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
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.
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
