Standing Out in Saturated Dev Tool Markets
In this month’s Draft.dev webinar, we explored strategies for differentiation with experts Andres Valero from SUSE and Trent Blakely from Console Connect. Here’s what we learned about positioning, reaching developers, and building trust in competitive landscapes.
Why “Developer-First” Claims No Longer Work
The days of simply claiming to be “developer-first” are over. As Andres Valero, Principal Technical Marketing Manager at SUSE, pointed out during our discussion:
What I notice is that no longer can you go and say, ‘this is developer-first’, or ‘developer-oriented’. I’m married to a developer, so I know what I’m talking about. And they are skeptical by nature.
Trent Blakely, Head of Product Marketing at Console Connect, highlighted another significant shift: the move from company-led branding to individual-led thought leadership. Developers tend to be guarded when brands approach them directly, but they’re more receptive to authentic voices from individuals within those companies. This explains why we’re seeing more founders and executives actively engaging in developer advocacy, even at larger organizations.
Critical Mistakes in Developer Differentiation
Overselling and Dishonesty: The Trust Killers
The most critical mistake companies make is overselling their products or being dishonest about what they can actually do for developers. Andres emphasized this point strongly:
All developers I’ve met, or most of them, are really, really smart people. So if you want them to trust you and to be different, don’t oversell. Secondly, make sure that you’re adding value or somehow saving them time on their process.
Skipping the Discovery Phase
Trent identified another major pitfall: failing to truly understand your audience at a granular level. ‘Developers’ is too broad a category. Who are you targeting?
- Frontend developers?
- Backend engineers?
- What specific problems are they trying to solve?
Without this deep understanding, your messaging will miss the mark.
The Category Creation Trap
While being a category creator sounds appealing, both experts warned against this approach for most companies. Creating a new category is expensive, time-consuming, and risky. As Trent explained, you risk not getting found alongside your competitors, and there are more effective ways to differentiate.
Proven Methods for Understanding Developer Needs
For non-technical marketers entering the developer tools space, understanding your audience requires intentional effort. Our experts shared several approaches:
Win-Loss Analysis: Your Reality Check
Andres highlighted the value of win-loss analysis, where third-party companies interview customers after deals close (or don’t):
Why did you hire the product?
Why didn’t you hire the product?
What pain points is it solving for you?
What is not solving for you?
That can be really, really enlightening, and sometimes even hurtful, because you realize that you’re doing it wrong.
Direct Customer Interaction at Conferences
Both Andres and Trent emphasized the importance of conferences and in-person interactions. As Andres noted, you get “first-hand feedback from the people that are using the product” at events, including suggestions you never considered.
Observing Developer Workflows in Action
Trent recommended getting as close as possible to watching developers use your product in their natural environment. While you might not be able to sit in their homes like Intuit did with QuickBooks users, you can observe their experience from end to end, including what they did before using your software.
The Features vs. Benefits vs. Capabilities Framework
One of the most interesting discussions centered on whether to lead with features or benefits when marketing to developers. The consensus? It depends on your audience level.
Trent introduced the concept of focusing on capabilities:
The sweet spot, maybe just above features and benefits, would be capabilities. What does this product actually allow you to do that you couldn’t do without it?
Andres agreed that the message must adapt to the audience:
To a technical person, you can show features, and then explain the value. And they are able to link it in their head, because they do that every day. However, you cannot go to a CTO and tell him ‘hey, these are all the features.’
Finding Your Niche Without Going Too Small
The Validation Test
Karl suggested a practical validation method: If you can’t find 100 potential sales calls for your target market, it might be too small. This ensures you’re not over-niching while still maintaining focus.
Start Small, Think Big
Andres offered this advice:
Start small, but make sure that you’re starting in a niche or a market segment where you can grow. So go talk to people, either phone calls, sales calls, whatever, but you need to get the info from customers, real info.
Content Strategies That Build Trust
Never Disparage Competitors
Andres was adamant about maintaining professional integrity:
First of all, don’t start speaking ill of others. I’ve seen this in my market segment so many times. Second, don’t lie. Don’t lie about what you can achieve or what others do. That will destroy your credibility.
Acknowledge Market Reality
Pretending competitors don’t exist makes you appear naive or deceptive. Developers are researching multiple solutions, so:
- Let your strengths speak for themselves
- Acknowledge alternatives exist
- Focus on your unique value proposition
- Provide honest comparisons when asked
Focus on Customer Metrics, Not Yours
Trent shared a powerful principle from his product management background:
You should care more about your customers’ metrics than your own. If that’s your focal point, and you’re trying to help them move the metrics that they care about, you’ll naturally gravitate towards creating valuable content.
Building Developer Communities
Creating the Advocacy Flywheel
The ultimate goal of positioning and differentiation work is creating a self-sustaining community where customers become advocates. As Andres noted: “The best marketing ever is a customer speaking about you.“
This requires:
- Consistent messaging across all touchpoints
- Genuine value delivery in every interaction
- Transparent communication about capabilities and limitations
- Active community engagement beyond just support
Key Takeaways for Developer Marketing Success
Building differentiation in the saturated dev tool market requires:
- Understanding developers’ actual workflows and pain points through direct interaction
- Avoiding overselling and maintaining absolute honesty about capabilities
- Focusing on capabilities rather than just features or benefits
- Starting with a focused niche while ensuring room for growth
- Creating content that acknowledges market realities without disparaging competitors
- Building trust through consistent messaging and genuine value delivery
The developer tools market will only become more competitive. Success belongs to those who take the time to truly understand their users, communicate honestly, and build products that genuinely improve developer workflows.
Resources from the webinar:
- Rancher Desktop by SUSE
- SUSE Application Collection
- Bits, Bytes & Beyond
- K3s Lightweight Kubernetes
- Developer Marketing Alliance Resources
Draft.dev Fireside webinars:
- Creating Developer Content That Spreads Organically
- Designing an Optimized Developer Journey
- Interactive Content Strategies: Engaging Developers Through Action
- How to Market to Diverse Technical Audiences Effectively
- How DevRel, Marketing, and Sales Work Together
- Balancing Open Source and Product Advocacy
- Designing an Optimized Developer Journey
Draft.dev Educational webinars: