This is part 3 of a 4 part series that goes into various ways of promoting a live security distribution. Many of the topics discussed can be used for promoting any linux distribution.
Promoting a Live Security Distribution: Offline Promotion: Article 3/4
Offline promotion is a great way to meet new people and get the word out about your live security distribution. In relation to the promotional strategies that we will list, offline promotional efforts are the most time consuming and the most costly. However, if you do it right, it can also give you the most bang for your buck. While deciding on how to best use offline marketing, keep in mind that networking is key. You need to get in front of as many people as possible who might be receptive to your message. Like online promotion, offline promotion has hundreds if not thousands of ways it can work. The following sections will cover training, conferences/meetings and promotional items.
Of all of the offline promotion methods, training will leave the most lasting impression. This stems from the natural progression of networking and business relationships. When you spend one or multiple days helping people through problems and teaching them the ins and outs of your distribution, they are much more likely to develop loyalty to you and your work. The training can be done in multiple ways, including private seminars with a few people and talking to nearby training centers.
Throughout the country there are many training centers that offer certifications like the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH). The CEH certification requires people to use multiple tools to learn hacking techniques. This offers you the opportunity to partner with a training center that specializes in the security field. Training centers may be willing to supplement their curricula with your distribution, provided you supply them with copies for free or at a minimal cost, and especially if you include comprehensive documentation, which will make it easier to integrate your distribution into their training plans. Many training centers see thousands of security and IT experts every week, and by partnering with them you have the chance to put your disc in every trainee’s hand. When your distribution is used during a training class, the user will become comfortable using most of the tools supplied. This comfort zone is what will make them tell friends and other security professionals about your distribution.
Private seminars are a great way to show people that you are dedicated to your passion. Private seminars will take a lot of time since you have to account for computers, location, finding people who are interested, et cetera. One way to overcome a lot of this is to get with local high schools and colleges and offer to give a free course or two. Many high schools offer continuing education courses for adults at affordable rates or even for free. You may offer to instruct a class with the requirement that there be a minimum enrollment. This will help to maximize the efficient use of your time.
Conferences and local meetings are a great way to spread the word to the masses. If you choose the right conference or meeting then most people attending will be in your target audience. Many people that you meet will have websites, blogs or other means to spread the word if they are impressed with what you have to offer. Most security professionals know about the Black Hat and Defcon conferences. These are two of the biggest security conferences of the year. Showing up and handing out thousands of your discs will really make a mark on the community. This will also allow you to network and maybe pick up some help so that the next distribution comes out faster and better than the last. Using sites like Meetups.com is another way to get together with security professionals, developers and others who might have an interest. Meetups.com and sites like it provide a quick way to find people in your area who are interested in security and who get together on a regular basis. Meetups.com also lists meetings such as the 2600 monthly gatherings which happen all across the globe. Be warned that this audience may be your toughest critics or your greatest advocates. Shy away from protecting your work from criticism and glean insights for improving you distribution from this knowledgeable crowd.
The last major offline promotion strategy is using promotional items, or swag. When it comes to swag, many people are on the fence about what works and what doesn't. I tend to go by one rule, if you wouldn't use it yourself, don't give it to others! I don't see thousands of people carrying around toothpick holders or mouse pads to hand out. For promoting a live security distribution I would stick to t-shirts and CDs. Most people wear free t-shirts, especially when they relate to a subject of interest. T-shirts serve another purpose—marketing! The person who will wear a shirt with the name of a security distribution is likely to have like minded friends and/or colleagues that will notice it and give your distribution a try. In addition to shirts there is CD distribution. Giving away your distribution to everyone you meet who could be interested is a great way to find new users. This way, they don't have to wait hours to download it, nor do they have to happen to stumble upon it some where on the Web. Offline promotion is just another step that can be taken to make your live security distribution ubiquitous in the security realm.