How to promote products through free promotion strategies?

The product has been launched and a free-to-use strategy has been adopted after the release. This article mainly uses the perspective of a product manager, combined with economic analysis and recent work gains, to form the overall process of the strategy and share the thinking method of the entire workflow.

This article is structured as follows:

1. Background of Free Strategy
2. Product Positioning
3. Current situation (difficulties) analysis
4. Develop a strategy
5. Benefit Analysis
6. Summarize

1. Background of the free strategy

Based on the existing product development strategy, define the future product development direction. If the product positioning is to occupy the market volume, expanding the user base is the key point.

For software products, they are divided into To B and To C according to user categories:

• For B-side users, there are specific usage scenario requirements, and it is difficult to expand usage. After the product is launched (mass production), the product scenario coverage is relatively saturated;
• For C-end users, the usage scenarios are flexible, and different user groups can be divided according to their characteristics. After portraying the user portrait, user needs can be met in multiple dimensions, user satisfaction can be improved, and user stickiness can be increased.

For C-end users, expanding user usage is the first step; after the product is launched, as long as there are users using it, demand will be generated, and we will continue to optimize functions around the demand, enhance product capabilities, and attract more users.

The overall product value chain repeats itself, based on the input of product demand, after repeated market verification, the next version of the product is optimized.

2. Product Positioning

In the process of a product going from 0 to 1, it needs to go through: market analysis - product positioning - product planning - product design - product development - product testing - product launch - the next round of iteration cycle.

Throughout the product life cycle, product positioning is crucial and points out the direction of future development. In this process, the following issues need to be clarified:

• Targeting users
• Positioning value

The following content starts with the above two analysis directions and describes them in detail by introducing the questions and analysis framework (Q&A):

1. Target users

1) Answer the following questions:

• Who is the user?
• What are the characteristics of these users?
• What is the relationship between users and products?
• User stickiness?

2) The analysis framework is:

• Our user groups mainly include A, B, and C.
• The characteristics of each user are: using the product in XXX scenarios, the main purpose is XXX, among which XXX is a key and necessary function.
• Is the product a necessity for users? Is it highly substitutable?
• If it is difficult to replace, why? Because of the product replacement, XXX problem has arisen (analyze the impact of product replacement. You can look at the product structure to see which upper and lower layers are affected).
• If it is easy to replace, what pain points are critical to reduce user replacement? (Analyzing product roles from the perspective of substitutes and complements)

2. Positioning value

1) Answer the following questions:

• What value can it bring to users?
• Are users sensitive to value?
• Do these values ​​have a priority?
• In terms of long-term development, what benefits (social effects, economic effects) will these value points bring?
• Discover value through product features and usage scenarios

2) The analysis framework is:

• Our product features are 1, 2, and 3. The highlight of the product is XXX. Compared with our competitors, our advantage is XXX.
• Among them, the product's XXX function brings XXX value, and the importance of these values ​​to users is XXX;
• Regarding the characteristics of the product, our product has XX advantages and can solve XXX problems for users;
• For the application scenarios of the product, in XX scenario, combined with the function of XXX of the product, it can solve XXX problems for users;
• The economic effect our products can bring is XXX, and the social effect is XXX.

3. Analysis of the current situation (difficulties)

What kind of difficulties will be encountered in the promotion of the product requires a pre-promotion analysis. Only based on these issues can we formulate targeted promotion strategies.

The process of product promotion actually includes two aspects: market acceptance and user acceptance. These two parts complement each other and penetrate each other.

1. Difficulties in market acceptance

• Does the technology meet the industry threshold?
• Do the product functions meet basic industry standards?
• Does the product comply with political, economic, social and technical environmental requirements?

2. Customers accept the problem

• What are the advantages of the product? Why should I accept your product?
• Can the product replace my original data?
• If replaced, what transplant work needs to be done? Does the data need to be modified? Does the interface comply with standards?
• Where is the product download platform? Is there any charge? Is it cost-effective?
• What are the third parties that the product can connect to?

4. Develop a strategy

After the analysis, the formulation process begins, targeting two roles: existing users and potential users, and describing the plan in two parts: ideas and implementation.

For existing users, we need to do a good job in user retention and user conversion, achieve fission in the existing user group, and achieve user growth by enhancing product value and gaining a good reputation.

1. Idea

• Improve product usability and continuously iterate
• Increase support for basic product functions
• Convenient product promotion method
• Product promotion can benefit

2. Implementation

• Fast product iteration cycle
• Functional optimization to meet user expectations
• The new product features help users solve their current difficulties
• Provide incentives for product promotion
• Provide convenient promotion download method

For unused users, attract them to use the product and then retain them.

3. Ideas

• Provide a convenient way to obtain
• Provide humanized user services
• Product Function Experience

4. Implementation

• Provide easy access to downloads
• Provide user-friendly registration steps
• Provides a wealth of usage guidance, such as: user manuals, video tutorials
• Provide service support and respond promptly
• Easy to install product
• The product usage environment is sufficient (editing environment package is provided)
• Easy to operate the product
• Good product function experience

What can we do during these processes? Based on the specific scenarios that occur in the process, a specific implementation plan can be given.

5. Scenario 1: Obtaining the installation package

1) Expand the acquisition method

• Expand search keywords so that users can quickly access them in search engines;
• Expand the product launch platform and place links to our company's products in multiple partner merchants.

2) Improve accessibility

• The download entrance is easy to obtain, the download logo is eye-catching, and there is clear version information;
• Provides a variety of download methods, such as: Thunder, Baidu Cloud and other download methods.

6. Scenario 2: First use of the installation package

1) Help users configure the environment

• Is the compiled language library complete?
• Are environment variables modified?

2) Sufficient product information

• Provide detailed product manual
• Provide a demo so that users can immediately run through the entire product usage process
• Provide product hardware configuration list, performance test report, and provide user reference

3) The usage steps are clear and the interface is user-friendly

• The product interaction process is clear and in line with user logic
• The product interface style matches the industry style

V. Benefit Analysis

When considering the effects of free promotion from an economic perspective, strategies also need to be considered from a value perspective. The purpose of expanding the number of users is to share the cost of software development.

In economics, costs include fixed costs and variable costs. It can be understood that fixed costs are costs that must be incurred to make this product, while variable costs are costs that will be adjusted as the product develops.

The cost of software is relatively high in the early stages of research and development because of the use of a large amount of professional technologies, such as patents, authorizations, etc., or the purchase of a large amount of hardware equipment, which constitute fixed costs and account for the majority of the costs.

In the subsequent research and development, as the product matures, the main cost is labor cost, such as: product iteration, technical service support, etc., and the cost of this part is relatively small.

VI. Conclusion

The free product release strategy must first have a clear product positioning. It is necessary to clarify what the advantages of the product are after it is put on the market. Compared with competing products, is our product development track a competitive relationship or a complementary relationship?

Secondly, we need to formulate a release strategy from top to bottom, clarify what we should do, and put the actions into practice on the product.

Finally, actual data is needed to verify the strategy to see whether the plan is successful and whether the strategy needs to be adjusted, and to test the effect after practice.

Author: Orange

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