Q&A
Q&A - An abbreviation for "questions and answers".
A literary technique for presenting information in which questions are asked and answered. This format is used on most frequently asked questions (FAQ) pages.
qualified lead
qualified lead - A prospect whom you can categorize as a having good potential to buy your software.
Typically, a qualified lead is somebody who has sent you an email inquiry about your application, telephoned you for more information about your software, or subscribed to your email newsletter. You can afford to spend more time and money to turn qualified leads into customers.
On your website, you need to qualify all of the people who visit. Tell them immediately how much your software costs, so they'll know if they can afford it. Tell them immediately what operating system your software requires, so they'll know if your app will run on their computers.
Web site visitors pick up other signs to see if they're qualified to own your software. If your website is written in techie-talk, then computer newbies will leave, realizing that they're not qualified to install and use your application.
quality
quality - When your customers come back, and your products don't, according to a Siemens motto.
Too much quality can ruin you. So says Robert A. Lutz, the former President and Vice Chairman of Chrysler Corporation, and the author of "Guts - The seven laws of business that made Chrysler the world's hottest car company."
Don't assume that your idea of quality lines up perfectly with the ideas of your prospects and customers.
Lutz believes that people in the marketplace define quality as the addition of new things, and not as the removal of flaws from your product or service.
He also points out that people can believe that your product has quality, even if people see it as neither useful nor practical.
Lutz says that people will usually choose a delightful product or service, even if it has some flaws. Such a product or service will be a better seller than a flawless one that doesn't delight prospects. He believes that our definition of quality must include things like charm, fun, and romance.
query
query - A keyword or key phrase search of any database or search engine.
query letter
query letter - A proposal to an editor about a story that you'd like to write for their publication.
Postal-mailed query letters still seem to "pull" better than emailed letters. I've had my greatest responses from editors when I send them a detailed letter that exudes confidence.
quotation
quotation - The words of wisdom from a company official that some developers include in their press releases.
Should you quote your company's officials in the news release that you submit to bloggers, editors, and columnists? In most cases, the answer is: "No". Very few computer or vertical-market magazines print quotations in their New Product Announcements or in their roundup articles (Roundup articles have titles like "The Ten Best Excel Add-Ons", and they compare your applications with your competitors' programs).
From the editor's perspective, there are only two kinds of information that you might include in your quotations: sales hyperbole or important information.
If your quote consists of useless information about how you pay attention to your customers, and how you're really excited about the new program that you're releasing, then there's no reason to include the quote in your news release. The publications won't print this kind of noise.
If you include important news in your quotation, then you're giving the editors and bloggers three alternatives:
(1) The editor can suspend the publication's "no quotes" policy and print your quotation. The chances of this happening are roughly zero.
(2) The editor can rewrite your press release and paraphrase the information inside the quotation into a narrative description. Truth is, it's easier for the editor to select another press release - one that doesn't require any rewriting.
(3) The editor can omit the info in the quote. If the publication omits it, and it's really important information that your prospects need to know, then your New Product Announcement won't be nearly as effective.
So, you're much better off if you don't include quotations in your press release.
Why do some blogs, magazines and newspapers include quotes? If an editor is going to print a feature article about your application, they'll assign the job to a writer who might want to include a quotation. That writer will ask for one, or create their own.
You can't send a press release to the editors that's written like a feature article. Feature articles will be assigned to writers who are both emotionally and financially distant from the software that they review.
I've had more than 25 years of looking at both the press releases that were sent to the editors, and the write-ups that were printed in the magazines.
Don't include quotations in your press release.
Software Marketing Glossary
Quick Links:
Lists: computer, business
, education, multimedia, game, programming, others
Ordering: place an order, prices and time frames, sample news releases, about us
Information: free newsletters, press release FAQ, software marketing glossary
Copyright © 1997-2011 DP Directory, Inc.
|
