Use hackathons to gather data on the value of your API publishing program
APIs are quickly becoming brands of their own and requiring product management strategies and marketing campaigns to be built around them to ensure they are effective. Hackathons provide a great way to grow developer awareness of APIs and attract the attention of thought leaders and influencers. But how do you demonstrate quantifiable ROI?
Join this webinar with AT&T's Developer Evangelist, Alex Donn, TechCrunch's Hackathon Events Manager Leslie Hitchcock and Layer 7's API Evangelist, Alex Gaber to learn how you can get feedback and data from hackathons that will help you prove the value of your API program.
You Will Learn
Which ROI metrics business managers want to see
What types of product research and testing you can conduct at a hackathon
How to collect feedback and data at the event
Presented by:
Leslie Hitchcock
Hackathon Events Manager
TechCrunch
Alex Donn
Developer Evangelist
AT&T
Alex Gaber
API Evangelist
Layer 7
2. Webinar Housekeeping
Questions
- Please use WebEx Chat any questions you have and we’ll answer
them at the end of this webinar
Twitter: Event hashtag: #L7webinar
Follow us on Twitter:
• @Layer7
• @ATTDeveloper
• @TechCrunch
• @LSH
• @Alex_Donn
• @Intalex
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3. Webinar Presenters: Business ROI for APIs
Leslie Hitchcock @LSH
Hackathon Events Manager
TechCrunch
Alex Donn @Alex_Donn
Head of Hackathons
AT&T
Alex Gaber @Intalex
API Evangelist
Layer 7
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4. Agenda for Today’s Webinar
Topic: Business ROI for APIs
1. API Business Models
2. Building an API Brand
3. Hackathons for API Promotion and Success
4. Hackathon ROI for APIs
5. Developer API Challenges
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5. Agenda for Today’s Webinar
Topic: Business ROI for APIs
1. API Business Models
2. Building an API Brand
3. Hackathons for API Promotion and Success
4. Hackathon ROI for APIs
5. Developer API Challenges
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6. 1. API Business Models
Various Business Models Exist for APIs
• Per API Call
• Per API Payload
• Transactional Revenue
• Firehose API
• Platform API
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7. 1. API Business Models: Per API Call
Per API Call
Example:
Twilio
Text messages sent via
an API are billed at
$0.01 per message
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8. 1. API Business Models: Per API Payload
Per API Payload
Example:
AT&T Speech API
Voice transcriptions
via an API are billed
at $X.XX per word
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9. 1. API Business Models: Transactional Revenue API
Transactional Revenue API
Example:
Expedia EAN API
Hotel is booked via an
affiliate application,
earning the affiliate a
commission
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10. 1. API Business Models: Firehose API
Firehose API
Example:
Twitter API
Please email api at twitter.com with
Large scale access your use case, a brief description of
to API for partners your organization, and the requested
building significant access level(s) you require. As a
integrations general rule, firehose access is rarely
granted. You may want to investigate
using a service such as gnip or
datasift to access this data.
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11. 1. API Business Models: Platform API
Platform API
Example:
Salesforce.com
API Provided to
customers to build
integrations
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12. Agenda for Today’s Webinar
Topic: Business ROI for APIs
1. API Business Models
2. Building an API Brand
3. Hackathons for API Promotion and Success
4. Hackathon ROI for APIs
5. Developer API Challenges
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13. 2. Building a Brand Around Your API
Promoting a brand around your API helps you get marketplace
traction and allows you to market your API as a business in and of
itself.
• Approach your API like a product
• What engages consumers or B2B customers may not be
appropriate for a dev audience
• Analyze companies that are exclusively API businesses
such as Twilio, Stripe and Singly
• Invest in your API and promote it accordingly
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14. 2. Building a Brand Around Your API
Providing Integration with Mobile App Developer Tools
AT&T API
Plugin for
Appcelerator
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15. 2. Building a Brand Around Your API
Providing Integration with Mobile App Developer Tools
SendGrid API
Plugin for
Tiggzi
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16. Agenda for Today’s Webinar
Topic: Business ROI for APIs
1. API Business Models
2. Building an API Brand
3. Hackathons for API Promotion and Success
4. Hackathon ROI for APIs
5. Developer API Challenges
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17. 3. Hackathons for API Promotion and Success
opportunity cost ($ per developer)
effort (enterprise vs social)
do your APIs solve a problem?
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18. Agenda for Today’s Webinar
Topic: Business ROI for APIs
1. API Business Models
2. Building an API Brand
3. Hackathons for API Promotion and Success
4. Hackathon ROI for APIs
5. Developer API Challenges
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19. 4. Hackathon ROI for APIs
good general marketing
good brand building
good NPS
excellent $/developer
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20. 2012 Disrupt San Francisco Hackathon:
By the Numbers
500+ 1100+
Hack Presentation
40+
Hackathon Sponsors
Hackers Attendees
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21. TechCrunch Hackathon Partnerships
Most successful Hackathon
partnerships:
• API Workshops
• Custom Contests
• Themed Mini Hacks
• Hack Day “Table Area”
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22. 2012 Disrupt Hackathon:
Ford Partnership Use Study
Ford’s continued efforts in reaching
TechCrunch’s developer audience have paid
off, year over year.
What worked?
• Marketing efforts on TechCrunch Event
Site, Hackathon Wiki and directly to
Hackathon registrants drove participation in
their mini Auto-themed hackathon
• Ford PR pitched API exclusively to
TechCrunch writing team, independently of
Disrupt sponsorship
• 70+ teams applied to participate in Ford’s
mini-hackathon, up from approximately 30 in
2011
• 6 teams were chosen and competed for Ford’s
prize: Ford Sync partnership and a trip to CES
2013
• Winner gained exposure through Ford in USA
Today Money section
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23. 2012 Disrupt Hackathon:
Locu Partnership Use Study
In first year out of incubation, seed-
funded Locu had largest overall
implementation of a sponsored API.
What worked?
• TechCrunch targeted Locu for an API
Workshop (only 6 available)
• Marketing efforts on TechCrunch Event
Site, Hackathon Wiki plus Locu social
efforts made their API Workshop
standing room only
• 150 hacks submitted, 20% used Locu
API
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24. Agenda for Today’s Webinar
Topic: Business ROI for APIs
1. API Business Models
2. Building an API Brand
3. Hackathons for API Promotion and Success
4. Hackathon ROI for APIs
5. Developer API Challenges
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25. 5. Developer API Challenges
On-site support
Solid virtual technical systems
Good documentation
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26. Layer 7 Mobile App Single Sign On
Contact us today!
http://www.layer7.com
@Layer7
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27. Upcoming Tech Talk
Enterprise Mobility and BYOD
March 26, 9am PST
Special Guests: VP Client Solutions Matt McLarty
and Leif Bildoy Product Manager, Mobile
Details: www.layer7.com/live
Tweet Questions: #layer7live
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