Here’s a Quick Way to Build an Information Marketing System
March 12, 2010
If there is one thing I’ve learned in my 25+ years marketing and selling info products, it’s that you need systems. This may sound rigid and robotic, but, the truth is, you get more done. The argument against systems is that you lose creativity. For me, nothing could be further from the truth. Here are some of the systems you MUST have if you’re going to build a successful information marketing business.
1. Product Creation
If you’re an information marketer, you need to have products to sell. Therefore you need to crank out a LOT of products. GOOD products. The key to doing this is a great outline. Don’t hold yourself up with trying to make them perfect. Remember, DONE is better than perfect!
2. Traffic Generation
Without people coming to your site or sites, you won’t be in business very long. That’s why you need traffic. BUT, don’t start generating traffic until you have worked on your conversion rates. If you get a lot of traffic and few people buy or opt in, the traffic is WASTED. Make sure that before you even think about traffic, that you look at conversion rates. Traffic is a big topic and I’ll talk about it in great detail in other blog posts.
3. Measurement
Measurement eliminates argument. This is one of two signs that I see every day. It, along with the other one, hangs in my garage. For you, as one who sells info products, this is fairly easy to do. And, it’s free. It comes from Google in the form of Google Analytics.
You put some code on your various web pages and presto, Google will compile your data. Why would they do this for free? They are hoping that you advertise with them. And, in the long run, you probably will. Analytics is fairly easy to set up, even without a technical background.
4. Customer Contact
There are two parts to customer contact systems that you need. First you need one system to keep you in touch with all of your customers and prospects on a regular basis. For me, that’s WebMarketingMagic. This system allows me to group my customers and prospects into two groups and maintain contact with them accordingly.
The second part is understanding what your customers need and want. Luckily, SurveyMonkey allows you to do a simple version of this for free. You can survey up to 100 people at NO charge. Unless you need incredibly precise numbers, this will do just fine.
5. Consistent Effort
I write blog posts for a more than one site, every day. Do I always WANT to do them? No. But, if I want success as an information marketer, I’ have to do it. YOU have to be consistent with YOUR efforts as well.
There you have a list of things you need to build information marketing systems. Now get going!
7 Quick Tips for Creating How-to Information Products
March 9, 2010
Do you want a quick set of tips to creating info products? Well, here it is. The process of creating info products isn’t EASY, but it is SIMPLE. What do I mean by this? The process if relatively straightforward. The problem for most people is implementation. Knowing and doing are two different things!
First, you need to think about in which area or niche should you create products. Should you work in an area where there is very little competition? Possible, but if there is a lot less competition, it means that few people may be interested in your topic. Try and find the middle. That area between what is hugely popular and that which is relatively unknown.
Second, you need to write the copy to sell your product. Writing the copy will give you an understanding of what has to be in the product itself when complete. If you don’t know how to write copy that well, take a look at someone like Sabrina Brick. Consider getting a super fast tweak.
Third, you need to create the product itself. Use the copy you created to put together a detailed outline. After you have the outline, have someone interview you (if it’s an audio product) and go through each of the outline elements.
Fourth, you need to design a website to sell your product. I’ll assume you’ve already reserved a domain name, but if you haven’t go to UltraCheapDomains.com. This is one of my sites, but the prices are extremely reasonable and lot of people who sell info products reserve their domain names at this site.
Fifth, you need to drive traffic to your site. Without traffic to your site, no one will buy anything. If people don’t buy anything at your site, as a backup, try and get them to give you their email address. This should be your fallback position if people don’t buy.
Sixth, get those who visit your site to BUY. That’s what is called conversion. Conversion refers to how many people come to your site and what percentage of those people end up either buying or opting in to your list. Once they opt in, then you have to work on getting people to buy.
Seventh and last, you have to get people to come back after they buy your first product and buy again and again from you. To get this to happen, you have to give them a GREAT product. One that’s worth a LOT more than what they paid for it.
Follow these 7 steps and you’re on your way to creating some GREAT how-to information products!
Information Marketing Refunds
March 2, 2010
Whenever I get someone who asks for a refund I get angry. REALLY angry! Why? Because I know that my products are good and that people don’t have the “right” to ask for a refund. Looking at the matter objectively, I’m right! No one who does a great job creating and selling info products wants to have anyone ask for a refund.
The problem is that my thinking is based on the concept of a RATIONAL WORLD. The world, nor are people rational. They aren’t. Anytime you get a refund there will be a certain number of people who really deserve getting their money back. Many others do not.
My solution is this. I have turned over the process of processing refunds to someone else. I don’t even see the requests anymore. For the 10% of people who truly deserve a refund, in my humble opinion, I would feel OK about seeing their emails and putting through the necessary paperwork.
My problem is that the large majority of people do NOT deserve refunds for my products. Since the vast majority of them are digital, people don’t feel like their stealing and it’s far to easy for them to get a refund.
In the “old days” it was much more difficult. They received a PHYSICAL package and they had to wrap it up, find packaging, and send it back. Refund rates, across the board, were lower. It was a huge hassle to people who wanted their money back.
