The role of the developer has significantly evolved over the past 30 years, and the software procurement process has changed with it. Developers have been gaining more power within all types of organizations and the occupation is still growing faster than ever. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that employment of software developers and other technologists will grow 22 percent between 2020 and 2030.
These roles are in high demand, and getting more control over buying the technology they use to do their jobs. The Stack Overflow Developer Survey revealed that 65 percent of respondents said they have influence over technology purchases in their organization. 80% investigate new products and services on their own, instead of relying on a list provided to them. Developers are increasingly being consulted by executive leadership and lines of business management for critical buying decisions. Here’s why:
- Developers can assess a technology provider's ability to cater to their industry, providing valuable input to a decision maker. The development team’s preference may be more expensive, but provide additional cost and time savings.
- Developers uniquely understand both the product landscape and their own companies’ needs. They know what’s going to be the best fit for their fellow employees.
- Developers understand the difference between a must-have and a nice-to-have technology product.
- Developers love to try before they buy. They test out multiple solutions for free, providing valuable insight to those making big-ticket purchasing decisions.
Large corporations are embracing the developer community, and so can you. According to research firm, IDC, 64 percent of global 2000 businesses have designed platforms for developer engagement both inside and outside their organizations. They are proactively building communities of developers, users, customers, and partners that can collaborate on projects that offer a common interest, with an eye toward selling to these audiences.
But you don’t have to be a Fortune 2000 business to engage developers. With over 14 million registered users, Stack Overflow can help you create your own community of developers. According to our 2023 Developer Survey, more than 64% of the respondents said that they visit developer communities like Stack Overflow and almost 34% read ratings or reviews on third-party sites. These are exactly the developer-decision makers that you want to reach.
That’s why we created Collectives™ on Stack Overflow. Creating a Collective Page for your company provides an opportunity to build trust, convey value, and empower the community you already have on Stack Overflow. You can reach and engage millions of developers and connect with those interested in your technology.
Your company’s Collective Page gives you the tools to make it easy to engage with your community. You can aggregate tags related to your business, answer questions directly from your audience, and post long and short-form content. You can even use your page to drive traffic to your other online channels.
Corporations of all sizes are taking notice of the skills and talent that developers bring to the table. Those that can reach and influence developers with useful tools and solutions are well-positioned for success.
Want to know more?
Contact us to learn how you can engage the world’s largest audience of developers and technologists.
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