Shareware Marketing

[Mike Brown]

Hi Monte,

I am not familiar with your specific software or market, but in general, the
methods I have used for marketing software include ad campaigns using Google
AdWords and Overture Key Words.  This allows you to target very specific
search terms across the major search engines.  The results are trackable and
you can control the budget.

Develop a website for retailing the software that is capable of:

Registering visitors in a mailing list in exchange for a free, partially
functional demo.  This will be useful for announcements and new releases

Offer a partially functional demo with the ability to be "unlocked" with a
key code

Track sales and demo downloads through unique URLs issued to different
affiliates or ad campaigns so you know what is working and what isn't

Offer discounts and specials to your list and affiliates, schools etc...
Create dedicated landing pages on your site that are targeted towards these
groups and the discount.

I have registered with a couple dozen shareware sites that have not yielded
any sales to date but my registration with download.com offering a partially
functional demo continues to be my largest generator of sales for over a
year.  Google Ad words generate my second greatest number of leads followed
by individual promotions and affiliate marketing.  Sending out a discounted
offer via e-mail to individuals that downloaded the demo (but did not
purchase) also generates a significant bump in sales.

I am marketing software with a general consumer user base, so I do not have
to target as tightly as you will need to but some of these methods would
still apply.  BTW: the other ideas offered thus far are great.  Offering
something for free, postcards, affiliate marketing and possibly avoiding the
term "shareware" are all excellent recommendation.

Good Luck!
Best,
Mike

Mike Brown
Cyber-NY Interactive
212-475-2721
1-888-70-CYBER
mike at cyber-ny.com