In the previous two articles, we discussed pre-launch strategy and launch strategy respectively. But keep in mind that there is a maximum of 3 months before launch and only about 1 to 2 weeks after launch, but it can last a long time after launch. Hypothetically, if your theme/plugin is successful, it can last forever. That’s why I wanted to dedicate this entire article to discussing 10 killer strategies you can take action immediately to make your theme/plugin a success.
Before we start the last day of this conference, let’s review the series outline:
Visit social networks, forums, discussion boards, communities and use their search tools to find people who are looking for solutions provided by your theme/plugin. Post a reply with a link to your marketing website and tell them how it will solve their problem and make their life easier.
Remember, don’t be spam. For example, if you’re looking for opportunities on Twitter, don’t use the same tweet template every time. Because once they notice that your timeline looks exactly the same, they know you're spamming. Not only will this not help you get sales, it will also lose people’s trust.
Support is what separates a top-notch theme/plugin from a crappy theme/plugin. If you provide quality support, your customers will be satisfied and more than happy to spread the word about your theme/plugin. Conversely, if you provide low-quality support, your customers may go out and talk about the terrible experience they just had. You could end up in a worse situation than this.
You can enhance customer service in 6 different ways:
If you know a lot about your field, don't hesitate to post content that you think will be useful to others. Through consistent, high-quality content publishing, you can build a reputation as an expert in your field. Therefore, potential customers won’t have too many concerns while purchasing the products you offer.
How-to articles are great ways to get started (like the one you're currently reading). They are easy to remember, actionable, and have an impact on readers because they feel like they learned something immediately.
Conduct thorough customer surveys once or twice a year so you can understand how your theme/plugin is performing from your customers’ perspective. To maximize the chance of a complete response, you should send an email to your entire customer base.
Here are some sample questions you can ask your customers:
If you meet someone you think your product would be a good fit for, don’t hesitate to email them personally. But remember, it will be annoying if you just ask them to buy your theme/plugin in the first email conversation. Instead, offer it as a solution and clearly tell them how it will save them time and money.
This is my email template:
Hey $name,
Just saw your portfolio via $referrer. Do you have clients asking for a better WordPress editor? Our tool Artsy Editor may be able to save you and your clients a lot of trouble. http://artsyeditor.com
Stephen
Once you get into the top 10 lists of major blogs, people will think of you as one of the leaders in your field. It adds a lot of credibility and trust to your theme/plugin that cannot be achieved otherwise.
A great way to attract the attention of bloggers for writing a top 10 list post is to design a well-designed comparison page between your product and your competitor’s product. Focus on those you are good at. But don’t completely ignore people who are not you. One-sided comparisons can turn people off due to a lack of honesty.
The sooner you start tracking metrics, the less money you will lose. For each metric you test, you can learn what works and what doesn't. So you can keep doing the things that are going well and start fixing the things that are not going well.
You can track any of the following:
If you are alone without anyone's help, it will be difficult for you to succeed in business. If you are developing a WordPress theme/plugin, there are many great opportunities for collaboration. You can cross-promote sales with people who have products that complement yours. You can partner with someone who is doing something similar outside of WordPress and offer both products together as a complete package. You can go to one-a-day deal promotion sites like AppSumo, Startups.com and negotiate a deal that will not only bring you revenue but also increase brand awareness.
Occasionally design and run a fun contest. It has many benefits:
Contest examples can be found on WooThemes, Dropbox.
Customer interviews and case studies are both beneficial. It helps your potential users understand real use cases about your theme/plugin. It will also bring some extra exposure to the clients you interview.
When conducting customer interviews, the most important thing is to be honest. Don’t put limits on what you talk about. Let your customers (ideally, they should fall in love with your theme/plugin) tell others how great it is and how others have used it to help improve their lives.
Now, after taking the time to read 3 long educational articles on marketing, it is worthless if you don’t take action. So I encourage everyone to take one piece of advice from this series and implement it immediately. If you have an idea, remember to go through a complete idea validation process with potential customers before writing code. If you’re about to launch a product, remember the importance of storytelling when pitching to media and influencers. If you have already started and insist on developing themes/plugins, please use one of the ten methods I teach you, I believe it will bring you some new hope and guide you on the road to success.
What are you waiting for?
If you have any questions, I'll follow the comments as well as my email: stephen@artsyeditor.com. (Note: I’ve also written about 60 post-launch strategies for startups on the Artsy Editorial Blog.)
Miss the first few days of this series?
The above is the detailed content of Post-Launch: A Comprehensive Marketing Guide for WP Developers, Part 3. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!