Software Marketing Strategy: 6 Quick Tips

What’s your software marketing strategy? If yours is a company that designs and sells software, this is obviously an important issue to address, and one that is, at times, needlessly complicated. At the end of the day, a good software marketing strategy will probably resemble the marketing strategy for most any other product. Certainly, the basic focus is the same: You want to show off the value and virtue of the product, attracting leads and ultimately converting customers.

If there is anything that sets software apart, it’s the fact that an all-digital product is easier to distribute (or to sample/test) over the Web. With that in mind, consider the following tips as you seek to design your software marketing strategy.

Give it Away

When it comes to the purchase of any product, consumers need to feel a certain peace of mind. They need to trust the product, and the company that’s providing it. If they have fears that the product won’t work as advertised, or that the marketing copy is too-good-to-be-true, they’re unlikely to part with their hard-earned dollars.

As such, cultivating trust is one of the main goals of any marketing campaign. Here, your software marketing strategy can possess a unique edge, because you can actually allow leads and potential customers to sample the product before they purchase it. This shows that you stand behind your product, confidently; it also assuages any concerns the customer might have. Offering a free trial, from the main product sales page, is a smart way to move units of your software.

Turn to Video

Video marketing is a big deal for any and all marketing campaigns, these days, but it has a special place of prominence in the software marketing strategy. Again, this has to do with cultivating trust in the product. Rather than just talking about what the software can do, you can actually show it, via a product demo or how-to. And, if the video is sufficiently compelling, you can bet that it will pick up some social media shares.

Network It

Speaking of which, social networks are indeed crucial for marketing software. Facebook is uniquely helpful for software marketers, because on Facebook, there tends to be great interest in “free stuff”—as in, your free trial, as we noted above—as well as videos. Use social media sites to build interest in your product, not be shamelessly promoting or flogging it, but by showcasing its features and its benefits.

Pay-Per-Click Ads

Pay-per-click ads—and here we mean Google AdWords, in particular—can be a boon to any software marketing strategy. Those who conduct online searches for particular forms of software are often inundated with options, but you can make sure your product is in the running by taking out some paid search ads. Use some keywords that denote the general functions of the software, or the benefits it offers, as opposed to just focusing on the name of the software.

Take it Public

A strong PR push can also help with software marketing. The goal of any PR campaign is to build big buzz, and in the world of software, buzz is everything. Start sending out press releases even before the software launches, and make sure to send one out when your free trial goes live. A proper press release strategy can cultivate a community of qualified leads—consumers who have seen all the buzz and are eager to try the software for themselves.

Nurture Leads

Finally, make sure that lead nurturing is a big part of your software marketing strategy. As leads come in, position them within the sales funnel, and for those who are at the top, make sure to educate them. Blog entries or e-mails, listing the benefits and features of your software and also showing leads how it can be effectively utilized, can go a long way toward nudging these leads to either buy, or at the very least sign up for the free trial.

A good software marketing strategy can help take any program and turn it into a hot seller. The bottom line is to remember that your job, in marketing the program, is to instill confidence in the consumer—making it plain that you’re offering a practical and hassle-free solution to a real problem. That’s what your software marketing strategy should address.

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