“This is frustrating (Because you suck at this). Let us take care of this for you (Because we are great at this)”. Sounds familiar? That's you.
That's what you sound like.
Ok maybe not - But that's often how classic marketing sounds like.
Take this approach to the dev tool space. Try and tell developers they suck at what they do, and they should listen to you when it comes to building software. Also, please do it on Reddit, Inc., and send me pics.
In general marketing, your biggest competitor is a company building something similar. In developer marketing, your biggest competitor is someone building the same thing in their comfy living room. If you say their approach is bad, you’re doing nothing more than to feed resentment.
"Oh, I can’t build this myself? YOU know better than me? Watch me".
How do you fight this? You don’t. You suggest alternatives to people who don’t want to build it themselves, stand behind those who do, and offer them help through engaging content. They’ll know where to find you if they decide they need you—and they’ll appreciate you more at this point.
Developer Conferences
This mindset also has a big on how we look at developer conferences.
You can put up a booth at a conference, pitch your product, scan a couple of hundred badges, and go home happy, expecting to have won the hearts and minds of developers all over the globe.
This approach often results from expecting to stumble upon the perfect persona in the precise mindset of instantly falling in love with our product, integrating it, and throwing money at us. I have this persona in mind, but I also understand that it takes a lot of time, effort, investment, and sometimes pure circumstances for a developer to get to that point.
Instead of building our entire marketing presence to pander to this unicorn of a persona, we try to build a funnel that allows every developer attending the conference to gradually engage with us on a level that fits them.
Every type of engagement between us and developers should be mutually valuable. From grabbing a sticker at our booth or reading our blog to someone not laughing at a joke that I made during my product pitch, every interaction teaches us something and gives value back to developers. (Well, not the joke one, that’s just for me - but you get my drift).
Not every person taking a pair of socks from our booth will become a Permit.io customer, we also don’t put this expectation on their shoulders, and people usually appreciate it.
I see it when people ask me, “Do you want to scan my badge?” and I ask, “Why?”
These were a few thoughts I decided to write down after our great talk with Justin E. Samuels yesterday (In case you missed it: https://lnkd.in/d63ricFR)
Want to read more? Check our latest Substack:
https://lnkd.in/dxHBngbF
Developer Conferences & Communities
Join us live with Justin E. Samuels (CEO @RenderATL) and Daniel Bass (Product Marketing @Permit.io) as we explore the dynamics of developer conferences and communities. Gain insights on scaling events from small gatherings to thousands of attendees, identifying growth trends, and the importance of DEI. Learn about effective agenda-building and managing CFP flow. Discover how to excel at swag, booth activities, and maintaining engagement during workshops and breakout sessions.
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