Win promoters with shareware

Don’t just sell software, win promoters for your business!

Just one sell won’t boost your profits. Higher incomes are a direct result of more sales and repeat business. Concentrate on implementing sales and marketing tactics to convince customers to return to your website and buy more software.

Remember that satisfied customers might turn into promoters - satisfied clients who recommend your services and products to others, and this kind of publicity is very valuable for your business.

Here are a few tips on how to succeed on the shareware market:

Let customers try the software before buying the full version

Market your software products with free evaluation. This will allow them to see exactly how your software works and make an informed buying decision. This maximizes the number of satisfied customers.

Unfortunately, not many software developers consider shareware as a strategic selling technique. But day after day, as it proves its efficiency, shareware distribution becomes more popular for both authors and customers.

Make a special offer two weeks after the evaluation period started

Here are just a few ideas:

extend the free trial period;

offer more features for the shareware version of the software they downloaded;

offer free copies of your software to those users who provided the most useful feedback that helped you improve your software;

develop more products, release them as beta software, and offer your clients the chance to test it;

offer custom version of your software for users who are interested in something a little bit different.

When you sell shareware you have endless possibilities of creating an appealing offer for your clients. Use one of these, create a mix or come up with your own promotion concept to improve your shareware distribution and boost your sales. The idea is to let everybody know that you have a special offer for potential buyers.

Collect basic customer data before downloading

At first sight this might look like a good hook, but collecting personal information to increase download sales is still under a lot of debate. Many still argue about the necessity of asking for an e-mail address.

There are specialists that approve of this method, when it’s not carried out in an aggressive way, because:

it is easier to stay in touch with your clients;

you can release regular updates and enhancements of your products and notify the customers by e-mail;

you can improve your customers’ satisfaction and make them aware that their opinion counts by asking them to take part in surveys and polls;

it is a chance to enhance your cross-selling techniques;

gives you the opportunity to identify the most profitable clients.

However, many shareware authors are against requesting personal information for the following reasons:

if a user is interested in your software he will download and pay for it without having to waste time filling forms with personal information;

many users are very protective of their e-mail address (for spam reasons);

this procedure may annoy people who don’t feel comfortable sharing this kind of information;

your software demo is the best promotion method and no other kind of advertising could bring higher results;

many sites that list shareware programs don’t allow the collection of personal information before a download, so you risk getting banned.

If you choose to ask for an e-mail address and more detailed personal information, is something that you’ll have to decide yourself weighing the pros and cons listed above. Monitor for a while your sales and if the method you choose brings positive results, stick to it.

Use follow-up strategies

Follow up with "thank you" e-mails when a visitor downloads your software. It's also a good idea to present a questionnaire when the user uninstalls the software. Continue to offer support 5-7 days after the installation of the shareware version.

Try at all times to be there for the potential client. Make him feel that he found a partner who is interested in his needs. Concentrate not on selling software, but on solving problems. Follow-up strategies help you maintain a close and active relation with your clients.

Avoid directing your visitors straight to the .exe file

Allow them to visit your website, see what other software products you have for sale. This way you have the chance to build on your professional image. Nevertheless don’t overlook including "buy now" buttons on your website and of course in the programs you sell.

Ask users to evaluate your software

Many shareware authors think that their products are perfect. But when they get feedback from users, surprises occur. Use this feedback to improve your software, not to get disappointed.

You can set up questionnaires to ask users what they like and dislike about your products, and what improvement they think would be necessary. Make any necessary adjustments, then thank them for their involvement and let them know that their opinion mattered.

Remember, there are countless websites that sell software just a click away. A dissatisfied customer who won’t make a complaint is very likely to turn to your competition. In reality, most dissatisfied customers do not complain, but they do tell their friends about it, and bad publicity isn't always good publicity.

Encourage your users to complain about the difficulties they encounter when using your software, pay attention to them, and try continuously to improve the software.

Don’t wait to have a ton of complaints, take action after each and every one. Keep in mind that client service is a must nowadays for every software seller.

Offer free stuff

To increase your potential sales, you could also include on your website some small applications for personal use, such as games, screensavers, etc., that are completely free of charge.

Remember that nothing attracts visitors on a website more than the word FREE. Visitors, who come to your site for free stuff might turn into buyers if they see a product that presents interest to them. Don’t neglect this as a freeware distribution technique.

Read full article.

Copyright © 2006, www.avangate.com all rights reserved.

This article was written by a Web Marketing Specialist at Avangate B.V. Avangate is an eCommerce platform for electronic software distribution incorporating an easy to use and secure online payment system plus additional marketing and sales tools.