Can You Really Market to Developers?
While I was at Twilio, there was a mantra on the developer marketing team:
Show up and help developers with whatever they need.
If we were at an event and a developer couldn’t get their localhost running, we’d sit down and debug it with them. We really lived this value, staying up all night at hackathons while every other sponsor was sleeping soundly in their hotels. There were even times when a Twilio Developer Evangelist would laugh about helping a developer build a POC with a competitor’s product! After all, our team was there helping developers, and theirs wasn’t.
It just so happened that what we were doing in those early days at Twilio was incredible marketing. We were anchoring the brand and that red track jacket as the most trusted source of developer knowledge to thousands of new developers.
👩💻 The Developer Marketing Paradox
The irony of marketing to developers is that the best strategy often involves not ‘marketing’ at all. Developers are a unique audience; they tend to be skeptical of traditional marketing tactics and can easily detect and dismiss anything that feels too salesy.
🚀 Whatever they need: Focus on Technical Accuracy and Value
The key is to provide technically accurate content and resources that genuinely help developers improve at their jobs. It’s about creating a bond through knowledge sharing and problem-solving rather than pushing a product.
🔧 Show Up: Being a Resource, Not a Sales Pitch
At Twilio, we found success by being a resource first. Our presence at hackathons wasn’t about selling Twilio; it was about supporting and empowering developers. This approach not only built trust but also subtly showcased the capabilities of our product.
💡 Help Developers: Marketing Through Empathy and Assistance
Ultimately, marketing to developers is about understanding their needs and challenges. It’s about empathy, assistance, and creating content that’s genuinely useful. When you focus on being helpful, marketing becomes a natural byproduct of your efforts.
🤔If you need help formulating a kick-ass developer marketing strategy, I can help. I’ve done it for some of the biggest developer brands on the planet. Book some time with me and we can make your brand one of those that developers love.