The Developer Relations Playbook: How to Build and Grow a Successful Developer Program

The Developer Relations Playbook (2021) [Parton Lewko] [9781484271636] Contents About the Authors About the Technical Reviewer Foreword Introduction Part I: Develop a Common Understanding Chapter 1: What Is Developer Relations? The Core Components of Developer Relations Developer Experience Developer Marketing Developer Education Developer Success Community Summary Chapter 2: Where Does Developer Relations Fit? Functional Activities Functional Reporting Department Influence Mapper Tool How It Works Using the Tool An Information Valve for Your Company Summary Chapter 3: The Origin of Developer Relations and the Rise of the Developer The Apple Didn’t Fall Far from the Tree The Rise of the Developer Technology Enablers Democratized IT Skilled Workforce Capital Business Model Innovation Technical Communities The Rise of APIs The Growth Continues Summary Chapter 4: The Value of the Developer Economy Some Numbers Case Study: Mobile Apps – Those Who Didn’t Believe Supplemental Value of the Developer-Led Economy External Creation Value External Cost Reduction Internal Value Creation Internal Cost Reduction Summary Part II: Key Differentiators Chapter 5: The Audience: Developers Developer Market Sizing Developer Truisms Like Facts Not Marketing Developers Are Creative Problem Solvers Decision Influencers Learn by Doing Lack Diversity Self-Learning Is It Easy to Be a Developer Today? Summary Chapter 6: Developers As Decision Makers The Developer Decision-Making Unit Who Makes the Decision? Decision Criteria Matching Messaging to Decision Makers Summary Chapter 7: Developer First and Developer Plus Organization Types Developer First Developer Plus How Many Companies Practice Developer Relations? The Market Leaders by Community Summary Chapter 8: Business Models and Monetization Strategies It’s an Input The Value Chain B2B, B2C, vs. B2D B2D Monetization Strategies 1. Direct – Revenue Upfront 2. Direct – Revenue Delayed 3. Indirect – Market Enhancement 4. Indirect – Ecosystem Enhancement Maturing Your Model A Numbers Game Summary Chapter 9: Developer Products Treat Your Developer Offering As a Product Types of Developer Products APIs SDKs HDKs Reference Designs Tools Marketplaces Developer Services Product Scope in Organizations Product Value Proposition to Developers Determining the Product Value Proposition Beyond Features A Long-Term View Deprecating and Sunsetting Product and Code Breaks Pricing Changes Product-Market Fit Summary Part III: Alignment on Goals Chapter 10: Company Goals and Alignment Identify Company Goals The Importance of Company Alignment Alignment Considerations Connect to Core Company Goals Be Attuned to the Company Culture Be Aware of Company Antibodies Understand Innovation Disconnects Brand Reputation Matters Launching Is Only the Beginning Solutions for Company Alignment Summary Chapter 11: Program Goals Setting Program Goals Long-Term Program Goals Short-Term Program Goals Clarity and Realism in Goal Setting Metrics for Measuring Goals Influences and Gaps Summary Part IV: Go-to-Market Chapter 12: Developer Segmentation Why Is Segmentation Important? Developer Segmentation Framework Tests for Segmentation Criteria Developer Segmentation Canvas in Action Summary Chapter 13: Developer Personas Persona Criteria Developer Persona Frameworks Developer Persona Canvas Developer Persona Framework Summary Chapter 14: Messaging What Is Messaging? Key Factors of Developer Messaging Keep It Developer-Friendly Tone and Voice Targeting Other Decision Makers Timing and Trust Messaging Styles and the Developer Journey Feedback and Communication Loops Developer Messaging Framework Heroes, Halos, and Stories Messaging Keywords Messaging Keywords: 80% – Features Messaging Keywords: 20% – Benefits Differentiation Key Statements Summary Chapter 15: The Developer Journey What Is a Developer Journey Map? Stages of the Developer Journey Touchpoints of the Developer Journey Internal External Notes on the Journey Who Owns the Journey? How to Find Out If Your Journey Is Working Remove Bias Involve the Stakeholders Summary Chapter 16: Discover Awareness and Outreach Discover Touchpoints Top Developer Discover Sources Search Engines Peer Referrals Your Developer Advocates The Developer Hub Are You Credible? Summary Chapter 17: Developer Experience Developer Experience (DX) Product Documentation Docs Span All Stages of the Developer Journey What Makes Great Docs? Who Should Create the Documentation? Summary Chapter 18: Evaluate Activation Evaluate Touchpoints and Developer Education Resources Product Pages Documentation Landing Page FAQs Use Cases and Case Studies Forums and Community Messaging Tools Webinars External Touchpoints GitHub Stack Overflow Pricing Options Summary Chapter 19: Learn Onboarding and Engagement Time to “Hello, World!” Learn Touchpoints and Docs Getting Started or Quickstart Guide Tutorials Code Samples Signup and Registration Education Resources Forums and Community Messaging Tools Learning Resources Office Hours Training Technology Dependencies Summary Chapter 20: Build Engagement and Support Build Touchpoints and Resources Extensions Sandbox and Tools Reference Guides Changelog Support Adoption Is Still in the Balance Summary Chapter 21: Scale Retention and Growth Scale Touchpoints and Resources Developer Success Support SLAs Product Road Map Inspiration and Community Showcase Ambassador Programs Partner Programs Certification Business Decision Makers Summary Chapter 22: Developer Marketing Marketing Tactics for DevRel Developer Hub Social Media SEO and Advertising Content Marketing Automated Nurture Marketing Partnerships Developer Communities Summary Chapter 23: Events Event Reality Check Choosing Which Events to Attend Event Preparation At the Event Post-Event Online Events Organizing Your Own Events Event Journey Hackathons