How do you go about promoting the Opera browser? How do you convince them to try Opera?
Published January 3rd, 2007 8:06 PM EST By Daniel GoldmanOpera’s Lawrence Eng wants to know how people go about promoting the Opera browser – more specifically what do you tell people when trying to convince others to try out Opera?
I’ve always been a believer that features alone won’t get Opera a ton of new users. Yes, people definitely switch to Opera cause of its built-in features, but that’s not how Opera will capture the browser market share.
I think it’s more about the browsing experience the ease of browsing. Each user has their own reasons why “for them” browsing is easier with Opera. For example, for me browsing the web with Opera is more convenient because of Mouse Gestures, tabbed browsing, the way Opera handles tabs (the switching part), fast rendering of pages, integrated mail client, integrated IRC chat client, etc. I’m sure you have a very different set than mine.
Therefore, when I try to convince others to try Opera, I don’t rush into the loads of features that come with Opera. After all most people (I believe) just want to browse the web with out much interaction with the browser, they don’t care about all the neat browser features. Moreover, when you start talking about features and stuff in the browser, you’re more likely to bore them out – and completely lose their interest.
As Lawrence mentioned in his blog post, before you start babbling about Opera, you should listen. Listen to their browsing habits and needs, and see how the Opera browser can help them out.
My message to non-techie users is usually focused on the fact that Opera will keep their computers more secure, both from viruses and fraudulent websites.
So how do you go about telling your friends and family about the Opera browser?
If you enjoyed this post, then make sure you subscribe to my RSS Feed.
using
Wait until they’re screaming at popups or worried about security or asking for help to remove the latest trojan. Then set up Opera for them
If you let people try Opera out of the box they’ll probably give up. The standard install’s toolbars etc are terrible (basic buttons not there, buttons they’ve never seen before, etc) and transitioning users will just go back to what they know.
People don’t actually care about their browsers so it’s hard to get them to try anything. Opera probably suffers because its name isn’t quite as cool as firefox (”dude, it’s a predator! with FIRE! sweet!”). That and some of Opera’s promo material has been more “weird” than effective - IMHO of course (the dodgy superhero photos spring to mind).
using
In the case of older people who want to get into the “internet thing” (usually relatives), since I’m usually the one setting up their systems (usually Ubuntu), I just install Opera and make it default. This way they start with learning to use Opera, and I don’t get support calls (e.g. my Windows has fallen and it can’t get up).
using
Me and all power users I know use Opera. I have used Opera since version 6. First on Windows, then on Linux and now on OS X. I used to try to convince people to use Opera by showing them mouse gestures, but only power users see the advantage. These days I don’t use mouse gestures any more really. The keyboard and my iBook trackpad are good enough.
I don’t use the builtin mail, news, BitTorrent and IRC features and I don’t think I know anyone who does. I use dedicated programs for those. I mainly like the speed of Opera, the fast back function and the fact that Opera saves my tabs by default. But I don’t like that it won’t redirect RSS links to an external RSS reader (I use Vienna), I have to copy the URL from the HTML source.
I might actually just switch to Safari one day. I’ll need to install something like ForgetMeNot (tab saver), but I believe it will let me use Vienna for RSS feeds. And Safari’s rendering is pretty sweet.
For other people (family and non-tech savvy friends) I usually install Firefox. Its updater is very nice and I don’t install any extensions. The default Firefox features are really enough for 99% of the people out there. Opera is way too confusing for them and I wouldn’t know a thing that Opera would give them, that they would use and that Firefox doesn’t have.
And yeah, the Opera logo is actually pretty ugly and the Firefox one is actually pretty cool.
But yeah, for now I’m still on Opera.
using
When it comes down to the “basic user” using Opera, it’s all about session saving–accidentally closed the window or the tab? no worry.
And they’re going to like not having to close popups. Removing flashing banner ads for them is also nice.
Old people sometimes find it more difficult to remember passwords on their own, and so having Opera’s wand store all of that information might be beneficial
******
Old people might not care about speed–if you have MS Outlook, MS Word, and any web browser open, you’re not going to slow down your machine at all, unless you’re running less than 128MB of ram.
Old people might not care about mouse gestures. They like to visually see what they’re doing when they’re navigating.
They’re not going to care about creating searches for sites.
****
In summary:
Do Mention: session saving, popup handling, content blocking, password remembering
Don’t Mention: advanced features or features that don’t really show how the basic user would be able to benefit from them. Mouse gestures, speed, site-specific settings, bittorrent, widgets, etc. Although all of these should still be mentioned on the website, they shouldn’t be verbally mentioned to friends and family when converting.
Mention the features in the way of how it can help them, not just that they exist. People want to know how it will help THEM. “Do you not like getting so many popups? Opera will block the ones you don’t want. Do you want to have your browser remember your passwords for you, and allow you to choose which one to use so you can have multiple accounts? Opera works best for that. Do you hate having a ton of ads thrown at you on webpages? Opera can get rid of those for you. Have you ever accidentally closed IE halfway through reading the site, and then found it difficult to find that site again? Opera will remember it for you.
using
Echoing breun, even though I use Opera, I would never in good conscience recommend Opera to anyone but an expert user, which would be pretty pointless anyway, because the user by definition is already experienced and so already knows about it.
