Going Deepear Into Dev Marketing

Ivan Brezak Brkan (IBB)setup, one of the better know dev content programs, shiftmag.dev from scratch. He shares the story of how that happened. And through that story he explains how to actually get devs to write great technical content. Links: Ivan Brezak Brkan (IBB) https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivanbrezakbrkan/ Jakub Czakon https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakub-czakon/ How We Created A Global Engineering Handbook in 3 Days - Ivan Brezak Brkan (Infobip) https://youtu.be/gHY-8K5XOwo?si=n5-R0bEo-9oK9q9B Shift Conference https://shift.infobip.com/ Shift Mag https://shiftmag.dev/ https://www.infobip.com/ Chapters 02:48 The Importance of Developer Content and Community 05:37 Building a Developer Experience Department 08:06 The Shift Conference and Developer Engagement 11:01 Adopting a Journalistic Approach to Developer Content 13:38 Creating a Unique Brand in Developer Marketing 16:31 Internal Buy-In and Engineering Participation 19:02 Workshops for Empowering Engineers to Write 21:53 The Writing Process for Engineers 24:21 Feedback Loops and Editorial Support 27:25 Motivating Engineers to Write and Share Knowledge 36:17 Creating Resonance with the Audience 38:41 Building Trust Through Quality Content 41:36 The Importance of Unique Perspectives 44:13 Leveraging Journalistic Techniques in Development 47:47 Workshops and Collaborative Content Creation 51:50 The Art of Writing and Editing 56:19 Aligning Content with Strategic Goals 01:01:32 Starting Content Creation in Smaller Teams Takeaways Developer marketing is a niche that requires unique strategies. Building trust within the developer community is essential. Workshops can empower engineers to contribute to content creation. A journalistic approach can differentiate developer content from competitors. Feedback loops are crucial for improving content quality. Aligning content with company goals enhances its effectiveness. Understanding the audience is key to creating resonant content. Creating a micro content program is feasible for smaller teams. Editorial support can help engineers overcome writing challenges. Trust and community engagement are long-term investments. Keywords developer marketing, content strategy, developer content, Infobip, ShiftMag, community engagement, writing workshops, developer journalism, content creation, marketing strategies

When people ask about Google Ads, Matt Nguyen is probably the most recommended consultant in our marketingto.dev community. Ex GitLab, ex env0 he know consults dev tools (like Clerk, Novu) on demand generation and ads. Matt knows ads cold. Links: Matt Nguyen https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattnguyen/ Jakub Czakon https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakub-czakon/ Demand Hive (Matts agency) https://www.demandhive.io/ Clerk ads examples https://adstransparency.google.com/advertiser/AR15250637116644786177?region=anywhere&platform=SEARCH Posthog ads examples https://adstransparency.google.com/advertiser/AR09373539710024024065?region=anywhere Aikido Security ads examples https://adstransparency.google.com/?region=anywhere&platform=SEARCH Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Building Trust through Education 02:52 Understanding Google Ads and Developer Marketing 05:48 Foundational Elements for Running Ads 08:38 Tracking and Measuring Success in Ads 11:21 The Importance of Brand Recognition 14:07 Navigating Early Stage Startups and Google Ads 17:03 Optimizing Google Ads for Better Conversions 19:32 Identifying When Not to Use Google Ads 22:45 Creating Demand and Thought Leadership 25:17 Structuring Campaigns for Success 28:35 Navigating Incomplete Data for Startups 32:36 Understanding Activation and Adoption 36:28 Budgeting for Effective Campaigns 39:40 Branding and Its Impact on Advertising 46:55 Structuring Campaigns for Success 53:57 Understanding Intent in Ad Targeting 56:42 Navigating Low Intent Traffic 01:01:34 The Importance of Matching Ads to User Intent 01:06:23 Campaign Structuring and Thematic Targeting 01:09:52 Ad Copy Differences in B2B vs DevTools 01:15:43 Targeting Strategies in Competitive Markets 01:21:29 Leveraging Market Education Against Competitors 01:24:36 Crafting Effective Ad Copy for Developers 01:39:49 Key Principles for Google Ads Success Takeaways Education builds trust with clients. Google Ads requires a structured approach. Brand recognition enhances ad effectiveness. Understanding customer journey is crucial for ads. Tracking conversions is essential for success. Pre-signup engagement can signal readiness. Ads should amplify existing traction. Budgeting is key to effective ad campaigns. Campaign structure should align with customer intent. Success metrics should focus on business outcomes. Understanding search intent is crucial for effective marketing. Segmenting audiences can lead to better ad targeting. Low intent searches can still provide valuable traffic. Landing pages should match the user's intent. Organizing campaigns around themes can simplify strategy. Product releases should be tied to campaign themes. Ad copy must resonate with developers' language. Gated content may deter developers from engaging. Targeting niche markets requires strategic keyword use. Competitor insights can inform keyword strategy. Keywords Google Ads, marketing, B2B, SaaS, education, brand recognition, conversion tracking, customer journey, campaign structure, advertising strategy, AI coding tools, search intent, ad targeting, low intent searches, landing pages, campaign themes, product releases, ad copy mistakes, gated content, niche markets, competitor insights, user switching behavior, ad copy for developers

