what is the most effective and cheapest way of advertising your software product?

Here are some ideas:

1. Develop strategic partnerships with websites where your target audience goes. If you have a software for small businesses, then you may want to approach small business portals or online magazines targeting small businesses and offer a partnership deal with them. You have to address the question - what is it for me? Give potential partners a hefty commission for every sale (or if you are generous, lead) that they send your way. But monitor how the partner is marketing your product - ask them if they can include a mention of your software in their newsletters, give them banners (or leaderboards or boxes or other creatives) that they can run in their websites, give them ad sales copy that they can use, and check if they are actually doing anything to market your product.

2. Create an affiliate program. Expand the strategic partnership route even further and develop your own affiliate program. There may be other websites out there that would be willing to sell your software for you in exchange for a percentage of sales. However, you would need infrastructure, and a person who could monitor the affiliate program.

3. Make sure your product is listed in software review and download sites such as CNET Download.com, Tucows.com and similar websites. They are the place people go to when they need a software, and you need to be there.

4. Get tech magazines (print and online) to review your software. If you get good reviews and the review is featured/published, that is a great source of free publicity for your business.

5. Offer a free trial version of your software. Those who download a free trial version are more likely to buy.

6. Advertise where your target market gathers. You need to be visible where your buyers are. Whether buying sponsored text links or banner advertising, measure your ROI carefully.

7. Pay per click search advertising. As always, carefully track your keywords and your ROI.

8. Write articles. Articles can help boost your traffic, increase your pagerank, establish yourself as an authority in the field, and get more sites to link to you. It may not be a direct way to get sales, but it can help in the long run

9. Press release. While some press release services cost $650 to use, some are less than $100 and others are even free. Everytime you release a new version, land a partnership deal or something good is happening in your business, write a press release and send it around.

10. Improve your conversion Getting visitors is one thing; getting them to buy your products is a whole different story. Read the article "10 Ways to Convert Visitors to Buyers" http://www.powerhomebiz.com/072005/conversion.htm for tips on how to improve your conversion rates

To make it free and spread it free.

It will become a must-have if its good.

But if people will like it free, you may make edition #2 a shareware one. People, who have already got used to it, will with great probability purchase a relatively 'newer' second version. Hence, initial advertising costs are zero.

But if your software is not as good as it actually declares, when it is like a myriad of others, than try to make an advertisement. Some idiots may even purchase it for the first time. But I think not many.

Avast pro, avg, NOD32 definitely or McAffe

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