Archive for the ‘Information Product Marketing’ Category

If you don’t have an ebook or any type of digital products for sale on your site, you’re leaving a lot of money on the table. Not too long ago the only way to get your words in front of the masses was to use a publisher. Things are changing in a big way. Sure, lots of people love holding a book in their hand as opposed to reading through their newly downloaded ebook or other digital media. And there’s no doubt about it – if you’re aligned with a top publisher it can definitely add credibility to your career.

Self-publishing an ebook and the residual passive income created is quickly becoming big business. Even if you’re published in the traditional sense, you shouldn’t be too quick to dismiss ebooks and other sources of passive income.

In a recent conversation with a new client (who happens to have two published books and wasn’t originally interested in ebooks or digital products) I explained the benefits of why she should be offering some digital products to compliment her traditional books.

- There are people who are not interested in regular books. Not offering an ebook version leaves mega bucks on the table.

- Create a mini-version of your traditional book. Easily accessible pricing means you’ll be able to net those people who feel your book is too pricey.

- Offering different types of products – audio or video for instance – will pull in people who don’t have time to read, or who find the different types of files more stimulating than books.

- As you promote your newly created ebook and other digital products, you can package the “freebies” that you create (short videos, blog posts, etc) as an online e-course that you can offer for free. This captures everyone else who isn’t able or willing to pay for your material, but it does offer you an email address to build your newsletter list.

- Once you have all these fabulously hot products, you can even set up an easy, inexpensive affiliate program.

Dawn Martinello is the creative juice behind MondayMorningVA.com where she is on a mission to open up new income stream possibilities for solopreneurs who are ready to systematically turn their expertise into profitable information products right now. Dawn also guides clients to use social media with confidence to build a solid fan base and provides one-on-one guide sessions, “do-it-for-me” services, or collaborative services to get the mission accomplished.

I remember putting together my first information product a long time ago, and in hindsight, I can see so many things I did wrong. But even so, I still made at least a couple of sales per month because of a good sales letter and an inadvertently chosen keyword rich domain name.

Not too shabby for someone who had no clue what they were doing. Of course, you can’t help but think about how different it could have been if I’d known to follow the plan I use today.

I missed a lot of vital steps which amounted to a lot of wasted time and lost profits. I had the foundation in place with a great product and sales letter to sell it, but I have to admit, my marketing stunk.

What I did wrong:

1. I didn’t do market research, so I had no idea if people were even interested in my product or if the market was likely to spend money on it.

 

2. I didn’t know how to package, price, or position my product for success.

 

3. I didn’t have sales system in place so there was no list of people interested in the topic, no blog, no articles, etc, so I wasn’t pre-selling or upselling for that matter.

Overall, I wasn’t setting myself up for success because I didn’t know what the steps were to get there. Of course I figured it out eventually, but I could have been where I am today a lot sooner had I known what to do back then.

One of my goals with this blog is to help others learn those steps, because creating and selling information products has proven to be the best thing I’ve ever done online. The passive income they generate enabled me to quit trading hours for dollars in the service industry, and freed up my time for family.

With so many people eager to work less and earn more, I was really excited when my friend Nicole Dean & Ronnie Nijmeh told me about their new product, Rapid Product Formula (see the end of this post for bonuses) and chose to share it with me. It turned out to be exactly what I needed all those years ago.

The product is broken up into a 4 week program, which includes training reports and calls, all group Q&A calls, plus videos, checklists, and brainstorming sheets. The main training reports include a lot of step-by-step guidance and examples, which makes it easier to grasp what you need to do.

The fact that Nicole and Ronnie laid out their program in a “show you” instead of “tell you” kind of way, and then expanded from that to video, checklists, etc. really takes the guesswork out of the process, and helps you move forward a lot quicker.

But it was the fact that they didn’t skip over 3 important aspects of product creation that really got my attention:

• The sales process
• Marketing and promotion
• Creating a long-term business

So many products teach you how to create an information product, but then leave you to fend for yourself when it comes time to make money with it.

Like my own experience, having the product is great and may get you a few sales, but it’s only a small part of the pie. If you’d like to be able to support yourself with information products like I do, you’ve got to do a lot more than just make the product.

