Software development companies are tricky to market because, unlike some other B2B companies, the target audience is not looking for a product that will make their lives easier or more enjoyable. Instead, the target audience of software development companies is looking for a company that can solve business problems by creating trustworthy and useful software. And with an industry that's consistently growing, it's becoming increasingly difficult to stand out among the competition.

In this article, we'll discuss proven marketing strategies you can use to help your company stand out in the fiercely competitive software development industry.

Get On Social Media

You need to get on social media. Social media is becoming an increasingly important part of our daily lives, and a company like yours needs to be present there. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest—are all great places to reach a wider audience. According to a recent survey, more than 75 percent of adults under 35 use social media. This means that you'll reach not only an older clientele but also younger prospects who may or may not have heard of your company yet.

Social media can also help you communicate with potential clients that aren't ready to make a purchase quite yet. Ask yourself: what do my customers want? What do they need? Which platforms can I use as vehicles to provide them with that information?

The bottom line is this: your business needs to be on social media if you want it to grow (and I know you do).

Expertise Through Webinars, Seminars, and Workshops

Webinars, seminars, and workshops are a great way to show off your expertise to the world. Use these events to build your brand and get your name out there. Since they are usually free of charge, you will attract many people that might be interested in your services but don’t have the money to pay for them right now. That doesn’t mean they won’t use your services in the future if you create a good impression on them.

Promote these events like crazy on social media, so more people attend them. Webinars can be held online during the quarantine due to COVID-19 as well. Due to the pandemic situation, we recommend going with webinars over seminars and workshops since those smaller gatherings could cause problems (if only one person is infected).

Webinars, seminars, and workshops can help you grow your audience and even turn some of them into loyal customers in the future. They are also perfect for building relationships with other businesses that could lead to collaborations or partnerships down the road if things go well between you two.

Highlight Customer Success

While it is essential to be open and honest with your customers, companies often think that the best way to do this is by highlighting their achievements. While the intention is good, customers want to find other people's success stories in similar situations and businesses.

Sharing customer success stories can effectively break down barriers and establish trust with new leads. These stories allow you to speak from a place of experience, not theory or assumption, which allows your prospects to have a realistic view of what it's like to work with you.

While these customer case studies are an excellent way for prospects to learn how your company's software development has helped others improve their business, they also showcase how knowledgeable you are about the industry trends. This will help show potential clients that you understand their business challenges and goals.

Prospects want a solution provider who understands what they are going through and can empathize with them.

Build Thought Leadership

Thought leadership is the cornerstone of any marketing strategy. Your clients need to know that they can trust you to deliver on your promises—and often, it’s not enough for them to just hear it from you. They’re looking for independent sources that prove your expertise.

That doesn’t mean you should sit back and wait for people to talk about how great you are. You can build trust by being a reliable source of information yourself, with content such as:

  • Blog posts and articles
  • Videos
  • Podcasts

To become a thought leader, you must be active across multiple channels. Don’t limit yourself to sharing content on your blog or YouTube channel only—expand your reach by interacting with your audience directly through social media platforms like LinkedIn and Quora. You can also follow other thought leaders in your industry and engage with them in discussions, helping build credibility across the board and increase brand awareness.

Get Reviews on Review Sites

Your company's presence on sites Clutch.co, Goodfirms, etc. is critical for success. Here are the reasons why:

  • You can be listed for free on most of these sites – all you need to do is claim your profile and fill out the information about your company/product.
  • Just listing on one of these sites makes you appear more legitimate in the eyes of buyers, who are always wary of being scammed or signing up a development studio that doesn’t meet their needs.
  • Reviews carry weight with buyers, who use review platforms to vet each firm they discover before contacting someone at the company.

Create an Email Campaign

Email marketing is an excellent way to reach out to existing customers and prospective clients. Email campaigns are a great, simple way to get your message out there.

To start off, you'll want to keep your email short. It's the best practice for emails anyway; people don't read long emails. Instead of trying to sell them on something in the email, give them a link for more information, and be sure to include a call to action that encourages them to do so. You can also set up automated emails that will allow you to send custom messages at certain times or based on specific actions (for example, you could send a thank-you email after someone signs up for your mailing list).

Monitor and Analyze Results to Improve Marketing Strategy

Monitoring and analyzing your marketing efforts is essential to the success of your strategy. It’s not enough to create a website or a landing page and just leave it there. You need to regularly take stock of what’s working for you and what isn’t. That way, you can make improvements where needed.

To monitor/analyze results, you need to:

  • Set up tracking for your campaigns
  • Track the performance of each campaign
  • Track the performance of each content piece
  • Know which assets generate leads
  • Understand how long it takes from first contact to a sale
Implementing a B2B marketing strategy for your software development company can be intimidating, but there are ways you can make it easier.

Despite the challenges, implementing a B2B marketing strategy for your software development company can be relatively easy if you approach it with the right tools. To ensure that your efforts are successful, develop a plan to implement them and stick to it!