.

If your niche or industry is flexible enough, you can even extend your online presence to other social platforms like Vine, Instagram and Pinterest. A photography-based CMS for example would be a great match for such visual social networks.

Initiate Email Marketing

Perhaps the most important piece of information you can collect from a customer, is their email address.

Having a list of emails from previous and potential customers enables you to send out products news, special offers and other marketing content right to their inboxes. That means complete access without having to worry about the customer missing the memo, like they may do if you only make announcements via social media or blog posts.

So, start building an email list today using your website and blog by integrating a newsletter subscription form. The more emails you collect, the further the reach of your email marketing campaigns.

Hold Developer Contests

Another great way to market your content management system is to hold developer contests.

The idea is that developers compete with eachother to produce valuable content for your platform in return for a prize, or perhaps some form of coverage on your website or blog. The content can be in the form of templates, plugins, or whatever else you feel would work best.

Not only will your CMS gain some new content, but this method will also help your product be heard amongst the developer community in particular.

Join the CMS Critic CMS Directory

For those of you who haven't yet noticed, CMS Critic hosts a very detailed CMS Directory, which is free to become a part of.

If you have a content management system, there is no reason at all why it shouldn't be listed on our directory. Not only will it be found by browsing customers, but they can also find your website, social media accounts, videos, screen shots and more. The directory even allows users to “Like” products.

And as if all that wasn't enough, it's also a piece of cake to submit your CMS.

Over to You

So there you have it, some sure-fire ways to get your content management system under the noses of potential customers.

If you can successfully leverage these methods in a consistent manner, the results will soon speak for themselves.

So get out there and start talking – because the Internet is full of ways to get your voice heard.