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Requirements for publishing a commercial Windows application

Robin R.Robin R. subscriber Posts: 1 Member
edited October 2017 in Marketing
I have developed a Windows application that I want to publish as commercial software. It is mature, used for 30+ man years and everyone I demonstrated it to was impressed by its functionality. I am going to market it for a small fee, such as $20.

I am targeting everyone in every country. My app is a note-taking software called "Softbook" and thus everyone from students to pros can use it for their personal/business needs. It is flexible and I hope to market it to users across the world. I'm guessing the bulk of my clientele will be from US/Europe.

My findings are below:

Product - Already developed, beta-tested, relatively bug free, decent user interface, intuitive..

Website - HTML website under construction by myself. Will include a short video to showcase the app in under 30 seconds. Will have an eCommerce system like Magento/OpenCart and payment gateway by CCAvenue. This allows for credit card, debit card and net-banking (Indian banks only).

Marketing - Absolute newbie here. Will have to do basic promos on Facebook/Instagram as well as use Google AdWords for acquiring qualified leads (people already interested in similar apps). Might employ SEO services (click farms?) which may promote the ranking of my site/app within Google. Any ideas appreciated..

Licences - I used various open source components. So within my "about" dialog I linked to an HTML file containing a list of all such components and their licenses. All components allow distribution with commercial software.

EULA - Should I just copy an EULA of any random app and modify it for my needs? Any other legal documents need to be prepared by me?

Support - I am familiar with providing customer support via email, Github Issues, and even TeamViewer for remote assistance/remote debugging... No issues here...

Anything else?

If anyone has experience with software publishing, please comment on anything that I have missed or could improve. I could use help in the marketing segment as I am totally unfamiliar with that. The technical side I can handle reasonably well... Thank you!

Comments

  • Ryan O'BlenessRyan O'Bleness administrator Posts: 1,137 Site Admin
    edited October 2017
    In terms of marketing you should also consider creating how-to videos of how to use it and post that socially and on your website. Show how your software solves a problem. 

    You may also want to have a blog online about software in general: hot topics, troubleshooting, best software for  (insert topic here: bookkeeping, marketing, etc.). Use top of the funnel keywords to attract new users organically. Subtly link to your products in the posts (don't go overboard). Remember the point of the blog is to position yourself as an authority in the industry. Not to spam your readers for your own gain. 

    Once your software is being used, collect testimonials and post those on your website as well. 

    One other option is influencer marketing. Get a leading authority with a large/engaging following in the IT world to promote your products. But this can get expensive. 

    Hope this helps! 

    Ryan O'Bleness
    Community Manager
    StartupNation, LLC
  • Wade WilsonWade Wilson subscriber Posts: 6 Member
    Interesting post, thanks for information
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