Can You Make Money Developing and Marketing Information Products?

by Marnie Pehrson


"If you're an entrepreneur, service professional or small business owner, information marketing is absolutely your fastest, easiest and most economical way to attract more clients and put your business on a fast track to making millions while you sleep!" - Adam Urbanski, official information marketing expert

Marketing information products is one of the mainstays of the internet. In fact, I got my start online back in 1994, in the days of AOL and Compuserve. I wrote a book called "How to Run a Computer Training Business" and uploaded excerpts of it to the bulletin boards on AOL and Compuserve. People sent me checks in the mail and I sent them a spiral bound version of my book with an accompanying diskette. We've come a long way since those days to full-blown websites, teleseminars, webinars, videos and podcasting. Information marketing has gotten more sophisticated, but the principle is the same. If you have knowledge, expertise or an idea that people want and need so much that they're willing to pay you for it, then you can make money as an information marketer.

Adam Urbanski, the official information marketing expert on IdeaMarketers, told us that "Getting started with creating and selling your own info-products is relatively easy. And once you know what you're doing the results of your work can be very fast. Info-products are outrageously profitable. For example, the total cost to print, package and mail my first home-study course was only $8.46. I sold it for $97 and made $88.54 profit from each sale."

He continues, "Information marketing opens up multiple streams of passive and leveraged revenue. Today, using the Internet, you can deliver e-books, special reports, e-courses, even audio and video completely automatically with zero printing or materials cost!"

Kathy Gulrich, who got her start online as an information marketer before branching out into Manhattan real estate, explains: "For many business professionals, the idea of creating, producing, and marketing an information product is totally overwhelming. As a result, most people never even get started.

"Creating an information product doesn't have to be difficult, however. In fact, if you've been writing a newsletter for your customers, you can put together a profitable e-product in less than a day!"

Want to create your own sought-after article-based e-product? It's simple with Kathy Gulrich's free 5-step worksheet download.

While you're creating your information product, it's important to consider more than the product itself, but the entire experience you will give your customers. Customer Service expert, Digital Info Diva suggests, "During the research and design phase of any project, you should be thinking about ways to make your product customer friendly. This includes a follow-up sequence of messages to your customer not only to confirm the sale, but also to step them through the process of using and benefiting with the product. Building customer service into the backend of your launch helps to build a strong relationship with your customer to encourage future sales."

Don't think you have an idea in you? Don't consider yourself an expert. Think again. Stephanie Chandler, the Entrepreneur Expert with IdeaMarketers says, "I believe that we are all experts at something. Whether it's financial planning, parenting, knitting or customer service, you know more about your subject than the average person. With that in mind, you have the opportunity to make money from your knowledge by selling information products. Books, ebooks, workbooks, teleseminars and coaching programs are just some of the examples of products you can create.

"The real key to success," Stephanie says, "is to find your audience. Build a high-traffic website, publish a monthly e-newsletter and get on the speaking circuit. Partner with others who reach your target audience. If you stay focused and listen to feedback from your audience, you can literally build an empire by sharing what you know."

For a free podcast and/or audio download of a recent CreateAWOW interview with Stephanie Chandler, author of "From Entrepreneur to Infopreneur: Make Money with Books, eBooks and Information Products," go to http://www.CreateAWOW.com/podcast.php

Finally, IdeaMarketer's small-business expert Sandy Reed gives these tips for marketing your information product:

1.

"Write benefit oriented sales copy. Your customers want to know why they should buy your product. Remember, they will be thinking, "What's in it for me?"
2.

Your new info product should have prominent placement on your website and blog, preferably above the fold.
3.

Have a dynamite cover made to showcase the product. Vaughan at KillerCovers.com is a resource I have used regularly, although there are many others.
4.

Create excitement by sending out pre-launch emails to your database of clients. Offer a special price for the first 50 sales (or something comparable).
5.

Use your newsletter to promote your info product (and cover). Also, advertise in other affiliates' newsletters, which are serving your target market."

Remember, somewhere within you is knowledge and experience that is uniquely yours and that can benefit others. Identify it, then package it into a format that suits your personality (teleclasses, online courses, a book, ebook, video or audio). The possibilities are endless when you use your imagination and set to work!