This is not to say that ALL refunds for my products are unjustified. Some are, but frankly I don’t even want to hear about them. It just makes me nauseous. I guess that their is a psychological issue at play here. I don’t ever want to feel personally rejected and no matter how certain I am about the quality of my work, refund requests BOTHER ME.
Here is what I suggest for you.
Don’t take it personally. In most cases refunds are not about you. If your refund rates get above 5%, look into your products themselves. There MAY be a problem.
Also, if you’re like me and have thin skin, then let someone else be in charge of issuing any refunds for any products.
Good luck!
How to Sell Information Products on the Internet
February 21, 2010
I’ve been selling information products for over 25 years. For half of that time, all of that marketing was done OFF line. How things have changed because of the internet! There are so many things I can do now that were impossible before all of us started selling on the web.
In the “old days” we used to sell primarily using direct mail. The nice thing about using direct mail was that everything was trackable. Similar to what we can do now with something like Google Anlaytics, we were able to know our numbers very well.
For an OLDTIMER like me, here are some of the reason why I love selling info products on the internet.
The thing that I love is the fact that now I sell digital products almost exclusively. There was nothing that I hated more than seeing a UPS truck going in the wrong direction. That would mean that someone had taken the time and effort to pack up and send a product back. I can’t tell you how much this angered me. Every once in a while the return was legitimate, but more often, someone had taken the product and copied it before they sent it back.
Digital products make me feel better. IF someone returns a product, there is no physical product to return. All they do is email me and request a refund. There is no physical product to return. I feel less “taken” when I suspect that people have been playing games with me.
The second thing I love about selling products online is that tracking is a lot easier. You could track everything when we were doing direct mail, but it took a lot more effort. Google analytics has made that much easier.
The third and biggest thing for me has been that my business has now become 100% portable. The only thing that still requires physical delivery are DVDs and videos. That won’t be the case for too much longer. As soon as everyone has a super fast internet connection, videos will also be digitally deliverable and practically so.
As much as some people may pine for the OLD DAYS, I’m glad that those who sell info products are now in a position to do their business virtually anywhere. This makes the business a lot more fun and interesting. You can be sitting under a palm tree on a Caribbean Island or on top of a mountain somewhere.
Selling information product on the internet is the way to go!
Popular Information Products to Sell
February 14, 2010
Whenever I do a speech or a seminar where I talk about selling info products, I get people coming up to me afterwards asking me: WHAT SHOULD I SELL? They are often relative newbies to the field of information marketing and I try and give them my best advice.
If you’re trying to get started immediately, you probably won’t start out selling your own products and services. You’ll start out as an affiliate, selling someone else’s. This is not necessarily a bad thing. IF you choose the right ones!
The question is how to choose. That’s what this post is all about.
First, make sure that you are dealing with a reputable person. Take the name of the person and put it into Google and see what comes up. I did this recently and discovered that the first listing for the guy was on a site that alerts people to rip off artists. I was a alarmed. I clicked on the link and started reading.
As it turns out, the person who started screaming about this person and their QUESTIONABLE tactics was the culprit. I read the entire thread of the issue and when done I was MORE willing to do business with this guy than I was at the outset.
Second, get a copy of the product and use it yourself. Two reasons here. First, you want to see if it really works as advertised. Second, you want to be able to talk about the product from the standpoint of a user, not a seller. The copy you can create will be ten times more effective if YOU, YOURSELF are actually using the product you’re promoting.
There are some people who will promote a product, site unseen. CRAZY! This is NUTS! Don’t do it. You could ruin your reputation in 10 seconds flat.
Third thing is build a “sent me” site. Take a look at www.FredSentMe.com to give you an example. Feel free to copy the look and feel of this site for yourself.
Long term, you’ll want to be selling BOTH your own products and the products of other people who you know and trust. To start, it’s a great idea to promote products from others you select. CAREFULLY.
If you are interested in mine, take a look at www.FredInfo.com. This will allow you to sign up and get compensated for selling my stuff!
Information Marketing Trust Issues
February 2, 2010
One of the biggest problems in the business of marketing and selling info products is to figure out who is deserving of your trust. The answer is a very short one: VERY FEW! There are a lot of people who are trying to sell to anyone who has an interest in selling information. Why? Because people of that ilk are anxious to buy virtually anything that will help make them more successful.
The net result? People are taken advantage of. In most cases, the offerings made by these individuals are made to enhance and enlarge THEIR bank accounts. Not yours. When you see an offer to buy something that will help you as an info marketer, contact the individual who is selling the item. Ask them HOW MANY people have actually benefited from what they are selling. Ask them for specifics. Ask them for numbers.
Don’t be surprised if they get pretty annoyed at your for asking. They are betting that the vast majority of people will not ask. Will not take them to task for proof. This is how these folks work. I would caution you to NOT buy from anyone who cannot provide you with REAL examples of success. I’m much more concerned that you find people who can show even moderate results.
