The Secret to Successful Marketing for Your Information Products
February 2, 2009 - Written by Gyutae Park
Do you want to make money online selling information? My last two articles focused on why you need to sell information products and then how to actually create them. Today I want to finish up the series by describing the best way to market your products and get people to buy.
There’s so much free information on the Internet and even the paid content is gaining a lot more prominence. With all of the competition, why should anyone buy from you? What makes your customers choose you over the other options? It comes down to three components – presentation, personality, and perception of value.
Presentation
Even if all of the information you offer is available for free online, people will still pay you if you present it in a way that’s easy to understand – which saves time and effort for consumers.
Personality
Not only that, but people don’t just want to learn – they want to be engaged and entertained. If you have a fun-loving style and personality, it’ll definitely help your sales.
Perception of Value
Finally, selling information depends heavily on the perception of value. If you think about it, info is just some ink on paper worth a few pennies. However, it’s the benefits of knowledge that really matter. People are willing to pay thousands of dollars for online courses because of the things they can do with the new knowledge they gain. Emphasize the benefits in your marketing campaigns.
The Secret to Marketing Information Products
Like I said, the 3 key components of information marketing are presentation, personality, and perception of value. So how do you effectively market your information products using these factors? Free offers.
Free information is crucial in marketing because it brings new people into your sales funnel. People who wouldn’t otherwise buy your products are introduced to you via free content on blogs, newsletters, ebooks, etc. They get a sample of what you have to offer and if they like it they’ll either continue reading or buy your premium content.
People are naturally skeptical of information especially if it comes from sources that they’re not familiar with. Free offers are effective because you’re able to more easily develop relationships with your prospects. If you spark enough initial interest, people will give you their time and attention. If you keep them interested, they’ll give you their money too.
Below are some of the methods you can use to give away free information and build trust with your readers. Free content often means gaining new leads for your email list as well – which is definitely a valuable asset for your conversion funnel.
- blog posts
- email newsletters with exclusive content
- ebooks and PDF reports
- videos hosted on sharing sites
- teleseminars and interviews
- free trials or lite versions of software and tools
Check out 16 more ideas for free products.
Are you using free offers to market your information products? It’s the best way to build your brand and increase sales for the long term. What kinds of marketing plans have you used to sell your info products? Leave a comment below.
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Giving free ebooks or reports is a good strategy to keep them interested in what you sell.
Also if you know how to do it well, article marketing is also a perfect way to sell your info products.
Good series btw
Yep, free stuff is the way to go because you have to show potential customers what you have to offer. There’s no better way to do it than to show it to them first hand via real samples.
I don’t do too much article marketing and honestly I wouldn’t focus on it too much. Your best content should be hosted on your own site and other quality sites, not in article directories.
It is true that freebies are a very attractive way to keep people interested. I also think that you are quite correct about hosting your best stuff on your own site rather than article directories, which tend to be impersonal and without any personality.
Yeah honestly I don’t think anyone really reads the content on article directories. It’s mostly there for people to take advantage of the links so it usually has a low perception of quality.
In order for people to actually think about purchasing or reading your information products, you must include a value proposition in order to let them know what they are going to be learning from this product.
You’re right. There’s so much information out there that you have to give people a reason to pick you. Most of your product is going to be based on the marketing it – that’s the hardest part. If you want to get more in depth training on that I’d recommend Jeff Walker’s Product Launch Formula.
Free stuff that is relevant to your core business is a great way for customer acquisition and in building a list and a relationship with your audience
yes.I already know giving away free report.Any way interesting Post.
Giving your target market a piece or a sample of what you sell can make them come to you. Set your best foot forward and maintain credibility.
Building your base of followers will tie into the perception of value. With enough commenters, traffic, and rss subscribers, consumers will believe that your message is worth their time and cash.
I agree with the part about personality. Actually you portray that indirectly in your writing styles.
Ben
Good information.The more information people get about the product you are selling the better it is.When I want to sell a product I write an honest review about it with pros and cons.Honesty is a thing that people respect.
People will pay for something that has a lot of personality and drive. Obviously it depends on personal taste, but if your style is likeable, then there should be no problem in selling your products.
how can do that as best
Sending email newsletter is one of the best ways to keep engage the reader about your product and your customer necessary. Always provide update information to your customer what they are expecting from you.