how to segment developers for your api strategy
DESCRIPTION
Sam Ramji and Brian MulloyTRANSCRIPT
How to Segment Developers for your API Strategy8.11.11 @ 11:05 PSTVOIP or Dial-in (see chat)
Sam Ramji @sramjiBrian Mulloy @landlessness
groups.google.com/group/api-craft
A moment of silence
He cared about the human experience.
Okay.
On with the rest of our lives.
How to Segment Developers for your API Strategy
8.11.11 @ 11:05 PSTVOIP or Dial-in (see chat)
Sam Ramji @sramji
Brian Mulloy @landlessness
Your hosts
@sramji@landlessness
Mapping out your API Strategy
Pragmatic REST: API Design Fu
10 Patterns in Successful API Programs
What to Measure: API Analytics
Is your API Naked? API Tech & Operations
Does your API need PCI? (Compliance)
Developers Hate Marketing: Driving API Adoption
OAuth: The Big Picture
“Boss, we need an API”
Your API is not a website!
How to Segment Developers for your API Strategy
API Workshop Webinar Series(videos & slides at http://blog.apigee.com/taglist/webinar)
why segmentation?
how many developers are there?
how can you classify them?
how can you reach them?
examples
Topics
Why do you care about developers?
why segmentation?
Because they are your new channel
why segmentation?
ConsumerRetail StoreProducer
20th Century: Packaged Goods
21st Century: Internet Services
ConsumerDeveloperProvider App
Would you have sold to Nordstrom the same way you sold to Wal-Mart?
why segmentation?
Of course not.
They’re different.
why segmentation?
So are developers.
why segmentation?
“We’re targeting everybody”
why segmentation?
HTML5
WebOS
Cars
Android
Set Top
Boxes
Twilio
Salesforce
SimpleGeo
RubyC#
Javascript
Java
why segmentation?
You don’t have unlimited resources.
why segmentation?
why segmentation?
how many developers are there?
First, how do we define a developer?
how many developers are there?
de·vel·op·er noun (də-ve-lə-pər)
: one that develops: as a: a chemical used to develop
exposed photographic materials b: a person who develops
real estate c: a person or company that develops computer
software
Examples of DEVELOPER
<the developer of software that is used the world over>
First Known Use of DEVELOPER
1796
Related to DEVELOPER
Synonyms: contriver, designer, inventor, deviser,
formulator, innovator, introducer, originator
Definitions I’ve heard:
Enterprise software companyGames companyDevice manufacturerIndependent contractorNews/media companyAdvertising agencyHobbyistIndividual coderStartup software companyAlpha geek
how many developers are there?
Let’s start by calling an individual human a coder.
how many developers are there?
A coder is located in a larger organizational context.
Each exhibits similar behavior and technology
adoption patterns.
how many developers are there?
The term "long-tail" is inappropriately applied as a
single group.
What businesses should be thinking about is
whether they're working with
known companies
or
unknown coders
how many developers are there?
In many cases building for the unknown coder will
help you with your business efforts
with known companies
since unknown coders often work there
how many developers are there?
PHP
Javascript
JSP
J2EE
ASP.NET
VB
.NET
Python
Flash
Ruby
Mobile
0 1000000 2000000 3000000 4000000
how many developers are there?
how many developers are there?
how many developers are there?
how many developers are there?
Horizontal
Vertical
Modal
how can you classify them?
Tribal
how can you classify them?
LARGE ECOSYSTEM PLAYERS
SAAS
LARGE ENTERPRISES
ISV
SYSTEM INTEGRATORS
SMB | SMALL ENTERPRISE
SOFTWARE STARTUPS
HOBBYIST |OPPORTUNIST
how can you classify them?
Horizontally
SOCI
AL M
EDIA
FIN
ANCI
AL S
ERVI
CES
MO
BILE
RETA
IL
DIG
ITAL
MED
IA
PUBL
ISH
ING
HO
SPIT
ALIT
Y
LOG
ISTI
CS
AIRL
INES
TELE
COM
MU
NIC
ATIO
NS
how can you classify them?