In Rapid Product Formula (see the end of this post for bonuses), a large part of their program is dedicated to helping you create a profitable marketing strategy to sell your product, recruit JV’s and affiliate partners, and establish yourself as an expert in your niche. If you don’t have a marketing plan in place, you’ll waste a lot of time and money like I did.

The only downside is the fact that it is split up into 4 parts, so if you tend to work quickly you may end up with time on your hands in-between weeks. So don’t work so fast

Who is the Rapid Product Formula coaching program for?

If you’re anxious to create your own information product to create passive income and you’re already blogging online, this program is perfect for you. But if you’re just getting started online and you don’t have a website, this program is not for you.

If you do have a blog and some basic skills and training, but you really want to take your business to the next level, Nicole and Ronnie offer email and phone coaching options with their product. They will answer your questions, look at your progress, and talk about any roadblocks you come up against.

I’ve personally worked with both Nicole and Ronnie, and I chat with Nicole regularly.

There have been a lot of times where I’ve hit a roadblock in my business and wasn’t really sure what I should do to get over it, so I’d go to Nicole for help. Her suggestions and guidance have always boosted my profits, so when you combine her one-on-one coaching with the creation of an information product you’re bound to see amazing results.

Are you ready to crank out your own information product from start to profit in just 30 days? Click Here to see my private bonus page before you sign up.

All my best,

P.S. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment below.

I know, I know, I just did a whole thing on information products a couple of months ago, but I wanted to swing back to them because I think NOW is the perfect time to create an information product.

We’re well on our way into the month of April, which means the kids will be out of school in a flash and our work time is bound to get cut short – which it should!

Summer is a time for lazy days, play time with kids, and super fun vacations. We spend all winter indoors working, and I don’t know about you, but I sure don’t want to watch the summer pass by out my window while I sit in front of the computer.

So where am I going with this?

Well, if you’d rather spend a lot less time working this summer, information products are a great way to line your pockets with some extra moolah…do the work once, and make sales on autopilot. Of course it’ll take some elbow grease to make it happen, but there’s no better time than now to get your butt in gear and finally get a new product out there so you can laze around a bit this year

So let’s get rolling…

First, read the quick start plan below to get moving in the right direction, and then grab the printable worksheet and checklist at the bottom of this post to really get rolling!

Step 1#: Choosing your topic. Choosing your niche topic is perhaps one of the most important steps in creating and marketing your information product. You want a product that solves people’s problems, offers them a benefit, and you want it to be a product topic that’s in demand but isn’t being supplied by every Tom, Dick and Harry on the Internet. This step will then involve some brainstorming, researching and planning on your part. There are several tools you can use including keyword research, trends analysis tools like Google Trends, and by analyzing the market and simply asking people.

Step #2: Creating a business plan. This step involves establishing your budget for both the creation of your product and your marketing plan. You’ll also want to consider if you’re going to sell one information product or a series of information products. Here is where you begin to outline your marketing strategy, business vision, product strategy and all of your goals including the steps you need to take to achieve them.

Step #3: Product creation. Now it’s time for the fun stuff! Here’s where you’ll either contract someone to create your product or you’ll get down to work and create it yourself. You’ll choose what type of product you’re going to create, when you anticipate it being completed and finalizing all the details like your cover artwork, product’s title, and the presentation of your product including any graphics you’ll want to include in it.

Step #4: Your website. If you’re creating your product yourself, this step may be simultaneous with your product creation step. If you’re outsourcing the creation of your product, you can use this time to create your website. Again, this is something you can outsource but you’ll want to know what you want your site to look like and what functions you want it to have before you contract someone to create it. You’ll also want to choose a fulfillment software like 1ShoppingCart, AWeber or PayPal to collect payment and deliver your information product. Some website hosts provide this software to you so you don’t need an external service.

Step #5: Market your product. Marketing can begin well before the product is complete. In fact you’ll want to create your sales page and your advertisements before the product is complete so they’re ready for your launch. You can begin blogging, article marketing, networking online, building your opt-in list, and driving traffic to your website. Of course, once you launch your product you’ll want to begin marketing it specifically.