Flo Merian (ex PMM at Clerk and Mintflify, Ambassador at Product Hunt and v0 by Vercel) talks about marketing on Product Hunt not as a single launch but a continuous series of re-launches. A ton of great insights. Learned a bunch. Links: Flo Merian https://www.linkedin.com/in/fmerian/ Jakub Czakon https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakub-czakon/ Examples we shared: https://www.producthunt.com/p/appwrite/did-appwrite-do-the-ideal-product-hunt-launch https://www.producthunt.com/products/developer-marketing-examples https://www.producthunt.com/products/vercel https://www.producthunt.com/products/supabase https://www.producthunt.com/products/elevenlabs https://www.producthunt.com/products/supabase/launches https://www.producthunt.com/products/cal/launches https://www.producthunt.com/products/specify https://www.producthunt.com/forums Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to the Marketing to Dev Community 03:11 Flo's Journey in Developer Marketing 06:10 The Importance of Launch Preparation 09:01 Navigating External Challenges During Launches 12:13 Product Hunt vs. Hacker News: A Comparative Analysis 15:02 Leveraging Product Hunt for Long-Term Success 18:07 The Role of Relaunching in Product Visibility 20:59 Strategies for Staying Top of Mind 23:59 The Impact of Ads vs. Organic Launching 26:59 Creating a Compound Effect with Launch Weeks 36:48 Maximizing Launch Support 39:10 Effective Asset Utilization 41:35 Long-Term Launch Strategies 44:48 Targeting the Right Audience 48:58 Optimizing Launch Efforts 50:26 Leveraging Community for Launches 54:29 Creating Shareable Content 57:39 Inspiration from Successful Launches 01:02:00 The Power of Co-Marketing 01:06:02 Defining Launch Objectives 01:09:16 Metrics for Open Source Success 01:11:21 Crafting Compelling Headlines and Taglines 01:13:04 Visual Storytelling in Product Launches 01:21:35 Engaging with Product Hunt Discussions 01:31:41 Leveraging Influencers for Product Launches 01:42:06 Consistency in Product Launching Takeaways Community building is essential for success in developer marketing. Preparation is key for a successful product launch. Relaunching can significantly impact long-term visibility and adoption. Product Hunt offers unique advantages for developers and indie makers. Understanding your audience is crucial for effective marketing. Consistency in launching can lead to better results over time. Utilizing existing assets can streamline the launch process. Engaging with the community can enhance product visibility. Ads on Product Hunt can be more cost-effective than other platforms. The mindset of the audience differs between Product Hunt and Hacker News. User-generated content can significantly boost product visibility. Optimizing outreach efforts can lead to better media coverage. Building trust through storytelling is essential for product launches. Successful launches often involve learning from industry leaders. Crafting compelling taglines is crucial for attracting attention. Defining clear objectives helps in measuring launch success. Visual assets play a vital role in engaging potential users. Engaging in community discussions can enhance product awareness. Consistency in launching products fosters long-term growth. Collaboration and co-marketing can amplify launch efforts. Keywords developer marketing, product launch, Product Hunt, community building, relaunching, marketing strategies, developer tools, indie makers, SaaS, B2B, Product Hunt, user-generated content, marketing strategies, product launch, storytelling, engagement, metrics, visual assets, community discussions, consistency

