Hello
I'm an IT manager, having been involved in corporate IT for twenty-odd
years, and I've been on the buying end for most of them. Below I'll
detail where I'd expect to look for anti-virus software, where I
currently see the ads, and give you some tips for setting up your
advertising plan.
The "big-boys" in the anti-virus world use a number of techniques to
reach corporate customers
- they advertise on high visibility sites
- they give away "shareware" on short period licences
- they create their own encyclopedia's of viruses
- they advertise in the trade press
Obviously I can't cover every single example of where your competitors
advertise their wares, but I can point you in the right direction,
give you contacts and examples, and tips to build your own advertising
plan.
Advertise on high visibility sites
___________________________________
Most of the big boys have their own, very slick, web presence, and
they ensure that they are linked to all the virus directories, top ten
lists and "best of" sites they can find. The Open Directory list of
anti-virus Products
( http://dmoz.org/Computers/Security/Anti_Virus/Products/ ) is one
such, highly utilised list, and if you wanted to join the big boys,
you'd have to get listed here.
They also all make sure that full product info is available on their
sites, and most have an online store for direct purchase.
They also make sure that their advertising is targeted, on high
visibility virus sites, and also software developers sites. You'd have
to make your own decisions as to which developer / virus sites to
approach for advertising, but here are some of the most visible that
I've seen used in several corporate locations.
About antivirus ( http://antivirus.about.com/
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The about site is a very high visibility area, with literally
thousands visiting every day. all looking for anti-virus info. They
accept classified ads, and sponsors. (Both McAfee and Norton advertise
here)
Classifieds pricing is based on the type of Ad you place and the
length of time you choose to run your ad, and the location of the ad
on the About network.
You can see details of their classified ads here (
http://antivirus.about.com/gi/pages/landing.htm )
BASIC AD
Features:
• 50 character headline
• 200 character description
• Inclusion in search
Pricing:
• FREE for 21 day placement – Limited Time Only (promotions may vary
from site to site)
• $7.95 for 1 month placement
• $18.95 for 3 months placement
ENHANCED AD
Features:
• 200 Character Bold Headline
• 500 Character Description
• 2 photos to help your ad stand out
• Featured listing with top placement in search and category browsing
• Guaranteed review of your ad within 1 business day of submission
Pricing:
• $14.95 for 1 month placement
• $35.95 for 3 months placement
4Virus ( http://www.4virus.com )
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
The 4Anything Network offers a wide variety of targeted placement
opportunities that enable advertisers to reach pre-qualified
consumers. They have a 4Virus page that shows up very high on all the
search engines when you use the terms "virus" or "anti-virus" . If you
advertised with them you would ensure that you reached customers only
looking to find virus information, on a high visibility site
The 4Anything Network accommodates a full spectrum of multi-media
formats, including text, rich media, DHTML, streaming audio and video,
even product placement in 4 O'Clock 4 Play, our original soap opera
that provides a one-minute daily drama on the Internet!
You'll find full details of their advertising opportunities, and their
ad rates here ( http://4virus.4anything.com/corporate/mediakit/0,2692,,00.html
)
For further information, contact William Moravinski, Director of
Advertising Sales (610)205-2928 ext. 8434
bill@4anything.com
Cnet ( http://www.cnet.com/ )
+++++++++++++++++++++++
The CNET shareware site ( http://www.shareware.com) is a huge resource
that attracts tens of thousands of people every day looking for
antivirus software. All the big boys advertise here, and you can get
details of their advertising and their contact info here (
http://www.cnet.com/aboutcnet/0-3942598-7-8749482.html?tag=swf )
Give away "shareware" on short period licences
__________________________________________
All of the big boys give away "sample" or "demo" versions of their
software on shareware pages and corporate clients look here for
software to take away and evaluate before buying. There are several of
them, but the biggest is:
Shareware.com (http://www.shareware.com).
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Probably the biggest of the shareware pages, serving millions of
downloads a year on a wide variety of products. All your competitors
are here. You can decide how much or how little to give away, and also
check out your competition by watching the activity on the antivirus
download page here( http://download.com.com/3150-2239-0.html?tag=dir )
You can join them by registering and uploading your software via (
http://upload.com.com/3910-21-0.html?app=dlas )
The site provides real-time statistics on downloads, so you can check
the popularity of your software.
The google directory (
http://directory.google.com/Top/Computers/Software/Shareware/Directories/
) provides a large list of shareware directories. Your competitors
have downloads on most of them, so you would be advised to get
yourself set up in them as well.
You might also consider giving away part of your system free, and
using the freeware download sites in the Google freeware directory at
( http://directory.google.com/Top/Computers/Software/Freeware/Directories/
)
Create your own encyclopedia of viruses
_______________________________________
All the big boys maintain virus information on their websites, This
gives their customers an incentive to keep coming back to their site,
especially if they
- keep the info up todate
- notify their users when a new virus comes in
- update and release software/virus fixes as soon as a new virus is
discovered
This means setting up a working infrastructure to do all the above. To
compete with the rest, it will have to be slick, efficient, and
comprehensive. (An anti-virus vendor who doesn't kill viruses will go
out of business fast!)
