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*Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with any of the companies discussed in this post There’s a timeless phenomenon in business where strong product teams struggle to market and sell their awesome goods. It’s a travesty, really. In a perfect world sales and marketing would not exist. People would be instantly matched with the products they need. Creators would instantly get their product in the hands of ideal customers. However… that’s not the world that we live in. Not only is it hard to find the solutions we need, but often we don’t know what we want or need in the first place. Thus, sales and marketing are an essential and complimentary counterpart to product teams. Which brings us to the main topic of discussion in today’s bite-sized marketing case study. I’d like to break down a company called It’s a good example of how a product-first company can improve their go-to-market at the Series A stage. Timescale. Caveat. I am not a developer so a lot of these product details are frankly over my head. What I do know, is how to market and sell products. And it’s very obvious that this company is product and tech first at the expense of marketing. Just look at their top level navigation on their website: Learn Pricing Github Docs Blog Support Get Started I mean, Github is in their main navigation! No shade to their core mission, but we build businesses to sell products, and I think we can do one better here. Really, I’d like Timescale to take a page from ’s book. Red Hat It’s a nice comparision because both companies sell and implement open source software to enterprise. Here’s the main navigation you see on Red Hat’s website: Products Solutions Services & Support Open Source The difference is huge. Now, what I love about Timescale is that their core value is simple, and communicated well. It’s a better way to run a database that uses time-series data. Boom. There we go. There are also a ton of high profile logos featured prominently on Timescale. This is also good. So where do we go from here? Here’s what I’d like to see on Timescale. First of all, Red Hat asks users to set up an account before they get access to anything. This is super important for lead generation for an in-house sales team. And, in helping users understand how best to utilize their new technology. And I especially want to highlight that “driving leads” to a “salesforce” doesn’t have to be a bad thing. It’s important to have a conversation with all users to nurture even freemium relationships. This is how marketers and sales teams educate users and open up the possibility of a sale. And after the close, this is how we can ensure continued success, , and referrals down the line. expansion revenue In software, onboarding is super important as a poor implementation can kill the deal. I’d bet $100 that is the case with Timescale as well. Perhaps even more so than “typical” SaaS companies. Moving on, I’d like to see Timescale package their product into more of a “solutions” forward approach. Red Hat does this well. It’s presented on Timescale’s home page as well, but sort of buried down the page. Not optimal. The key thing with showing solutions and not just technology is that these categories reflect the different buyer personas that are a good fit for Timescale’s technology. This shows people at a glance if they should be interested in the company and hooks them before they bounce. Finally, let’s talk about service offerings. To my understanding, a big part of how companies like Red Hat make money in an open source environment is through services revenue. This follows the tradition of predecessor companies like Oracle. A great (read: high margin) business model, even if Oracle doesn’t get a lot of love for it. Now, let’s talk a bit about growth channels. It’s obvious that these guys are selling to developers. And I don’t think it makes sense to try to market to any other job function. You simply need a certain level of technical knowledge to know that you need this tool. So, the name of the game for growth is to get this product in the hands of as many developers as possible who need to process time-series data. There is going to be a subset of the market that has a pressing issue with this problem and knows they need a solution. For those people, a few obvious channels come to mind. Google, of course. Both for Ads and organic search. There is a big play to be made here with content marketing. I like that they’re already running a blog that’s driving half the traffic to their website. Good moves. Youtube, as well. Especially for people looking for visual walkthroughs of code. Given their strong product team and technical talent, it makes sense to take an educational approach to video content that leverages the expertise of their team. It’s a low commitment to create content, and easy to keep up a frequent publishing schedule. Next up: Stack Overflow. I think they could command a strong organic presence here. But, I also discovered as I was looking into this, that SO offers advertising. Seems like a no-brainer channel to me. Also, Quora. For queries into time-series data, seems great. Needs a little bit of digging into search volume here but could be viable.For other channels that are not so bottom-of-the-funnel… LinkedIn. Developers in their target audience are for sure on this channel. Especially at bigger enterprise companies where a professional profile is expected. The tricky thing will be creating the right content, offers, and hooks to put in front of this channel as LinkedIn can be very expensive. Further, the LTV of their enterprise product has to support these high aquisition costs. If they are only making $500 LTV per sale, for example, LinkedIn might not be the best channel to focus on without a bigger war chest. Next up, conferences and events in the development space. Open source conferences for sure. Particularly any conference that might have enterprise-level attendees there. I’m certain there are dozens and dozens of events that have the right audience for their product. They should blitz event marketing as much as possible. Finally, sponsorship of coding courses related to PostgreSQL. Since this seems to be their core technology, it would pay to get into the core stack of developers early in their career. Later, when they go on to work for other companies, they’ll take their tool stack with them and sell into other organizations from the bottom up. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve recommended clients tools like HubSpot, Unbounce, Shopify, Klaviyo, X Theme, and more. It’s just how technical operators work. Overall, we want to do some fundamental things with this technology as a freemium and open source tool. First, get in the hands of as many users as possible as their go-to tool for time-series data. Second, find awesome applications in enterprise organizations, and shout those logos and case studies from the rooftops. Finally, find cool projects using Timescale and spread the word to anyone in the development community. I’ll close with this — congratulations to these guys for closing their Series A round and for successes so far! With a bit stronger of a marketing team to compliment their product chops, I think they’ll see a lot of success in the next few years. Originally published at AndrewIshimaru.com .