Aditya Ramakrishnan (PMM at Reo.dev, ex-Stripe, ex-ImageKit) shares his learning from marketing dev tools and technical products on Reddit. Aditya focuses on organic strategies, hard-earned learnings and examples from years engaging on Reddit. Links⁠ Aditya Ramakrishnan https://www.linkedin.com/in/adityaramakrishnan/ Jakub Czakon https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakub-czakon/ Aditya’s LinkedIn post on Reddit Marketing https://www.linkedin.com/posts/adityaramakrishnan_i-have-over-40000-reddit-karma-across-all-activity-7300967842558947330-vNbb/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAA6PPusBHGh3FZIjVWx49BUzJv6Bq6AODbE Example from Storylane https://www.reddit.com/r/ProductMarketing/comments/16piggb/interactive_demo_platform_comparison/ Example from CRMs https://www.reddit.com/r/CRM/comments/1l5pr1x/looking_for_a_solution_for_service_company/ Example from API GUI https://www.reddit.com/r/ChatGPTPro/comments/1bs3sp3/api_gui/ DevOps Engineer subreddit on promotion https://www.reddit.com/r/devops/comments/1kxn40o/devops_engineer_created_tools_and_appswhat_are/ Open Source Payments launch post 800 upvotes https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/10bmhpb/announcing_hyperswitch_open_source_payments/ Reddit Answers feature https://www.reddit.com/answers/194309d8-316d-4466-9cb5-e928f1e86319?q=image%20compression%20apis Tool promotion on StackOverflow example https://www.markepear.dev/example/brilliant-plug-comment-on-stackoverflow Reddit Ads examples https://www.markepear.dev/examples/reddit Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Aditya Ramakrishnan and His Background 06:14 The Importance of Developer Marketing 12:08 Key Learnings from Marketing at Developer-Focused Companies 18:17 The Role of Content in Developer Marketing 24:11 Understanding Reddit as a Marketing Platform 30:18 Engaging with the Developer Community on Reddit 46:18 Navigating Reddit: Getting Comfortable 50:09 Understanding Reddit's Unique Culture 52:21 Building Reddit Skills: The 80-20 Rule 55:19 Leveraging Reddit Tools for Research 58:35 Authenticity in Reddit Engagement 01:01:29 Effective Product Advocacy on Reddit 01:12:24 Collaborative Reddit Strategies 01:15:22 Community Monitoring and Tools for Engagement 01:17:11 The Role of Marketers in Online Conversations 01:19:14 Building a Reddit Muscle for Effective Engagement 01:22:14 Establishing a Social Listening Strategy 01:24:46 Open House: Sharing Insights Across Teams 01:30:23 Metrics for Measuring Engagement Success 01:42:10 Reddit Advertising: Strategies and Insights Takeaways Developers consume a lot of content and need to stay updated. Brand matters even to developers; they have brand affinities. Content marketing should be central to developer marketing strategies. Developers are involved in every buying cycle, even if not directly. Reddit is a unique platform that requires understanding its culture. Engagement on Reddit should be genuine and value-driven. Marketers should leverage developers as advocates in communities. Active participation in discussions is crucial for success on Reddit. Understanding the nuances of Reddit can lead to better marketing outcomes. Providing value is essential in content marketing. Authenticity in product advocacy builds trust. Marketers should create content guidelines for effective communication. Developers play a crucial role in writing authentic content. Transparency in promotion fosters trust with the audience. Avoiding quotas in community engagement leads to more genuine interactions. Social listening tools are vital for understanding community needs. Establishing a community engagement process is key to success. Reddit advertising should focus on brand recall rather than direct conversions. Keywords Developer marketing, Reddit, community engagement, developer tools, marketing insights, content marketing, product advocacy, community engagement, social listening, developer marketing, Reddit strategies.

