The impact of DevRel was the main theme of the fireside chat with Tessa Kriesel, hosted at the Community-led Summit last month. The goal of this summit was to provide community professionals, spanning all levels of experience and interest, with actionable takeaways they can use to make the most out of cross-functional collaboration and build Community-Led organizations. To view all sessions, visit the summit's playlist.
The fireside chat was joined by two guests:
- Tessa Kriesel, Head of Platform Developer Relations at Snap
- Moschoula Kramvousanou, CEO at SlashData
Watch the full session or browse through the highlights below to better understand developer relations and how to create impact and value for both your developer community and the organisation.
You can also watch a full playlist of sessions from the Community-led Summit 2022 here.
A few highlights from the discussion:
The different pillars of DevRel, the variety of industry titles and its functions.
Community element which is a part of everything that we do. We're constantly building community, building those strong relationships.
DevRel vs. Community management: similarities and key differences
Like most other community managers, we think a lot about building and nurturing the relationship, and creating touch points with members. But with developers it's a lot of "being in the right places at the right time", being in the places they already are - other communities, conferences, platforms.
Building developer communities
You can definitely build a community for developers but your first step should be spending time and starting to build a reputation where they're already at. Especially if you're a brand that they don't know.
It's not that developers don't trust people, it's just that they trust their peers.
Developer Relations at social media platforms like Twitter and Snap
Developers want all the details, they can see through your marketing fluff or your PR jargon. You should be transparent about what's going on, what's on the road map, and what can they can rely on if they are building products or a business.
Cross-functional impact of DevRel and community
Many new companies are seeing the impact that DevRel was able to provide to other organisations and they want the same results but they don't quite understand the complexity of DevRel and how you actually get those results.
They bring in one developer advocate and think that this person can drive all the impact that a fully functioning DevRel team can create.
DevRel should always consider working with the product really closely to impact and drive forward that product roadmap in terms of what those developers are looking for. And speaking back to the community touches both buildings that community but also getting a really solid feedback program through your community for your product.
Not only is that impactful for revenue and product improvements. It's also allowing the developers to feel closer to you because if their feedback is implemented they will feel that your company is actually listening and will be willing to be more engaged.
How can DevRel brings success and cut your sales team costs?
According to SlashData's research, around 75% of developers are actually influencing buying decisions within the organization. So if you have a developer relations team, they might be creating your next sales opportunity, your next buyer, your next market and you don't know that if you're not using them correctly.
Where should you start with your DevRel program?
The first step is developing your audience, personas and segmentation. Who are you serving? Work around your messaging and positioning. What is the value proposition of your product, what you're offering, and why do developers want it? When you have that understanding, do some research or work with someone like the SlashData team to figure out what that audience looks like and where they're spending their time.
Do things to give back to the community and don't make it about you and your needs. Make it about how you can be there and build a strong relationship with those developers. Think sponsoring newsletters, communities, sponsoring folks on GitHub. There are many ways to give back and get your brand awareness out in front of those people but in the most authentic way.
Connect with the speakers
Tessa Kriesel is a developer relations and community leader with over 14 years of experience, she is a self-taught developer who has focused on open-source development, DevOps, and community growth. Tessa is passionate about engaging developer audiences and drives her efforts from a data-driven campaign perspective. In addition to her work as Head of Platform Developer Relations at Snap, she advises early-stage startups and mentors underrepresented groups. Linkedin
Moschoula Kramvousanou has been with SlashData since 2017. She has served the company through her roles as Head of Client Relations and Strategic Partnerships. Her contribution has been pivotal in leading the company's growth, while being the catalyst of several changes across the company, forging valuable relationships with clients and partners, while her understanding of the market and clients’ needs has helped propel forward every team. Linkedin