Most of the vendors have a corporate newsletter that they sign all
their customers up to. This has several advantages in that it ties the
customer in to the product and gives them a captive audience for
future sales.
Here are some examples of their "encyclopedias"
The Mcafee site
http://www.mcafee.com/anti-virus/
The Symantec site
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/vinfodb.html
The Computer Associates site
http://www3.ca.com/virusinfo/encyclopedia.asp
Note that they all have product info and downloads also listed on
these sites, giving themselves every opportunity to sell more.
Advertise in the trade press
____________________________
There is a huge list of trade magazines that carry anti-virus software
ads, and your competitors advertise in all of them. Obviously your
coverage will depend on your budget.
There is a large list of magazines and ezines at the google directory
list ( http://directory.google.com/Top/Computers/Publications/Magazines_and_E-zines/
) You should contact as many of these as you can, and ask about
"product placement" and advertising opportunities. Ad rates vary
widely depending on the mags circulation, the size of your ad, whether
it's full colour or not etc etc, but all of the big boys have ad rates
and contact details links on their sites.
I'll get you started by giving you contact points for some of the big
guys
Infoworld ( www.infoworld.com )
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
One of the biggest, with a very high circulation print magazine and an
online section. For magazine ads contact, in the first instance, the
customer service team at 402-292-5688 (8am-5pm cst) or e-mail
customerservice@infoworld.com.
For ads in the online section contact Alan Pacific, Online Ad Director
Eastern Region 414-963-9372
Computerworld (www.computerworld.com)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Thirty-five years since launching as "the newsweekly for the computer
community", Computerworld remains at the forefront of IT Leaders'
information needs and again, all your competitors advertise here. They
have a large contact list, for both the online magazine and the print
version here ( http://www.computerworld.com/services/editorialcontacts
)
Windows and .NET magazine ( http://www.winnetmag.com/magazine/ )
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Is very widely read in corporate North America, and all your
competitors advertise here. It also runs reviews of anti-virus
software and publishes white papers on security/virus issues. You can
see their adverising rates and contact info here (
http://www.winnetmag.com/mediakit/ )
You should also think about getting your product reviewed in a high
profile magazine. There are several places you can do this, such as
the Winnet mag mentioned above. The trick is to get "chummy" with
magazine editors. Contact them well in advance of your product launch
and ask if they could fit in a review. Offer them free evaluation
copies of your software, interviews with yourself or your chief
designer, offer to write "opinion" pieces for them based on your
understanding of the anticirus market....in other words, sell yourself
to them and do anything you can to get your product mentioned in their
publication.
Here is another place you can get your product reviewed
Virus Bulletin Magazine ( http://toronto.virusbtn.com/magazine/ )
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This is a UK based independent mag that runs monthly reviews of
anti-virus products. You can see the latest issue here
( http://toronto.virusbtn.com/magazine/this_month/ )
Telephone: +44 1235 555139
Email address: editorial@virusbtn.com
Virus Bulletin, The Pentagon, Abingdon Science Park, Abingdon,
Oxfordshire OX14 3YP, UK.
Other ideas
___________
Most of your competitors advertise at trade conferences, and you
should also consider doing this. You'll find a good list at (
http://directory.google.com/Top/Computers/Software/Conferences_and_Trade_Shows/
) You should consider buying a "spot" at some of these conferences, as
a lot of corporate buying goes on here, the corporates tend to send
their technical staff to them, and it is a great place to get your
product in front of the people who would eventually be evaluating it.
If you do attend, you'll need to get a "sales" kit made up for your
product ie a set of glossy materials that will sell your product, and
a "shareware" copy on CDROM to give away.
Another avenue to pursue is the Shareware CDROM giveaway as part of a
magazines promotion. Many mags give away third party software. Takew a
walk to your nearest large newsagent, and check out which mags are
giving away corporate software on CDROMs that month. Then contact the
editor or CD production editor ( the name is usually on the inside
front page of the mag) and offer your software as a shareware program
in a future issue. Editors are always looking for content - they can
only say no.
Obviously if money is no object you can the get into the realm of
"corporate" advertising, such as sponsoring sporting events, running
radio and television ads etc. In this case you'll be in the realm of
having to employ the services of marketing professionals.
Hope that all helps
willie-ga
Here are your competitors as rated by various sites
Top Ten anti-virus software developers
http://www.top10links.com/cat.php
Top antivirus sites rated by Type editors
http://www.typeworldcup.com/antivirus.asp
Google search terms used
virus magazine directory
antivirus magazine directory
virus shareware
antivirus shareware
virus site "top ten"
antivirus site "top ten" |