In this episode I go over LinkedIn Ads from Aikido Security. I love their no BS but tongue in cheek approach to marketing and fantastic brand stunts (remember OnlyScans?). I also explained a framework I like that fits quite nicely into this approach. Links⁠ Aikido Security in LinkedIn Ads library https://www.linkedin.com/ad-library/search?accountOwner=aikido+security Aikido Security https://www.aikido.dev/ Jakub Czakon ⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakub-czakon/ LinkedIn Framework from Impactable https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqpiSyH7-Y8&list=PLkUlQWMs43Ej774fAkMc7kuTloulOu6zy Chapters 00:00 Understanding Aikido's Advertising Strategy 03:13 Layers of Advertising: Cold, Retargeting, and Conversion 06:28 Creative Approaches in Cold Layer Advertising 09:26 Building Trust: Testimonials and Case Studies 12:33 Differentiation and Competitive Analysis 15:20 Thought Leadership and Community Engagement 18:24 Final Thoughts on Aikido's Advertising Success Takeaways Aikido's ads are effective and engaging. Advertising can be broken down into three layers: cold, retargeting, and conversion. Creative content is crucial in the cold layer to attract interest. Testimonials and case studies build trust in the retargeting layer. Differentiation from competitors is key in advertising. Thought leadership can enhance community engagement. Using various ad formats can improve overall effectiveness. It's important to communicate product functionalities clearly. Building a strong pipeline is essential for growth. Continuous improvement in advertising strategies is necessary. Keywords Aikido, advertising strategy, LinkedIn ads, cold layer, retargeting, conversion, testimonials, case studies, differentiation, thought leadership

Adam Frankl is perhaps the GOAT of dev marketing but definitely the Triceratops who was the first VP marketing at 3 dev tool startups that became unicorns. Author of a must read book for dev tool founders - Developer Facing Startup. Had so much fun talking and learning from Adam. Links⁠ - Adam Frankl https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamfrankl/ - Jakub Czakon https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakub-czakon/ - The Developer Facing Startup (Adam's book) https://www.amazon.com/Developer-Facing-Startup-market-developer-facing/dp/B0D4KGHQML - Developer Facing Startup Founder's Academy (Adam's course) https://developerfacingstartup.dev/ - Value Proposition Design book ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Value-Proposition-Design-Customers-Strategyzer/dp/1118968050 - Lean Customer Development book https://www.amazon.com/Lean-Customer-Development-Hardcover-version/dp/1449356354 Takeaways Technical advisory board tweaks for dev marketers implementing this (including the chief scientist persona, social media marketing) Creating authority and actual thought leadership content as a non SME marketer Examples of owning the problem midnshare from Neo4j (graph database newsletter) Strategic narrative framing for dev tools + example from sourcegraph Technology discovery loop for devs (and getting into those loops) Dark matter devs and how to solve it with targeting “alpha developers” who in turn speak to other devs Free anonymous piece of product + examples from Neo4j and Sourcegraph Adjusted value proposition design framework (pains, gains, jobs to be done, AND changes in the environment) Why influencer marketing is the thing to do. Why Adam believes that paid flavor of this doesn’t work. And what you should do instead When introductory developer content is actually the play Creating research-based content factory with an example from jFrog and Tailscale And finally, why Adam’s is even doing this. Chapters 00:00 The Importance of Iteration in Development 04:05 The Role of Feedback in Product Development 06:29 Understanding Intellectual Property in Tech 09:30 The Evolution of AI and Its Interfaces 12:39 The Value of Customer Feedback 14:53 The Journey of a Developer Marketer 17:38 Creating a Technical Advisory Board 20:44 The Role of Problem Framing in Marketing 36:55 Becoming an Expert: The Two Paths 39:06 The Social Nature of Development 40:02 Recruiting Top Talent: Strategies for Marketers 42:16 The Journalist Approach to Marketing 44:07 Building Authority Through Reporting 45:36 Engaging with Your Audience on Social Media 48:17 The Pitfalls of Content Marketing 51:18 Thought Leadership vs. Content Marketing 53:34 Defining Categories in Marketing 55:38 Effective Tab Interviews: Key Questions 01:00:53 Identifying Trends in Development 01:10:17 Understanding the Developer Discovery Loop 01:12:39 Understanding the Alpha Developer 01:17:49 The Importance of Free and Anonymous Products 01:21:53 Listening to Developers: The Key to Innovation 01:29:37 Identifying and Prioritizing Problems 01:36:38 Becoming a Developer Influencer 01:47:09 The Mission to Improve Software Tools Keywords podcast, teaching, feedback, iteration, intellectual property, AI, DevTools, marketing, content marketing, thought leadership, thought leadership, tech marketing, developer engagement, market research, product differentiation, developer discovery, community building, content marketing, software tools, startup strategy

