The Marketing API: Engineering a New Marketing Playbook for Technical Founders

🚀 Hello. My name is Jarod and this is the The Marketing API, a blog where I will explain marketing concepts and playbooks through the eyes of an engineer. I have spent 12 years as a software engineer and a marketer and I have found that marketing is still a mystery to many engineering orgs and technical founders. I want this to become a place where anyone, technical or not, can learn some of the most basic, commonplace and misunderstood concepts of marketing.

One of tcore responsibilities throughout my years as a marketing leader has been to help technical audiences understand the core value of marketing. One way I have explained marketing in the past that really seemed to stick, was as an API. It made sense that there was a complex interlocking network inside of the marketing org. Marketing should be seen as another core function of the technical product. It is essentially another endpoint in the product, but one that is able to quickly help the product grow exponentially.

✍️ In this blog, ‘The Marketing API,’ we’ll explore how to apply engineering methodologies to marketing. We’ll dissect case studies, break down successful strategies, and reconstruct them, much like debugging a stubborn piece of software. Together, we’ll learn how to build marketing frameworks that resonate with a developer audience – not through lavish spending, but through intelligent, data-driven strategies that speak their language.

So, whether you’re a technical founder at the helm of a startup or a marketer navigating the developer landscape, this space is for you. Let’s dismantle the old playbooks and rewrite the rules of marketing, one logical, strategy at a time.

The Engineering Approach to Marketing

• Technical Rigor: For a technical product, especially one where the audience is engineers, it is critical that the marketing team get training and experience as an engineer. I don’t mean a simple 1-hour lesson, I mean constant reinforcement of product specs, detailed demos from engineers and even coding lessons. In many cases I have hired people for key roles with CS(Computer Science) backgrounds.

• Problem-Solving Mindset: Just like debugging a complex software issue, I approach marketing challenges methodically. I break them down into smaller, manageable parts, analyze each component, and look for the most efficient solution. It’s not about quick fixes; it’s about sustainable solutions.

• Leveraging Open-Source and Low-Cost Tools: Why reinvent the wheel when there’s an abundance of open-source tools out there? I’ve become a sort of digital MacGyver, using available resources creatively to build robust marketing strategies without the hefty price tag.

• Data Access: In engineering, decisions are based on data, not hunches. When a specific part of the technical stack starts failing we look at logs and reports. We can figure out in minutes if a specific API call is breaking. The same goes for my marketing approach. However, knowing which benchmarks to track and how to track early marketing wins and experiments is time-consuming. Early-stage dashboards are critical for moving fast in marketing.

Real-World Examples: Engineering Wins in Marketing

Let me share a few instances where this engineering approach turned the tide for early-stage companies:

• SEO Optimization: Before you hire an expensive SEO team, utilize open-source tools to analyze and optimize website content. The result? A significant boost in organic traffic without spending a dime on ads.

• Marketing Reporting: Utilizing cost-effective tools and custom code, I’ve developed a content reporting dashboard. This tool efficiently reveals top-performing content types, filling a gap in out-of-the-box content reporting solutions.

• Cost-Effective Campaigns: Employing A/B testing tools and custom frameworks for creating landing pages, I’ve enabled teams to swiftly experiment and identify the most effective campaigns and landing pages, significantly increasing the volume of Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs).

The Takeaway: Engineering Your Marketing Success

So, here’s my pitch to all you technical founders and engineers out there: think like an engineer when you approach marketing. It’s not about how much money you can spend; it’s about how creatively and efficiently you can solve the problem.

Ready to Engineer Your Marketing Strategy?

If you’re ready to ditch the traditional, expensive marketing methods and embrace an engineering approach, email me at jarod@themarketingapi.com.