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Software Announce
by S. 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.
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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