In this episode I go over a CISOTOPIA campaign that Wthe security company Wiz ran recently. Basicaly a fake toy store with dozens of funny security puns. Loved it! Links⁠ CISOTOPIA https://www.cisotopia.com/ Wiz https://www.wiz.io/ Jakub Czakon   / jakub-czakon   Chapters 00:00 Creative Marketing in Security 02:48 Engaging Conference Strategies 05:04 Innovative Product Concepts 07:43 Understanding Audience Connection Takeaways Wiz is known for its humorous branding at security conferences. Creative marketing can differentiate a brand in a crowded market. Engaging with the community is crucial for brand visibility. Top of funnel activities can enhance brand awareness. Using humor in branding can create memorable experiences. Interactive games can effectively communicate security concepts. Understanding your audience is key to successful marketing. Playful branding can make technical subjects more approachable. Memes and humor can strengthen community connections. Innovative ideas can lead to increased audience engagement. Keywords cloud security, branding, marketing strategies, audience engagement, innovative ideas, Wiz, CISOTOPIA, security conferences, top of funnel activities, community vibe

I go over all core elements on Polypane's homepage reviewing copy, design, information flow and more. This was community-requested teardown. If you'd like your homepage/ads/content reviewed -> send it over. Links: Polypane homepage https://polypane.app/ Dev tool landing page examples https://www.markepear.dev/examples/landing-page Jakub Czakon https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakub-czakon/ Takeaways DevTools should be clearly defined for users. Ambitious language may not add value to messaging. Visuals must effectively communicate product features. Headlines should be re-evaluated for clarity. User experience is crucial in product design. Community engagement can enhance product credibility. Features should be presented in an easily digestible format. Testimonials should connect to a broader community narrative. Product differentiation is key to standing out. A clear call to action can improve user engagement. Summary In this conversation, Jakub Czakon provides a detailed teardown of Polyplane, focusing on its use of DevTools, product clarity, user experience, and marketing strategies. He emphasizes the importance of clear communication of features, the need for effective visual design, and the value of community engagement and testimonials. Jakub also discusses the significance of product differentiation and offers recommendations for improving the overall presentation and user understanding of Polyplane. Chapters 00:00Introduction to Polyplane Teardown 03:18Understanding DevTools and Its Importance 06:12Evaluating Product Messaging and Clarity 09:14Feature Presentation and User Engagement 12:37Design and User Experience Considerations 15:30Community and User Testimonials 18:17Product Completeness and Feature Listing 21:33Differentiation from Competitors 24:31Final Thoughts and Recommendations Keywords Polyplane, DevTools, web development, user experience, product design, marketing strategy, responsive design, accessibility, features, testimonials

I this episode I review the homepage of BuildKite, focusing on how the design effectively showcases social proof through mini case studies and uses a platform diagram as an interactive visual in product sections lower down the page. Links⁠ - Buildkite https://buildkite.com/ - Jakub Czakon https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakub-czakon/ - Justin Gage https://www.linkedin.com/in/gagejustin/ Chapters 00:00 Introduction to BuildKite and Social Proof 02:32 Teardown of BuildKite's Homepage 05:21 User Experience and Design Elements 07:39 Communication of Features and Differentiation 10:31 Quotes and Testimonials 13:08 Final Thoughts and Recommendations Takeaways BuildKite effectively showcases their product despite its complexity. Social proof is front-loaded, enhancing credibility. The homepage connects product functionality with customer success stories. Visual communication is crucial for user engagement. The use of diagrams helps clarify product features. A strong differentiation strategy is evident in their messaging. User testimonials could be more prominent for impact. The homepage could benefit from a clearer 'how it works' section. Integrations with other tools should be highlighted. Overall, BuildKite's homepage is well-designed and effective. Keywords BuildKite, homepage design, product value, social proof, user experience, differentiation, customer focus, visual communication, testimonials, integrations

