Information marketing is the fastest growing commercial enterprise in the world. From
Bangkok to Bedford, would-be entrepreneurs are stepping aboard the information
starship hoping to cash in on the billions of dollars being made each year in the
information market place. The truth is many will fail, many more will eek out a modest
income, and only a few will actually achieve the economic bonanza they were reaching
for.
The distance between failure and success is measured in time, tenacity, and a small scoop
of good luck. Those that fail completely, fail because they lack the tenacity to keep
trying and because they fail to understand the complexity of information marketing and
the rigorous competition that defines the information marketplace. Those that succeed
take a step-by-step approach and measure their early successes in terms of competence,
audience size, and the skill to dovetail one information product into a series or range of
products.
First Steps To Success
The best advise successful information marketers can give to newcomers is to choose one
area of interest or expertise and stick with it. Choose something you already know a lot
about or have an abiding interest in. Whether your interest lies in baseball cards or
weight-loss or anything in between, the exciting truth is that no matter what your area of
interest there is an audience and a marketplace for the information you deliver.
Before you begin to develop your information product, do your research. Google your
subject. Find out what has already been done, the type of websites or stores your targeted
audiences hangs out at, and finally determine the chat rooms and information boards that
you can participate in to begin to build your reputation and audience.
The next step is to develop your key information product. Will it be an e-book, a
newsletter, an on-line class or workbook? Perhaps you will develop a video or a seminar
or any number of other information products. Don’t skimp: provide the absolute best
product available. Give the customer more value than they ever could have expected for
the ridiculously low price you are asking.
Once your primary informational product is finished, the next step is to create a hungry
audience for your product. Now is the time to develop teaser products such as blog posts,
articles published through article directories, newsletters, etc. Start spreading the word
through chat rooms, information boards, blogs, search engines, and social networks.
Finally, and most importantly, keep track of every step. Keep a written record of what
worked and what didn’t work. Keep actual statistics of page hits, emails, and dollars
earned. Only then can you move forward with knowledge and build a solid foundation for
future success.
Information marketing is not for the feint of heart or those who hope to make a fast easy
dollar but it can be an enormously engaging and financially rewarding endeavor. A new
starship is leaving every minute of every day from every corner of the earth. The
question is: Are you ready to take the journey?[