So I decided not long ago I was going to teach myself how to create info products and then market them on the web. This isn’t just an arbitrary decision. I actually got to that point through a long search of trying to find the best venue for getting myself into some channel of communications that would allow me to use my own experiences and communication skills to help others. I considered making a show around helping people find meaning and purpose for their life: I met the cable company, I met with a radio company. The economics just didn’t work initially. I’d spend more time trying to get advertising dollars than I would actually creating and running the show.
That led me to a conversation with a friend who sent me a link to a video that ultimately led me to doing a bunch of research on information products. Courses and such. Now I’ve long since been a consumer of information products of different kinds. Heck, I used them exclusively in teaching myself how to become a real estate investor. What I started to see was that info products was probably going to be the best way for me to create a way of helping people to identify purpose for their life and arm them with the courage to pursue that purpose. (which is my own purpose, helping others to find and pursue theirs).
So I quickly learned that there are 2 aspects to this info marketing biz. First, there is the making of the stuff. That can be ebooks, audios, videos, etc. They can be made fully accessible as downloads from your site, or they can be delivered via B.O.S. (box of stuff) with some of the materials available for immediate download upon ordering, or any variation you can think of.
Second, there is the marketing and selling of said materials. This is where we get into the need to understand internet marketing, a very ambiguous term. Try telling someone who asks you what you do that your into “internet marketing” and see what their face does. “huh?” Exactly. And the truth is, its as ambiguous for those of us for who have started learning about it as it is for those who are fresh off the street hearing it for the first time. Internet marketing is big. There’s a lot to it I’m finding. And with that, there are thousands of different guys and gals out there claiming to have something that will teach you what you need to know, but unfortunately, that’s not the case. One guy teaches on one thing (Frank Kern’’s Mass Control for example), but if you don’t already have a list and products, then his stuff is basically worthless (though he charges over $2,000 for it!).
So then there is the matter of trying to get a “list” together of folks who are of like mind. This requires creating a site, then finding a form that allows people to join your list, then an auto responder thingy that handles communications with the list. Some hosting companies don’t support some of the plugin stuff you might need for creating your site. For example, I just changed this site over to hostgator.com’s hosting service last night from godaddy.com. Why? Because I got on the “list” of a “guru” named Jeff Johnson. Guy has a free SEO (search engine optimized) Blog Plugin that I’ve been wanting for this blog. I couldnt use his last such thingy because I had trouble installing it with my hosting company. This new plugin was supposed to get around all that. I was up till 3 am last night discovering that was not the case. So, there on the “install” page for his newly released plugin it states that if you have this particular issue with installing the plugin due to lack of a thing called IonCube Loader, you will need to amend the php.ini file (what am I, a programmer? where the hell do you even find such a thing? clueless). Otherwise, you will need to change hosts. He recommended gatorhost.com. I, being over godaddy anyway, went aheand and switched over my hosting. At 3am the trigger was pulled. I went to bed looking forward to getting up this morning and installing anxiously awaited SEO plugin. Guess what? Same error. SAME F-ing ERROR!!@
So, this is where I reach into my bag of Eckhardt Tolle/Wayne Dyer type internal peace finding stuff and just smile, say “Yes” to what is, not fight it, and just understand this is part of the process of teaching myself a new trade.
So, I wish I were concluding this post perhaps with an offer to join my “list”, but alas, I have no “opt-in form” on here with which you might use to join. Haven’t figured out how to do that yet. I’ve also got a video up on google video that I’d like to set just above this phantom opt in form, but God forbid I try to get fancy. LOL. Ah well. Today, I settle back into finishing up an old Dan Kennedy course I bought off ebay that didn’t even come with the manual… “YES” I say. I accept everything that shows up. LOL. Wayne Dyer would be proud..
Talk again soon. Be well,
Chris