Itamar Ben Yair is a tech startup LinkedIn ads consultant specializing in TikTok UGC style video ads to the cold audience. He shares his insights on why they work so well, how to do them, how to measure the impact and much more. Links⁠- Itamar Ben Yair https://www.linkedin.com/in/itamar-ben-yair-053271174/- Jakub Czakon https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakub-czakon/- MLOps Community⁠ https://mlops.community/Takeaways- Bring B2C aesthetics to B2D. Get inspired by people who actually do good ads that drive entire B2C businesses rather than vanilla B2B ads. - In dev tools, you need more than 5 seconds to explain what the product does. Sometimes way more. TikTok-style video ads with actors catch attention and keep it for long enough so that you can explain what your tool does. - Startups should focus on cold audiences (prospecting). People who never heard of you. This is where the impact comes from not remarketing. - If you do something inherently exciting, with a free tier, a good in-feed YouTube ads tactic is to get the influencer to create a piece of content, and distribute that video through in-feed ads. - Instagram (Meta) ads can be a great way to reach engineers. You find your audience by qualification through a creative. For example start with a generic interest based audience, see who watches 75% of your video ads, find lookalikes to those and serve ads to them. But it only works if your audience on Meta is in 100s of thousands. - “Every ad should show the product” was a rule at Monday that Itamar has used throughout his career. Even if it is difficult, show the product, talk about the capabilities of the product. - Optimize ads based on in-platform signals (view % etc), sanity check with sales that leads coming in are good (pipeline). - Take big bets and see obvious results (or not). Small incremental improvements are hard to see. Don’t scale the budget by 10%, scale it 2x. Make it easy to see that you succeeded or failed. -Early stage you shouldn’t need any complicated models to see the impact. If you don’t see spikes it is not workingChapters 00:00 Introduction to Itamar Ben Yair 03:08 The Importance of Creative Advertising in B2B 06:24 Distinguishing Between Paid Search and Paid Social 09:27 The Role of Influencer Marketing in DevTools 12:28 Targeting Strategies for Engineers 15:14 The Challenge of Reaching Senior Developers 18:33 The Evolving Landscape of Advertising 21:20 The Impact of Privacy Regulations on Advertising 24:16 The Reality of Developer Engagement with Ads 27:19 Creative Strategies for Effective Advertising 30:09 The Future of Advertising in a Cookie-less World 33:28 Conclusion and Key Takeaways 56:58 The Creative Process Behind Ads 01:03:31 Evaluating Ad Strategies for Startups 01:10:15 Understanding Audience Engagement 01:15:49 Campaign Structure and Measurement 01:25:05 The Importance of Incrementality in Marketing Keywords B2B marketing, growth consultant, creative ads, influencer marketing, paid search, paid social, DevTools, audience targeting, ad measurement, marketing strategies

I go over all core elements on Deepgram's homepage and playground and say what I like, what I don’t like, and what changes I’d test out. Spoiler alert: their site is awesome. Links: Deepgram homepage Dev tool landing page examples Takeaways Deepgram's homepage effectively communicates its product through layered visuals. Clear and concise copy is essential for user understanding. CTAs should prioritize developer engagement over buyer-centric approaches. The playground feature is a valuable tool for user interaction. Community engagement is crucial for building trust among developers. Enterprise sections should focus on trust and security features. Testimonials can enhance credibility and user confidence. Highlighting integrations with popular SDKs can attract more developers. A well-structured website can significantly improve user experience. Continuous testing and iteration are key to optimizing website performance. Deepgram Website Teardown: Insights and Recommendations Unpacking Deepgram's Voice AI Marketing Strategy Summary In this conversation, Jakub Czakon provides a detailed teardown of Deepgram's website, focusing on its design, copy, and user experience. He highlights the effectiveness of the visual representation of the product, the clarity of the copy, and the importance of CTAs tailored for developers. Jakub emphasizes the need for community engagement and trust-building elements, especially for enterprise users. He concludes with overall impressions and actionable recommendations for improving the website. Chapters 00:00Teardown of Deepgram's Homepage 03:38Analyzing Copy and CTAs 06:31Exploring the Playground Feature 09:21Community and Enterprise Focus 12:31Final Recommendations and Overall Impressions Keywords Deepgram, website teardown, voice AI, developer marketing, API, user experience, community engagement, enterprise solutions, CTAs, product features

