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Software
Announce:
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
[
Another source you can use to announce
your downloadable software product(s) by press
release is Client By Design. Http://www.clientbydesign.com/prweb.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.
About
the Author -
Sharon Housley manages marketing for NotePage,
Inc. http://www.notepage.net
a company specializing in alphanumeric paging,
SMS and wireless messaging software solutions.
Other sites by Sharon can be found at http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com
, and http://www.small-business-software.net
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