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1. Getting started

Inside this Handbook, you'll find 9 Chapters, each brimming with valuable insights. Every Chapter is divided into three engaging Topics, each designed to enhance your understanding. We will guide you through the Chapters in bite-sized learning chunks with examples of real-life scenarios. This very first Topic covers everything you need to know about the Handbook before you dive in and start learning about the exciting world of technical marketing.

Keep track of your progress

We want to ensure that reading this Handbook is not only educational but also enjoyable, and so we’ve added a learning progress meter to the Chapters. This will allow you to read the Handbook in parts, to track your learning, to take a break whenever you wish to, and to remind you where you left off when you last studied.

As you progress in the Handbook, you can see that the sections you have visited become marked as completed.

Please note, however, that this tracking is browser-specific. If you clear your browser storage or open the Handbook in a new web browser, you won’t be able to see your progress anymore.

Glossary – unlocking the marketing jargon

The Handbook introduces a lot of new concepts and field-specific acronyms. We have added a Glossary to the Handbook to make it easier for you to learn the new terms and to refer to them throughout the Handbook.

Whenever we introduce a key term, it is underlined. When you hover over it with your mouse, you can see a further explanation of the term.

For example, hover over the word CSS here to see how it works.

If you are just starting out, we strongly recommend diving into our Glossary. Try reading through the list of terms and see which ones you are familiar with and which ones are new to you. It is not only informative but also a fun way to test yourself and to learn new concepts.

Quizzes make learning fun

In Chapters 2 through 9, you’ll find a short quiz at the end of each topic to test your knowledge. The quizzes are there only for you to see how well you have absorbed the information in the Topic.

You can retake the quizzes as many times as you want. If you decide to skip a quiz completely, that is your prerogative. However, we strongly recommend you to try out the quizzes especially if you are not an expert yet – they are a great way to learn what you don’t yet know.

Take a Break – Rome wasn’t built in a day

The Handbook is packed with new information, and reading it all in one sitting can feel overwhelming, especially if you are not familiar with this field or its terminology at all.

To prevent you from feeling overwhelmed, and to support your overall mental and physical well-being, we have added suggestions where we think it would be helpful for you to take a short break, chew on what you just learned, and circle back later for some more learning.

Whenever you see a suggestion to take a break, feel free to do what works best for you in terms of keeping your mind and body refreshed, and then return for some more learning. 

Dive Deeper and awaken the expert in you

We have tried our best to write the Handbook in a beginner-friendly manner but we wanted to give a few nuggets of information to experts already working in the field. That is why we have included sections called Deep Dives within the topics.

Feel free to jump right into the Deep Dive sections if you have been working in the field for a long time already. You can also skip them and return to them later when you want to expand your learning. We’ve added a Deep Dive navigator in the corner of the window on pages with Deep Dives. You can use that to jump directly between Deep Dives.

Deep Dive

Importance of taking breaks

According to research, taking small breaks when learning something new can help you learn faster.

A study conducted by the National Institutes of Health found that wakeful rest in between learning something new is crucial for improving memory and skill acquisition. Breaks are evidently effective not just for your brain but for your body as well.

Use your breaks wisely – research shows that scrolling on social media doesn’t give your brain or body the rest they need. Instead, try standing up, walking around, hydrating, meditating, or stretching for a better result.

Earn a Certificate – Share your success on social media

We’ve included a Certificate of Completion in the Handbook to give all readers the opportunity to celebrate their success and showcase their skills.

Once you’ve read the entire Handbook, you can download the Certificate and proudly share it with your friends and followers on social media. It’s a fantastic way to demonstrate what you’ve learned and inspire others to pursue their own learning goals.

Is the Handbook really free?

Yes, all the material in the Technical Marketing Handbook is completely free.

We at Simmer truly believe that knowledge sharing is the best way to give back to the community. We simply wanted to create something that would be accessible to anyone and to inspire people to learn more about this ever-evolving field. 

Knowledge sharing is caring.

We hope that this material lights a spark in you and awakens your inner technical marketer.

We want you to be hungry for more knowledge. We want you to keep on learning.

Please note, however, that Simmer owns the copyright to the material in this Handbook. We kindly ask that if you’d like to use or reference our material, don’t forget to give proper credit to the authors, Simo Ahava and Mari Ahava of Simmer.

Acknowledgements

We’d like to thank the following experts for reviewing the Handbook and sharing lots of useful feedback with us:

  • Paul Boocock
  • Siobhan Solberg
  • Ton Wesseling
  • Jono Alderson
  • Petri Vatanen

Any remaining mistakes in the Handbook are ours – if you spot any, please let us know!

This Handbook isn’t just for those early in their career – there’s such a wealth of knowledge here that I’d recommend anyone interested in technical marketing give it a thorough read (including the Deep Dives!).

Paul Boocock

Paul Boocock

Senior Manager, Data Engineering

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