Step #6: Launch! Congratulations, you’re on your way to joining the ranks of those who make money while they sleep. Passive income is a great thing.

Step #7: Look to your future. What product is next in line to be created, marketed and sold? Begin building your passive income stream.

Click here to download the Information Product Checklist that will help guide you through the steps needed to plan, create, and launch your own information product.

Click here to download the Information Product Worksheet which is  series of questions to help you discover if information product creation/marketing is for you, or if it will be a good addition to you current business.

Talk to you soon,

P.S. If you need extra help and want to fast-track your information product to have it ready in time for summer, sign up for the free “Rapid Product Formula” call with Nicole Dean and Ronnie Nijmeh. They’ll teach you their own formula for creating & marketing info products in record time.

Fear? Frustration? Fatigue?

Those are the “F” words in Internet Marketing, at least according to my friend, Nicole Dean.

She says those three words are responsible for most of your struggles in your online business.

Recently, Nicole teamed up with her friend, Ronnie Nijmeh, and they’ve put together a killer course for helping ANYONE to create their first info product.

They’ve put together reports, videos, worksheets, and will even be hosting Q&A calls, too.

But, she and Ronnie both know that that’s not enough for a lot of marketers. You’ll still let those three words stop you. So, they’re going to be offering personal one-on-one private coaching, as well. You can ask ANY questions about creating your info product and they’ll personally answer them.

I’m getting ahead of myself though. Right now, you can’t sign up for their program. It’s not ready yet.

BUT…

You can grab a free report with some cool fables about success. It’s a quick read and it’ll make you think. (It did for me.)

Grab it here: http://www.internetmarketingsweetie.com/motivation.html

When you go to get the Motivational Stories report, be sure to sign up to access their free call “Product Creation De-Mystified” where you’ll hear directly from Nicole and Ronnie and learn more about the benefits of creating your own info products.

Actually, Nicole and Ronnie challenged me to name ONE “guru” who doesn’t have an info product. Go ahead. Try it. I couldn’t come up with even one!

Again, grab that report here: http://www.internetmarketingsweetie.com/motivation.html

Be sure to look at Page 4 of the free report. The Bonsai tree story really struck a nerve for me.

Today is the official end of my Information Product Challenge, and I’m super excited to see what you’ve accomplished over the past 3 weeks.

So here’s how this is going to work:

1) Leave a comment on this post with your name and the website address of your new information product.

2) Tell me about your experience in a couple of sentences by sharing what the biggest lesson you learned about information products was.

3) After we check out your product and your comment here, we’ll enter your name into a drawing for a free one year membership to the Sweetie Saturday Report Club.

The winner will be posted here on Monday, December 7th, 2009. Good Luck!

Whew, it’s been a busy month!

I hope you’ve been able to make great progress on your information project, but don’t worry if it’s not done yet. The important thing is that you were working on it.

I’m really excited to see what you’ve been working on, so watch for my post tomorrow about submissions and the special drawing for participants.

Selling products is one of the best ways to make money online. With a bit of research and some time in your word processing program you can be well on your way to having a product to sell. But before you can sell your product and start making money, there are a few things you’ll need to be an effective infoproduct seller.

1. SITE.

Although you could definitely try to sell a product without a website, you wouldn’t get very far. Your website and domain name will give your product a home online. Working without a website is just an exercise in futility. Try to find a domain that represents your product or is your product name exactly.

2. SALESLETTER.

To be successful, you need a sales letter on your webpage and a link to your payment processor…and that’s it! Don’t link to other websites or show paid advertising on your product’s website. A sales letter will catch the attention of the visitors and convince them why they need to purchase your product. Read up on creating winning sales letters or have one created by a master copywriter for maximum success.

3. SHOWCASE.

You’ll need at least a header for your website and an e-cover for your product to look professional. You’d be surprised how far a few quality graphics can get you when it comes to selling online. People are very visually oriented. If your site looks drab and boring, your website visitors will click away pretty quickly. You can find headers and ecover graphics for anywhere from $50 to $500 depending on the experience of the designer.

4. SOFTWARE.

Information products are delivered as PDF files. They are easy to read but they can’t be edited so the content of your product will stay intact. You can purchase Adobe Acrobat or use a free PDF creator to change your Word document into an easy to read file.

