7 basic software marketing techniques

Do you know everything about software promotion? If you are a web developer that sells software online, here are the basic software marketing methods that will help you boost your sales. Learn about each one, and find the winning combination that will bring you more buyers.

1. Continuous Search Engine Optimization

Maintaining a high ranking in the most important search engines is a never ending struggle, as you need to follow certain rules AND continuously update and optimize your website.
Focus on:

• improving your link popularity
• adding fresh content
• monitoring website results
• testing various keywords
• spending time in improving the design and the usability of your website.

Unless you turn to professional SEO help, you shouldn't establish your software marketing strategy exclusively on this method. For higher results, combine it with other methods, such as those presented below. 2. Submit your shareware to software download sites and directories

Promote your software by submitting it to as many download sites and directories as possible. Create a good PAD (Portable Application Description) file, as this will ease the entire submission process and webmasters will appreciate it, too.

Pay attention to the traffic you get from these sites and invest time in those who really bring you customers. One of the main advantages of submitting your software to download sites is obtaining more back-links and increased link popularity, which enhance your website's page ranking and position in the main search engines. It is one of the most important software marketing techniques, that also helps you increase your traffic and from that your internet software sales, so don't neglect it. If you find it too time consuming, ask for professional help.

3. Affiliates marketing

There is a vast network of affiliates on the internet. Affiliates are people who will promote and sell your software products from their websites, in return of a small commission for every sale. Why should you try to market software using this method? Because you pay your affiliates on result. The compensation may be made based on a certain value for each visit (Pay per click), registrant (Pay per lead), or a commission for each customer or sale (Pay per Sale), or any combination.

There is a wide range of affiliates and methods of promoting your software products. Choose those who have websites that have been specially designed to sell software products.

4. Pay per Click campaigns

Important search engines place ads near search results in return of a small amount. It is called pay per click advertising. The idea behind this marketing technique is to bid for relevant "keywords" that bring pertinent results related to the product you're selling, and place your advertisement on the top of the page. The most important players on this market are Google AdWords and Yahoo!Search. The method has its fans but also its fierce opponents, due to the possibility of click fraud.

5. Write newsletters and press releases

A newsletter is an easy way to stay in touch with your clients, prospects and affiliates. The success of an e-mail newsletter distribution system depends on your database: you need to keep it up to date and accurate.
You can target your e-mail campaign to clients and prospects or to affiliates. Concentrate on creating different campaigns for each segment that you target.

Always ask permission to stay in touch with your clients and your affiliates. Let them know what to expect from your newsletters regarding content and frequency and respect the standards that you have established. Keep focused on the substance of the email - make it original and appealing. Offer the chance to unsubscribe from the newsletter in a very visible place.

You can also take advantage of many websites that offer public relation services including free publishing of press releases. Of course you can always choose the classical way and publish your materials regarding product launches or news related to your company, in newspapers or software magazines. Don't overdoit though, because people might get bored with too frequent information and loose interest in your software products.

6. Get involved in online forums and blogs

It is basically free publicity. Invest time in subscribing to forums or discussions groups that deal with software related themes. Be careful though, some administrators might ban you for explicit publicity. So be creative.

Many people visit forums and blogs in search of information. A blog post that deals with the theme under discussion, contains relevant information and is presented in a professional way could be of real interest to the participants.

Give your website's address, the product's name and possibly your PAD file location. Use a signature and not a nickname, and you can also add a slogan related to the software product you want to promote.

7. Write and submit articles

There are many e-zines and online publications on the internet where you can publish software related articles. This is an easy way to get free exposure and consolidate your image as a professional in your domain.

A good article has to look professional. The golden rule is to come up with a catchy headline and pay special attention to the content. Avoid duplicating information found on the internet. Your article must be simple, meaningful and original. Keep a professional tone and avoid self-promotion.

Sign your articles, add your contact information and a copyright note at the end of the editorial. Also include a line with your website's address for those who might be interested in the subject that you presented and would like to find out more about your work.

To successfully market software, you need to find the most suitable combination between these methods. Learn more about each one of them. Keep in mind that every business is different, so you need to be creative and patient until you find the best formula that brings you higher sales.

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5 tips for selling goods through eBay

Are you looking for a way to boost sales? Well, who isn't? If the people I've talked to for this article are typical, then selling through an eBay store could light a fire under your business.

eBay, of course, is the massive online auction site. Nearly 95 million people are trading there. It's the very definition of critical mass.

eBay started its stores for small businesses and other sellers in early 2003, and so far they have been a success. The store owners who I talked to are impressed — and pleased.

So if you think selling through eBay is right for you, here are five strategies.

