Free Website Content - Software Announce
Software Announce
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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This article may be used freely in opt-in
publications and websites, provided that the resource box
is included and the links are active. A courtesy copy of
the issue or a link to any online posting would be greatly
appreciated send an email to sharon@notepage.net
.
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