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Many software developers have discovered a good way of keeping on top of their ongoing marketing needs. They have turned to us for help. With one of our long-term packages, your product stands a real chance of receiving the attention it deserves, now and in the future. Business is often associated with the dryer side of dullness, and many of us frequently refer with some distaste to "getting round to the business side of things". But over the years some very useful methods and techniques have emerged from the "other-side", many of which can be beneficial to all software vendors. After all, while you may consider much of what we do as a labour of love, you are nonetheless trying to make some money out of the whole thing as well! A good place to start is with the concept of the product life-cycle. Like most things, the sales (and demand) for your software conform to some sort of pattern. The software life cycle is a basic structure that allows you to see where you are, and what lies ahead. There are four components to the cycle; introduction, growth, maturity and decline. The first component is fairly self-explanatory; when a new product is introduced, market gain tends to be very slight, and it is almost impossible to spot any kind of emerging patterns in demand. Depending on how you launch the software, marketing costs may be high, and it is unlikely that there are any profits as such. After the creation and subsequent release of your software, this often boils down to gritting your teeth and waiting. If this stage doesn't lead into the next, then it may be time to jump ship.
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"The software life cycle is a basic structure that allows you to see where you are, and what lies ahead."
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"Competition becomes more fierce and online marketing becomes the key to your software's success."
"the introduction of new marketing strategies might be in order." |
The growth stage exhibits a rapid increase in both sales and profits, and this is the time to try and increase your product's market share. By now you should be seeing where your demand is coming from, and which of your efforts are worth spending time and energy on. With a little bit of luck, you might even have knocked some of the competition out of the way too! The growth stage is closely followed by the maturity stage, often seen as the "most common" stage for all products. Competition becomes more fierce and online marketing becomes the key to your software's success. During this time, any attempt to increase your market share will probably be expensive; growth at this stage is more likely to be down to external factors beyond your control. The final stage in the software life cycle is the decline. This doesn't necessarily mean that it's time to abandon your product altogether, but rather that the introduction of new marketing strategies might be in order. These could include new versions, new software distribution strategies, price reductions, in short anything that will inject a little life into the cycle. |
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of the software life cycle stages have their own characteristics, and
each are open to different marketing strategies being implemented.
However, for many this stage will prove to be the critical one; many
wait until this period before acting, and it is the only stage where
some sort of action is critical. Two situations are frequently confused
with a declining product. The figure below demonstrates the point.
Theoretically the software life cycle is a smooth and elegant curve; in reality there are constant short-term fluctuations due to external factors. The first common mistake is to assume that any reduction in sales signals the onset of the decline phase. The area between points 1 and 2 may at first appear to be decline, but in fact are part of the growth stage. Similarly, the area between points 3 and 4 may at first be read as a new growth phase; in fact it is little more than a temporary increase that has no real significance. |
"Theoretically the product life cycle is a smooth and elegant curve; in reality there are constant short-term fluctuations due to external factors" |
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"Professionalism and management techniques are not the sole prerogative of the big-boys; we can do far worse than picking-up a few of their better habits."
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Once
you've applied software life cycle model to your own product, there
are an unlimited number of options and strategies that may be implemented,
according to the specifics of your software and its current stage
in the life cycle. Before responding to any of the stage characteristics,
don't forget to consider the external factors, particularly in response
to the decline phase. My own favourite for analysing external factors
is the PEST analysis; Political, Economic, Social and Technological
- between them they pretty well cover the whole lot. Take all of this
information into account before jumping to any conclusions.
As we mentioned earlier, a steadily growing number of shareware authors have discovered that it is not only easier to let us deal with the business side of things, but it also has a beneficial effect on sales. Have a look at some of our case studies - maybe our promotional services could be an option for you, too?As with all business ideas and theories, keep an open mind, be honest with yourself, and never rule out any option before thoroughly chewing it over. Professionalism and management techniques are not the sole prerogative of the big-boys; we can do far worse than picking-up a few of their better habits. The shareware industry is seen as amateur and unprofessional by far too many people; don't start believing it yourself. Be seen, be sold.
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All articles are Copyright © 1998-2004 by SharewarePromotions Ltd. All rights Reserved. Any reproduction or reuse of these pages or their contents requires the advance permission of Dave Collins of SharewarePromotions Ltd.
