Al Harberg's Software Marketing Newsletter
Volume 02, Issue 16, December 20, 2004
It's All About Marketing
____________________
It's Time to Start Your 2005 Press Release Campaign
Don't wait until January to plan how you're going to tell the editors about your software. Chances are, you're going to have some time over the holidays to give some serious thought to your 2005 software marketing campaign. It's a good time to start working on your press releases.
- When January rolls in, editors will be back at work, and serious about their jobs. Holiday party time will be over, and they'll be thinking about what to tell their readers about the latest software. Like yours.
- Business people have fresh budgets. While they might have had some financial restraints at the end of 2004, their authorized budgets begin to bulge on January 1.
- Lots of new users will have computers, and they'll be looking for new software. And many people will have replaced their computers, not because their old computers broke, but because they want to be able to run the newest applications. It's a great time to tell them about your software.
- Why do people buy computer magazines? Millions of people make their software buying decisions based upon the articles that they read in magazines and newspapers. You should be getting your share of the free publicity that these publications offer.
Start your press release campaign in December. It's easy:
- If you've written a press release, and you'd like me to send it to the editors after the year-end holidays, then please send it to me now. I give all of my customers' press releases a careful reading, and I provide them with feedback. Free. The last two weeks of the year are a quiet time for me, and I look forward to reading your press release.
- If you've been thinking about hiring me to write your press release, then start the process sooner rather than later. I have some time in the next two weeks to work on your press release, and I'll make sure that you start 2005 running.
You can click "reply" on this email, and start the process. Or send an email to
al@dpdirectory.com
____________________
The CSS* Usenet Newsgroups are Back
The three moderated shareware newsgroups were dormant for quite a few months. But they're active again.
You're welcome to visit these newsgroups, read other developers' postings, ask questions, and express opinions. All topics related to developing and marketing try-before-you-buy software are welcome.
The moderation process is brisk. These Usenet newsgroups certainly aren't chat rooms, but I've found that my postings have been approved in hours, not days.
Because the newsgroups were dormant for more than a year, your ISP may have dropped them from the list of Usenet groups that they carry. If so, simply send your ISP a note, and ask them to add these three names to their list:
comp.software.shareware.announce
comp.software.shareware.authors
comp.software.shareware.users
I'm going to be in the CSS.authors newsgroup, and I'll be posting up a storm on marketing-related issues. Hope to see you there, too.
____________________
Look at your Web Site from your Prospects' Perspective
You can sell more software if you climb inside your web site visitors' minds, and think about what's going on between their ears. To accomodate what prospects are thinking when they watch your home page load:
(1) Tell prospects immediately if they're on the right web page.
There was a time when several of the search engines had buttons that said something like, "Click here to visit a randomly-selected web site." Years ago, the Internet was fun. It was new and exciting, and web surfers would click links just to see what kind of stuff they could find on the web.
Today, surfers don't surf. They cringe as they click links, hoping that the web site they visit won't install some kind of spyware or malware on their hard drive, or fill their screen with pop-ups and pop-unders.
Make your web site visitors understand immediately that they've reached a professionally designed web site that has been carefully crafted to help them solve a problem. Ensure that your site loads quickly on all major browsers, and display your best sales pitch immediately.
(2) Show web site visitors the big picture.
You and I both know that you're selling software. But your web site visitors have no idea if you're selling desktop and laptop software, an online solution, a book, an audio or video training seminar, or some product or service that has absolutely nothing to do with software or with solving their problem.
Every day, millions of users look at web sites for three or four seconds, and hit their "back" button, to return to the search engine in the hope of finding a site that really might solve their problem. Tell visitors immediately what you're all about.
Don't put them to sleep by saying "Welcome to the Widget, Inc. web site". Don't bore them with useless generalities about how your products are designed to solve their problems. They don't care about your mission statement. They care about finding a solution to their problem. Now.
Tell them, in a single, easy-to-understand sentence, what your web site is all about.
(3) Answer the big questions immediately, clearly, and often.
Before users read a single word of your sales pitch, they want to know that you understand and can address their big-picture problem.
- When you look for replacement windshield wiper blades, you don't read each package to find out what kind of rubber they're made of, or what kind of metal alloys are used in the manufacturing process, or what adhesive is used to bond the rubber to the metal. The only thing that you care about is whether the blades in your hand will fit on your car. You're looking for words like "Toyota" and "Ford", and then for words like "Corolla" and "Taurus".
- When you look for inkjet replacement cartridges for your printer, you don't read each box to learn how many pages you can print from the cartridge, or how many years the printed pages will last without fading. You're looking for words like "Hewlett-Packard" or "Epson", and then you're looking for specific printer model names.
- When people look for software to buy, they don't care initially about the features or benefits that you offer. They have two questions: "Will this software run on my computer?", and "How much does it cost?"
You need to put platform and pricing information all over your home page and your product pages. And you need to tell visitors in terms that they will understand. If you're selling software to store clerks and bank tellers and other regular prospects, and you say that your application runs on all 32-bit Windows systems, then you're driving your prospects into your competitors' arms. There's not one end-user in a hundred who knows what "32-bit Windows" means, or what version of DirectX they have installed, or what you mean when you say 9x or W2K. Luckily, you have at least one competitor who explains, in plain English, what platforms are supported, so the world economy continues to be healthy.
(4) Build your sales presentation, one sentence at a time.
After you've written a paragraph, read each sentence aloud, and ask yourself, "Does this help me close the sale?". If your prospects can read a sentence and say, "Who cares?" or "What on earth does that mean?" or "How does this solve my problem?", then delete the sentence, or rewrite it. Every word of every sentence has to contribute to making the sale. Edit your sales presentation mercilessly. Eliminate the noise so your prospects can hear the sales presentation.
