developer marketing - redmonk · 2016. 10. 18. · developer marketing do’s and don’t’s...

Developer MarketingDo’s and Don’t’s

1Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Hello. I’m Michael Coté with RedMonk.Developer for a decade at all sorts of places: doomed startup to slow-and-steady enterprise.Spend time talking with developers, being a complaining/solution post for them.Two parts: the problem of selling developer tools, then tools to market. Not all will work for you, sure, but some will.

The Most Important Things

• Developers buy tools because their friends like the tools

• Developers want respect


Contrasts to corporate mandated software.Build a sales force of developersCreate developer-to-developer marketing.

Who? *-monkeys

• Not managers and VPs (directly, at least)• “Developers” - the people writing and testing

the code


diagram-, code-, or test-monkeys: Architects, coders, QA’ers.May purchase on their own, or request/demand company purchase the tools.Contrasts to selling to management.Final sales force to make too look good, be used.Undoubtably upward dev influence, devs are the final sales team.

What? Paying for Tools

• Paying for tools & services

• Free + works = easy

• Pay + works = struggle


The culture of paying for tools has changed.The tool has to work; getting money for it is the struggle.

“What’s the last tool you bought?”

...I don’t remember...


I asked the question “what are the last 3 things you paid for?”The answer was always a brain-gear-clunk.

The Problems

• “Marketing” is developer attention poison• Boot-strapping word of mouth• Getting developers to pay attention• Getting developers to pay for tools• Getting developers to switch, invest time


Marketers are viewed like vampires once you invite a vampire in, it’s bad times.Switching: optimized developers thinking with their fingers.

Need & Niche

• No alternative available• No pretty alternative available• Killer feature(s)• Culture of paying


Luxury and function.Killer features: refactoring, early ruby language support

The ROI Gambit

“The relative cost of these tools in comparison to the amount we make using them makes the cost seem almost irrelevant.”

“If it confers a 1% productivity increase, then even assuming your developers cost $60K (apretty bare minimum) then you're making $600/year per developer.”


Sort of a marketers wet dream: just throw up some graph and you’re done.The closer to the money the developer is, the more this will work.Not as universal as you might hope with developers.

Example: The Apple Tribe

TextMate OmniGraffle


TextMate: pretty, culture of paying, killer feature (ruby)OmniGraffle: pretty, culture of paying, no alternativeApple: luxury and functionOthers: Adobe Suites, Windows,

sales_cycle.code

10: MARKETERS.get_attention(DEVELOPER);20: DEVELOPER.trial(SOFTWARE);30: DEVELOPER.buy(SOFTWARE);40: MARKETERS.add(DEVELOPER);50: GOTO 10;


This is the cycle, from a marketer’s side.Make the developers join your sales and marketing team

Tools for Getting Attention


PublishingParticipatingGiving something away

Showing with Screencasts

• Screencasts

• Time-shifting

• Webcasts?


[Attention]Short, Small, self-contained. If it can’t fit in 5-10 minutes, something prolly wrong.Separate introduction episodes from update episodes.Tools: Camtaisa, IShowU, Scripts.

The Endless Cocktail Hour

• Moving away from faceless - be informal• Sell your people, culture, and then product• Blogs, podcasts, forums • Vampires - Avoid phone calls


Sending out your developers - find passionate people and let them love the worldGetting attention with engagement/talkingAdobe blog squadTwitter/Pownce/Jaiku, blogs, flickr, IRC, open src prjs

Messaging

• Medic - Avoid “you’re broken; we can fix you”• Boasting - Avoid “we’re better than Brand X”• Heros - You want the developer to succeed, not

(just) the software


Be sensitive to developer’s ego as expressed in existing mess.Let the community do the boasting, not the commercial company.

barcamps


Still a “best kept secret”Developers getting together to synch culture, show-off, hangout, drinkfoo, bar, baz - but booze applies tooAll over the place - barcamp.orgSponsor, attend, organize, look for

Giving Something Away

• Scenerios for test driving - quick & easy• The more compelling, the more limited it can be• Virtual images and appliances?• Vampires - avoid the siren call of lead collection


Trial the software.Limit production use?Small enough to subvert need for training.Support: Forums, email, IRC.

Getting Input

• Move from “file a feature request”

• Spiceworks’ Spiciness


Showing respect by involving developers in full process.Prove that you’re listening.

Marketing Rewards & Tools

• Driving traffic• Driving business• Put them on the (press) referral list• IRC & Forums


Badges and canned messaging

Making Rock-stars

• Identify leaders by participation & innovation

• Points systems• Book deals• Conference passes

“It is easy to convince your bosses to adopt pay software when you are convinced that you can become a ‘rock star’ executing your ideas. The positive energy that employee-type developers feel when desiring this incentive, is very infectious as well.”


“MVP” programs.Some type of recognition of community status.

Other References


ContactMichael Coté

[email protected]

512.795.4307

Thank you!http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/

License


mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.PeopleOverProcess.comhttp://www.PeopleOverProcess.comhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/

Developer Bullets• Developers have become nearly immune to traditional

marketing

• Developers spend far more time online than they do with print publications

• Developers would rather talk with someone than be talked at by something

• Developers are starting their own mini communities via blogs

• Developers don't just code at the office

• Developers are not content to sit back and wait for updates or news; they can make their own


From sog’s Bottom-up Marketing

When? Two Times for Marketing

• Before the sale - collecting the cash• After the sale - using and loving the tool


Shelf-ware avoidance - Devs will make you look good or bad in using the tool

Boasting

• Boasting• Slam videos• Caustic cultures


These are things you want to happen “organically.”Not from you directly or indirectly.

Hanger-ons

• Bloggers• Podcasters• Analysts• Press• Conference orginizers• Book publishers


Credits & Co.• barcamp board, Blake Burris: http://www.flickr.com/photos/blake4tx/112919368/• Pay Here sign, sparklefish: http://www.flickr.com/photos/38795936@N00/• Apple on Dell, Teresa Sheehan: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sugarandweedkiller/507065335/• Apple under ice, Lazy Lightning:http://www.flickr.com/photos/drienne/309103224/• Apple Laptop, hyku: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hyku/147770261/• Thinking Monkey, JoVivek: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vijo/1274330941/• Cocktails & Napkin, Spine: http://www.flickr.com/photos/spine/146779420/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/blake4tx/112919368/http://www.flickr.com/photos/38795936@N00/http://www.flickr.com/photos/38795936@N00/http://www.flickr.com/photos/sugarandweedkiller/507065335/http://www.flickr.com/photos/sugarandweedkiller/507065335/http://www.flickr.com/photos/drienne/309103224/http://www.flickr.com/photos/drienne/309103224/http://www.flickr.com/photos/hyku/147770261/http://www.flickr.com/photos/hyku/147770261/http://www.flickr.com/photos/vijo/1274330941/http://www.flickr.com/photos/vijo/1274330941/http://www.flickr.com/photos/spine/146779420/http://www.flickr.com/photos/spine/146779420/

developer marketing - redmonk · 2016. 10. 18. · developer marketing do’s and don’t’s...

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