| This article overlaps a little with our earlier article about | | | | product profitable. (By the way, I'm not in ANY way |
| finding a suitable topic to use for marketing your online | | | | connected to Red Hat, and yes I still prefer |
| information products. This time, though, we'll go into | | | | Windows!)Most likely you will have come up with a |
| how to go about marketing to a specific group of | | | | topic that is only of interest to a rather small group of |
| people.First, though, why do people buy information | | | | people. Here we use the word small in a relative way. |
| online? Why would someone shell out their | | | | There could still be a very large number of potential |
| hard-earned dollars for your product? When you start | | | | customers in your target group, but compared to the |
| your advertising campaign, you've got to think about | | | | entire population in general, it is a very small |
| that. This brings up the question: Why do people buy | | | | percentage. For example, let's say you are going to sell |
| any kind of information, or for that matter, why do they | | | | information on how to create a profitable |
| buy anything at all? Think about that for a few minutes | | | | jewelry-making business. You probably wouldn't want |
| before continuing to the next | | | | to advertise to hot-rod car building enthusiasts.Selling to |
| paragraph.Think...think...think...think...think...Got it? Have you | | | | your targeted group might not be as hard as you think. |
| figured out what makes people buy stuff? The | | | | You simply have to find out where they already go for |
| answer, in its most basic form, is that people buy stuff | | | | information and start advertising there. How do you |
| in order to solve a problem. Their problem can be real | | | | find them? Once again, your best bet is to start with |
| or merely perceived to be real. It doesn't really matter | | | | the Internet. Find out where they hang out online. |
| from the point of view of the seller. People will be | | | | Yahoo groups would be a start. Join some forums or |
| interested in your information only if you can solve a | | | | email lists and listen in on where they go for their info. |
| problem for them or provide some unique or new | | | | Some forums will let you do a little bit of self-promotion |
| information that they would like to have.When you | | | | as long as you're not overbearing about it. Keep in |
| figure out what problem it is you're going to solve, you | | | | mind these people are there to learn and exchange |
| can then sell your solution to your target audience. You | | | | information with each other, not to be subjected to lots |
| must be creative and open to seeing solutions. | | | | of advertising. If you can provide some meaningful |
| Evaluate if they're willing to pay for info. Maybe your | | | | discussion along with your self-promotion you will gain |
| info is available for free, but the problem is that it's | | | | their respect and build credibility for yourself.If you have |
| scattered all over the Internet and not available in any | | | | a quality product, this group will do your advertising for |
| one concise location. People will pay for the | | | | you by word of mouth. This is especially important |
| convenience of not having to assemble all of the info | | | | when you're first starting out and your resources are |
| themselves, because it saves them time, even if the | | | | slim and you need to build your revenue base.Don't limit |
| free info is available elsewhere.A great example of | | | | yourself to advertising exclusively online, either. There |
| this kind of info repackaging can be found in the Linux | | | | are many, many print publications that cater to |
| movement. Linux is a Unix-based PC operating system | | | | increasingly smaller target audiences. These can be a |
| that many people are using instead of Microsoft | | | | great source of additional advertising for you. This type |
| Windows. Linux was developed by a multitude of | | | | of ad will probably be more expensive than advertising |
| programmers all sharing their efforts with each other | | | | online, but since many people hang onto these |
| online. Their sources are completely open to the public, | | | | publications, your ad will be in front of them a lot longer |
| but unless you're a serious hacker it still requires a lot | | | | than your web page will be. Since it usually takes more |
| of effort to successfully install and set up a Linux PC | | | | than one exposure to your product before someone |
| correctly. Along comes a company called Red Hat | | | | buys, this can be a big help to you. There are other |
| (there are others, too), that took all that free, | | | | ways to ensure multiple exposures of your products |
| open-source stuff and packaged it on a CD in a way | | | | to your customers, but that's a big subject for another |
| that made it convenient for the general public to be | | | | day!So, till next time...Success to you!-TedTed is part of |
| able to buy and install Linux. The draw is that it's way, | | | | an Internet information marketing group that makes its |
| way cheaper than buying Microsoft Windows. While | | | | home at: it out for some up-to-the-minute info on |
| most people still prefer Windows, there is still a large | | | | marketing YOUR information online! |
| enough market to make Red Hat's "free" information | | | | |