But the average user? No way. Opera requires a LOT of care and feeding to massage it into working (or working correctly/fully) with more than a few sites, particularly the splashy Web 2.0 sites that draw people these days. It’s just one problem after another.
Sites just don’t care about Opera, and until they do, which will be sometime around when we land on Mars, then I’m not asking a newbie to go on an uphill climb into a stiff wind. That’s just common sense.
I’d recommend that Opera Inc just settle for what you have and stop trying to start a revolution that’s already taken place and been won.
using
Its speed; it practically sells itself.
Browsing the web is about retrieving information. Everyone wants that retrieval process to be as fast and as streamlined as possible and Opera is the fastest browser.
I generally don’t try and force someone to use Opera; no one likes having someone try and force something down their throats. I promote Opera by just using it and if people ask me about it and/or why I use it I tell them why. And my number 1 reason is speed.
Most people unfortunately don’t care about standards and don’t even know what the Acid 2 test is and less than you think even care about security.
But if you tell them or they see for themselves that they can browse the web faster, then they’re very interested.
People try Opera for its speed and keep it for its features.
Although Opera does offer superior control and customisation, that’s not really a good incentive to get people to try Opera seeing it has a learning curve.
The internet is like a great information highway where everyone is trying to get to their destination as quickly as possible. Sure any old bomb will get you there in due time but wouldn’t you rather get there faster and in style? I always imagine Opera as being a Ferrari on the information highway. And just like learning to drive a manual, Opera takes a bit of time getting used to, but once you do you’ll never want to turn back because of the control it gives you.
I use Opera because it’s start up time, rendering speed and features like mouse gestures, bookmark nicknames and searching from the address bar means that with a few seconds and a few key touches I can get the information I want. This is why so many people use Opera - it’s incredibly efficient and quick to access the information you want.
As for non-techies, Opera is still good because of features like Wand and Notes that allow people to easily log in to sites.
If you want to promote Opera, use it everywhere. Get Opera Usb so you can even use it on computers where it’s not installed.
When you get comments like:
“Hey what is that?”
“Whoa, that’s freaking fast! What the hell is that?”
“Huh? How come you don’t have any ads on that page?”
“Oooh pretty!”
Then you can start promoting Opera.
using
The features come later, but first I start with the speed and low memory usage of Opera. The speed draws people in and the fact that it uses almost no resources compared to other bloated browsers makes people want to switch. Also, aside from all the obvious features Opera has to offer, I tell them that I’m 99.99% sure that the average Opera user is twice as happy with their browsing experience than the average Firefox user and 10 times as happy then the average IE user. Then I challenge them to use Opera for 2 weeks. I tell them that at first it will feel weird, but that it will soon feel good and that with every passing day of using Opera, they will discover more and more of the features that Opera has to offer that they never thought they’d use in the first place.
using
HI, this is great. I was just thinking about how many people I conviced to switch to Opera. So far i was my best friend, my cousins, my brother and even my sister, couple of friends and my father. Everyone started using Opera just after the first try. Except one, my first try on promotig Opera was disaster. To one my friend I showed almost ALL the features Opera has. Even those he woudn’t ever use. But afterwards he called me and said sorry “I can’t use it! It’s soo complicated” He was stressed that he can’t fully use it.
So educated from the bad example, next time I just recommended or installed Opera to semone and said “It’s great!”, and maybe showed one or two trick one can easily remember. Rest of the discovery and exploration of Opera features is up to them. I love Opera for the tons of small features and even I spent quite a some time to discover them but I’ll leave the joy of exploration to them .. Ket they discover how great Opera is …
I hope whole world will one day discover ..
Today I’m going to install Opera on my mother’s laptop. I’m sure I’ll bring new Opera user today.
using
You know, my little brother, who doesn’t know anything about browsers, installed Firefox. Why? Because it was fun and cool. And he’s right! What’s fun in Opera? Not this big red O, not the standard skin, not… Opera just does his work, he does it very well, but it lacks the funny touch: those cool extensions. When I switched from Firefox to Opera, I missed a card game extension, which I found more convenient than Windows one…
So, if it’s not the cool factor that will make the basic user turn to Opera, what is it? Tabbed browsing, popup blocking, passwords remembering, both Internet Explorer and Firefox have it. Crash recovery comes with Firefox, as well as content bloacking via an extensions. The speed is not an argument: why care, when you only have your browser and Windows Live Messenger opened? For these users, session saving and quick notes can be interesting.
I’m sorry to say that until Opera doesn’t have the cool factor, people won’t use it, even if it’s surely one of the best browser.
