Promoting Your Content Management System

So you've created a content management system or script. You've spent countless hours drinking warm beer and eating cold pizza while coding your content management system and now you're ready to unleash it to the world. The thousands and thousand of lines of code that you and your friends have sweated and swore over is done. So what do you do now?

If you've made any kind of system or application, you want people to use it. But getting people to actually download it and try it out (let alone use it on a production site) can be tricky. So like any business would promote a new product, you will need to promote your system. And that's what this guide is about. If you've created an open source script, this guide is for you.

It's the Name, Stupid

Everything has a name. How else are you going to identify something? If you've created a system, you've probably already have one. But is it the right name?

Back in 'the day' open source systems creators began using PHP in system names. If your script is a Dishwashing script, it may have been called PHPdishwasher. (PHP usually goes at the front of the name. DishwasherPHP wouldn't be used.

Then some folks would use CMS in the name, as in DishwasherCMS. A few brave souls put CMS in front of the name, as in CMSdishwasher. If you're really brave, you'd name it PHPdishwasherCMS.

Instead of CMS, you can use 'blog' (DishwasherBlog) or 'forum' (DishwasherForum).

Today, though, people are using more foreign words as their system's name. And some are even making up words. (This is by far the way to go.) Think of system names that don't really mean much to you and me. Habari. Drupal. Xoops. Joomla! Xaraya. (I just love the name Xaraya! Seriously.)

The name doesn't have to be descriptive, just memorable.

The Website

Buy your domain name. Even if you're hosted by SourceForge, you'll want your own name that people will recognize. And, of course, try to use your script in you site.

The look should be unique. If you've made a blog or general CMS, use a different style then any you 'shipped' as part of the product. (Brand Identity.) And if the system has a lot of dfferent components, don't use them all. Keep the site clean and not cluttered, but be sure to show off what it can do.

Have an about or 'features' page that tells people what the system is all about and what it does.

Do you have a logo? No? Get one. It doesn't have to be flashy or cutting-edge. It just has to tell people what the system's name is. But sometimes a cute little graphic helps with brand identity, too.

Think of Drupal. They've got the Druplicon drop. WordPress has the 'W.' Xoops has the funky 'X.' Habari has the squiggly lines. Joomla! has the... what do they have? Well, at the very least, have something that people can read. And pick one and stick with it for a while. Identity, remember? (You're free to change it, but be consistent.)

Remember, your website is like your storefront. If people find it cluttered, dirty or unappealing, they'll go elsewhere. But if they find it clean, comfortable and inviting, they may stay around.

It's not Revolutionary

And please, dear god, don't use the term 'revolutionary' to describe your script. Let me tell you, no matter how 'revolutionary' you think it is, it's not. Ajax doesn't make something revolutionary. A blog today is basically the same thing as a blog of 4 years ago. Same with a forum. PHPBB3 isn't that different than PHPBB2. It functions the same way. Sure, it's tuned a little different and may do things better, but it's still a forum. If you use the term revolutionary as you promote your product, people will laugh at you and it'll take a long time to live that down.

Download Me

For some reason, some CMS' require people to register a user account to download their script. I find this utterly stupid. It's like saying "You can use it, but first climb over this ten-foot-tall wall covered in olive oil." It's unnecessary. So don't do it.

Support Forum

Have a way for folks to contact you with support questions. A forum works great for this. Sure, it's more work, and you'll find yourself answering the same questions over and over and over and... But it's expected and a great way to build a community of users. (And after all that coding, isn't that what you want?)

The best way to do this is to use a forum on your domain. If it's not possible to do this, then the next best thing is Google Groups. (And even that's not that great, imho.) But have something for users to discuss on.

In the Future

Wouldn't it be great if you could see into the future and know what your script is going to be like? Well, you can't. You may have some ideas, but even those you may not get to. Or they're horrible ideas. If you want to put up a road map of where the script is going, do it. But make sure they're the things you or your users want and are seriously willing to put in the effort to create. There's nothing worse then an item in a roadmap that people want but never gets worked on. After a while, people lose interest.

Document, Document, Document

If your release is considered stable, work on the documentation. Wiki-style. Document how to create or modify themes, how to make plugins or modules, whatever the end-user or theme or plugin creator should know. It'll start out small, but grow as your user base grows. And that's alright.

Did I miss anything?

So you've got a script with a memorable name, a nice clutter-free website (with some documentation) and the support forum. Anything else?