How'd you market your product?

Hi, all!

I joined a few days ago looking for feedback. I love writing web applications, but have not a clue how best to market my products.

Do you personally rely on word-of-mouth, use Twitter, advertise...? What have you used?

I did have one idea that I thought was unique: create a splash/welcome page before the product is launched and offer it at a decent discount. With every sign up the price increases a few cents until it reaches the launch price. What do you think?

Cory

Cory

Here are some suggestions about marketing your products.

First, you need to decide:

Who (or what) is your market?

You may have several. Brainstorm groups and then refine. The more you know about the groups you want to reach, the less time you waste getting to them.

Who (or what) is your competition?

(Also... where is it?) If you're in a particularly cut-throat field you will want to look closely at what your competition does and how they market their product(s). Take the term "competition" broadly--you can always learn from what others do.

How will you price your product?

Consider such factors as production time, the costs of being in business as well as what you need to be paid. If you're planning on a volume pricing scheme (sell at a low cost but sell thousands or millions of the item) you may want to figure out the point at which you will break even. Some people need to recognize what is a loss leader, introducing people to their product or services; others prefer to avoid this kind of information.

Then,
Plan and set some goals.

For each marketing technique you develop, consider the return you expect. At what point will you know that this technique has been successful? At what point will you revise it or drop it altogether because it's not bringing in the results you need?

Target your marketing techniques to match what you understand about the groups you wish to reach. Don't for example, design a website in predominantly red and green colors if you're trying to reach people who are color blind. (They won't be able to see the subtilties.) The latest tricks are great if your market is the highly tech-savvy; if you're trying to reach a broader public it may be confusing.

Well, that's a start. I'm sure others will have suggestions, too.

Oh, and, consider whether you might benefit from a consultation with a marketing expert. A 1-2 hour conversation might put you on the right track more quickly and cheaply than working things out yourself.

**added later:
I just realised I didn't answer your direct question, Cory:
Word of mouth...Twitter (or other social media sites)...advertising?
It depends on what will appeal most to your target market(s) and the kind of impact you want or need to have. You will probably need at least two if not all three to make a successful business.

Don't forget your local market ... effective networking can return HUGE dividends.
Online marketing is not a one fits all strategy ... do test marketing to determine what works best for you.

The only way I market my products is via email(rarely), facebook(occasionally) and digitalpoint forums(always).
As long as I have some good testimonials/reviews I know I'll be making sales.

Originally Posted by codeguru Hi, all! I joined a few days ago looking for feedback. I love writing web applications, but have not a clue how best to market my products. Do you personally rely on word-of-mouth, use Twitter, advertise...? What have you used? I did have one idea that I thought was unique: create a splash/welcome page before the product is launched and offer it at a decent discount. With every sign up the price increases a few cents until it reaches the launch price. What do you think? Cory

I use all of the above and then some, contrary to popular belif there are good networks out there that give out free ebooks with good information in them... hard to believe? its true but u have to dig a bit to find them. like there are some smaller CPA networks that will give you ebooks, faster payouts and better support.

keep an eye out and if you do what you love money will follow!

Hey all,

Thanks for the encouraging feedback! It really does help.

Steve, I hadn't really considered my local market. I'll spend an hour or two tomorrow creating a list of web designers and developers in Omaha and contacting them to see what invoicing system they're currently using and if they'd be willing to use something that's, in my opinion, better than SaaS as far as flexibility is concerned (my product can be downloaded and hosted on customers' web servers).

And I wish I knew your name, Lowengard, but your suggestions are very helpful. I think that my market, specifically, is anyone who does custom WordPress theme development. One of the differences with my application is that, after purchasing, customers have access to the full source code and can download and install it on their web server. I didn't like turning down projects because other online SaaS invoicing applications (the competition) didn't allow much for customizability.

As far as pricing, that's a little shot in the dark. I'd love to price it similar to activeCollab as a one-time fee, but how do I build in support into the fee without alienating those who don't want to pay for it? If it's offered as a separate add-on, I don't think people will necessarily pay for it, but will leave them frustrated if they're forced to purchase it before calling me. Similar to Apple; I love their products, but don't like their support fee for Apple Care. I can't have it for free.

As an example, a competitor charges around $50 per month for a comparable service, or $600 per year. Should I charge more, less or the same? I'm considerably smaller than them, but offer something I think is very unique and in demand: open source invoicing (although I want to shy away from using that because "open source" means "free to download and install" in most cases, whereas my application is commercial open source).

I've pondered selling the application on credit so the $299 to $599 or so one-time fee is easier to manage. Perhaps $199 deposit and then divide the remaining balance over two-to-three months? The disadvantage to me is that the full source code will be provided, even before customers pay the full fee (I do not want to encrypt or encode any files).

What are your thoughts?

Cory

You may wish to include in your array of options the Facebook Page. A lot of people are into Facebook now. Having a Facebook Page is a big step closer to making sales, by using it to lead people in Facebook to your web site.

Facebook is a huge step in getting traffic, maybe, getting sales, not so much. But it all helps so use everything possible. Focus on online and offline, forums, blogs, articles, testimonals, twitter, facebook, other social networking programs, word of mouth, adwords and other PPC, offer something enticing in return, which seems to be working well for me. Think outsdie the box.