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Subscribe Now to Al Harberg's Software Marketing Newsletter, the best way for software developers to get free, usable marketing information. We'll never use your email address for anything besides sending you this twice-monthly newsletter.
It's All About Marketing
A lot of developers use pop-up windows to spice up their web sites. Pop-up windows add variety to the Internet experience. You can pop up an odd-sized window, and place it anywhere on the user's screen. However, there are a lot of reasons to avoid using pop-up windows: - Many users will view pop-up windows as unwanted advertisements, and will close them immediately. The experience will annoy them and make it less likely that they'll buy your software. - Users can't print pop-up windows. Often, managers who will ultimately make the software buying decision will ask their secretaries or administrative assistants to investigate software options on the Internet, and present them with printed copies of critical pages. If users can't print your pricing information, product comparison data, or other critical info, then you might lose a sale. - It's not possible to bookmark a pop-up window, or email the URL to a friend or colleague. If the information is important to your sales process, placing it in a pop-up window makes it much more difficult for potential software buyers to find it. - Unsophisticated computer users are confused by pop-up windows. Their browsers' "back" buttons don't affect these windows, and users don't quite know what to do with pop-ups. - Users like to feel that they're in control. Rather than having to listen to a salesperson's canned speech, with the Internet the buyer is in control. Buyers determine how they navigate from page to page on your web site. Serving them pop-up windows takes control away from them, and this doesn't make them more receptive to your sales message. - More and more users are using pop-up blocking software. While most sophisticated utilities don't block pop-up windows that are manually clicked open, some of them do. So, some users simply won't see your pop-up window.
There are undoubtedly times when it makes sense to present web site information in pop-up windows, despite my inability to think of a single example
The Educational Software Cooperative (ESC) has started a blog. It's available online at http://educationalsoftware.blogspot.com/. The RSS feed's URL is http://educationalsoftware.blogspot.com/atom.xml
While there are few guarantees in life, you can be certain that if you enjoy reading this newsletter, you'll enjoy many of the postings in ESC's blog.
If you have any comments or feedback about any blog postings, please post your thoughts on ESC's public newsgroup - news://news.lanbytes.net/edu.educational_software_coop. You don't have to be an ESC member to read or post on ESC's newsgroup. All postings relating to software development and marketing are welcome.
You can sell more software if you point out to your web site visitors that your software has features and benefits that they simply can't find in other applications.
It's not enough to present a long list of features and benefits. You cannot assume that your web site visitors are sophisticated comparison shoppers, or that they'll be impressed by your list of features. Assume that they don't have in-depth knowledge of your competitors' software, and tell them how unusual yours is.
Before giving prospects a list of features, make sure you put your program in context. Use the first sentence of your home page and product page to tell people exactly what your program does, and to describe its chief benefit. After that, present them with your unique features and your most important features, and explain their benefits.
And go a step further - tell prospects that your Widget program is unique. Say things like -
- "Unlike other programs that don't have feature-a and feature-b, Widget makes it easy to..." Tell them that your program is a refreshing change of pace from similar applications. You're offering software with a twist.
- "With its emphasis on safety (or ease of use or power or convenience or support or whatever it is that distinguishes your software from the rest of the pack), Widget is the only application that does this and that." Demonstrate that your application is custom-designed by experienced people in your field, and that it does remarkable things that they simply can't find anywhere else.
- Use words like original, incomparable, extraordinary, unique, unusual, and rare. But use them thoughtfully, for features that you're really proud of.
- Use phrases like out of the ordinary, off the beaten track, and one of a kind.
When people come home from a shopping trip, they're eager to talk about the unusual item of clothing that they've purchased, or the unusual gadget that they've bought. Nobody tells their friends or family members about the dull and boring bar of soap, or about the package of razor blades that they'd picked up. By telling prospects that your software is unique, you'll make it more attractive, more memorable, and more sellable.
Most software buyers don't know how to decide which program will best meet their needs. Help them decide. Point out your application's unique features, and tell them that these features are unique. Your sales will go up.
