What You Should Know About Developer Marketing In 2024

I would love to deviate from the popular saying that developers hate marketing. On the contrary, developers love great marketing, but most companies fail to get it right. Great marketing doesn’t feel like marketing. You need to find ways to promote your product without promotion, and this is why developer marketing is tough, not the target audience.

When done well, marketing can genuinely engage and inspire developer audiences, helping them see the value in your product and solution and, most importantly, drive financial consideration.

Trends indicate that developers are not just users but key decision-makers who can make or break a deal. 59% of developers today have a good say in selecting the products they use (according to a recent survey), which is a stark contrast to the past when they had to work with decisions made for them.

This survey by StackOverflow also revealed that developers who heavily rely on specific technologies are more actively involved in purchasing decisions. This is another reason why developer relations roles are becoming more prominent in many companies.

Different developers have varying needs, preferences, and levels of influence. Therefore, you need to adopt different approaches to connect with the various developer segments and influence these ‘latest’ influencers. This article will show you what we know about developer marketing and how technical content sits at the heart of developer marketing strategies.

What is developer marketing?

There are many interesting and more profound definitions of developer marketing, such as this one by Darren Yuen, “a collection of strategies and tactics meant to grow awareness, adoption, and advocacy of developer tools, solutions, and SaaS platforms by developers who would use them.”

Or the one by Lawrence Chapman, “[a combination of] tactics designed to develop the awareness, adoption, and advocacy surrounding SaaS platforms, software tools, and solutions to improve workflow and development efficiency.”

However, the only definition you should note is that Developer marketing is about building trust with a technical audience. Trust is the cornerstone of any successful relationship, and this is especially true in the developer community.

Developers are highly knowledgeable and often skeptical of marketing that seems inauthentic or overly sales-driven. They value transparency, honesty, and technical accuracy.

Building trust means providing developers with reliable, accurate information and demonstrating a deep understanding of their challenges and needs. It involves engaging with them on a technical level, offering valuable educational content, and building a dev community and support.

When developers trust your brand, they are more likely to adopt your tools, recommend them to others, and become advocates for your products.

Hence, developer marketing is about creating a trustworthy relationship where developers feel confident in your solutions' value, reliability, and support. Building trust with developers feeds into successful awareness, product adoption, and advocacy.

This is where we come in as a developer marketing agency to help you drive that value through technical content creation, distribution, and community engagement.

Technical content is the core of developer marketing

If developer marketing is about building trust, then content is the foundation. Whether it's detailed documentation, insightful blog posts, comprehensive tutorials, or engaging webinars, content that provides real value to developers shows that you are committed to their success. These forms of content aren’t set in stone. Developers in different mental states resonate with multi-modal content like videos and interactive demos.

Grady Booch once said, “The function of good software is to make the complex appear to be simple.” As good software simplifies the complex, high-quality technical content effectively communicates that simplicity. Technical content aims to break down complex technologies and articulate the product's functionality and business value. This helps developers and stakeholders understand the technology's benefits and applications, making it accessible and valuable for a wider audience.

But how do you use technical content to communicate this value and build trust?

a. Technical content = educating + enabling Developers

Think of technical content as a teaching tool. You naturally attract a technical audience by shifting your perspective from marketing to teaching. Quoting Adam DuVander, you should aim to be the kind of teacher who meets learners where they are, guides them to a deeper understanding, and challenges them to grow.

b. Share benefits and transformations, not features

Show, don’t tell. Benefits show, features tell. Your messages should engage developers, inviting them to learn more. Each blog post, tutorial, or guide should encourage deeper exploration, leading to further learning or a product trial, in a natural and engaging way. Check out our guide for more strategies on creating engaging developer content.

c. Go for use cases

Developers are often more interested in solving specific problems than learning about your product. You show how your product can directly address their needs and challenges by focusing on use cases.

The use case approach also acts as proof-of-concept (PoC) that your product can solve their problems faster (or easier) than they could build their own or try a competitor.

Beyond addressing their needs, your content could easily be optimized for search engines (SEO) since it appeals to a broader use case and topic. See how to create search-engine-optimized content in our guide on creating differentiated SEO content.

d. Developer experience at the core

Ultimately, you need to prioritize their overall experience or DevX. Developer experience encompasses every interaction a developer has with your brand and product. Successfully attracting and retaining developers requires close attention to their journey with your product.

Integrating new tools into a developer's workflow is a huge commitment. Developers are naturally cautious about adopting new dependencies. This is why providing an excellent experience is critical.

The developer experience includes:

• Your brand's reputation on developer-focused platforms (check out our guide on where to post developer content)
• The quality of your documentation and tutorials
• The clarity and consistency of your brand's messaging
• The functionality and reliability of your product
• The vibrancy of your developer community

The best approach is to build and support an outstanding product with an exceptional developer experience. Creating problem-focused content that is easily discoverable through search engines also helps developers find you organically.

What does a developer-focused GTM look like?

Take a look at the recent BCG survey of the various go-to-market (GTM) strategies businesses are leveraging to drive engagement and success across different developer marketing stages:

Again, content creation supports every aspect of your Go-to-market (GTM) strategy. It drives awareness by making your brand and products visible where developers search for information. It encourages adoption by helping developers understand how to use your tools and solutions effectively. It promotes advocacy by creating a repository of resources that developers can share with their peers.

Awareness

The report highlighted that developers favor self-discovery via peer mentions, third-party reviews, and community discussions. High-quality blog posts, articles, and case studies can showcase real-world applications and success stories, making the product more relatable and trustworthy. Businesses facilitate this through global and regional developer events, incentivizing developer communities, and creating teams to drive content discussions within these communities.

Evaluation

During the evaluation phase, developers need thorough information to make informed decisions. They appreciate free trials or "freemium" offerings supported by comprehensive technical documentation, sandbox environments, and sample code.

Technical content such as detailed API guides, integration tutorials, and code repositories enables developers to test and understand how a product fits into their existing architecture. Vendors can further support this by providing learning and discovery tools, making it easier for developers to explore and evaluate the product’s capabilities in their environments.

Purchase

In the purchase phase, technical content helps developers understand a product’s practical benefits and justifies its value. As BCG mentioned, vendors often reskill their sales teams or create specialist teams to convey product functionality and advantages through technical webinars, live demos, and Q&A sessions. Detailed product documentation, feature comparisons, and use case scenarios are essential in this stage.

Post-purchase

Technical content is vital after the purchase for rapid onboarding and minimizing issues. Developers value strong vendor support, which can be provided through comprehensive documentation, structured learning pathways, and active community support solutions.

Onboarding guides, video tutorials, and troubleshooting articles ensure developers can quickly get up to speed with the product and address any challenges they encounter. This content not only aids in smooth implementation but also builds continued trust and satisfaction.

Strong developer community

A vibrant developer community is a key driver of brand awareness, peer interaction, support solutions, and feedback. Vendors can nurture and contribute to these communities by actively participating in forums, moderating discussions, and personalizing content to address common questions and concerns.

Regularly updated technical blogs, community newsletters, and interactive webinars keep the community engaged and informed, creating a supportive ecosystem where developers feel valued and heard.

Contributing to open-source projects

Engaging with open-source projects or offering "open core" products builds awareness and credibility among cloud-native developers who highly value open-source contributions. Vendors can maintain proprietary code while actively supporting open-source initiatives sharing technical content like project roadmaps, contribution guidelines, and development updates.

Offering a basic open version with premium features allows developers to experience the product firsthand, encouraging a sense of transparency and community involvement. This strategy enhances product visibility and promotes collaboration and innovation within the developer community.