An introverted developer’s toolbag: instruments for promoting software
Tags: socialmedia, marketing
Published: 2018-11-07 12:38:36

---
title: An introverted developer’s toolbag: instruments for promoting software
published: true
description: 
tags: social media, marketing
---

I assume that many introverts do not like the way products and services are being promoted. There are cases, which are half art, half marketing, but they are rare. At the same time even toxically salesy tactics work better than the softest approach. And here is where introverts sometimes face a double dilemma: to be optimistic about word of mouth only, or to delve into the world of marketing, and to delegate everything to specialists, or do everything by themselves.  

Ok, without any marketing activity it will be difficult to stand out from tons of other apps, so the first choice is self-evident. Then, we have to decide whether it is necessary to involve other people so they take over the job of marketing your brainchild. That can be expensive, and this solution does not eliminate the need in being in constant contact with other people. So, if you decide on being a jack-of-all-trades, then it’s quality of your product/service and content you produce where you can compete. And if you do not want to spend money at all, at least when you start out, then I guess that social media may be that platform to promote your app for free. So let’s go. 

Task #1: To get followers without being any sort of a shill

Solution: to create quality content and be consistent – in other words, to make people share your content without asking for it, and post it within certain time frames.  

For this, it is necessary to define your audience, writing style and create a content plan. Sounds a bit complicated, but it shouldn't. 

And here are free apps, I think may come in handy:
 
- [Personapp](http://personapp.io)

It is always better to write keeping concrete people in mind. It is not enough to define your target audience by age, gender, social status, job and hobbies – create buyer personas, give them names and try to reach them as real people. And Personapp kinda facilitates the process of imaginary customers’ creation. It just asks you about the type of your product, your persona’s name and what he or she does – then you are free to choose a face from ten options and answer questions about his or her behaviors, facts, demographics, needs and goals. And if you have no idea what to write, it’s ok, because you have examples provided. I find a really simple design to be an advantage, because I spent only about 20 minutes creating witty descriptions, got bored and took the main task on.  

- [Crello](https://crello.com/)

It’s an online tool for creating visuals for social media posts (people usually feel like they are malnutriting their eyes with plain text messages.) I like it for bright and sometimes hipster-style templates, which allow you to create images without feeling like you have two left hands afterwards. 

Task #2: To reach out to influencers without actually making the first step

Solution: to write great reviews, in-depth articles (having your own blog is great) linking to influencers’ posts, tweets, etc. 

You probably have people in mind whom you find to be real professionals and follow them. So citing their words is not an insincere try to get yourself noticed. Then, there is also an option to present your product/service at meetups and conferences. It may sound illogical, but I know for sure there are introverts who find speaking in public easier than approaching people and trying to start a conversation about just something. After your speech people usually ask questions and then it is easier to get to networking.   
 
Task #3:  To spend as little time on social media as possible

With this, social media scheduling tools can help – [Buffer](https://buffer.com/), for instance. Without upgrading to pro account it is possible to automate content posting for 3 accounts (which is pretty enough) with 10 scheduled posts per each. Of course, it is better to try several before choosing the best one. The list of free (or paid apps with free plans) is quite big: Hootsuite, TweetDeck, SocialOomph, SproutSocial, you name it. 

Coming up with other “tasks” if it can help somebody.