The Whites work out of their house in Virginia. But their rapidly growing business is getting too big for that. "We're looking for business premises," Jon White says. They're planning to hire an employee by the end of 2004. On the other hand, Eric Scott, manager of Discount Furniture in Kannapolis, N.C., plunged right in. He launched his online store, FurnitureHub, at the beginning of 2004. By mid-March, he'd gotten at least couple big sales and lots of phone calls. Scott pronounced himself thrilled by the results. The online store has generated foot traffic at his brick-and-mortar store in Kannapolis. And even with the high shipping fees endemic to furniture, he says he can compete with stores in expensive areas. "I have a customer I'm working with right now in Amarillo, Texas," he says.
2.	Watch what the big merchants do. The heavyweight merchants on eBay are known as "PowerSellers." These are people who have high sales and at least a 98% positive feedback rating. Feedback is given by buyers, who tend to be brutally honest when they're unhappy. An example of one of these merchants is eBay's PowerSeller of the month in March 2004, Tinyclocks, which sells, well, tiny clocks. In fact, it has hundreds of them. Each is beautifully photographed. All are available at auction, and many have a purchase price for those who don't want to bid. PowerSellers are by definition very successful merchants. You can identify them by the PowerSeller logos in their seller information. Their auction items carry links to their stores. By studying their stores, you'll get an idea of how to build your presentation. Marsha Collier, a Southern California PowerSeller and author of "eBay for Dummies," suggests that beginners buy things from PowerSellers. "See how they handle business," she says.
3.	Take special pains to treat customers right. Everybody stresses the need for customer service. The buyer is making the purchase sight unseen, so the level of trust must be high. There are a vast number of sellers on eBay. If customers feel slighted, they'll move on. "Customer service is the absolute key," Collier says. "It's what gives the little guy an advantage over a big company." Collier notes that large companies are notorious for slow replies to e-mail questions. "I get 5-6 questions per day," she says. "If I answer questions as they come in, I have a better chance of keeping the customer than if I answer once a day." In describing their operation on eBay, Troy Slobod says he and his father Gerry, the founders of Tinyclocks, strive to treat customers like gold. "We are online a minimum of eight to 11 hours per day, and our policy is that customer satisfaction is more important than profits," Troy Slobod says. "Ultimately, this creates loyal repeat clients."
4.	Be aware of the costs. For the first 30 days, store fees are waived. If you realize after 10 days, say, that you've made a mistake, you can duck out without paying for your store. Assuming you've done your homework, you have to "lease" a store. This is made up of pages within eBay's site. There are three levels of stores: Basic, $9.95 per month; Featured, $49.95 per month; and Anchor, $499.95 per month. The Basic subscription allows you to list all of your items. Furthermore, you can cross-promote from your auction items. You do that by listing more items from your store at the bottom of the auction item. You can show any items there that you like. Those images are linked to your store. The Featured subscription includes everything in Basic. It also includes promotion through featured placement on important eBay pages, including the main stores page (stores.ebay.com) An Anchor subscription is obviously for the biggest sellers. It includes all Basic and Featured advantages. In addition, you get 1 million impressions on eBay's pages per month, along with other premium placements. Sellers also pay a listing fee for each item in the store. It ranges from 2 cents per item for 30 days, to 8 cents per item for 120 days. A final value fee also is charged. That is 5.25% of the sale value, up to $25. The final value fee rate drops as the sale price rises. eBay also charges for pictures and other upgrades. Pictures are a necessity, because buyers do not have the opportunity to view the goods in person. Other upgrades, such as bold listings, may be less important. Jon White, the seller of magicians' goods, uses the Featured subscription. He has a long list of supplies on his site. Most are inexpensive, so, at $8,000 in monthly revenues, he's moving a lot of goods. He's also paying $1,200 of that $8,000 to eBay. None of the people with whom I talked had a problem with the costs. In fact, they had nothing but praise for eBay. "The stores are spectacular," Collier says. "It is the cheapest real estate on the Internet."
5.	This is a business — you must work at it. If you are looking for a cushy gig, this won't work any better than any other business. You have to be a go-getter. You are the boss; no one will be telling you to get to work. "If you are actively selling, within a few months you can learn from your mistakes," Collier says. "There is no magic pill. The only way to make a good living on eBay is to work at it." Nothing is perfect. Complaints from store owners pop up occasionally on the eBay Stores Discussion Board. But most messages there relate to technical problems. You can probably expect some of those since you're dealing with computers. The message board is at http://forums.ebay.com/db2/forum.jsp?forum=21. There are many other auction sites on the Internet. If you're selling something specialized, one of them might be more for you. But, most likely, you'll want to be with the free-spending masses. That would be eBay. Also, if you're in the market for an e-commerce solution that enables you to sell products directly across eBay and other Internet marketplaces, check out Microsoft Commerce Manager (see Related Links).

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