Best Trialware Campaign.First place: SmartDraw Software URL URL in full Uniform Resource Locator Address of a resource on the Internet. The resource can be any type of file stored on a server, such as a Web page, a text file, a graphics file, or an application program. : www.smartdraw.com A hundred shareware Software on the "honor system." The concept is that users try a product, and if they like it, they voluntarily pay a set registration fee or make a donation to the program's creator. There are tens of thousands of shareware programs; some fantastic, some awful. sites: SmartDraw Software is a small company (under $1 million in sales) that has made online marketing the focus of its entire marketing effort. Marketing director Philip Steele says the company last year began searching for free shareware sites to carry a trialware version of its $49 drawing program, and ended up finding more than 100 sites--many of which were willing to carry reviews or to offer special promotions. "The free exposure provided by these sites is the foundation of SmartDraw's success," says Steele, "and we vigilantly maintain our shareware site listings with regular press releases and personal contacts." In turn, the trialware downloads generate traffic for SmartDraw's Web site, which showcases "cool examples" of applications contributed by customers. And trialware users are also invited to enroll in a "SmartDraw Users Group," so the company can send them reminders of the benefits of registering and announcements of upgrades. Trialware downloads don't always translate into much sales volume, but SmartDraw's tightly integrated effort seems to be working. Steele says sales have risen 40% over 1997, and profits are up by 105%. SmartDraw Software, 9974 Scripps Ranch ranch, large farm devoted chiefly to raising and breeding cattle, horses, sheep, and goats. The cattle ranch was introduced from Latin America to Texas and the plains of the W United States and Canada. Blvd. #35, San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. , Calif. 92131; 619/549-0314. Finalist: Best Software URL: www.bestsoftware.com/abraprioritymail Take a tour: As many unhappy trialware marketers have discovered, free downloads usually don't turn into sales without some kind of supplementary merchandising merchandising Element of marketing concerned especially with the sale of goods and services to customers. One aspect of merchandising is advertising, which aims to capture the interest of the segment of the population most likely to buy the product. effort. Best Software, a developer of high-end accounting and human resources The fancy word for "people." The human resources department within an organization, years ago known as the "personnel department," manages the administrative aspects of the employees. software, has found a solution to this problem: When prospects visit the company's Web site to download To receive a file transmitted over a network. In any communications session, "download" means receive, and "upload" means send. The download/upload often implies a big/little scenario, in which data is being downloaded from the "big" server into the "little" user's computer. a 30-day trialware version, they're first invited (but not required) to take a 23-screen tour of the product. In addition, Best relies on direct mail campaigns to drive traffic to its download site, so almost all its sales prospects have already read a sales message before they even reach the Best site. Internet client services manager Dayna Pittman says the combination of direct mail and trialware has had a powerful impact on sales: Compared to direct mail alone, the new campaign has lifted response rates by 220%, increased average order size by four times, and dramatically shortened short·en v. short·ened, short·en·ing, short·ens v.tr. 1. To make short or shorter. 2. the sales cycle. Best Software, 888 Executive Center Dr. W, St. Petersburg, Fla. 33702; 813/579-1111. |
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