ProductLed Podcast

Optimizing Go-To-Market Strategies for Developers

Sep 19, 2023

Ben Williams, former executive turned PLG strategic advisor, shares insights on optimizing go-to-market strategies for developers. Topics include developer marketing strategies, building community, addressing privacy concerns, transitioning to enterprise sales, prioritizing experiments, leveraging engagement states, and qualitative research methods.

47:09

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Episode guests

Ben Williams

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Building a community and providing value to developers is crucial in effective developer marketing.

Prioritizing experiments using ICE scoring helps companies achieve better results in product-led growth strategies.

Deep dives

The Importance of Product-Led Growth and Advising Startups

Ben Williams, a PLG advisor and former VP of product at Snyk, discusses the significance of product-led growth (PLG) and how he helps startups make better decisions and achieve better results. He highlights the importance of focusing on go-to-market strategies for companies targeting developers and technical experts.

Introduction

3min

Focus, Experience, and Future Plans in Product-Led Growth

2min

Marketing to Developers and Technical Founders

21min

Prioritizing and Documenting Learnings in Product Experimentation

11min

The Importance of Qualitative Research and User Engagement

2min

The Importance of User Time and Pricing Experimentation

5min

Continuing the Conversation and Connection

3min

Today's episode hones the best practices for go-to-market strategies tailored to technology companies targeting developers and tech experts. Our guest, Ben Williams, a former executive turned PLG strategic advisor, is here to share valuable insights. Earlier this year, he played a pivotal role steering a cybersecurity company to an astonishing $7.4 billion valuation.

Host Maja guides a knowledge-packed discussion, exploring the critical pitfalls and blind spots in PLG strategies with Ben and draws from his experiences at Snyk to examine the choice between niche focus versus multiple Ideal Customer Profiles. They also explore customer discovery methods, how to prioritize experiments, and validate MVP and MVB (Minimum Viable Business Model).

Key Takeaways:

[00:10] Introduction of Ben Williams

[05:05] Strategies for effective developer marketing

[05:55] Building community and providing value to developers

[08:05] Tactics for helping developers learn and grow

[11:40] Effective approaches to developer marketing

[12:10] Addressing privacy concerns and building trust

[13:45] Transparency and data tracking for developers

[15:30] Finding the right-sized market slice

[17:20] Transitioning from self-serve to enterprise sales

[18:50] Using product engagement states to identify potential customers

[19:50] Leveraging engagement states for tailored outreach

[22:30] Shifting from PQL to PQA for customer actions

[25:00] Prioritizing experiments using ICE scoring

[26:25] Focus on experiment execution and learning

[27:50] Questioning experiment frequency for new teams

[28:40] Faster experimentation with a shift to strategy

[29:20] Documenting learnings and breaking silos

[31:15] Discussing failures in reviews

[32:45] 20% baseline for experiment success

[33:55] Embracing failure and experimentation speed

[38:55] Customer discovery mechanisms

[39:30] Highlighting underutilized pricing experiments

[41:35] Pricing impact and fear

[42:37] Airtable and Notion for growth processes

[46:00] Balancing work and personal life

About Ben Williams:

Ben Williams, a PLG advisor and former VP of Product at Synk, played a pivotal role in propelling a cybersecurity company focused on cloud computing to an impressive valuation of 7.4 billion in 2023. Now, Ben is dedicated to his mission of empowering product-led companies to make informed decisions and achieve better results.

Links:

Ben Williams | LinkedIn

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