Drupal Advent Calendar day 19 - Marketing Track

By james, 19 December, 2024
Door 19 containing a loud hailer and speech bubbles

Welcome back for day 19 of the Drupal Advent Calendar, and today we are welcoming Suzanne Dergacheva and Will Huggins to tell us about the marketing of Drupal CMS.

The Starshot marketing track has been focused on designing the website content and journeys that will promote Drupal CMS, attracting new audiences of marketers, designers and content creators that may never have previously considered Drupal. You can see the first wave of this content.

As we move towards the launch on 15th January 2025, we will be adding to this content to build a compelling narrative that positions Drupal CMS as the gold standard for no-code website building. Focus will also switch to promoting Drupal CMS across all marketing channels, raising awareness of Drupal CMS and inviting people to give it a try!

Screenshot of front page of new Drupal website
The new drupal.org front page

Does marketing Drupal CMS present new challenges compared to marketing of Drupal in the past?

One of the biggest challenges with marketing Drupal CMS is overcoming any preconceived perceptions of Drupal as a ‘developer tool’. However, Drupal CMS enables us to approach that challenge ‘head on’, leaning on Drupal’s heritage and credibility in areas like security and scalability, whilst re-positioning Drupal as the ‘low code/no code’ solution for marketing professionals, designers and creators.

Has there been any confusion between Drupal Starshot and Drupal CMS names?

The project started as ‘Starshot’ but quickly assumed the agreed product name of ‘Drupal CMS’. Starshot was an important and useful ‘brand vehicle’ to communicate our ambitions to establish Drupal as the leader in ‘low code/no code’ website building. As such, it’s purpose was to engage, excite and mobilise the community, rather than as a brand for wider tech sector or public messaging. Drupal CMS is brand name for the product and as such is very much the identity we want to share with the world!

Last year Drupal was at Web Submit. Are there plans for more promotion outside the Drupal community in future?

Drupal presence at events and conferences like Web Summit will definitely be a key part of the marketing mix in 2025. The Drupal Association is working with local associations, Drupal Certified Partners and members of the community to build an event outreach plan that incorporates exhibiting, keynote speaking, session presentation and attendance to amplify Drupal’s voice and engage with new audiences.

How can I help promote Drupal CMS?

You can get involved by going to #promotedrupal channel on Drupal Slack.

Photo of Suzanne in a Santa hat

Photo of Will promoting LocalGov DrupalSuzanne Dergacheva (left), has been using and developing for Drupal for over 15 years, and is co-founder of Evolving Web. She has also run training courses in Drupal and presented at DrupalCOns. She is leading the Marketing track of Starshot.
Will Huggins (right) is CEO and founder of Zoocha, and has carried out digital marketing for organizations including Tesco, Currys, and Bounty.

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