Three things that influence editors when evaluating your press release are:
(1) Will the editors think that their readers will be interested in your software? You have to write a clear, concise, easy-to-understand press release that is appealing, but without any sales hype.
(2) Will the editors have to do a lot of rewriting of your text? Be sure that your English-language press release has been written (or at least proofread and copyedited) by a native, English-speaking professional. I always give my clients' press releases a careful reading, and provide my clients with free feedback, before sending their press releases to the editors.
(3) Can the editors quickly grab your press release and use it in their publications? Below are some guidelines for making sure your press release is in the proper format:
- "With its emphasis on safety (or ease of use or power or convenience or s - Don't email attachments to the editors. In today's environment of virus, trojan, and other malware attacks, editors simply won't open attachments. The editors will be annoyed that you've sent them a 60k Word attachment instead of 2k of inline text.
- "With its emphasis on safety (or ease of use or power or convenience or s - Send plain text. The editors are more likely to use your press release if they can cut and paste your words. If they have to spend time sorting out formatting control characters, they're going to select your competitor's press release instead. Editors don't want to wrestle with HTML or RTF. Besides, the editors are likely to delete these colorful, formatted emails before reading a single line. Formatted text brings up images of spam, while plain text sings "business correspondence".
- "With its emphasis on safety (or ease of use or power or convenience or s - Don't include typographical characters. Some of the editors are using antique email readers, and some of the extended/international characters get translated into scrambled eggs. The superscripted "TM" character is one of the biggest troublemakers, and there are others that cause problems.
- "With its emphasis on safety (or ease of use or power or convenience or s - Multiple columns don't work in email. Some editors' email clients use fixed-width fonts, while others use variable-width fonts. Some email programs handle tabs gracefully, and some don't. Some email readers can handle multiple spaces properly, while others treat multiple spaces the way web browsers treat them. There's no way to create columnar information in emails that will look good on all of the editors' screens.
The easier you make it for the editors to use your press release, the more likely you'll get ink.
Keep Your Eye on the Prize
That's Outside My Boat -
by Charlie Jones and Kim Doren (published by Andrews McMeel Publishing)
The Big Picture -
While covering the rowing, canoeing, and kayaking events at the Olympics, veteran broadcaster Charlie Jones found that an attribute shared by the winners was the ability to ignore the weather, the choppiness of the water, and everything else that was outside their boats. By ignoring things they can't control, winners concentrate on the things that are in their boats, and the results are impressive.
The authors asked more than fifty leaders from all walks of life to talk about how they concentrated on what was important, and how they let go of the things that they can't control.
What it Means for Software Developers -
- Carve out blocks of time when you can isolate yourself from your daily problems, and concentrate on your business. Bob Wright, Chairman and CEO of NBC, points out that "no matter what you're doing, you're going to do it better and you're going to enjoy it more if you can, for a certain period of time, remove yourself from unrelated pressures and concerns."
- Deal with your failures. Sumner Redstone, CEO of Viacom, said, "Major successes are not built on success. They are built on failure, on frustration, sometimes even calamity, and how you deal with it, and how you turn it around from a negative to a positive."
- Keep track of your competitors' software. While you can't agonize every day over the feature-and-benefit leapfrogging that goes on in the software industry, an awareness of competitive threats has to be inside your boat.
- Once you have set your goals and developed a plan, do the work. NFL Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton said, "You can't worry about people who are ahead of you or behind you. Your concentration has to be on what you're doing. Once you lose that concentration, that's when things go awry."
- Don't be hampered by marketplace history when you're thinking creatively about what application to develop next. Otherwise, you'll find yourself developing and marketing another me-too product.
The Bottom Line -
There aren't any startling revelations in this book. But sometimes it's nice when successful people remind you about the principles that have helped them succeed. Unlike a lot of self-help books that provide mystic principles for why you should follow the authors' advice, That's Outside My Boat has practical advice from real people. One last quote from the authors - "Worrying is rehearsing for failure."
"That's Outside My Boat - Letting Go of What You Can't Control" was reviewed by Al Harberg.
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