Vertically
how can you classify them?
Modally
Open Closed
Public
Private
how can you classify them?
Tribally
Ruby
Sencha
jQuery
JavaScript
Node.js
backbone.jsRailsHeroku
CoffeeScript
Java
C#.net
SproutCore
Scala
AWS
dojo
PHPiOS
HTML5
Android
how can you reach them?
No one size fits all, but…
Open is smart because it accelerates innovation.
Public should make it easy to "taste" the value
creating demand from coders to jump through hoops
in order to use the super-tasty Private functionality.
how can you reach them?
Incentives that match the vertical and horizontal
coordinates you’re targeting
how can you reach them?
LARGE ECOSYSTEM PLAYERS
SAAS
MEDIUM & LARGE ENTERPRISE
ISV
SYSTEM INTEGRATORS
SMB | SMALL ENTERPRISE
SOFTWARE STARTUPS
HOBBYIST |OPPORTUNIST
Horizontally
how can you reach them?
PAY THEM
EFFICIENCY
SHOW THEM OPPORTUNITY
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
SHOW CUSTOMER DEMAND
MICROSOFT ECOSYSTEM
FREE AND COOL
FREE
SOCI
AL M
EDIA
FIN
ANCI
AL S
ERVI
CES
MO
BILE
RETA
IL
DIG
ITAL
MED
IA
PUBL
ISH
ING
HO
SPIT
ALIT
Y
LOG
ISTI
CS
AIRL
INES
TELE
COM
MU
NIC
ATIO
NS
Vertically
how can you reach them?
Be at meetups and conferences that coders in the vertical already go to. Have a relevant offer.
Modally
Open Closed
Public
Private
PUBLISH YOUR APIADVERTISE ON CODER SITES
how can you reach them?
ESTABLISH A CONTEST
ADVERTISE YOURBUSINESS MODEL
EVANGELIZE WITHIN YOUR PARTNERS’ DEVELOPMENT TEAMS
how can you reach them?
Tribally
Ruby
Sencha
jQuery
JavaScript
Node.js
backbone.jsRailsHeroku
CoffeeScript
Java
C#SproutCore
Scala
AWS
dojo
PHPiOS
HTML5
Android
Offline Online
Form
alIn
form
al
INDUSTRY EVENTS FORUMSEXISTING COMMUNITIES
TWITTERSTACKOVERFLOW
HACKERNEWS
MEETUPS, HACKATHONSBEER AND COFFEE
INSIDE YOUR COMPANY?
The Netflix (Medium Enterprise horizontal, Digital Media vertical)
API (Public) gives access to any coder who wants to improve the Netflix
movie browsing & recommendation experience (Open) to improve
utilization and reduce churn… but Netflix restricts access to its Streaming
Video API (Private) to known partners in order to enforce licensing and
consumer experience quality standards. Once a partner has signed, any
coder who works for that partner (Open) can access the Private API to
build new cool prototypes and innovate on the experience. To gain
business advantage, Netflix created a contest on the Open API, and to
sustain it they enabled partners’ engineering teams to build and
evangelize new applications of the API.
Example: Netflix
The Twitter (Large Ecosystems horizontal, Social vertical)
API (Public) gives access to any coder who wants to create apps that
connect to the Twitter social network (Open) to increase engagement…
but Twitter provides increased access (Private) to known partners in
order to drive revenue. Once a partner has signed, any coder who
works for that partner (Open) can access the Public API with increased
access (higher rate limits) to build apps that have monetization
potential. To gain adoption, Twitter encouraged a huge ecosystem of 3rd
party apps , and to sustain it they enabled partners’ engineering teams
increased levels of access to meet their higher levels of demand.
Example: Twitter
final thought
THANK YOUQuestions and ideas to:
@sramji@landlessness
groups.google.com/group/api-craft