One more thing: there may be an opportunity with the Wii, by saying: Opera is the browser that you use on your game console!, but, since I don’t think that datas can be shared between the desktop and the Wii version (bookmarks, history, passwords…), it isn’t a really valuable argument…
using
The ‘problem’ here is that session saving, popup blocking, content blocking and password managers are not very unique anymore. The Opera interface is really just too confusing for a lot people that know IE and Firefox.
Now I think about it, I’d like to see some kind of light version of Opera: no integrated mail, news and IRC client, no widgets. Possibly even no sidebar. Less menu’s, less menu items. Just the lean mean browsing machine that is Opera. But yeah, it will be harder to distinguish Opera from Firefox. Maybe Firefox just got it right for the majority? I don’t know.
I know you can customize the hell out of Opera, but people are not going to do that unless they’re already in the power user department.
using
Hi Daniel, thanks for the mention. The comments have been great so far, but you actually changed my question a bit.
I’m not asking so much _how_ people are promoting Opera, but _why_, which I think is a very different question. Getting to the heart of the matter, why do we care that Opera is well-known and well-used? How does this benefit you as an individual, and how does it benefit others (including the people you’re trying to convince?).
That said, it’s always very interesting to hear what people are doing specifically to promote Opera.
using
how to tell family and friends about opera? .. How about getting married in a tuxedo with the opera logo displayed prominently.. ahem ahem.. hint hint…ahem ahem…
p.s congrats on the nuptials mate.
Rgds,
J.J
using
How to go about promoting opera and how to convince to try opera are slightly different question but with close answers.
For promoting opera, you have to highlight great features of opera and at the same time show the user that they have freedom to fit it to their liking. Its more about telling googd things to people you have access to directly(people you interact to) or indirectly(people living around).
On the other hand, to convince someone to try opera, first you have to pick audience who is mentally ready to adventure. Then, you will start with promoting opera with telling good things about it and finally, you have to come up with one or two eye-catching features demo so that he/she prompts to try opera. For example, do you know if you accidentally close some page in the middle of something, you can get it back in opera? Something like that!
Thats about short run. In the long run, we need to build satisfied customers/users of opera who will themselves be spokesperson of opera. Words spread faster when it is talked in your friend circle!! Old saying. For this reason, I joined Opera forum to help out opera users and also to contribute my poor ideas to help opera realize the need to rise up. Opera is too good a product to be in the 1% market share for more than 10 years. We need to get out of it. may be Happy new Year’s resolution??
Enjoy opera.
Thanks.
using
I also challenge them to 2 weeks of Opera. However I give them full support if they need help with using it. If they ask why or how it is better, i tell them two things. Speed and Security.
Then once they accept the challenge, I start teaching them how to do things like importing their favourites and such. So basicly from basic features to more advanced features.
using
I don’t.
Ok, I do. But, I still use Firefox primarily. I think the only way to do it is to get them while they are still using IE. Preferably, IE6. Tabs and security, along with speed of browsing, should be enough to just get them to try it out. Then, you’re home free…
Until they try out certain “other” alternatives, at least.
That’s where the real challenge lies.
using
as an Internet-Suite more than just a browser
using
It’s quite simple to increase the market share of Opera: increase basic usability.
1) better toolbar icons by default (they are stale, stale, stale!)
2) features like Start Bar and Tab Preview (with all that geeky info) DISABLED by default. It confuses and obfuscates information. It offers nothing but confusion to 99% of those who try Opera for the first time (AND they’re very hard for new users to figure out how to turn them off, assuoming they even feel they can). You don’t baffle new users with something too different to what they’re used to. You gently guide them in their new adventure, and allow them to discover why Opera is better as they use it, day-by-day. They have to grow into things…
3) Cleaning up the Preferences dialogue COMPLETELY. It’s illogical.
4) Making customisations to the browser FAR MORE INTUITIVE (it’s nonsensical to a new user)
5) Importing cookies from SeaMonkey/Firefox! When?
Technically, Opera has no peer. Usability-wise, it needs improvement. That’s why many don’t stick with it in my experience. Bad out-of-box usability. And “too different” to what they’re used to (icons MATTER!)
using
Basically I promote Opera by saying it’s what I use, and what I recommend. I just let people know it exists. I’ve gotten some people to try it, and they use it occasionally. Some people use it almost exclusively. And some walk away.
I usually try and get out of supporting peoples computers when I’m not getting paid for it, so I really don’t offer too much support, but I can turn that around and say, I don’t support any browser but Opera - as there are plenty of places they can go for help about FF or IE, which I don’t know that much about anyway.
I’ve also often gotten people going with proxomitron and they usually don’t have too many problems, which is amazing given how much it can accidentally break the web. I just show them how to bypass it for a page, and update the filterset when I’m around and have time. Some people love not getting ads, others don’t care and stop using it.
So generally I just talk about Opera occasionally and people take note that it exists.
using
You need to have funny ads:
http://funnyfox.org
using
Simply let people know about it and its features without waisting time talking to fanatics, no matters what you say, you will never convince them.