How to Market and Sell Open Source Software ft. Timescale & Red Hat

The rapid advancement of technology has contributed to the development of geographical location-based services. In this context, we implement and frequently see geographical location-based services in many applications. Geolocation-based services benefit businesses in almost every domain, from e-commerce to financial applications. One of the most common uses of an that provides this service is geofencing. IP API IP API is mainly a web service that provides the location corresponding to the IP (Internet Protocol) address. With this web service, we can learn many details of our users' geographical location from their IP addresses. It is a very useful tool, especially in geofencing, which we have recently implemented to stand out from the competition. So, what is geofencing? Let's take a closer look. What Is Geofencing? The dictionary meaning of the geofence; it is a virtual border around a geographical area. Geofencing technology is the name of the technology used to trigger an automatic alert when an active device enters a defined geographical area. We can think of geofencing as an invisible fence that goes around a location we choose, attracting certain people into our area and keeping the wrong people out of our area. Consider that this fence makes it even easier to collect data from inside the geo-fence. These geo-fences can be set up to work with tablet, mobile, and desktop devices anywhere in the world. Additionally, it can be created by place name, ZIP code, state, city, and category. Depending on the business category, customers can be targeted when they are in a single location or across all brand locations in the category. How Does Geofencing Work? The term geofencing, which entered our lives with digitalization, is a location-based marketing tool. The operation of geofencing is very easy. You may think that you can only use geofencing with GPS. Yes, we can say that you are wrong at this point. Depending on your use case and the sensitivity you need, it is possible to use geofencing with technologies such as IP geolocation API, WI-FI, GPS, and even Bluetooth. Today, many geofencing methods are implemented using IP geolocation APIs. Case Studies of the Geofencing With the IP Geolocation API Using Geofencing combined with IP geolocation API provides great speed and convenience to operations. These APIs provide benefits across many industries by supporting a variety of use cases. Here are the most popular use cases for this combination: Targeted Advertising Campaigns IP geolocation API and geofencing are among the most powerful tools we can use to create targeted advertising campaigns today. IP geolocation API can be used to determine the geographical location of users while geofencing can be used to create a virtual boundary surrounding a specific geographical area. Using these two technologies together allows us to target our target audiences more accurately and present more relevant ads. For example, a clothing brand may want to announce a special discount offer only to users in a certain city. Using the IP geolocation API, the brand can determine the IP addresses of this city and then create the boundaries of this city using geofencing. This way, the brand's campaign will only be shown to users within the desired city. Geographic Restrictions and Content Licensing With IP geolocation API and geofencing, we can easily implement geographical restrictions and content licensing. By using these two technologies together, we can ensure that certain content is only accessible to users in a specific geographic area. For example, a film distribution company may want to release a movie that was only released in a certain country. Using the IP geolocation API, the company can determine the IP addresses of this country and then create the boundaries of this country using geofencing. Security and Account Verification Another popular use case for IP geolocation API and geofencing is to strengthen security and account authentication applications. Essentially, using these two technologies together can help us detect and prevent suspicious or unauthorized activities. For example, a bank may want to only allow users from a certain country to use banking services. Using the IP geolocation API, the bank can determine the IP addresses of this country and then create the boundaries of this country using geofencing. Best Web Service for Geofencing: Ipstack IP API is a powerful tool that can be preferred to obtain and use geographical location information corresponding to the IP address. It is one of the most popular IP geolocation APIs in the market and is actively used by thousands of businesses and developers. Here are some reasons supporting ipstack API is preferred for geofencing: Ipstack IP geolocation API Easy Integration and Usage Ipstack API offers us a simple and user-friendly structure. We can quickly integrate this API into our applications and easily access the information necessary to enforce certain geographical restrictions. Additionally, it easily integrates into all programming languages, providing us with flexibility for geofencing. This saves developers and companies time and effort. Broad Coverage and Reliability Ipstack has a large database of IP addresses. This database covers various geolocation information around the world. For approximately more than 2 million unique locations. Its reliable database allows us to make accurate geographic location estimates. This feature is important for global projects or applications with a wide target audience. Economical and Flexible Pricing Ipstack API has an . Offering a variety of plans suitable for different budgets allows both small businesses and large organizations to find solutions that suit their needs. It also has a free subscription plan. With its free plan, it offers us a monthly limit of 1,000 API requests. This is a significant advantage in terms of cost-effectiveness. economical and flexible pricing model Advanced Features In addition to the IP geolocation service, the ipstack API also includes some advanced features. For example, additional functions such as proxy detection, timezone information, and even providing currency information can provide greater functionality in geofencing applications. Comprehensive Documentation and Support Ipstack API provides . It provides detailed content such as code integration, error codes, and response objects in its documentation. This helps us successfully integrate the API and solve problems easily. There is also an effective customer support team. extremely detailed documentation Ipstack API makes it a strong choice for geofencing applications with its wide range of uses and user-friendly features. Conclusion In summary, implementing geofencing applications has now become easier and more effective for us. One of the most important reasons for this is that IP geolocation APIs such as ipstack API stand out as a powerful tool. In particular, the ipstack API, thanks to its user-friendly integration, wide scope, and reliable database, easily helps businesses in different use cases such as targeted advertising campaigns, geographical restrictions and content licensing, security, and account verification. FAQs Q: What Is Geofencing? A: Geofencing is a technology used to trigger special events for users located within or outside certain geographical boundaries. Q: Why Should I Use Ipstack API for Geofencing? A: Ipstack API is a frequently preferred IP geolocation API for geofencing. This API provides a user-friendly solution to obtain and use geolocation information. With its wide scope, reliable database, economical pricing model, and features such as fast integration of users, it is an effective and easy tool for those who want to develop geofencing applications. Q: Does Ipstack API Have Wide Location Support? A: Yes, it does. Ipstack API provides extensive location support. It covers the location information of users in different geographical regions by providing access to a large worldwide IP address database. Q: What are the Popular Use Cases for Geofencing? A: Geofencing has different use cases across many industries. Popular use cases include targeted advertising campaigns in retail and e-commerce, geo-restrictions and content licensing in the media industry, and account verification in security applications.

