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Clean code, true value and the post chrome/code-apocalypse world…

(Aviv Cohen, Shieldapps CEO – March 2015)

Well, having discussed that approximately a million times with colleagues, employees and partners, the ever going battle (see below) is finally starting to tilt to the light side… call me a “Clean-Code-Jedi” if you will, but the “Dark Side’s” code manipulations, injections, take overs and what not, are taking their last few death throes before it all ends.

So what has changed? Google, Microsoft and other saints are try to make further pro-user moves, and rightfully so. Further emphasis on both clean code, no additional-insertions of all types and above all – true value – has been put and enforced. Some of the companies that have operated on various shades of grey have had to either deal and adopt, or close shop. Either that, or just cold-feet, has caused them to terminate all activity and walk away. Most of which though, found their new position in the game and adopted.

That said, things were pretty hectic on the “Jedi” side too… delivering clean software to our partners and through them to the consumers was/is not enough. Value needs to be a constant, ongoing effort – both on the technology/vendor side as well as on the consumer-facing side.

You’d expect that we would seat back, relax, smile and say ‘I told you so’ – while enjoying the migration of clientele from some of the competition to us (otherwise why would I keep preaching for value-to-users so many times…). But no. Hell no.

We have deployed a far stricter and even more compliant version of the relevant software as early as mid-December. If there is a checkbox to be checked – it has been checked.

We have added more features to the already features-rich products, both to premium AND trial versions – all of which while not harming the conversion rates and dare I say – even raising them higher (!)

One more noticeable element was Cart Value, especially now, when the 1-800 monetization has been minimized to null almost. As preached before; ‘maximize your cart value. Cross-sell and up-sell all you can to raise your user’s worth’ – and now, given less installations and upgrades to most players out there, and hardly any 1-800 conversions – this has become an acute element to all.

* those who were winter-hibernating during November-December; a couple of major Us based call centers have shut down, thus eliminating thousands of daily US speaking representatives overnight. That in turn has caused changes to the way the phones are presented in the carts and receipts, and also diverted calls to India/Philippines based call centers which dropped the conversion rates drastically. Some call centers bounced back, but are still recovering, and some did not.

 

What can you do? What’s to watch out for? How can you resurrect your marketing efforts? Is it all over for software marketing?

 

It is not over. Far from it. On the contrary – the recent changes have forced both software companies and distributors to either deal with it (the right way) or walk away. Those that could not cope with a legitimate strategy as far as the monetization and marketing are concerned, chose to cut their losses and walk. But – the majority has coped, changed their game plan, found new monetization paths and moved onwards.

 

What can you, the software marketer/affiliate do?

 

We found that a few basic changes in either operations or simply to the approach, can get you to the right place in a rather short time and limited effort;

1 – Make sure your products are compliant with all rule-making compliance-demanding code-dictators out there. Either know the rules of the game or simply rely on a solid enough software provider.

2 – Clean it up. Not just the software, but marketing too. Clean messages, true claims, and above all – if you promise it, deliver it (!)

3 – Your distributors… Who are they? How do they market your software? Is it the carrier? Is it a bundle? Is it silently installed? Is the messaging right? What gets installed along the process? The list goes on and on, and the main key is to know them or their reputation before making the deal.

Do not buy into the first/cheapest offer out there. There are hundreds of distributors, but how many of them are the actual owners of the traffic? How many of them can and will go the extra mile to optimize for you? TIP: just like white label offers, out of the hundreds of so called vendors out there, only a handful actually owns the rights and can properly brand & manage it for you… 😉 be warned – there are no free meals.

4 – Payment processing / 1-800 monetization… having talked about that far too many times I will try to keep it short, so if you are a newbie please refer to previous threads J – there are only 3-4 proper alternatives out there. Make sure you are being taken care of by the right ones for you. Cart must be the best for you and your audience. The call center must be that too. Self-service configurability is becoming a must lately, and you want a provider that can allow you to manage your own cart, and yet maintain high conversion rates at the same time. Need a good recommendation and the right referral? – feel free to reach out to us and ask for it, we will be happy to assist.

 

Deliver value, sell quality product/s and good service and business will be sustainable long term. Cut corners, make a quick buck, well… we have seen where that gets you…

 

Contact us today, to inquire about our white labeling platform and software we provide. If you know what an ‘EXE’ means, and yet we have not talked before – something isn’t right… J