Bambang $ Hadi

My far the hottest money making trend on the Internet is

selling knowledge in the form of e-books including digital

audio and video. Most people use the Internet to do research,

gather business intelligence, find fun things to do, indulge

their hobbies or as a medium for the exchange of information

via e-mail. The idea behind this new business model is to

leverage this insatiable hunger for information on the web by

creating and selling digital information for profit. Think of

this in terms of owning an asset that you can sell to earn

recurring revenue without the large capital outlay required

for building your own manufacturing plant.

What are Information Products? For the purpose of this article

information products can be classified into three:

1. eBooks - eBooks are electronic books you can read on your

computer or your MP4 player or print out if you prefer hard

copies. eBooks are instantly delivered electronically via a

simple download from the Internet to the customer.

2. Audio – You can record your information using freely

available software and a microphone. Audio CDs are now being

delivered instantly via digital download to the customer.

3. Video – They say a picture is worth a thousand words, a

video is even more powerful. Contrary to popular belief

creating a video product is not difficult. Digital video

cameras and the necessary software are readily available. Most

video cameras now come with full instructions and the software

to get this done. A well-planned video presentation may be

what is needed to reach your audience.

Why Information Products?

There are several reasons why this business model has become

very attractive to many aspiring entrepreneurs:

1. Low cost entry. The cost for entry is small, you can create

your products, build a website, pay your hosting fees plus

acquire the tools to start an effective e-mail campaign for

under $500. There is probably no other business with this much

potential that you can start for so little money.

2. Easy to Create. Once you have gone through the process of

creating your first product, the process becomes second nature

to you. You can create as many products as you wish to enable

you build multiple sources of income. The technology to do

this is available in the form of e-Book creation software.

These specialized software will help you automate the entire

process including packaging and distribution.

3. Unlimited Inventory. Once you have created a successful

product, it becomes an asset that you own and control. There

are no more production costs and the inventory is unlimited.

You do not need to purchase additional inventory because you

now own a product that cannot be depleted. Your job is to

continue to market and promote your product for as long as

there is demand for it.

4. No shipping and handling required. Your product is

delivered automatically without any human intervention. No

lost packages, no stamps and no delivery costs. The computer

handles all chores and tracks the delivery of your product to

your customers.

5. Immediate Payment: No receivables, thank you. Product is

delivered automatically once payment is made.

6. You can work from home no long commutes necessary.

How do I get started?

Is this a quick path to riches? The answer is no. No one can

promise you instant profits without work. You have to do your

research on the Internet to identify the products you can sell

and put together a plan of action. There are good Internet

marketing companies that will literally guide you step by step

if you do not want to do most of the work yourself. A question

that I am often asked is how can I create useful content, I

have no expertise? In my next article I will show you where to

go to find paid talent to write and develop your content for

you. For now let us look at a plan of action to get you

started.

Action Plan

1. Build a list of 10 ideas that incorporate your areas of

expertise, interests or hobbies. Example, Investing in the

Financial Market, Day Trading, etc.

2. Create a list of 100 –500 keywords related to your

interests, hobbies or areas of expertise. Example (currency

trading, FX signals, forex training, investment strategy,

trading S&P 500, emini trading, options strategy, stock

trading, IRA, retirement planning, etc).

3. Now go to Yahoo Marketing (formally known as Overture) or

Google AdWord and research these keywords. You want to find

out how many people are looking for information using these

keywords. You want a niche, so narrow down the keywords to

find a sizable target group. Avoid general keywords that

produce too many hits, the market is too large for you to

compete in.

4. Using the results from this effort, define problems and

solutions based on what people are looking for on the

Internet. 5. Create or find an existing product that will

address the needs that you have identified from your research.

6. Register your domain name, create a website and setup a

Paypal account to handle your transactions. This is easier

than it sounds. All the resources you need to accomplish this

are on the web. Most good web hosting companies will provide

you all the tools you need to do this yourself. You must have

a website to succeed in this business, do not shortcut this

step.

7. Depending on your product, eBay may complement your

website. You can setup as a seller on eBay relatively easily.

8. Write a good sales letter describing your product and your

unique selling proposition. Use testimonials and reduce the

risk for the buyer by offering a money back guarantee.

9. Finally, believe in your plan and work your plan.

The business of selling information on the Internet is alive

and well. With some research and a little bit of hard work you

can create multiple streams of income by selling your products

online.

Another way to get started in this business is to find someone

or a company that has successfully done this and use their

help to fast track your entry.