Geofencing Made Easy: Implementing Geofencing With ipstack API

জিওফেন্সিং সহজ করা হয়েছে: আইপস্ট্যাক এপিআই দিয়ে জিওফেন্সিং বাস্তবায়ন করা

Geofencing leicht gemacht: Geofencing mit der IPstack-API implementieren

Geofencing simplificado: implementación de geofencing con ipstack API

Le géorepérage simplifié : implémentation du géorepérage avec l'API ipstack

जियोफेंसिंग को आसान बनाया गया: आईपीस्टैक एपीआई के साथ जियोफेंसिंग को लागू करना

ジオフェンシングを簡単に: ipstack API を使用したジオフェンシングの実装

더욱 쉬워진 지오펜싱: ipstack API로 지오펜싱 구현

Geofencing facilitado: implementando geofencing com API ipstack

Геозоны стали проще: реализация геозон с помощью ipstack API

Geofencing Artık Daha Kolay: ipstack API ile Geofencing'i Uygulamak

Tính năng định vị địa lý được thực hiện dễ dàng: Triển khai tính năng định vị địa lý với API ipstack

地理围栏变得简单：使用 ipstack API 实施地理围栏

The climate is a hot issue and weather forecasting technology is suddenly cool. The urgent need for innovative weather and environmental conditions forecasting solutions is obvious whether you believe in climate change or not. In fact, climate is not only the topic of discussion around the water cooler. There are businesses, entire industries in fact, where weather conditions have a direct impact on day-to-day business operations. Industries like logistics, aviation, competitive outdoor sports, public safety, mining and agriculture (to name just a few), are directly impacted by the weather. . For these industries weather forecasting accuracy can mean the difference between ending a fiscal year in profit or loss For example, according to the National Air Transportation Association, in the last week of January 2014 alone, were cancelled in the United States. . 7,000 flights Every flight delay costs $78 per minute ! In the UK, experts estimate the cost of bad weather to to the economy as a whole at 1 billion GBP / day However, at least . Inaccurate weather forecasts can cost millions of dollars and even human lives. So it’s no wonder so many developers are choosing to include weather forecast updates and alerts in web and mobile apps, and create solutions that are uniquely suited to the needs of enterprises. some of the costs can be prevented with accurate weather forecasts Even the fitness band on my wrist is alerting me of potential weather hazards as I type this post. But that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. For enterprises, the features of existing weather forecasting apps are far from enough. Many of these organizations turn to in-house development of custom apps to collect, process and display weather and environmental data relevant to enterprise operations, optimally also drawing weather data from multiple reliable sources. How to Choose a Weather API for Your App If you are building a web or mobile app that needs to pull weather forecast data and historical information from large databases, you will need to use an API (Application Programming Interface). It’s simply more affordable and efficient than developing and maintaining your own. As a developer you should be accustomed to employing APIs to perform different tasks and functions in your apps. . Each service provider collects, aggregates and processes meteorological and other relevant data, then offers access to it via API (among others) for free or for a cost. There are quite a few such service providers, each with a unique set of capabilities, a varying cost and different degree of reliability. Some even target specific markets or communities with unique features for agricultural applications and air quality monitoring. Weather APIs are similar to map APIs in terms of integration and versatility of data sources With the broad selection available, choosing one (or more) weather API for your app can be challenging. So what should you consider before you scroll down to our list of recommended weather data API providers? Functionality & Scope Like any API you integrate with your mobile or web app, the weather API you choose needs to do what you want and it needs to do it well. . However, before you request an API key for each available service offering the functionality you need, be sure to define your scope as well. Overall, the majority of APIs will give you similar data, but will vary in resolution, the length of time back in historic weather records, as well as day and time formats For example, your