(5) Don't write like you talk.
Write like your customers talk. If you're selling programmers' tools or developers' components, then you can talk to them in techie-babble. But if you're selling to consumers, business people, educators, parents, or other non-programmers, then talk to them in plain English, or they'll buy from your competitor.
- Don't use words like extensible and scalable. When an end-user sees gibberish like this, they know that your user manual and help file are written in techie gibberish, too. Their choices are to buy from your competitor, or to spend days or weeks learning to speak techie-talk. There are plenty of other solutions to their problem, none of which require them to learn a new language.
- Use "you" and "your" and "you're" on your web site. Write in a relaxed, conversational style. You're not writing an article for Scientific American magazine. You're writing a sales presentation, and you should be talking to your prospects.
- Learn the technical jargon of your target audience. Use the terms that they're used to hearing in their day-to-day work, and be sure you're using the terms correctly. While it's important to use the jargon of the industry that you're selling into, be aware that people who are new to that industry may not fully understand its vocabulary. Just as you don't want to lose them with techie-jargon, you don't want to lose them with their industry's jargon, either.
(6) Talk about benefits.
Include both features and benefits in your write-up. Some buyers already know what features they need, and they're comparison shopping. But most prospects don't know why they need a print-screen program or a Windows clipboard extender or a keyboard macro until you tell them how they'll benefit from owning one. A long list of features won't close the sale. Hook people on the benefits of buying your software.
(7) Write simply.
If a prospect reads your home page and says, "This is really nicely written!", then you've failed. Your mission is to get your web site visitors thinking about how their lives would be improved if they had your software installed on their computers. Instead, you have them thinking about your writing style. Use common words in short, simple sentences to describe how they'll benefit from using your app. Simple writing doesn't have to be boring. Use words in unusual ways. Vary your sentence structure. Be sure your site will be understood by people who read English as a second language.
(8) Appeal to emotions.
It's not enough to appeal to a prospect's logical left brain. Make an impression on that person's right brain, too. Tell them that they deserve to own your program. Do they worry that their competitors are gaining on them, but believe that buying your software will keep them from falling behind? Tell them how they'll save time or save money.
(9) Don't be afraid to address price.
Your sales message could explain that your prospects will recover the price of your software in just a few months. They'll increase their accuracy and efficiency. They'll save time, and look more professional with your app helping them in the workplace. Don't make price an afterthought. Don't let price be the "tie breaker" between your software and your competitors' programs. Introduce price early, and talk about value, early and often.
(10) Lead with your strong points.
Tell prospects immediately why they need your software. Point out that your app has features and benefits that they simply can't find anywhere else in the marketplace. Tell them why your program is unique, and why they should buy it. Now.
The bottom line - Fine-tune the wording on your web site, and you'll sell more software. Make changes, and test the impact on sales.
____________________
Book Review
Entrepreneurs Are Made Not Born - Secrets from 200 Successful Entrepreneurs
by Lloyd E. Shefsky (published by McGraw-Hill, Inc.)
The Big Picture -
Shefsky interviewed more than 200 successful entrepreneurs, and tried to figure out what makes them tick. He defines entrepreneurs as people with dreams. They're not necessarily smarter than the average bear, or more ambitious. They're not more courageous or bigger risk-takers.
Unlike the people whom Shefsky interviewed, I've found that quite a few entrepreneurs decide to pursue that lifestyle after finding that their jobs have been outsourced, downsized, or otherwise eliminated. They take this opportunity to finally try something they've thought about for a long time.
Shefsky tells us that entrepreneurs have the passion to pursue the dream that they nurture. There is nice, inspirational material on the excuses, myths, fears, traps, and risks that can cause you to "keep your dreams tucked away."
Shefsky points out that there's a big difference between entrepreneurs and workaholics. Entrepreneurs aren't driven to work. They're self-administering task masters, with a fervent pursuit of their own dreams.
What it Means for Software Developers -
If you're dabbling with software development part time, and you're thinking about leaving your day job and doing application development work full time, then this book can help you make your decision.
You won't find a lot of practical advice about whether to incorporate your business, or whether to work out of your home or rent office space. This is a book about psychology and drive and mind-set.
The Bottom Line -
Entrepreneurs Are Made Not Born will challenge your assumptions, and make you think about whether to take the plunge. I wouldn't recommend the book for people who have already started a full-time business. But if you're on the fence, then this book can give some structure to the questions that you need to ask yourself.
"Entrepreneurs Are Made Not Born - Secrets from 200 Successful Entrepreneurs" was reviewed by Al Harberg.
____________________
To UNSUBSCRIBE from this newsletter, send me a note. I'll remove your name immediately and permanently.
al@dpdirectory.com
To SUBSCRIBE to the email version of this newsletter, send me your name and email address. I'll only use your name and email address for this newsletter. I'll never spam you, or let other people have your name or email address. Please add
al@dpdirectory.com to your anti-spam filter's friends-list.
To REFER a FRIEND to this newsletter, click your email client's "forward" button. I thank you very much. And your developer friends will thank you, too.
To SELL MORE SOFTWARE, visit my web site. There's a lot of free, useful software marketing information on
http://www.dpdirectory.com/.
Al Harberg, president, DP Directory, Inc.
Marketing Solutions for Software Developers
phone: 860-659-1065 email:
al@dpdirectory.com
web site:
http://www.dpdirectory.com
DP Directory, Inc.
525 Goodale Hill Road
Glastonbury, CT 06033-4022 USA
Copyright © 2004 DP Directory Inc.
