by CodeFuel Staff | Jul 7, 2014 | Advertising, Development, Distribution, Installs, Monetization, Software
Creating your own software can be one of the most beneficial things you do for your business. Instead of recommending useful software and other technological tools to help your clients meet their business goals or make their work more efficient, you can create software that is specifically designed to meet their needs. If anyone knows what your clients need, it’s you. In fact, you’re are an expert on what they need, so you’re in a good position to create a powerful tool that delivers the solutions to help their business grow.
Just like with any product, you have to design an effective strategy for marketing your software and getting it in front of your target audience. You may know that it will innovate the way your clients do business, but they don’t know that until they try it. The key to your success is getting them to try it in the first place.
Software bundling can help you get your software in front of more people and meet your marketing goals. The way that software bundling works is that you identify another company with a recognized brand name or an innovative (but not competing) software product, and create a partnership. When clients download that company’s software, they also get yours – or vice versa. In the process, they get a great deal on two products.
Here’s how software bundling benefits you, as well as your clients:
More Downloads
By linking your brand to another brand that already has an established client base, you can help drive downloads of your software through bundling. The other company will be conducting its own marketing campaign to promote its software, which you will benefit from by being linked to the software. You’ll automatically get more downloads thanks to the joint efforts of the other company in promoting the bundle.
You’ll also get more downloads because your clients will feel incentivized to purchase thanks to the bundle pricing. In most cases, the bundle will offer the software package at a lower price than if the two were sold separately. If not, then additional features can be offered. Either way, the promotion encouraged clients to download since they will be getting something they wouldn’t if they limited themselves to individual purchases.
More Exposure
Even though you won’t convince every single client to download your software, creating a bundle will get you more exposure with every person who sees it. Partnering with the other company ensures that you maximize your exposure by getting the software in front of a whole new client base. Your software will go out to the other brand’s email marketing list, social media channels, blogs and maybe even their direct mail list. That’s a significant number of new clients you could be reaching with the partnership.
And the benefits don’t end here. You will also reach a wider general audience with software bundling. The excitement behind the bundle will help you to reach more people, who can all become potential clients. Even if the exposure doesn’t translate into immediate sales, it does create top-of-mind awareness that can make it easier to close a sale when you reach out to those same people in the future.
More Sales
Obviously, more downloads translates to more sales of your software. In addition, the increased downloads and increased exposure that you get from software bundling can also lead to more overall sales for your company. Hopefully, those who download will now have a favorable view of your products and your company, and will feel more encouraged to check out your other offerings and buy from you again. They may buy your other software, or they may give your other products and services a try.
Those who become aware of your company through exposure to the bundle deal will be more likely to buy from you in the future. The more often a person sees your brand, the more likely he is to trust your company or see it as an authority (assuming that what the person sees isn’t negative). That means that person is more likely to do business with you in the future. Future sales might include the software you are trying to promote or your other products and services. Either way, it’s a win for you.
Software bundling may not be the first thing you think of when you plan your marketing strategy. However, it can be far more effective than traditional means of advertising. You get more results, which means that you can spend less while getting a greater return on your investment. Software bundling doesn’t just translate to immediate downloads and sales. It also creates a partnership that can lead to more exposure now and in your future endeavors, all of which creates more authority for your brand and helps you generate more sales long into the future.
by CodeFuel Staff | Jun 17, 2014 | Advertising, Installs, Marketing, Monetization, Monetization News, Pay Per Install, Software
Developing software that your business clients can use is one of the best ways to provide value for them and to establish yourself as a valuable resource or authority in your industry. The software doesn’t have to be a huge, comprehensive suite. It just needs to provide a specific solution to a specific problem in order to be successful.
Developing your software is just stage one of the process. You also need to develop a marketing and distribution plan to drive sales and ensure your success. Here are a few tips for how to make software distribution easier and help meet your sales goals:
Use an Installer
Downloading software can be a laborious process – more so the larger the software package is. Clients may lose their patience with the process if the download takes too long or uses up too many resources on their computers. This can lead to a bad reputation for your software, which can hurt sales and hurt your overall business.
Using an installer can help you make the process easier and speed up the pace of the download. In doing so, the installer will increase the completion rates for your downloads. Tools like InstallFuel provide these benefits and also allow you to monetize your software.
You can display special offers during the installation process, either for your other products or for products and services from advertisers. The installer is customizable so you can get the look you want for it and can make it display what you like during the download process.
Sign Up for a Browser Extension
Browser extensions can be powerful advertising tools. People download them to make searching the Internet a bit easier while they are online.
However, they can also display special offers during the installation process or during regular use. If you sign up as an advertiser, you can get more exposure for your software. If your software can be downloaded online, the browser extension can also encourage more downloads.