app users are only interested in marine weather conditions or (yes, that’s a thing), there are specific APIs that will give you the data you need without any unnecessary features or capabilities packaged in. the weather on Mars That said, it’s worth noting that free APIs can only give you so much and are limited not only in the number of API calls but also the functionality provided. The bottom line is that additional functionality comes with additional costs, which becomes especially relevant if your commercial app targets a vertical or business with specific needs that go beyond your general weekly forecast and current weather data. Compatibility & Ease of Implementation Most weather APIs today are based on RESTful architecture, with a handful offering a SOAP alternative. Be sure to pay attention to those subtle differences in date and time formats, as well as well-tested compatibility with the app framework and language you’re coding in. Another thing to take note of is documentation. . While some services have in-depth tutorials and guides, others expect you to figure it out yourself or come armed with previous experience in implementing weather APIs Responsiveness & Reliability You need it to not only do what you want and well, but you want your weather API of choice to be fast and available. There are a number of sources for information on uptime and response speed of available weather APIs, but the information there is not very consistent or accurate. . Fortunately, the majority of them offer a free trial option or freemium subscription. Which leads us to another important criteria: the price. The best way to find out which APIs are reliable and fast enough to make it into the production version of your app is to try them Cost Once you’ve figured out your needs and scope, and narrowed down your list of potential weather API providers, it’s time to consider the price-tag. As one can expect, . That said, even the highest priced APIs will become a significant expense only if and when the number of API requests made by your app is extremely high. the features, uptime, capacity and responsiveness offered by the free API services is inferior to those of paid options Top 8 Weather APIs for 2020 1. Climacell MicroWeather API Naturally, we are going to include ourselves on the list but, hear us out, it’s not without merit. . Climacell’s forecasts and real-time data are trusted by top companies such as Delta, United Airlines, Via, National Grid, and others. ClimaCell takes a unique approach that combines proprietary data, derived from virtual sensors such as wireless signals, connected vehicles, drones, and IoT devices, with AI-driven models . The MicroWeather API offers both numerical data and map layers for its hyper-local minute-by-minute weather and air quality information, historical, real time, and forecast, globally In addition to its Weather API, Climacell also provides a fire index, road risks map display, lighting maps, historical weather data, and a complete suite of weather data and solutions which makes Climacell’s MicroWeather API a common choice for developers looking to create an app that delivers more than your standard daily forecast. App Integration & Format: AWS, Autodesk, REST API using JSON for the requests and the responses, with HTTPS support Pricing: Free Trial 2. OpenWeatherMap OpenWeatherMap offers weather data APIs for different types of timeline data. In a solution inspired by crowdsourcing projects like WikiPedia, . , as well as weather alerts and a weather map. weather data is collected from meteorological broadcast services worldwide and over 40,000 weather stations This freemium solution also has a feature-limited free option that allows access to the 5 days/3 hour forecast API One thing to consider is that in addition to having access to limited data, the free account for OpenWeatherMap also limits your app to 60 API calls a minute at most. App Integration & Format: JSON / XML Pricing: Starting at $40 monthly 3. Meteogroup Priding themselves by specializing in UK-specific and nautical weather and environmental data, Meteogroup offers four different APIs: . Nautical API (Beta), Point Forecast, Point Observations, and Radar Precipitation Forecast (Beta) If you’re in search of weather data for nautical verticals and UK-based customers, then the MeteoGroup API could be a fit. Keep