My thoughts and frameworks for thinking about attribution, incrementality, decision making in the context of developer marketing, optimizing channels, and allocating resources to programs. Links: How to prove ROI of developer marketing? Developer marketing metrics and attribution (practitioners guide) Takeaways Attribution should always be connected to decision-making. Reporting is often a prelude to decision-making in attribution. Attribution can only be directional, not 100% accurate. Focus on optimizing activities within channels rather than exact attribution. Incrementality is about understanding the growth driven by activities. Self-reported attribution can provide valuable insights despite its flaws. Early-stage companies should prioritize clear impact from activities. Marketing mix modeling helps correlate impressions with outcomes. It's crucial to focus on fewer activities for greater impact. 100% attribution can lead to risky marketing decisions. Summary In this conversation, Kuba discusses the complexities of attribution in marketing, emphasizing the importance of understanding its purpose and the distinction between attribution and incrementality. He argues that effective attribution should inform decision-making and drive meaningful business metrics rather than merely serve as a reporting tool. Kuba also explores various methods for attribution, including self-reported attribution and marketing mix modeling, advocating for a focus on directional insights that lead to incremental improvements in marketing efforts. Chapters 00:00Understanding Attribution in Marketing 12:26The Importance of Directional Insights 18:36Methods for Effective Attribution 27:18Driving Incremental Improvements Keywords attribution, marketing, decision-making, incrementality, data analysis, ROI, marketing channels, self-reported attribution, marketing mix modeling, insights

Demetrios Brinkmann created one of the biggest and most vibrant developer communities that I've seen, MLOps Community. He shares learnings on how he did that and what he'd do differently. Incredible resource for dev tool community managers and founders. Links Demetrios Brinkmann LinkedIn MLOps Community Takeaways Get to know people: when people join just talk to them, get to know them, do a 15-minute chat to learn what they want to get from the community, what their expertise is, where they can chip in etc. Tag and introduce members: Figure out who knows about what and then @ tag them in the conversations to engage. On top of that intro/connect people who you think could benefit from connecting in DMs. Seeding conversations: ask people you spoke to, to ask questions in channels. Sharing good articles could help show the community is not dead but doesn’t really grow engagement. Don’t let questions get unanswered: ask people in DMs to answer, tag people etc. Or try and share resources you saw on the subject so as not to leave people hanging Share targeted resources: when you get to know members, either manually, or through surveys, share super targetted resources with them. Courses, blogs, podcasts, etc when you have things that are exactly what they want. Build community members up. You see a blog post from someone from community, share it in the slack yourself and start the discussion. Then you can invite them to meetups/conferences, talks, podcast. Whatever social capital you have to give. Gating community: making sure that folks who get into the community will add/get value from it. Discussions are shaped by the people who are in it so if you have vendors/beginners those are the conversations you’ll see. Seeding community: you can start by inviting selected people through LinkedIn/Twitter. I liked the outreach message: “Hey I’ve spent the last 40 days locked in my house [COVID], and wanted to do something productive with my life. And I started this community. If you want to join, let me know” Creating a podcast opens doors: high-influence people take calls with you when it is a podcast when they may not have talked to you otherwise Be-shameless channel: for some practitioners, it is one of the most valuable channels. It keeps people in the loop on what is happening in the space. And vendor articles or webinars are actually appreciated by some people as the vendors spend 24/7 working with practitioners in the space on their little piece. Plus if there is no be-shameless you will get spam in intro or general. Managing sponsors is tricky: at a certain scale, you want to get sponsors to be able to fund the infrastructure and people to keep it vibrant. But you don’t want to sell your soul to vendors and sell your members as leads to them. Community of craft vs small exclusive meetups: you need to live this, this is a huge effort, with content, engagement, etc. It may be smarter to build small exclusive and targeted in-person meetups. Quality over quantity. 20-30 people, not recorded, super focused conversations. And the CTA after that meetup is to join the community Slack. Chapters 00:00 Starting the MLOps Community 08:51 Values and Culture in the Community 15:25 Connecting People and Recognizing Their Work 19:05 Maintaining Engagement and Quality Discussions 27:40 Building the Community During COVID 33:22 Commitment to the Community 38:41 Strategies for connecting with new community members 42:58 Onboarding new community members and gathering insights 46:51 Understanding the different reasons people join the community 57:26 The importance of engagement and feedback in community building 01:03:51 Creating channels and fostering engagement in the community 01:07:40 The Importance of Active Channels and Local Champions 01:09:39 The Formation of Local Groups and Meetups 01:12:00 Managing Vendors and Sponsors in Community Building 01:16:51 The Power of Exclusive In-Person Events