Successful Info Product Creation and Marketing [Part 2]

Okay, here’s the 2^nd part of my mini-course about how to create and market a successful information product. In the last post, I covered a few points about the creation process. Specifically I recommended that you define your own level of success, be ultra-specific with your niche topic, and focus on solving your customer’s problems.

Today I want to continue the next phase of this process. Here we’re going to discuss what I like to call the “Presentation” aspect of an info product.

The one thing that surprises me is the negative connotation that some people have when it comes to marketing. Many think it’s a bad thing if use any sort of sales tactics in order to promote your eBook.

I have a different viewpoint. First off, I believe you should always ensure your product is top-notch. Secondly, if you know it really helps your customer then have the mindset that you’re actually helping customers, not just taking their money. Finally, think of your marketing as the process of helping people get solutions to their problems.

Now…you might be thinking, what is presentation? Well, there are a few components that makes up this process:

#3- Your Salespage

I want to drill something in your head…

Don’t get high and mighty about “selling.” If you’re one of those people who complain about having to create a salespage, then find another line of work.

I don’t mean to be harsh here. But every week I discover yet another info product with a crappy salespage. I want to promote this course as an affiliate, but I don’t because the product owner is too afraid to be ballsy and tell you why he or she has an excellent product.

You need a salespage.

This salespage must tell you why this product provides a solution to their problem. And it should be tightly focused on one goal…make a sale.

Seems simple, right? Unfortunately many people seem to forget that a salespage should be designed to get the customer to pull out their wallet and pay for the product.

Everything on the salespage should be designed towards convincing the prospect to make a purchase. To borrow a phrase from the movie Glengarry GlenRoss, you should “Always Be Closing.”

So what are the elements of a salespage? Well here are a few things you should keep in mind as you create it:

Copywriting- This is the element of selling with your words. To be honest, I’m not the greatest copywriter. But when I created my info product, I was smart about keeping a ‘swipe file’ which helped me create a pretty decent salespage.

Graphics– You need a uniform look to your salespage. This should include an eBook cover, header/footer graphics, and images that enhance the emotions behind your copywriting.

Testimonials- There’s an element of social proof that’s required for a salespage. Your prospect needs more than just your word that your product fixes their problem. They need to see that it worked for others who experience the same pain and frustration that they have.

Two Choices– Your salespage should be designed with one goal in mind…get the sale. Either they leave your site or they buy your product. Give too many options and you’ll lose the prospect.

To be honest, your salespage requires a lot more information than what I can include here. Just remember that it should be designed with the intention of getting the customer to pay for your product.

#4- Perceived Value

Begin rant…

There are many clever marketers who know that video and audio material has a higher perceived value than the written word. So they often take information from what’s considered a “low-ticket” item and create a multimedia experience to “bulk up” a product.

The reason this pisses me off is you’re paying a lot more money for the same material. Multi-media gives you the illusion that you’re getting a lot of value when in fact you’re not. Most of the time, the “perceived value” trick is use to disguise poor content or low value information.

End rant.

Sorry about that rant. But I couldn’t help but express my strong feelings about video and audio. I think you can add a lot of value to your product by giving material that enhances your info product. But in my opinion, it shouldn’t be used to mask a piss-poor quality eBook.

Moving on…

It’s important to understand that many prospects will place a “dollar amount” on the information you’re selling. If you sell a single eBook, then it’s unlikely that they’ll spend a lot of money.

On the other hand, if you include lots of videos and audios, then the perceived value of your product will skyrocket.

My advice is to use this knowledge wisely. People do enjoy a multimedia experience. So you should definitely cater to this need. But don’t jack up the price because you know people will perceive your information as having a high dollar amount.

#5- Include Bonuses

Bonuses tie into the previous section. You can add a ton of value to your information product by adding a bunch of extras which give additional in-depth information.

Again, I want to emphasize the importance of not using bonuses to mask an inferior product. Instead your extras should be “mini-solutions” to related problems that the prospect experiences.

For instance, in the previous lesson I mentioned a product idea of how to drive blog traffic from Twitter.

A bonus report could be how to quickly add thousands of followers to your account. Or how to incorporate Twitter with other social media sites. These are related to your main theme, but help solve other related problems the person might have.

I’m a big fan of adding small reports as a bonus. These aren’t long enough to be turned into a main info product, but they’re still worth covering.

At a bare minimum, I recommend including three reports with your eBook. All you really have to do is sit down and think of anything else that might be troubling your customers.

Final Thoughts…

Presentation can make or break your information product. If you can’t sell it, then you’re not really helping anybody, including yourself.

My advice is to learn everything you can about presentation or hire an expert to help you out. Just remember that you could have the greatest product in the world, but it won’t make a difference if you can’t sell it.

Take Action. Get Results.