In most cases, the folks who taut big numbers from their buyers may have ONE person who has hit the jackpot. In many instances not even related to the product that they bought. They just got lucky or happened to be in the right place at the right time.
Don’t be one of the victims of this kind of nonsense. Make sure that you look for legitimate products that will help you as an information marketer. The best way to do that is to stick with people you KNOW and TRUST. It will be difficult to build up this list if you are first starting. BUT, ask around, if you start to hear the same name over and over in the context of playing games, avoid them.
My reputation has been built on NOT over promising. NOT telling people that they can get rich overnight. This means I make less sales. BUT, those whom I sell to are MUCH more likely to achieve the results I promise. It is a jungle out there. Be careful who you do business with. Check them out and vet them throughly.
Taking Care of Your Voice
August 5, 2008
As an information marketing business owner, you’ll need to take care of your voice. If you do seminars or record your own audio programs, your voice will be an integral part of your products.
That being the case, you’ll want to make sure and follow some simple rules to “protect” your voice from harm. I advise you to take care of your voice and follow these rules.
1. Drink water when you speak.
Whether you are speaking to a group or to just one other person in an interview situation, it’s important for you to drink water. Water is to your throat what oil is to a car engine. It’s a lubricant. You’d never want to run your car without oil or your voice without water. Never use HOT or COLD water. Keep it room temperature to properly take care of your voice.
2. Don’t drink alcohol or caffeine.
Drinking alcohol and things like coffee will have a deleterious effect on your voice in both the short and long term. There are a lot of sophisticate medical explanations that I can give you, but in short, just don’t do it.
3. Don’t talk when you don’t need to.
When you are not speaking, try and give your voice plenty of time to rest. There was a time when I was on the road speaking over 100 times a year. During that time it became very important NOT to speak when not on stage. This will give your vocal cords time to rest.
4. Never yell.
It’s one of the worst things you can do for your voice. Never do it. If you like to go to college sporting events, be careful. You may be tempting yourself with your favorite team!
There you have it. Those of are some of the most important things you need to know to take care of your voice. Take care of your voice and your voice will take care of you.
Selling Info Products
August 4, 2008
Selling info products can be fun. To be done correctly, it will require some work on your part. I have always been taught that marketing is everything you do to get the phone to ring. Selling begins when you pick up the phone.
That language is now a bit dated.
In the selling of info products, particularly online we could change the definition to: marketing is everything you do to drive traffic to your site. Selling begins once they land on your site.
Selling info products now is very different than it was 10 years ago. Most intelligent marketers who are selling info products still use both methods, but the bulk of their efforts lie in the online marketing world.
In order to know how well you’re doing in the selling of your info products, you need a means of tracking your efforts. This is best done with Google Analytics. It’s a free service provided by Google to give you some key statistics you’ll want to track to analyze your efforts.
You’ll first want to know how many unique visitors are coming to your site. You’ll also want to know what percentage of those folks you are closing to take ACTION. That can be both the purchasing of a product and the opting in to receive your emails.
Your final element that you’ll want to track is your AVV. Your average visitor value. This will allow you to figure out how much each customer is worth who comes to your site.
This is incredibly valuable as we now live in a PAY PER CLICK world. Knowing how much a customer is worth will allow you to know how much you should be wiling to pay to get them to your site.
I would suggest that you never pay more to get them there than what they are worth. So if the average visitor value to your site is $1, never pay more than a dollar per click.
Big companies may be willing to LOSE money (initially) to get someone to a site, but that should NOT be done with someone like you or me.
Creating Your Own Info Products
July 23, 2008
When you get started as an information marketer, you have some choices to make. One of the first will be whether to create your own products or to license or “use” someone else’s.
I suggest you create your own.
Not that there is anything wrong with licensing or affiliating with other people’s products. It’s just that when YOU own your content, you are in greater control of the process and you are building a business that will have some equity value.
The products YOU create will be saleable at some point in the future if you ever decide to sell your business or a portion of it.
Creating your own info products can be intimidating if you have never done it before. When you get started, you are faced with some choices. Should you do a book or ebook? Should you first do an audio or video product? Or, should you do some kind of event like a seminar to get started.
My suggestion for the novice is to do an audio program.
Within the category of audio, you now have some choices. You can do one of three things to create your audio program:
1. Sit in a studio (or somewhere like a studio) and talk into a microphone.
Even if you are a VERY gifted speaker, this is tough to pull off effectively. Even someone like Tony Robbins is tough to listen to doing a “solo” act where he is talking to you via a studio recording.
2. Record a seminar or other event.
This is a good option provided you make sure that you repeat the questions when asked and to have good recording equipment set up that will allow the listener to clearly hear the audience questions.
3. Record an interview.
This is my suggestion for what MOST people should do first. Although many people aren’t expert interviewers (if you want to learn HOW to interview people like a pro go to: http://www.ExpertInterviewer.com), it’s a good place to start. You can either do it in person or over the phone and you can ask someone a list of questions that you have pre-prepared.
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