Software Promotion
Software Announce
by Sharon Housley
Creating amazing software is only half the battle. Telling the
world about your software is the other half. With working
capital, consider employing someone who specializes in software
promotion. To work with an established reputable firm can esure
success when marketing software. Two promotional companies that
know the software industry, and can provide valuable marketing
advice and insight are: Shareware Promotions -
http://www.sharewarepromotions.com Dr File Finder
http://www.drff.com .
Outside of hiring professionals to market software, there are
still a number of options for marketing software, in most cases,
the only investment will be time.
1. Post Press Releases to Online Resources If press releases or
product announcements are sent out, consider posting the
announcements to websites, there are a number that allow for
press release posting free of charge. The releases on these
sites are occasionally picked up by publications looking for
information or filler content. Another side benefit to these
listings is increased link popularity, which helps with search
engine ranking. A list of sites that allow for press release
posting can be found under 'press release posting' A number are
available at -
http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com/pressreleases.html
2. Post Announcement on Usenet A number of Usenet groups allow
for posting of announcements or press releases. Most of the
announce groups in Usenet contain 'ann.' in the domain address.
To locate topic specific announce groups consider searching
Newsguy.com. A list of common software announce groups are
listed below. comp.software.shareware.announce fm.announce
3. Post to Forums Forums also contain sections in which you can
post announcements. If the application is niche product,
consider searching for topic specific forums in addition to the
general software announce forums listed below. Be sure to post
any announcements in the appropriately marked 'announce forum'
http://www.small-business-software.net/forum/
http://forum.mypdacafe.com http://forums.digital-sea.com/
http://download.net/forums/index.php
http://www.developers-forum.com/ http://v2.tlab404.com/forum
Topic specific software announce forums are also available, such
as - http://www.messaging-software.com/forum - only messaging
related announcements are welcome
4. Search Usenet To determine if there are recent inquiries
regarding related software or your products and to post
appropriate responses search Google's Forum directory (by date):
http://groups.google.com/
5. Present to Local User Groups User groups are filled with
technically savvy individuals who have an interest in technology
and software. Consider attending and presenting software at a
local user group meeting or a SIG (special interest group). The
targeted audience will often share information, about software
that impresses them, with friends or other user groups. To find
local user groups search the database located on the Association
of Professional User Group (APCUG) website at
http://www.apcug.org or post an inquiry to the user group forum
on http://www.small-business-software.net/forum/
6. Partner with Other Developers Consider a developer newsletter
exchange. Complimentary products often do well when presented
properly. Provide a discount or affiliate exchange to sweeten
the offer of a mention.
The extra effort expended to make potential customers aware of
products can go a long way to ensure the success of a well
designed application.