Explore the available options to sign up with a browser extension that will reach your target clients.
Signing up for the right extension can make all the difference to your success. Research thoroughly and read reviews from other businesses.
Check the stats on users and their demographic information.
Create a Bundle Deal
A great way to increase downloads of your software is to bundle it with other programs or apps. You can do this by creating a partnership with another company. It’s best not to approach your direct competitors for this partnership. Instead, focus on those that offer complementary services.
For example, if your software helps businesses handle project management, you might approach a company who offers software for record keeping or payroll (if that’s not included already in your software package).
By partnering with another company, you get more traffic and customers thanks to the exposure and reputation that the company already gets.
By creating the bundle, you also encourage more downloads by making the software available at a discount. Just be sure that you’re using an installer to make the download process fast and efficient.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is a great way to increase software distribution. By offering affiliates a commission for software sales, you gain access to a large network of promoters. The better the commission you offer, the more advertisers will agree to promote your product.
Find the sweet spot where you can offer the largest commission while also retaining the margin you need to stay profitable.
Sign up for large affiliate marketing sites to gain access to the largest number of advertisers.
Create professional marketing materials for those advertisers to create brand consistency and to make it easier for them to get the results you need.
Make sure your site is optimized for sales so that you can convert the traffic that is sent your way. The better the affiliate marketing program you create, the more downloads you will get and the more successful you will be.
Software development and distribution can be a successful branch of your business.
With the right software, you can raise your business profile and generate significant revenue.
Creating the right marketing strategy is essential if you want to maximize the potential for your software. In addition to the usual methods – such as content marketing, e-mail campaigns, search engine optimization and social media marketing – you can take advantage of these tools to drive downloads and make the distribution process a little easier.
An installer can help speed the download process and increase completion rates, and browser extensions, bundle deals and affiliate marketing programs can help you increase download rates. Don’t limit your efforts to only one of these.
Take advantage of all the tools available to you to create a multi-pronged strategy and maximize your results.
by CodeFuel Staff | Jun 16, 2014 | Installs, Monetization, Pay Per Install, Software
Creating your own software isn’t just a great challenge. It can also be a super way to grow your revenue stream. This is true whether your business is to create software for other businesses, or if you’ve just created a single software package to complement other services. While much of your revenue may come from sales of that software, why not increase your profits by monetizing your software.
Think of it as the cherry on the cake, the whipped cream on your hot chocolate, or the
Much like monetizing your website or app, there are many ways to make money from software. Here are just a few ideas on how you can monetize your software:
Customizable Installer
You’d be surprised. The software installation process presents several opportunities for monetization. For example, you can create or purchase a custom installer that will show your customers different offers during the installation process. These offers could include other software products or special discounts on related products or services.
The installer you create or customize could promote your own products or services, helping you to boost your overall revenue. The installer could also promote other products and services for which you earn a flat fee or commission when customers click on the links or purchase items through the links.
Your customers are just staring at their screens while they’re waiting for the software to download.
Why not take advantage of this opportunity to show them products that might benefit them and earn profit for you? Think of it as a win-win situation, one in which you earn money while your users stave off boredom.
Browser Extensions
One of the things that people can include when they download your software is a browser extension. You have likely such offers yourself many times when downloading new software. In many cases, you have to uncheck a box in order to prevent the download of the browser extension with the software.
You can actually make money with these types of browser extensions, and there are a couple of ways of doing so. Some people will pay you to include their browser extension because it allows them to gain tracking data that they can use for advertising.
Others will simply pay you for the number of clicks the extension generates. Explore your options to find out which makes the most sense for you.
Search Boxes
You can include search boxes right in your software, or you can make them part of a browser extension. Like browser extensions, search boxes can be used to track data for advertising insights, or they can pay you out based on the number of clicks or purchases that they generate.
You can create your own search boxes then install the advertiser’s tracking code, or you can use a box provided by a company that puts you in touch with advertisers. The latter option takes care of all the heavy lifting for you.
Bundle Deals
Including your software in a bundle package creates a better deal for your customers and makes more money for you. Partner with other businesses who offer complementary products, and include your software and theirs in a package deal. Customers will likely save money by downloading both at once. This will encourage more people to buy the bundle, increasing your revenues. Just think of it as a 2-for-1 stall on your installs.
Earn two bundle incomes with one install.
You may also be able to make money from the other business using this strategy. If your site or your business is popular enough, other businesses may pay you for the opportunity to partner with them. They will get more exposure for their product, and you will make money on the bundle deal.
In-Software Advertising
There are plenty of places you can include advertising in your software. And though these ads may not generate as much interest as the annual Super Bowl commercials, they can still boost your bottom line. And really, that’s what we’re looking for here.
