Software advertising is a useful tool for developers who want to both promote and monetize their software. Software marketing isn’t rocket science, but it does take a bit of planning, a bit of finesse, and a bit of common sense.

Here are 11 software advertising tips that can help you improve your bottom line and extend your reach.

1. Map Your Niche, Then Your Conversion Funnel

Every niche is unique, and has its own proclivities towards certain online media channels, social media networks, websites, and so forth. A decent map of your niche will give you the ability to construct a conversion funnel that isn’t just based on guesswork – it will be based on solid data.

2. Trust the Numbers, Not Your Team

Everyone on the team has an opinion and a bias. What you or anyone else on your team thinks may work for an ad campaign isn’t necessarily the best solution, yet political struggles can often divide a company. Often, when these opinions are stacked against the numbers, it appears that no one is right.

Whether you’re making decisions about advertising, marketing, or user interface design, use analytics and user testing to help find out the real answer. This way you can move on to more important things.

3. Test Something New Every Few Months

The curve is always changing, so keeping up with the curve requires constant evolution on your part. Always research the latest advertising trends, <a “=”” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>monetization platforms, and marketing news.

Stay up-to-date with the latest trends and test them out. Even if a trend turns out to be a fad, a side test on a side product never hurt anyone. Everything you learn can help you make smarter decisions down the road.

4. Personalize Based on User Data

Whether you’re developing an app, an extension, or a desktop program, you have the potential to gather user data. This data keeps you up-to-speed on what users want, which allows you to personalize, among other things, two important aspects of your monetization strategy: your app and your advertising.

The more personal you make it, the more value you can deliver, and the more conversions you’ll make.

5. Get Familiar with the Advertising World

Learn what’s up and who’s who. Stay up to date with the latest news so you don’t get left behind when big changes take place. Keep up with monetization news and have relevant headlines delivered to your inbox every day.

6. Display Is on the Rise, So Use It

Display advertising is increasing year by year, and is set to overtake search ads in 2024. Highly specialized software advertising solutions such as DisplayFuel offer the best choice for developers: they bring in high quality, targeted users who convert and stick around.

7. Bundle

Bundling your software offers several promotional benefits:

  • You can earn revenue from smaller code packages, such as extensions and plugins
  • You gain exposure to your partners’ audience pools
  • You can meet new people in your industry and form new alliances
  • Newer developers can gain experience and a foothold in their target niche

8. Promote with Software Advertising Platforms

Software advertising platforms, monetization platforms, and promotion platforms such as those offered by CodeFuel, allow you to manage your marketing efforts from a single place. This reduces your marketing expenditure, allows you to calculate your marketing ROI, and gives you the knowledge you need to optimize effectively.

9. Automate as Much as Reasonable

Automation is useful for the repetitive tasks that take up too much of your time, as well as the tasks that are just impossible for you to handle. Keeping up with the ever-changing marketing industry, for instance, is becoming more and more difficult as the advertising world continues to fragment and evolve.

Here are examples of tasks to automate:

  • Cross-posting the same content on your social media and blogs
  • Gathering data from the web or news outlets that is relevant to your industry
  • Real-time bidding
  • Campaign optimization

Avoid automating human interactions and over-automating customer service, which can appear artificial.

10. Monitor the Competition

If you’re a large business, then you may want to consider investing in competitive intelligence tools. But even if you’re a freelance developer or a small company, it pays to track your competition day in and day out.

Use automated data collection tools to track their movement online, so you can adapt your marketing and monetization strategy when they evolve theirs.

11. Try Out New Tech

Not only should you try out new advertising strategies and tools, you should also try out new technology. Every learning experience is an investment, which can always pay off in dividends.

Study new devices, experiment with the analytics and data they offer advertisers, and test your software advertising strategies in these new mediums.

 

Whether you’re just starting out in the software advertising world or whether you have years of experience, these simple tips will help keep you on top of your game so the competition doesn’t get ahead.