in mind that the Meteogroup website and API documentation has been known to be hard to navigate and comprehend. App Integration & Format: JSON with HTTPS support Pricing: Unknown 4. Weatherstack Staying in the UK, The Weatherstack API is developed by a UK company that excels in SaaS with companies like Ipstack, Currencylayer, Invoicely, and Eversign. , even the paid features lack the depth and scope of weather data APIs for enterprise applications but good value for money for those looking for a basic solution. Aimed mostly at websites and mobile apps looking to include a live weather widget at minimal cost App Integration & Format: REST API returns JSON formatted responses, and supports JSONP callbacks. HTTPS is enabled for paid subscriptions. Pricing: Starting at $9.99 / month with feature-limited free option capped at 50,000 requests. 5. Weatherbit Weatherbit offers 5 different APIs for forecasts, historical data and other weather data such as air quality, soil temperature and soil moisture. . Collecting data from weather stations and other traditional sourcers, Weatherbit claims to use machine learning and AI to help predict the weather Boasting a 95% uptime and highly responsive API servers, Weatherbit provides a free limited-functionality account for a single API key. If you’re looking to create a commercial app, note that the free API subscription will not be enough and you will have to upgrade to one of the paid plans. App Integration & Format: JSON, HTTPS available for premium subscribers Pricing: Premium pricing starts at $35 / month. Free version (not for use with commercial projects) limited to 500 API calls / day. 6. Weather2020 Weather2020 brands itself as the only provider capable of delivering a 12 week forecast, even though studies claim that’s impossible, and accuracy drops dramatically further than 10 days. The company also prides itself on being the weather data provider of leading weather apps like 1Weather. . That said, it’s worth noting that at the time of writing, the API key request form on the Weather2020 website leads to a 404. If your focus is on long range weather forecasting, and you’re willing to take your chances on famed meteorologist Gary Lezak’s forecasting model, Weather2020 might be worth checking out App Integration & Format: JSON Pricing: Premium pricing starts at $9.99 / month. Free version allows for up to 1000 API calls / day with each additional call priced at $0.002. 7. AerisWeather AerisWeather API provides access to weather data and forecasts as well as . storm reports, earthquake warnings, and other unique data for premium subscribers One of the main advantages of AerisWeather API is its documentation, as well as available developer toolkits for easier integration into your app. App Integration & Format: RESTful calls and responses are formatted in JSON and JSONP Pricing: Pricing starts at $23 / month. Free trial available (2 months). 8. Dark Sky API Dark Sky is another popular weather data provider that excels in simplifying API access for integration in apps. There are only two basic API requests to choose from: Forecast and Time Machine. . The Forecast will return the weather forecast for the next week (according to data available for the location), and the Time Machine Request returns weather conditions (observed or forecast) for a given date (past which in some location can be as far as 100 years or future) Note that while you can use this API in both commercial and non-commercial applications, a badge saying “Powered by Dark Sky” is required wherever you display data drawn from the Dark Sky API. App Integration & Format: JSON Pricing: Free under 1,000 API calls per day, then each call is priced at $0.0001/call. Choosing a Weather API A developer’s choice of weather data API depends heavily on their goals, preferences, project scope and budget. There are numerous services available that offer data on topics ranging from air quality and skin dryness to earthquakes, fires and the weather on Mars which makes choosing the challenging. The services and solutions we listed cover all and any need that you, as a developer, might have. Did we miss something? Let us know in the comments. best weather API

8 Most Popular Weather APIs for 2020

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https://upstackstudio.com

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