Event Return on Investment Summary Chapter 24: Sales Understanding Modern Sales Beyond Self-Service DevRel and Sales Synergies DevRel and Sales Alignment Alignment and Sequencing Example: Direct Revenue – Self-Serve Operation Summary Chapter 25: Community What Is a Community? Community Is: A Philosophy Community Is: A Relationship Community Is: A Subset of Your Developer Program The Benefits of Community Community Management Is: Members and Contributions Community at Large Passive Contributors Active Contributors In-betweeners Inner Circle How to Start a Community Where Is Your Community? Gamification Community Recognition and Experiences Open Source Communities Summary Part V: Managing and Growing Your Program Chapter 26: Metrics Metrics Hierarchy and Clarity First, Alignment Next Is Clarity DevRel Program Metrics – The What Activity Metrics – The How Community Metrics Assessing Your Metrics Testing Your Metrics and Conversion Metrics Data Sources and Challenges Reporting Your Metrics Metric Accountability Summary Chapter 27: Team Generalists Get You Started Specialists Help You Scale Developer Advocates Support and Success Teams Field Marketing or Event Marketing Developer Education Developer Marketing Community Managers Other Roles Consultants and Outside Agencies DevRel Leadership and Career Path Interdepartmental Collaboration DevRel Demographics Hiring DevRel Hiring and Building an Inclusive Culture and Team Summary Chapter 28: Program Phasing When Is a DevRel Program Mature? Assessing the Maturity Stages of a DevRel Program Stage 0 – Ground Zero Stage 1 – Improvised Stage Stage 2 – Establishment Stage Stage 3 – Growth Stage Stage 4 – Scale Stage Comparing Stages and Indicators Summary Chapter 29: Epilogue What Comes Next? Your Turn Index Increasingly, business leaders are either looking to start a new developer program at their company or looking to increase the impact of their existing DevRel program. In this context, software developers are finally recognized as legitimate decision makers in the technology buying process, regardless of the size of their organization. New companies are appearing with the sole purpose of making tools for developers, and even companies whose primary focus was elsewhere are waking up to the developer opportunity. Even as the need and demand for DevRel has grown, there are still re-occurring challenges for DevRel leaders. It is these challenges that this book addresses, covering all aspects of a DevRel program. It is an essential reference to professionalize the practice of developer relations by providing you with strategic, repeatable, and adoptable frameworks, processes, and tools, including developer segmentation and personas, and developer experience frameworks. In Developer Relations, you'll find the answers to the following questions: How do we convince stakeholders to support a program? How do we go about creating a program? How do we make developers aware of our offer? How do we stand out from the crowd? How do we get developers to use our products? How do we ensure developers are successful using our products? How do we measure success? How do we maintain the support of our stakeholders? After reading this book you'll have a clear definition of what developer relations is, the type of companies that engage in DevRel, and the scope and business models involved. What You Will Learn Discover what developer relations is and how it contributes to a company's success Launch a DevRel program Operate a successful program Measure the success of your program Manage stakeholders Who This Book Is For Those interested in starting a new developer program or looking to increase the impact of their existing one. From executives to investors, from marketing professionals to engineers, all will find this book useful to realize the impact of developer relations. Increasingly, business leaders are either looking to start a new developer program at their company or looking to increase the impact of their existing DevRel program. In this context, software developers are finally recognized as legitimate decision makers in the technology buying process, regardless of the size of their organization. New companies are appearing with the sole purpose of making tools for developers, and even companies whose primary focus was elsewhere are waking up to the developer opportunity. Even as the need and demand for DevRel has grown, there are still re-occurring challenges for DevRel leaders. It is these challenges that this book addresses, covering all aspects of a DevRel program. It is an essential reference to professionalize the practice of developer relations by providing you with strategic, repeatable, and adoptable frameworks, processes, and tools, including developer segmentation and personas, and developer experience frameworks. In The Developer Relations Playbook, you'll find the answers to the following questions: How do we convince stakeholders to support a program? How do we go about creating a program? How do we make developers aware of our offer? How do we stand out from the crowd? How do we get developers to use our products? How do we ensure developers are successful using our products? How do we measure success? How do we maintain the support of our stakeholders? After reading this book you'll have a clear definition of what developer relations is, the type of companies that engage in DevRel, and the scope and business models involved. What You Will Learn Discover what developer relations is and how it contributes to a company's success Launch a DevRel program Operate a successful program Measure the success of your program Manage stakeholders Who This Book Is For Those interested in starting a new developer program or looking to increase the impact of their existing one. Marketing professionals who need to understand how marketing to developers is different will find the book useful.,