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Tell your website visitors if your software will run on their computers
Software buyers are not going to spend a lot of time on your website if they can't tell if your software runs on Windows, UNIX/Linux, or an iPhone. Tell them immediately, tell them often, and tell them in terms they'll understand. Unless you're selling programmers' tools, don't use jargon like W2K or 64-bit Windows.
Tell prospects immediately how much your software costs, in terms that they'll understand
Saying that your software costs $24.95 narrows it down to US dollars, Canadian dollars, Hong Kong dollars and a few dozen others. Don't expect people to click through to your "buy now" page to find the price. Tell them. It's good software marketing.
Tell prospects immediately what you're selling
If they can't figure it out in the first few seconds, they're going to hit their browser's "back" button, find your competitor's site, and buy their software. Don't waste their time talking about your mission statement, or your commitment to your customers. Good software marketing demands that you tell them immediately how you can help them.
Tell them about your software's benefits
Software features are boring. Software benefits are exciting. If your site says "Widget is two inches by three inches by one-half inch" and your competitor's site says "Widget fits easily into pocket or purse", then your prospect is going to buy from your competitor. If you're selling business software, your site should be about saving time, saving money, and doing things tomorrow that you can't do today.
Make your software marketing credible
You would never give your credit card information to somebody who operated a "business" out of the trunk of their car, in the corner of a shopping mall's parking lot. Many people won't give your their credit card information on the Internet unless they see your company name, postal address, and phone number. If you look like you're hiding, then people won't buy software from you. If you're using an eCommerce company to process your orders, then explain to your web site visitors that you've chosen this company because of their long-term reputation for professionalism and security. It's good software marketing.
Be up to date
If your web site has 2002 copyright dates at the bottom of each page, or says "In 2001 we plan to introduce...", then people will assume that your software is dated, and that you might be out of business. It's good software marketing to continually maintain your website. Sweep away the past, and keep your site up to date.
Turn your software into a sales machine
If people install your software and ask, "What do I do next?", then your software marketing has failed, and you've probably lost the sale. Give them a quick-start path that they can follow. Give them tips that tell them why your software is hotter than its competitors. Provide them with sample files that they can play with. If the neatest thing about your game is the zappo-ray, keep track of whether or not users have tried it. If they've gone through an entire game level without frying anybody, then serve up a screen that reminds them about the zappo-ray. Do similar things with utilities, business app's, and all of your software programs. Monitor users' behavior, and make them understand the important features and benefits of your software. It takes more time to do software marketing properly. But your increased software sales can be significant.
Use your website to sell your software
Software downloads are nice. One person in a hundred will eventually buy your application. But software sales are even better. Most software is bought by people who haven't tried it first. People read about software in a magazine or newspaper, and they visit their local computer or office-supply store to buy it. Friends recommend software to friends, who buy it on their recommendations. Sales are about one hundred times better than downloads.
Watch software prospects as they visit your website
Ask friends and relatives to visit your site and tell you their impressions, as you watch silently. Find out what they like, what they dislike, and what confuses them. Don't ask them about your software marketing. Watch them navigate your web site.
Watch people as they install your software and try to use it
See what software users try to do first. Listen for the signs of frustration and confusion. Find out what makes them smile.
Strengthen your software marketing,
and watch your software sales grow
Increasing your sales will be done by a series of small software marketing steps. While some of them will make a significant bump in your income, most ideas will add a couple of percent here and a couple of percent there. There are no magic software marketing formulas. There's just common sense and a little work.
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Use press releases to tell thousands of prospects about your software.
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You have to send your New Product Announcement to the right people.
You're wasting time and money if you're sending press releases to generic names (such as "Software Editor" versus real names such as "John Smith") or to generic addresses (such as news@ instead of jsmith@).
Use a professional service that will deliver your press releases to the right mailboxes.
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