Ads can appear during transitions. They can show up when the software is started. They can be placed on a sidebar, a header or a footer. They can even appear in text in the software. Where you place the advertising just depends on the functionality of your software. The ads should be unobtrusive, and they should be relevant to the user.
You can sell ads during the development phase of your software, or you can include code that allows you to update the ads continually. When you update the software, you can update the ads being displayed. This gives you opportunities to continue to present users with relevant ads, no matter how long they have had your software.
Most people focus on sales of their software when they are thinking about the revenue they can make from it. However, this is short-sighted. While software sales can surely bring in a lot of money, there are many other ways to make money from software. You can include browser extensions, search boxes or in-software advertising.
You can create bundles or custom installers. You could even take advantage of all of these opportunities. The only limit, really, is your own creativity. Think about the types of partnerships you can develop and what kind of audience you are targeting. Explore the full range of options to discover which strategies work best for your business and your software.
by CodeFuel Staff | Jun 15, 2014 | Advertising, Marketing, Monetization, Monetization News, Software
So, you’ve come up with an amazing piece of software – a stellar app, an app that has unique features, amazing potential, and maybe (just maybe) the power to change the world. It’s bug-free, easy-to-install, and user-friendly. It’s like eye-candy for the coded soul. But now you’ve run into a problem. Your app is great, but no one knows about it! A few of your friends downloaded it, and your Aunt Alice in Southwest Australia, but that’s it. No one else. Not a soul.
What you need to do next is market your app. But you’re a developer, right? You know how to develop. What in the world do you know about marketing?
You might know nothing now, but that’s going to have to change if you want people to discover your software. Because marketing is the secret to getting your software out there. And just because it’s a nine-letter word, doesn’t mean you should be intimidated by it.
Back in the Day
In the olden days, marketing was pretty simple. You placed an ad in a newspaper or magazine. You sponsored a local race. You put up billboards and handed out flyers. If you had the means, you bought a sports stadium and named it after your company.
But in today’s saturated world of software development (there are more than 1 million apps on the Chrome Web Store), waiting for people to find your app and start using it could take a very long time. In fact, it might actually never happen.
If you want your app to get noticed, you’re going to have to do a bit more than list it on the Chrome Web Store. So roll up your cargo pants, take off your flip flops, and get ready to dip your toes in the sea of software marketing.
The Scoop on Software Marketing
There are many methods of software marketing today, and they can generally be grouped into two categories: inbound marketing and outbound marketing. If you’ve never heard of these terms before, don’t sweat it. Just because you’re not familiar with the terms doesn’t mean you’re not familiar with the techniques. You’ve definitely been exposed to forms of both inbound and outbound marketing, even if you didn’t know. (Hint, hint – you’re being exposed to one right now!)
Inbound Marketing – The IN Way to Market
Let’s start with inbound marketing, the trendier form of online marketing today. The term inbound marketing was coined by Brian Halligan of HubSpot less than a decade ago. Since then, it has turned the world of software marketing (and marketing in general) on its head.
Inbound marketing is marketing that aims at drawing customers to a product in a natural way by appealing to their genuine interests. Inbound marketing efforts are meant to be interesting and value-rich. They should offer something of real benefit, knowledge, or insight, so that people become fans, admirers, and eventually, paying customers.
Primary forms of inbound marketing include podcasts, tutorials, eBooks, newsletters, social media posts, and blogs (yes, even this one!). The goal? To bring in customers that are attracted by useful information.
Outbound Marketing – I shot an arrow in the air…
Outbound marketing is the term used to describe marketing activities that are not inbound marketing. These activities are the older, more traditional elements of the marketing equation.
Outbound marketing, albeit without the fancy name, has been around since the first vacuum ad appeared in a newspaper, the first Lost Cat poster appeared on a tree, the first pizza flyer was delivered to an empty apartment. It’s a promotional arrow shot into the air. Where it falls, the marketer knows not where.
In the world of software marketing, outbound marketing efforts include mass emails, online banners, text ads, and more.
They are marketing efforts delivered to potential customers who have not asked for them, and may not have any interest in them. From a marketer’s perspective, these potential clients have hopefully been targeted in some manner. Perhaps they signed up for a mailing list because they were really interested in taking a course on deep-sea diving. Maybe they are seeing ads for a trombone case because they actually have a trombone. Hopefully, but not necessarily.
On Your Mark, Get Set, Market!
Most software marketing campaigns include both inbound and outbound marketing techniques. The combination of techniques that works best for you is something you’ll have to figure out, probably through trial and error. As for how you can get started, Mike Taber and Rob Walling from Startups for the Rest of Us suggest starting every software marketing campaign with a list. Write down your ideas. Check them twice. Then choose a few and get started.
