Posted: April 15th, 2012 by Dnee
Creating and selling information products online is an easy, lucrative way to make money quickly. Success involves understanding what your customers want and creating products around those wants. Focus your products around your prospects’ biggest frustrations, problems and challenges. Here are eight tips to succeed.
- Research your market – The biggest mistake people make with information products is creating a product no one wants. New content authors tend to try to teach people what they “should” know rather than what they “want” to know. Before you create your product, research what prospects want. Ask them directly. Go to forums and read what questions they ask. Then, create your product around those problems, issues and concerns.
- Start small - If you are new to information product creation, start with a small project like writing a short guide and focus on providing practical, action-oriented tips your readers or listeners can use right now. Your information product shouldn’t be a brain dump of all your expertise. It should have a defined scope with specific topics you will and won’t cover.
- Focus on quality – Quality content is useful and timely. With so much information available, your prospects feel confused and overwhelmed. They don’t know who to trust or what to believe. What they want most is a quick fix or magic bullet to their problem. If you can provide just one tip or trick that they can put into practice immediately to see results – one that doesn’t require too much effort – you will stand out from all the other “useless” sources of information out there.
- Commit to action – It’s better to launch something than nothing at all. Don’t get caught up in being perfect or providing the “end-all-be-all” guide to your subject. Rather, stay focused, get it done, and start selling it. If, after you have published the content, readers ask specific questions about topics you didn’t cover clearly or haven’t covered, you can either revise the contents or create a supplemental guide to address those specific questions.
- Perception is everything – Information products are difficult to value. When your prospects purchase any physical book or audio CD, they expect to pay around $10-20. When they see your course or membership site or even an ebook, they don’t know how to value it. They have no idea what a fair price might be because they can’t go to Google Product Search, find several stores carrying your item, and shop around on price. Help your prospects understand the value by including benefits in your product description, creating an attractive cover, and present your content in an easy-to-read format.
- Build social proof and preeminence – Information products are much easier to sell if your prospects already know, like and trust you. Preeminence is the perception that you are a top authority on your subject matter. Building preeminence involves demonstrating social proof – proof that other people within your industry see you as an authority and recommend your products and services. That can be done by associating with other top figures in your market, seeking testimonials from happy clients, speaking at an event, getting media coverage, or building up a loyal readership through blogging and social media.
- Don’t get bogged down with technical details – You can spend weeks analyzing the right shopping cart or membership software to deliver your products – the number of choices for each is staggering! Speed of implementation is crucial here. Pick one, set it up (or have someone set it up for you), and get your product out there.
- Think beyond one product – You won’t get rich selling one information product, so start brainstorming other products you could create. Package your content in different formats. For instance, if you write an ebook, turn the contents into an audio or video program. Expand out chapters to create entirely new products. Think in terms of creating a free report that encourages people to buy your low-end, mid-tier, and high-end products.
While information products take time to create, once they are finished, you can generate income from them indefinitely. Even if selling information products is not your primary income generating strategy, it can create an alternative stream of income to selling your services.
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Posted: April 14th, 2012 by updateblog
Information products are books and ebooks, audio CDs and MP3s, web video and DVDs, teleseminars, and computer software that are used to teach specialized knowledge to another person. Most people have knowledge that other people want. Information products are a way to deliver that information to people easily and profitably. Let’s look at some formats for delivering content.
- Reports and Books – The simplest way to create an information product is to write a how-to or beginner’s guide, short report, white paper, case study or full-length book. Anyone with word processing software (like Microsoft Word) can open up a new document and start writing. If the idea of writing a book seems overwhelming to you, focus on short 6-10 page guides and build up to lengthier documents as you become more comfortable and confident in your writing. Once you have created your report or book, you can use one of the many free PDF conversion tools to create a PDF to offer on your website.
Websites like E-Junkie and Clickbank offer secure ways for you to accept payments and deliver your digital content.
If you prefer to publish the book as a physical product, services like Amazon’s CreateSpace and Lulu allow you to offer print-on-demand hard copies.
