You might be a skilled programmer, and you may come up with a lot of new and fresh ideas, but the basic point is that, once you have managed to create your software, you will have to find customers in order to sell it and make a profit out of it.
Today’s software market is extremely competitive and besides your programming skills you will also need marketing skills. They go hand in hand together, so there is no way out of this.
You might have created the newest and the most innovative invoicing software system, but if you do not know how to sell it, you might as well throw it in the trash. This is why you need to have a very concise and well-thought-out plan. You must know what you are going to do every step of the way, but you also need to think two steps ahead of your potential customers.
It does sound intimidating, but we are here to offer you the support you need and guide you through every phase of this process. So, here are the steps and the things you need to think about:
#1. Nurturing continuous search engine optimization
This is a never-ending struggle. In order to succeed, you have to follow some basic rules and to update your website continuously. You need to focus your attention on:
- Improving the popularity level of your link
- Adding fresh pieces of content
- Monitoring the website results
- Improving the design of the website, as well as its usability
- Testing different keywords
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One way to promote the software you have just created is to submit it to as many download sites as possible. Additionally, you will need to create a great portable application description file. It will facilitate the whole submission process. Plus, the webmasters will also appreciate it. Pay as much attention as you can to the traffic you get from these places and focus only on the websites that can bring you clients.
You will also get more backlinks from these sites and an increased link popularity, which will only improve the ranking of your website page and its position in the search engines.
#3. Look for affiliate marketers
They are the people that will promote your product and sell it, in exchange for a small percentage of the price of the sale. These marketers are paid based on their results, and there are several ways to do that. The payment could be made for each visit – Pay per click – for each registrant or a commission can also be perceived for each sale.
There are many affiliate marketers on the Internet, and there are also many strategies that can be applied. Make sure to choose those who have a website and who have been specially designed to sell software programs.
#4. Make a Pay per Click campaign
In exchange for a small amount of money, the main search engines will display an advert near the search results. This is called pay per click advertising. You can also do that to promote your product. You have to bid for some relevant keywords that will bring results related to the product that you are selling. This way, your advertisement will be placed at the top of the page, thus increasing the visibility of your product.
By writing a newsletter, you will be able to stay in touch with your clients, affiliate marketers or potential clients much easier. In order to reach success by using newsletters, you will first need to have a permanently updated and accurate database. Create a different campaign for each and every category of people you target. Also, always ask for their permission to stay in touch with them.
They should know what to expect from those newsletters, in what concerns the content and the frequency that they are being sent with. We cannot stress enough how important it is to offer your clients or affiliates the possibility to unsubscribe from your newsletters. The place where they can click “Unsubscribe” should be visible.
Be careful with the frequency of your newsletters, as people might get bored if they receive them very often, thus losing interest in the product you are offering.
#6. Be active on forums and blogs
You should take the time to invest in participating in forums and discussions related to the software sphere. This is, basically, free publicity for you and your product, so be creative and do not make the advertising process too explicit, as some administrators might remove it. If you are dealing with a blog post, you first need to have a signature, and you should also add a slogan that must be related to the software product you are promoting. Give the address of your website, the name of the product, as well as the PAD file location.
#7. Writing and submitting articles
What better way to create and consolidate the image of the professional you are than by writing articles for well-known publications that are dealing with software topics. Come up with a headline that will grab everyone’s attention and be on top of your game with the content creation part. Keep it simple, authentic and full of meaning. Most of all, avoid taking information that has already been discussed somewhere else and placing a new coat on it. Maintain a professional tone and do not advertise your products.
Do not forget to sign your articles and to add your contact information. Also, at the end, you should add a copyright note and your email address. Someone could turn out to be interested in the subject you have presented and may want to know some more details about your work.
Find a combination of all these methods that you consider to be suitable. Conduct more research on those you have chosen and start the implementation process.
Images: “businessman presses interface, high resolution / Shutterstock.com“
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