How to Create an Information Product to Sell Online
- ARTICLES |
The success of any internet marketing business depends on your ability to sell information products. But in order to do that you have to create valuable products.
Here several steps that will enable you to do that. You must do all of them and in this order. If you try to skip them, then you'll probably have to back up and re-do some of your work in order to get back to where you need to be in order to finish the product.
1. Determine the primary purpose of the product
The primary purpose is not to make money. Rather, it's to solve a particular problem that prospects or customers have.
If you meet the need, then people will buy it from you. They want value for money, and so you have to create that value first.
2. Identify the learning objectives
Learning objectives do two things: they tell customers what they will be able to do as a result of using your product; but they also insure that you put that information into your product.
Think of them as signposts or milestones.
3. Create an overview of what the product does
Broadly speaking, what does your product do? This is different from its purpose. The purpose is to solve a particular problem, and when you articulate it, you also define just what that is.
But an overview goes beyond that. It also explains briefly what the process will be.
4. Describe the context.
This is a starting point for customers. You have to remember that they haven't been thinking about your product for the days or weeks that you have. They may have been thinking about their problem, but they've also been doing a lot of other things as well.
When you describe the context, you prepare them for what you have to teach them.
5. Jot down as many ideas as you can think of that together will teach what is necessary to solve the problem you identified earlier. Don't try to put them in any sort of order right now. What you want is the information. You'll start to organize it in a moment.
If you try to organize it as you go along, then it's likely that you'll leave out something important.
And do not holding back anything.
It could be that the depth of the information that you provide will be less for a beginning product than it is for one that is more advanced; but Internet users are becoming savvier every day; and so if you want your product to remain evergreen, then you need to put enough material into it to keep it that way.
6. Assign a category of your choice to each idea
Next to each bit of information that you have listed, assign a category to it. A category is nothing more than a brief description of the information that you've jotted down. Don't make this complicated. It's just a tool for the next couple of steps.
7. Copy the categories onto a separate page.
Now you will get a chance to see what you're actually working with. Look at your notes, and copy down exactly the wording you used for each of the category names.
8. Outline the categories
Put the categories into a logical order. What do you need to teach first? What comes next? And so on, all the way to the end.
9. Move the ideas that you've sporadically recorded in one place to the place where you've organized the categories.
If you need to, and you probably will, organize the ideas under each category so that they, too, follow a sensible order.
10. Teach each category in the order in your outline
Now you're ready to begin teaching. If you need to add more notes, then do so. But unless you're writing a book, you want to keep them to an absolute minimum.
11. Conclude by tying everything together
Conclude your teaching of each category by summarizing what you've taught them. And when you finish teaching all of your lessons, then summarize the whole product.
12. Give them a homework assignment that enables them to assess how well they understood the material
For each lesson, create a homework assignment that will demonstrate to them that they know what to do, and that will encourage them to do it.
13. Suggest the next step for them after they've gained the benefit that you intended from that product.
One next step could be to buy the next product in your funnel.
By the way, do you want to learn more about building your web presence and growing your information business?
If so, download my brand new free guide here: Maven Influencer Blueprint
Here several steps that will enable you to do that. You must do all of them and in this order. If you try to skip them, then you'll probably have to back up and re-do some of your work in order to get back to where you need to be in order to finish the product.
1. Determine the primary purpose of the product
The primary purpose is not to make money. Rather, it's to solve a particular problem that prospects or customers have.
If you meet the need, then people will buy it from you. They want value for money, and so you have to create that value first.
2. Identify the learning objectives
Learning objectives do two things: they tell customers what they will be able to do as a result of using your product; but they also insure that you put that information into your product.
Think of them as signposts or milestones.
3. Create an overview of what the product does
Broadly speaking, what does your product do? This is different from its purpose. The purpose is to solve a particular problem, and when you articulate it, you also define just what that is.
But an overview goes beyond that. It also explains briefly what the process will be.
4. Describe the context.
This is a starting point for customers. You have to remember that they haven't been thinking about your product for the days or weeks that you have. They may have been thinking about their problem, but they've also been doing a lot of other things as well.
When you describe the context, you prepare them for what you have to teach them.
5. Jot down as many ideas as you can think of that together will teach what is necessary to solve the problem you identified earlier. Don't try to put them in any sort of order right now. What you want is the information. You'll start to organize it in a moment.
If you try to organize it as you go along, then it's likely that you'll leave out something important.
And do not holding back anything.
It could be that the depth of the information that you provide will be less for a beginning product than it is for one that is more advanced; but Internet users are becoming savvier every day; and so if you want your product to remain evergreen, then you need to put enough material into it to keep it that way.
6. Assign a category of your choice to each idea
Next to each bit of information that you have listed, assign a category to it. A category is nothing more than a brief description of the information that you've jotted down. Don't make this complicated. It's just a tool for the next couple of steps.
7. Copy the categories onto a separate page.
Now you will get a chance to see what you're actually working with. Look at your notes, and copy down exactly the wording you used for each of the category names.
8. Outline the categories
Put the categories into a logical order. What do you need to teach first? What comes next? And so on, all the way to the end.
9. Move the ideas that you've sporadically recorded in one place to the place where you've organized the categories.
If you need to, and you probably will, organize the ideas under each category so that they, too, follow a sensible order.
10. Teach each category in the order in your outline
Now you're ready to begin teaching. If you need to add more notes, then do so. But unless you're writing a book, you want to keep them to an absolute minimum.
11. Conclude by tying everything together
Conclude your teaching of each category by summarizing what you've taught them. And when you finish teaching all of your lessons, then summarize the whole product.
12. Give them a homework assignment that enables them to assess how well they understood the material
For each lesson, create a homework assignment that will demonstrate to them that they know what to do, and that will encourage them to do it.
13. Suggest the next step for them after they've gained the benefit that you intended from that product.
One next step could be to buy the next product in your funnel.
By the way, do you want to learn more about building your web presence and growing your information business?
If so, download my brand new free guide here: Maven Influencer Blueprint