- Audio and Video – Many people perceive audio and video content to be of higher value than a traditional book or ebook. Anyone with a microphone can record audio directly to their computer. To edit your audio file, Audacity is a free, cross-platform program you can download and use.
The quickest way to record video is to buy a Flip video camcorder and record yourself giving a presentation. Or, if you prefer to create screen capture videos or Powerpoint presentations, you can download a 30-day free trial of TechSmith’s Camtasia Studio.
Like with books, CreateSpace allows you to sell physical print-on-demand CDs and DVDs of your audio and video products.
- Online Courses and Membership Sites – A more extensive type of information product is to create an online course or membership site where you deliver different content in written, audio or video format. Subscribers log into a members-only section of your website to access the content.
The primary difference between a course and a membership site is that a course has a specific price and end date while a membership site provides new content monthly for an indefinite length of time, as long as subscribers continue to pay the monthly fee.
Logistically, delivering courses and content online is much easier to do online than offering physical products or delivering trainings in-house or at the client’s company. Rather than worrying about CD or DVD production, printing paper copies, mailing to subscribers, or finding conferencing space each month, you can simply upload your new content to your website.
The quickest and easiest way I have found to set up a membership site is to use the Wishlist Member plugin with WordPress and accept payments through Paypal. To set up your site requires a bit of technical know-how, but virtually anyone can do it in a matter of hours by following their online tutorials – or hire someone to set it up through sites like Elance.
Why create information products?
Creating your own information products helps you demonstrate your expertise, build credibility and find qualified leads. Reports, white papers, case studies and teleseminar recordings can be offered for free as lead generators to get people to subscribe to your newsletter or build your prospect database.
More in-depth guides, audio or video programs, or courses can offer prospects a cheaper alternative to buying your pricier one-on-one services. This allows you to help more people than you would if you only worked one-one-one while still making money.
In addition, while the initial creation of an information product takes time, once it is complete, you can make money from it long-term. If you sell a virtual or print-on-demand product, you don’t have to worry about reproduction costs or inventory. The order process is automated so when people order through your website, they can immediately download their product or have it shipped to them through your print-on-demand service.
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Posted: April 14th, 2012 by updateblog
Marketing your consulting business can be time-consuming. It can be challenging to find clients who want and will pay for your services. Here are 10 tips to help you generate new business.
- Define your niche market. Don’t try to be everything to everyone. Instead, capitalize on what you do well and focus on attracting clients who need those services. It’s tempting when you are just starting out to work with anyone who offers to pay, but focus on those people who want what you provide, will make good clients, and are likely to refer the type of business you want.
- Create your elevator pitch. Create a compelling answer to “What do you do for a living?” that clearly defines who you help and how your services benefit them.
- Clearly define the features and benefits of your services. Make the advantages of doing business with you easy to understand by explaining how clients will benefit.
- Create a free report. Many people hate networking because they feel they are “tooting their own horn.” If you can offer prospects something they can use, you will feel much more comfortable “helping” others rather than “selling your services.”
- Learn why clients buy from you. The better you understand your prospects’ motivations and reasons for hiring you, the more effective your marketing will be. No one likes to be “sold,” but they do like buying. Put your clients’ interests above your own and focus on helping them solve their problems.
- Encourage referrals. Set an expectation for referrals when you propose your working agreement. Tell your clients that part of working with you means they will refer business to you if they feel you have done a great job. This will motivate you to provide the best service you can to clients.
- Build a web presence. Demonstrate your expertise by creating an informative website and networking with prospects and industry professionals online through Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites.
- Partner with other businesses that serve your market. What other companies do business with your clients before, during, and after working with you? Can you partner with them to offer your clients a broader range of services?
- Be opportunistic. Be proactive in soliciting business from prospects. If you have your eye on a company you want to work with, start networking to get your foot in the door. If you see a potential opportunity in your marketplace to offer a new service, take advantage of it quickly.
