%% Last Updated: [[2020-09-04]] %% # Developer Relations vs Marketing [Readwise URL](https://readwise.io/bookreview/4362510) | [Source URL](https://medium.com/the-devrel-salon/developer-relations-vs-marketing-1323dba7ea78) ---  --- To be perfectly clear, Developer Relations is not Marketing. ^83194040 --- Marketing is often done in a way that is intrusive and overpowering. There is a good reason for that. Many brilliant marketing minds have provided good evidence to show that you can imprint and idea into someone's mind and get them to take action simply by saying it to them over and over again. ^83194041 --- > Developer Relations flips this model on its head and says "Let's talk about you". Developer Relations acknowledges that there is a human being on the other end of any commercial exchange, and that human being has feelings and struggles. ^83194042 --- > Here is another way to think about it. Imagine that someone is building a house. As they build the house, multiple people are walking by on the sidewalk and yelling things to them. "Buy a nail gun! You'll go so much faster!" "Get a new hammer!" "Look at this gorgeous tape measure!" This is Marketing. > \ > Developer Relations is the person on the lot next to you that's also building a house. Both of you are doing the same work, but the Developer Relations person is using a certain set of tools because she works for the company making those tools. After a while the two of you become friends. A little while on you realize that there are some things that this person is doing that seem to work really well because of the tool that they are using. It's at this point that you tune out all of the marketing noise and begin to make your purchasing decisions based on your friendship with the individual next to you and your respect for the work that they do. ^83194043 --- This is the essence of Developer Relations. ^83194044 --- > Developer Relations forms meaningful relationships with consumers built on mutual respect and trust. This is possible because Developer Relations is in the field, meeting customers and experiencing their exact same pains, frustrations and needs day in and day out. This has the added benefit of providing you with first-hand knowledge of what it's like to actually use the tool or product that you have created. ^83194045 --- > At Progress, we attach Marketing and Developer Relations at the hip. For any product we have both a Marketing Manager and at least one Developer Advocate. ^83194046 --- > As soon as you assign a product metric to an organization, you remove their ability to form relationships with the consumer. Imagine if that Developer Advocate building the house next to you was told they had to sell 10 hammers every month. It's going to be very hard for them to form any sort of meaningful relationships because they will always have the agenda of selling you a hammer, which completely flattens their integrity. ^83194047 ---