Learn how to market software online successfully. To start selling software online, visit https://www.payloadz.com

1. How to Market Software Online
Just having perfect software is not enough to gain you sales. If you run your own
software business, marketing is also important. Hundreds of thousands of software
programs are available online. For any type of software, you can usually find 20
products that fit what clients want. Because of the stiff competition, it is important
to learn marketing techniques that can help you sell software online.
Marketing Techniques Overview
Some techniques to market software work better than others. People typically select
a particular marketing technique based on target audience and the marketing
budget. Here are some examples of marketing techniques to use for marketing
software:
• Search engine optimization
• Search engine marketing
• Email marketing
• Affiliate marketing
• Forums
• Shareware and trial downloads
The Beginning of Marketing Software Online: The Target Audience
Before you spend a dime on marketing your software program, understand your
target audience, the people who might buy your product. Ask yourself who needs
your software and what tasks can be performed using the software. Potential buyers
need to find what they want. This means targeting the right audience with your
marketing strategy. Until you identify and understand your target audience, you
can’t use the right marketing tools.
The Ps of Marketing
There are four P’s in marketing to consider:
• Product
• Price
• Place
• Promotion
The product is your software, which has a certain value to the target audience. The
price needs to determine the value of your product, which is often supply versus
demand. Is there a high demand for your software and low supply? If so, you can
increase the price. The place is where you will sell your software. In this case, it’s
online. The promotion of your product will be discussed later in this guide. If you
can keep these four Ps in mind as you start your strategy and examine the target

2. audience, it will be easy to market your software online.
Search Engine Optimization
Search engine optimization is what you do to promote your website on search
engines. It is an indirect method of promotion that does not involve paying search
engines for promoting your website. Because most people search online for
software, software sellers need to be present on search engines and rank higher
than other sellers. Search engines discover your website and show it in search
results for specific queries based on your website’s content. SEO content writing is a
specialized skill; you might want to hire an expert for writing content. If you plan to
write the content yourself, several tools are available to find keywords that people
use on search engines. SEO is a long-term marketing activity that takes time and
consistent effort to bring in results; however, if done properly, it can be one of your
most efficient marketing activities.
Search Engine Marketing
Search engine marketing is targeted to people searching for information online. SEM
involves paying search engines for displaying ads related to keywords people use to
search. Because the payment to search engines is usually based on the price for each
click, it is also called pay-per-click advertising. The ads are shown along with the
normal search engine results and are given a prominent place on the page, usually
above the normal results. SEM is a highly targeted form of advertising in which you
choose keywords for your ads. You can also set the maximum price that you are
willing to pay for each click on your ads. Before starting an SEM campaign, create
effective landing pages where people will arrive after they click on your ads. The
landing pages should be precise and clearly define what people can expect from
your product. The next step could be downloading the trial version of the software
or making a payment.
Email Marketing
Many consumers look down on email marketing, but with more regulation of email
accounts and what companies can and cannot do, email marketing is making a
comeback. Most consumers do not want to see spam, email that does not benefit
them. Here is email marketing that isn’t considered spam:
• Coupons
• Discount offers
• Trial offers
• Newsletters
Coupons and discount offers are reasons people may share their email addresses
willingly with companies. If you offer a discount for software downloads to people
who downloaded the trial version, they might be more likely to buy your software. If

3. a customer goes to your site, leaves an email address but does not buy something,
send a trial of your software through email. That reminds potential customers you
exist and gives them a chance to try your product. Most customers won’t buy
software online unless they have tried it first or trust the company. Newsletters can
get consumer attention. A newsletter, like a blog on your site, needs to be worthy of
reading. Provide some useful tips on it.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is one of most cost-efficient techniques used for marketing
software. Affiliate marketing involves recruiting affiliates who promote and market
your software in return for a commission on each sale they bring your way. You can
use several affiliate networks to find affiliates willing to promote your software.
Affiliate networks also help manage affiliates, track sales and make reports and
payments to affiliates.
Forums
Forums provide places to discuss topics with others interested in the same topic. An
online search shows several forums for almost all types of software. Forums,
therefore, provide an avenue to reach a highly targeted group to which you can
market your software programs. Check with the forum administrators to determine
whether they allow advertising. Other ways to market software on forums are to
participate in discussions and present your software as solutions to specific
problems.
Shareware and Trial Downloads
It’s debatable whether shareware should be continued; however, there is value in it.
With shareware, you offer your software products for free. That does not mean you
need to provide the entire product for free. You can provide a trial version or limited
version of your software as the shareware. That gives people a look at the software,
which can help sell the product. For full features, customers can download the
software for a fee. By sharing your software for free, consumers can see the value of
the purchase. Microsoft, for example, provides a free trial of its version of Office
Suite each time a new version rolls out. If it didn’t do that, customers might be
content to stay with the old version. Have different versions of your software for
different operating systems. Successfully selling software online means providing
the product your target audience wants. This requires you to have more than one
version, like the trial and shareware options.
PayLoadz for Marketing Software
If you are marketing a software program, have a strong system in place to sell and
deliver software. PayLoadz is one sales platform to examine. With PayLoadz, you
have access to a software security system, automated delivery, marketing tools, a

4. storefront and a shopping cart. PayLoadz offers a free account to get started and a
paid account with more tools for marketing and selling software.
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