- Consider offering a “free sample.” If you are brand new and need experience, develop a way to offer a “free sample” of your services. Be careful, though. It can be easy to be taken advantage of if you start offering all your services pro bono. Clearly define what you will do for free, with the expectation that if your client likes your work, he or she will start paying your fee after a specific time.
Starting a consulting business requires flexibility above all else. While you can’t be everything to everyone, under-promising and over-delivering is a great way to build rapport, trust, and long-term relationships.
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Posted: April 13th, 2012 by voice-city.info
If networking plays a big role in your marketing strategy, you need a compelling answer to the question, “What do you do for a living?” Simply answering with “I’m a marketing consultant” or “I’m a life coach” or “I’m a graphic designer” won’t help you get more business.
Why? Because it doesn’t clearly identify what you do and how that can help them. To you, being a “marketing consultant,” a “life coach,” or a “graphic designer” means certain things.
However, your prospects don’t have the same “insider” knowledge that you have. They may have an entirely different view of your industry based on what they’ve heard in the media, their own experiences working with a consultant or designer, and what their family and friends have told them. It’s possible they don’t see much value in what you do if they received bad advice from another “consultant” or cheap web design service from their neighbor’s “computer whiz” son who is still in high school.
A better answer is to state the following:
I help _____describe your prospect______
Who are struggling/having problems with __your target audience’s key problem______
To achieve/get _____the specific result they will receive by working with you___
In/With/Without ______ a convenience they get______.
Do you know anyone who _________recap the above statement_________?
For instance:
- I help people who hate their job uncover their strengths, clarify their goals and create an action plan to land their dream job within the next year. Do you know any potential career changers who would like a roadmap to a better job?
- I help big ticket sales professionals who struggle to make their sales quotas to double their sales volume without cold calling or manipulative techniques. Do you know any high commission sales professionals who would like to double their sales?
- I help couples who want to save their marriage to break through the walls of anger, resentment, and hurt to revive the love, passion and joy they once had. Do you know any couples who want to save their marriage?
Do you see the difference? Now, you are telling people exactly what you do, who you do it for, and why that can help them.
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Posted: April 13th, 2012 by voice-city.info
Once you have set up your consulting business and created a business plan, the next step is marketing. Finding the right clients can be the most time-consuming and challenging part of starting a consulting business.
There is no one “right” way to market your business, but the best marketing approach is to use a variety of different ways to get the word out. Put together a marketing plan that includes some of the following ideas.
- Networking – People do business with those they know, like and trust. It’s not “what” you know, but “who.” Announce to everyone you know that you have started a new business. Check out local networking groups on Meetup.com. Join your local Chamber of Commerce. Start meeting people and building your contact database.
- Word of mouth/ referrals – As you start spreading the word about your consulting services, one of the primary ways you will attract new clients is through referrals. Don’t hesitate to ask clients, friends, and contacts if they know anyone who might benefit from your services.
- Advertising – While more expensive than networking and referral marketing, advertising is the most common form of marketing and self-promotion. When you start out, TV ads and full-page spreads in major publications will be outside your marketing budget, so look for more affordable alternatives. Perhaps you can buy a list of people within your niche market and mail to them. Perhaps you can find publications targeting them and advertise there. Focus on where your target audience is, then advertise in those places.
- Web marketing – One of the best “bang for your buck” marketing strategies is to use the web.Websites can be extremely affordable. Pay-per-click advertising allows you to target very specific audiences based on what keywords they type into Google. By building a content-rich website, you can get listed at the top of Google’s search results for your top keywords. Article marketing is a free way to syndicate your content to a larger audience.
- Social media marketing – Facebook and Twitter offer cheap and easy ways to reach your target market online or to network with high-profile “experts” in your field.
- Create a free report – Consider giving prospects a sample of your consulting services by writing a top seven mistakes guide and giving it away on your website or when people call your office.
Marketing is an ongoing effort, so schedule time daily to devote to attracting new clients.
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