A A
RSS

Create My Own Information Product?

Subscribe to Article Series

WHY WOULD I WANT TO?

You may ask yourself why would you want to create your own information product.

It is time consuming, is a lot of work, it can involve stepping outside of your comfort zone, and hey, there is always an affiliate product out there that you can sell instead, right?

Let's take a look at why you might want to create an information product of your very own. 

BENEFITS OF HAVING YOUR OWN INFORMATION PRODUCT

Having your own product to offer reader's of your website can have many benefits.

1 – Firstly, it allows you to monetize your website.

If you are passionate enough to create a website, you are probably knowledgeable enough to create your own information product, designed to pinpoint methods and information that can help your readers to solve the problem that brought them to your site in the first place.

Not everyone is browsing to buy of course, but you can bet that interest stems from a desire to solve a problem of some kind that has come up through lack of knowledge about the subject of your site.

Many times a person would rather pay a few dollars for a short report that highlights exactly what steps they can take to solve the problem – to take action and get results – than to browse the internet getting bogged down by information overload.

Which brings us to the other benefit.

2 – Having your own information product showcases your own knowledge and will present you as an expert in your field.

This will put you a step up from other sites that provide generalized knowledge with no spotlight specifically on the best the author has to offer.

Even if it is just perceived value, putting a price tag on your knowledge will increase your value to your readers because it shows that you know enough to put a product together, and that others see it valuable enough to purchase. 

Even if you have a multi-author site, having your own product helps to pull it together and to highlight you and your expertise on your website topic – which can only be a good thing. 

3 – Creates many more earning opportunities. When you have your own product, you can have an affiliate program of your own – allowing you to build your own sales team.

You can also do joint ventures – partnering with others to help each other.

And you have far more control and opportunities in your sales process – utilizing thank you pages etc, creating upsells and customer lists.

You can also explore other avenue's that you may not have done otherwise that will also set you up for future product exposure. 

4 – The fourth reason is that it cuts down on the noise and reduces the diluted effect of showcasing other's expertise through affiliate programs.

Am I saying not to sell affiliate programs?

Not at all. Many others have knowledge that you may not have, or that complements your own product.

But by having your own product – showcasing it first and frequently – and using affiliate programs to supplement or enhance your own offerings, you can provide a well rounded source of information that will solve your reader's problems while maintaining your all important expert status.

A NOTE ABOUT EXPERT STATUS: It sounds presumptuous doesn't it? But the truth is, that if you have a quality site, which is what I'm assuming you are aiming for, you should know what you are talking about, right?

One of the nice benefits of putting together a quality, informative website is that you learn in the process.

Even if you didn't consider yourself an expert at first, there's a good chance that you are getting there in the process. If you feel that you need to learn more about your topic, make that a priority first. Expand your education. Then create your product.

There is always someone who can learn from your experience and knowledge.

And there are always going to be people who know more than you do.

Don't let this intimidate you. Keep learning and growing and then share what you know. One of my biggest regrets in being so slow to getting The 1000 Hours Project finished is that it would have helped others to solve the problem of being stressed and unproductive in their own work at home efforts – these 2 factors alone can make or break a business and cause a lot of upset at home. 

You are doing others a service by helping them through your own knowledge and experience.

I DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE CHARGING PEOPLE IN NEED

This is another common hurdle. Deep inside, many of us feel that we should be helping others for free.

While this is a cornerstone of having a good online business – much of your traffic will come from information that you have provided on your site or off – for free – no one is obligated to sacrifice their time and survival, and that of their family, to help others with no compensation. 

You may run across a few people who will expect it, but the truth is that there is nothing wrong with expecting something in return for your time, your efforts and your assistance through your own experiences and knowledge.

I like to think of it this way. Would those same people expect to go to work everyday for free?

Of course not, it's a ludicrous suggestion. They expect to be compensated for their time, energy and expertise and so should you. 

As you know, or will find out, putting together your own information product takes work and dedication.

There is nothing wrong with enjoying your work, and helping others in the process.

THE KEY FACTOR TO CHARGING FOR YOUR KNOWLEDGE 

The key factor is your dedication to providing more value than you are charging for.

Always be asking yourself throughout the complete process, can people use this product to get the results they are looking for?

How can I make it better?

How can I help them to achieve their objective?

In fact, as a society, it's something that I strongly feel we all should strive for. 

Are you ready to create your own information product?

Watch for the next article in the series – Creating Your Own Information Product – Digging In…

Jan Ferrante - Queen of KAOS

Tags:

2 Responses to “Create My Own Information Product?”

  1. Ya I do agree that FREE information should be available everywhere. It’s absurd that you see an ebook with a nice cover charging $40 when you can easily get the same information free everywhere.

    To add on, creating information can show your personality. Internet users today are smart, they can tell from a “user-generated” content from content written of you.

  2. queenofkaos says:

    Basically, I think in order to charge for information, an author should be willing to go the extra mile to provide value – to make the information usable or something of value if used – to step up from theory to utility – although the responsibility will always ultimately rest on the user to use it of course.

    And that is the question everyone needs to ask before they buy – will I have the time and dedication to USE it? Do I NEED it?

    And that’s were ethics in marketing come in, in my opinion – pulling on heartstrings, zeroing in on a persons weakness or insecurity, or hopes and dreams, convincing people that they need things that they don’t or won’t/can’t use just to make a sale is not cool IMHO.

    But the best feeling in the world comes when you know you have provided a life altering product that really can make a difference in helping your buyer. Having a mission statement can really help to stay on track in this dept.

    As for website content, I think it does depend on what kind of website that you have as to how much of it needs to be written by you, but if you are trying to build a brand and have a personal touch – definitely, the more hands on you can be the better.

    In my own journey with my blogs, I find that I can improve what I offer through providing content from others, but I try to include an introduction with that content as well.

    And again, the gold standard is how useful is the content. Putting up junk just to have some quick content is a waste of everyone’s time and just adds to the internet noise pollution – and guarantees a quick click out – so what is the point (actually, I suspect it is used as a strategy to sell adsense – put up a junk site knowing people will be clicking out – using the adsense ad)

    Is this ethical? I don’t really know. If a person finds what they are looking for through the adsense ad, maybe it’s not so bad. Personally, I almost always don’t even look at the ads though and consider it a waste of my time. I wouldn’t support this type of website. There is no heart in it.

    And on a larger note, that is what the world needs now, especially on an impersonal medium such as the internet – which of course can also be personal, it’s all in what you make it :0)


Ramp It Up.


Read All About It...

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

Another home office organization motivator on video.

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

I really like the idea to go vertical if you have a small space and manage work/home in the same space. Check out the shot of the floor to ceiling desk! 

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

Get a bit of motivation and a few tips to organize your home office space. Why not take a few minutes, pick a few and put them in place today.

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

Want to take dedication, commitment and expertise to the next level in your business? Must see video on what can be done. How can you be amazing like these modern day shepherds from Scotland? If they can do it…

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

How much have your REALLY got? 

 You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

I know after watching this, my home office seems just a little more comfortable. 

Categories

Archives


A Step Up Production by Jan Ferrante - Your Partner in ACTion.