5. SALES.

You can’t sell products without a payment processor. Most people use Paypal, but there are other options as well like Google Checkout. Before you start driving traffic to your sales letter, make sure your payment system is working right. Buy a copy of your own product to be sure that the payment processor is working correctly. This way you can be sure that your visitors are able to buy.

6. SYSTEM.

Although not every information product has a high enough price point to support an affiliate program, you should certainly move toward writing products that will attract affiliates. With affiliate marketing, you can have master marketers driving traffic to your website and creating sales for you.

7. STRATEGY.

Successful infoproduct creators know that once they create the product and build the website they have to drive traffic to the sales page. If you start out with a complete strategy of marketing your website, you’ll be able to put it into place as soon as your website is ready to go. Article marketing campaigns, joint ventures and pay per click advertising can all be part of your strategy.

By combining these essentials with your winning product, you’ll have a formula for bringing money through infoproducts.

If you need some more guidance or you’re just getting started, be sure to pick up your copy of: Information Product Sweetie. You’ll learn everything from how to conduct market research, how to create awesome products and how to follow it up with a great marketing campaign. Plus, there’s a cool bonus report & audio that gives you 21 strategies for generating more product launch sales.

Wow, I can’t believe this challenge is almost over. How are you doing?

This week we’re going to be working on our sales letter, or if you plan to build a list and sell on the back end, your squeeze page.

I gave you some tips for writing your sales letter on your Action Plan Calendar, and split it up throughout the week so you’re not trying to do it all at once. Of course if you want to, you can

But I wanted to take it a little further, and share with you what I consider to be the key elements for writing your sales letter.

Get Your Copy on Target with these 6 Copywriting Success Tips

Knowing the key elements of successful copywriting is essential when you first begin to write sales copy. The difference between good and bad copy is simply the number of conversions it creates or actions it drives. Once you have mastered the basic principles of good copy you can begin to work on developing your own style and structure, and testing various copywriting formulas that work for you.

Believe in Your Product

In order to sell a product successfully you need to be passionate about it yourself. If you don’t believe in the value of the product yourself, how are you going to convince somebody else to buy it? Get as much information as you can about the product and, if appropriate, test it yourself. The preparation work you put in will shine through your copy, and increase your conversion rate.

Promote the Benefits of Your Product

The primary thing your customers will want to know is what your product will do for them. Outline how your product will benefit them, whether it will make them money, save them time, or increase their quality of life in another way. By the end of your first paragraph, your customers should have a clear idea of why they should buy your product.

Appeal to Your Customers’ Emotions

People generally buy emotionally, and then find a rational justification for their purchase later. You want to prevent your customers from thinking too much, as this may cause them to think up reasons why they shouldn’t buy your product.

Spell everything out for your customers, and don’t be afraid you will insult their intelligence. It is better to give too much information than to let them work things out for themselves. Convince their hearts that your product is a good buy and their heads will follow.

Tell a Good Story

Try to find a good angle to use in selling your product, and weave this into your sales copy. Your story may be how the product came about, how it has changed someone else’s life, or anything else that your readers will find interesting and will relate to.

Create High Impact Copy

Edit your writing ruthlessly. If a particular word or phrase isn’t promoting your product then delete it. Every part of your copy should be captivating and should motivate your customers to buy or they may well lose interest and move on. Use the active rather than the passive voice to create maximum impact.

Use a Relaxed Style

You don’t need to be too formal when you are writing copy. You want to engage with your reader and so you need to write as if you were speaking to them. Although you want to stick to basic grammar and avoid typos, some slang is acceptable and you can break a few rules, such as using fragmented sentences.

These are some of the basics you need to begin copywriting. Being passionate about the product you are promoting, outlining its benefits to your customers, and appealing to their emotions will help to create more sales conversions. Telling a story, using high impact words and phrases, and talking to your customers in a relaxed style will keep them interested in what you have to say.

P.S. For more help with Internet copywriting that will convert visitors into buyers, check out Copywriting Sweetie. This complete training manual and software will show you how to transform your under-performing copy to get more satisfied repeat buyers.