Creating Successful Developer Programs:

All About the Geeks

Dave McClureMaster of 500 Hats

http://www.500hats.com http://500hats.typepad.com

7 Habits of Highly Successful Developer Programs

• Audience: Identify Your Main Geeks• Product: Make Sure It’s Cool• Geeks: Takes One to Know One• Metrics: You Get What You Measure• Biz Model: Bake it into the API• Education: What Lombardi Said…• Marketing: Sell Them, Not You

Who’s Your Audience?• Who are you trying to reach?

– end-customer– developers

• indies?• small co’s?• enterprise partners?

• What Makes Them Tick?• What Problems Do They Have?• Are there geeks who are ALREADY solving your

customers’ problems?– if so, find & recruit them to your cause– if not… better find some fast.

Your Product = Better be Cool

• To get Geeks behind your product, it needs to be Cool– cool = new, innovative, useful, latest tech

• If it ain’t cool, MAKE it cool.• Provide [code] examples• Find developers who are already solving the problem;

see if they will use your tools– if not, back to the drawing board

• Your #1 Job is to help geeks:– 1) Make Money, OR– 2) Become Famous(either one works)

Your Team = More Geeks

• Q1: Are you a Geek?– A: if Yes -> Good. Now Go Find some More– A: if No -> STOP. Do not Pass Go. Do Not Collect $200

• Hire EXTROVERTED Geeks (tough)– Bloggers / Writers– IRC / Wiki / Forum Addicts– Hang Out at Conferences & Draw a Crowd– Enjoy writing code samples & helping others

• Recruit “Geek Advisory Board” with Target Expertise– Target Languages / Platforms– Customer Verticals– Already Successful / Making Money / Well-Known

Geek Metrics

• Have Some.• Aligned with overall business goals.• Examples:

– # new customers– # downloads– # active developers – # transactions– $ revenue from APIs

• TIP #1: Make Sure Your (non-Geek) Boss / Business Unit signs off on your metrics & goals

• TIP #2: Assume <1% of downloads convert to active use

API Biz Model = Biz Model

• Bake your Business Model into your API– no free rides, unless your product is free

• Ultimately, your API is just a [hopefully] big business development deal– if your API helps geeks make $$$, YOU WIN!

Education = It’s The Only Thing

• To Win, You Must Educate (Product Mktg)• To Educate, You Must Speak (Blog)• To Speak, You Must Do/Show (Code Examples)

• TIP: DO NOT REQUIRE REGISTRATION OR LOGIN TO EDUCATE. EVER.

• PERHAPS Require Reg / Login to Make Money / Get Fame (but only if absolutely necessary)

• EARLY BETA PROGRAMS = VIRTUE• NDAs & LEGAL DOCUMENTS = CARDINAL SIN

Marketing = Sell The Geeks, Not You

• What do Geeks Crave?– Respect (always)– Attention (sometimes)– Money (sometimes)

• If you help them -> BFF

• Sell Your Best Geeks, Others Will Follow– Product Directory of 3rd-party apps / services– Preferred / Certified developer program– Affiliate / Incentives for your geeks– $end them a $teady $tream of customer$