The Dispatch

December 13, 2024 | Edition #7

Argon Labs is a specialized technical and developer marketing agency that helps developer-focused startups to scaleups build out their content strategy and helps them establish domain authority and presence in their industry.

You can find out more about us on our website. If you like this, share it with your friends, or if you received it from your network, you can subscribe here and get it from us directly.

Welcome to the latest edition of the Dispatch, where we provide you with the latest musings on technical marketing and Developer Experience & Relations to help educate and inform you on building the best content strategy for your team and organization.

--

Your product has your users raving, but decision-makers aren’t convinced yet.

Why does this disconnect exist—and more importantly, how can you bridge the gap to win leadership buy-in?

Today, we'll take a look into the strategies you need to align your product’s value with what decison-makers care about most.

From tailoring your pitch to focus on outcomes decision-makers care about, to leveraging developer enthusiasm to build trust and credibility. Learn actionable strategies to make sure your product wins over the entire organization, not just the end-user champions.

But first, a Public Service Announcement:

Introducing Video Content

We’re thrilled to announce that we're finally officially adding video content to our suite of services! From in-depth tutorials to engaging shorts, we’re here to help you communicate your product’s value to your community of users and even decision-makers.

We started doing this unofficially over the past three months and have realized how powerful videos can be in supplementing written content - it just adds that extra layer of interactivity and understanding, especially for technical products that can sometimes be challenging to explain in the written word.

Why Video?

• Reach users where they are: Video content is one of the most effective ways to grab attention on platforms like YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter (X).
• Explain complex concepts simply: With visual aids and walkthroughs, even the trickiest features become clear.
• Boost engagement: Video content drives higher interaction rates, helping you convert passive viewers into active users.
• Tell your story: Showcase your product’s unique journey and use cases in a format your audience loves.

How You Can Get Involved:​
Whether you want to create long-form tutorials to showcase your API or quick, snappy shorts to drive buzz. Reach out and we'll be more then happy to share some of our previous work and start brainstorming this with you.

--

OK - let's dive in...

Winning Over Users Is Easy, But What About Decision-Makers?

You’ve built an amazing product for your users.

They love it, use it daily, and even evangelize it within their teams, and maybe even their personal networks.

But when it comes time to seal the deal with the decision-makers—the ones holding the budget—you hit a wall.

Why? Because your product’s champions aren’t the ones signing the checks.

Sound familiar? It’s a frustrating gap that many early-stage companies face whether it be selling a tool for developers or it could simply be a product that is being used by members within an company who aren’t necessarily making the buying decisions.

Selling to decision-makers who don’t directly use your product requires a nuanced strategy to translate technical enthusiasm into business value.

Why This Gap Exists

Here’s the catch: many decision-makers—CTOs, CIOs, and procurement managers—aren’t in the trenches. They care about ROI, scalability, compliance, and organizational impact, not the nitty-gritty technical details.

Take a SaaS product like PostHog for example; an open-source analytics platform designed for developers. Developers love it because it offers powerful tools for real-time event tracking and integrates seamlessly into their existing tech stack. However, decision-makers, such as CTOs or procurement managers, may hesitate because they don't see a clear ROI or worry about hidden costs like developer time for deployment and maintenance

This creates a misalignment:

• Developers speak features; decision-makers actually want outcomes.
• Engineers prioritize usability; decision-makers prioritize bottom lines.
• Your product might be solving problems but isn’t framed as solving their problems.

Ultimately, the end-users focus on efficiency, ease of integration, and problem-solving capabilities. In contrast, decision-makers prioritize business outcomes, cost-effectiveness, and alignment with organizational goals.

Without bridging this gap, you risk losing deals even when your product has a strong end-user following.

Getting This Right

When done well, selling to decision-makers while leveraging end-user influence can open huge doors:

• Developers are trusted advisors within organizations. Their advocacy can amplify your credibility.
• Aligning with decision-makers' priorities showcases you as a strategic partner, not just another vendor.
• Closing this gap leads to faster sales cycles, larger deal sizes, and long-term partnerships.

Building a Winning Strategy

Empower Your End-User Champions

Developers can be your strongest advocates if they genuinely believe in your product. PostHog, for example, empowers developers by offering free-tier features and a thriving community where users share tips and solutions.

At your company, you can provide resources like implementation guides, FAQs, and forums where developers can easily troubleshoot and showcase success stories to their leadership.

Translate End-User Wins Into Business Language

Decision-makers are less concerned with technical features and more with outcomes.

For instance, PostHog’s developers might highlight how self-hosted analytics reduce third-party data reliance, ensuring compliance with strict privacy regulations and avoiding costly fines.

Pro Tips:

• Create case studies that illustrate cost savings, time efficiencies, or revenue growth resulting from your product. It’s important to understand what metrics matter most to your decision-makers.
• You can also develop separate messaging tracks for developers and decision-makers. For developers, emphasize ease of integration and technical superiority. For decision-makers, highlight strategic benefits and ROI.

​
​Create Multi-Layered Content

Develop distinct content types for each stage of the buyer’s journey and for different roles within an organization. Ensure that each piece of content speaks directly to the needs and interests of its intended audience.

For the end-user: you can Publish blog posts, open-source contributions, and tutorials. For example, PostHog has robust documentation and developer-focused blog content explaining how to leverage its SDKs and APIs effectively.

For decision-makers: Create whitepapers, webinars, and presentations that detail how your product impacts business outcomes.

Showcase Proof of Success

Companies who do it right, don’t just tell end-users and decision-makers about their product’s benefits—they showed it. Through testimonials, case studies, and success stories, they provided tangible evidence of how their platform delivered real-world results.

How:

• Develop Case Studies: Highlight specific instances where your product solved significant problems or drove substantial improvements for clients. Focus on both the technical and business outcomes.
• Gather Testimonials: Collect and showcase feedback from both developers and decision-makers who have benefited from your product. Authentic voices add credibility and trust.

​
​Leverage Influencers Within the Organization

You can identify and nurture informal leaders within the organization.

By building strong relationships with these internal influencers...

Q1 '25 Slots Open Now

We’ve got some open slots for new clients left for Q1 '25.

If you’re struggling with content strategy, we’re here to help.

Maybe your product isn’t getting the traction it deserves, or your technical messaging is getting lost in translation.

We understand the pain points—whether it’s driving adoption, creating technical content that resonates, or getting noticed on platforms like HackerNews.

Just reach out and we'll be happy to work together to refine your strategy, craft content that engages your audience, and help you get the visibility you need to grow.