The Enterprise GTM Podcast

The Developer-Facing Startup with Adam Frankl

May 2, 2024

Adam Frankl, a seasoned marketing strategist and former VP of Marketing at multiple developer-facing unicorns, shares valuable insights on navigating the tech startup landscape. He discusses the unique mindset of developers and why traditional marketing fails to resonate with them. Frankl emphasizes the importance of addressing real pain points and leveraging social proof in marketing strategies. He also critiques conventional sales funnels, introducing the DREAM sequence to better engage developer audiences. This conversation is a must-listen for startup founders aiming for success in the development tool space.

43:03

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Episode guests

Adam Frankl

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Quick takeaways

Understanding developers' unique cultural mindset and community reliance is essential for effective marketing in the tech landscape.

Utilizing social proof and genuine success stories from peers is crucial for building trust and influencing developers' technology adoption.

Deep dives

Understanding Developer Culture

Developers possess a unique cultural mindset that differentiates them from other professionals in technology. Writing code is central to their identity, and they are trained to solve novel problems under pressure. This expectation fosters a community that heavily relies on shared knowledge, as developers often engage in collaborative research when facing challenges. Understanding this culture is crucial for anyone looking to market to or influence developers, as it underscores the importance of community and peer validation in tech adoption.

Developers Solve Problems As A Community - They’re Social (Adam Frankl)

01:15

When To Shift Product Positioning From Tool To Platform

02:03

Selling the Developer Category, Not the Solution

02:10

Intro

2min

Understanding Developers: Culture and Marketing

9min

Targeting Pain Points for Startup Success

17min

Rethinking Developer Marketing: The DREAM Sequence

5min

Navigating Community Building and Monetization in Developer Spaces

4min

The Future of Developer Tools and Market Dynamics

5min

Developer-facing startups drive software innovation, crafting tools tailored for developers' needs, but how do they differ from traditional startups? In this episode, we sit down with Adam Frankl to unpack the nuances of startups focusing on the development tool space. Adam Frankl is a seasoned marketing strategist focused on empowering startup founders in the tech industry. With a rich background as the first VP of Marketing at three developer-facing unicorns—JFrog, Neo4j, and Sourcegraph—Adam brings a wealth of experience to the table. He is also writing a book called The Developer Facing Startup which focuses on helping leaders of start-ups navigate the developer landscape. In our conversation, we unpack why understanding the mindset of developers is crucial to adoption, why developers are highly skeptical of marketing, and the concept of social proof. Discover the common pitfalls marketing executives make when working with developers, why timing in marketing is crucial, and the nuances of selling the solution. Explore why founders should be posting on social media every day, the advantages that startups have, steps for shifting from a point solution to a platform solution, his alternative to the traditional marketing funnel, and more! Tune in and learn the basics of founder-led marketing with Adam Frankl!

Key Points From This Episode:

* Background about Adam and details about his upcoming book.

* How developers differ from the traditional technologist in the B2B space.

* Learn about the fundamentals that make developer tool startups unique.

* He unpacks the myth that developers hate marketing.

* Hear how founders should approach working with marketing and developers.

* Steps for identifying the best time to enter the market.

* Adam explains his idea of selling the category rather than the solution.

* When founders should consider implementing marketing strategies.

* What kind of experience is needed for a marketer to work in B2D.

* Compare platform and point solutions for applications.

* Ways the marketing funnel does not apply to dev tool startups.

* Common evaluation pitfalls founders make and how to avoid them.

* Memberships as a way to foster and grow a community.

* We end with Adam answering our set of rapid-fire questions.

Quotes:

“Developers don’t lie to other developers.” — Adam Frankl [6:00]

“Every company needs to have a technical advisory board.” — Adam Frankl [13:47]

“You are not going to be successful by being clever in a conference room. – You are going to be successful when you talk to large numbers of developers.” — Adam Frankl [13:57]

“Marketing is having a point of view and expressing it in a way that people can interact with it, engage with it, and follow you. Social media is a great gift.” — Adam Frankl [21:34]

“Developer curiosity destroys most of the [marketing funnel] metrics because developers are always discovering and researching.” — Adam Frankl [31:40]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Adam Frankl on LinkedIn

Tim Zonca on LinkedIn

Tim Zonca on X

Vidya Raman on LinkedIn

Vidya Raman on X