AMA: Amazon Product Marketing at Fire TV (Smart TVs), Amey Kanade on Developer Product Marketing

I think at the core of it the goal of the PMM team still remains the same: enabling sales by understanding the target audience deeply, speaking their language, and meeting the customer's specific needs. Sales enablement tactics in a B2D environment will likely differ by focusing on collateral which is heavily tech focused and tailored developer-centric messaging. Ensure that comprehensive technical documentation, API references, SDKs and quick, smooth onboarding tools and other developer resources are easily accessible. Developers often rely on such resources to evaluate products and make informed decisions. I have also found direct engagement with and within the developer communities - online (e.g. online communities where developers can ask or answer questions), and physical events (e.g. developer conference like Google I/O or re:aws etc) very helpful.

This is a really good question. I like to bring in the sales PoCs at the right milestone in your customer purchase journey till you make the sale. I like to leverage sales perspective typically for the following reasons - to 1. Understanding Developer Preferences: Developers often prefer self-service options and hands-on experiences. Sales teams should engage at the right touchpoints without being too intrusive. Sales team can help here by providing the right material, understanding when to step back and step in during the entire process. In some ways, the sales team should be able to project manage the onboarding/purchase funnel providing the right amount of assistance. 2. Developer-Centric Messaging: Sales teams need to communicate in a language that resonates with developers. Focus on technical aspects, APIs, integration possibilities, and how the product solves specific developer challenges. I would say avoid traditional sales pitches; instead, provide value by offering expertise and support. 3. Adopting an Educational Approach: Rather than pushing for a sale, focus on educating developers about the product's capabilities and benefits. Offer webinars, workshops, or educational content that adds value and helps developers understand how the product solves their problems. 4. Data-Driven Approach: Use data analytics to understand when developers are most engaged and responsive. This helps in timing engagements effectively and tailoring approaches based on their preferences. In essence, the engagement of the sales team when marketing to developers should revolve around providing value, assistance, and expertise in a non-intrusive manner that aligns with the developer audience's preferences and needs.

Here's a short list which comes to my mind, some of them are obvious but I would think of this backwards i.e. what is the definition of success for every marketing strategy/tactic which you run: * Website Traffic & Page Views, time on Site * Downloads/Installs * Community Participation online on social/forums etc- growth, engagement and churn of community, Likes, Views, Upvotes, Ratings, Comments/Answers etc * API/SDK Integration - depth of integration * Conversion Rates and CTRs * Developer Surveys & Feedback * Retention & Churn Rates

As mentioned above, the overarching goal of the PMM team is likely the same everywhere (i.e. understanding your audience, messaging, sales enablement etc) developer marketing often involves unique channels and tactics due to the technical nature of the audience and the need to engage with developers effectively. Some channels/tactics I have found success in the past: 1. Content : API/SDK documentations, how-to-guides/videos, best practices, AMAs with CTO/tech staff. 2. Developer Communities and Forums: We really found great success with this channel/tactic. A well run online forum could potentially run itself automatically for e.g. other developers answering questions, discussing best practices even before you could jump in. This did not happen overnight and we had to over engage early on, incentivize participation and seed conversations. 3. Hackathons and Developer Events: Organizing or sponsoring hackathons, coding challenges, workshops, and developer-focused events allows companies to showcase their products, offer hands-on experience, and gather feedback directly from developers. 4. Targeted Advertising on Developer Platforms: Using platforms like GitHub, Stack Overflow Advertising, or other tech-specific ad networks to target ads specifically to developers based on their interests and activities can yield good results. 5. Developer-centric Email/Blogs : Crafting newsletters or emails or medium articles focused on technical updates, product releases, new features, or tutorials can be an effective way to reach out to developers who prefer such communication. These channels and tactics cater to the technical mindset of developers and emphasize the importance of technical content, community engagement, and hands-on experiences in developer marketing strategies.