My last post was about the 3 kinds of info product.
Now let’s have a look at setting goals for your information marketing efforts. I wrote a similar article recently for Technorati about small business goal setting in social media. The ideas are the same.
You know some of your information products will be free and others paid. Among the paid products, the price can range from a few dollars all the up to tens of thousands of dollars.
But how do you decided where you want to get to, and how fast?
Start by deciding where you want to go. Ultimately, you might want to develop information marketing into a replacement for your current income. Bob Bly has done that. He still makes more from his copywriting than from information marketing, but $1,000 a day from info marketing is pretty good.
Let’s say that’s your goal. You want info marketing to bring you $1,000 a day. Now you know where you want to go.
Next decide how fast you want to get there. Bob was able to work with Fred Gleeck as his coach, and he had his reputation as America’s Top Copywriter to help him along. This made it possible for Bob to build his info marketing business very quickly – just a couple of years.
We’ll be more conservative and set a goal of 5 years. In 5 years (easily achievable), you want info marketing to bring an extra $500 into your business every day. That’s $182,500 annually.
(By the way, if you’re following along – this is day 19 of the 31 day challenge. The task is to write an opinion post. If you’re keeping a blog and haven’t picked up a copy of Darren Rowse’s 31 Days to Build a Better Blog, you should. It’s hugely helpful, and only $20. Just go to www.problogger.net, scroll to the bottom, and look under Problogging Resources.)
Now for your first info product. We’ll keep it easy, and we’ll use the hardware store as an example.
It’s fall, so lots of people are getting their lawns and flower beds ready for winter. You can write a pamphlet that shows people how to use fertilizer for their lawns. As an extra, include a couple of pages that show why mulching in the fall is good (if it is) and how to wrap bushes with burlap.
Be sure to have copies of the pamphlet in the store. Having copies available – and including a URL for finding the pamphlet online – shows your customers what you’re doing.
You also want to distribute the pamphlet online. Tell people in your social media groups about it, tweet about it, and ask people to tell their friends how to get the pamphlet.
On the technical side, you’ll need a landing page where people can go to get the pamphlet. It doesn’t have to be fancy, just an explanation of why you’re giving it away and a box to collect their name and e-mail address.
Then you have a download page and a thank you page. Those three pages together are part of your list building. It’s how you collect names and e-mail address so you can provide more information and some marketing.
It’s generally around here that people get a little overwhelmed. You read about needing web pages, think about having to send e-mails, and start to think it’s stuff you don’t even know about. I know how you feel because I used to feel the same way.
Now I’ve written six books about information marketing!
The key to making information marketing work for your business is having a good coach. You want someone who can explain it to you and help you get things done. Just like Bob Bly went to Fred Gleeck for coaching.
I’m re-opening my coaching schedule so you’re welcome to contact me. But I’m also just one option – we might not be a good fit for each other. If you have someone in mind and want a second opinion, send me an e-mail (feedback@conradhallcopywriting.com). I’ll do my best to help you out.
Thanks for reading.