Using Perceived Value in Info Product Creation

Developing Your Own Book Using Website Lists

Some of you participated in the Public Domain class I taught a while back. It was a lot of fun and I presented A LOT of information in that 4 hour class…for free. I also presented a pitch for my upcoming Public Domain Expert Course (www.thepublicdomainexpert.com), which, by the way, is nearly complete. I feel like such an expectant papa. Anyway, at that event, I also gave everyone something extremely valuable for free…my complete 20+ page listing of Public Domain content sites. Boy did I ever struggle with handing over such a treasure to those who were there. But I did it anyway, primarily because most all of you who were there are my closest friends. So as my closest friends, and as proud owners of the raw, secret content I spent hundreds of hours collecting, I thought it would only be appropriate to let you in on what I’ve done with that content. I will also tell you how you can use the same techniques to create your own amazing products that people will want to buy.

Before I dive into the details of what I did with the content, I want you to think about two VERY important words…“Perceived Value.” “Perceived value” makes the world go ‘round when it comes to selling products. We experience it all the time. Let’s say you go to Walmart the latest release of some movie. You look at the VHS version (if they even make it) and the DVD version. Of course, the DVD costs more. Why? Because it is better quality, right? And better quality means more expensive. Did you know it costs MORE to produce a VHS than it does to produce a DVD? Yet they sell it for less…all because of perceived value. Here’s another one…applesauce…you have the store name brand (Sam’s Choice, Finast, etc) and you have the name brands (pick one). A little research will show you that both are produced at the same plant, using the same apples on the same machines. The only difference is the label…that’s it. Yet the name brand will cost you more…why? Perceived value.

The truth is if your customer perceives greater value in your product, they will pay more for it. Which is why when people get something for nothing, they will often consider it worthless. That said, I’d be curious to know how many of you still have that set of papers I handed out at the seminar…probably not many of you. However, if you had paid for that information…$97, $197, $497…you likely would have treated that same information much differently because of its perceived value. this is an important tip because it has everything to do with successful marketing. (And just for the record, this is NOT something I picked up at the Big Seminar…I’ve been stewing on this for a while now).

OK, now you will recall (if you received a copy of the raw Public Domain links pages) that I included page after page of website listings where you could locate Public Domain resources. The pages you received looked something like this:

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19th Century Schoolbooks
http://digital.library.pitt.edu/nietz/
The Nietz Old Textbook Collection is one of several well-known collections of 19th Century schoolbooks in the United States. Examine digital editions of 140 schoolbooks and two surveys of historic schoolbooks by John Nietz, the founder of the Nietz Old Textbook Collection. The online collection contains page images as well as searchable text.

4Literature
http://www.4literature.net/
4Literature is a web site devoted to the reading, writing, and discussion of literature. 4Literature has more than 2,000 books, stories, poems, plays, and religious and historical documents that can be read online.

African American Texts
http://etext.virginia.edu/subjects/African-American.html
The Etext Center mission is as follows: To create an on-line archive of standards-based texts and images in the humanities; and to build and support user communities adept at the creation and use of online resources. The emphasis in this collection is African-American texts.

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I simply listed the websites I discovered through research in alphabetical order, including the name, the web address and a brief description (that was adapted from the website’s own description). I also listed the sites by category…Book Links, Art/Photography Links, Government Links and so on. Here’s what so cool about this…anyone can do this with any topic or niche market and be successful with it if you collect the info people are looking for.

So I had this resource and wanted to do something more with it…I wanted to add value. So here’s what I did. I took the existing list (like the one you received if you have one), added an introduction to each section describing how to use the section effectively. I added a comments section under each listing so that people could write in discoveries they made about any given site. I added a “Notes” area at the end of each section where new websites could be listed, and (here’s the cool thing) I added screen captures of some of the websites…at least one per page…with brief notes on how to better utilize that site. None of these things are difficult to do, but they added so much more value to the content. The additions also help increase the page count…from 28 pages to over 100 pages. Oh…I also added another 50+ websites to the mix as well. So now I have this resource that will easily sell for $97, although I am going to include a DVD with screen capture video on how to use some of the sites step-by-step, as well as a content DVD containing loads of awesome Public Domain content. With the added DVD’s I will increase the price to an intro price of $147 (it will also be a part of the larger, more detailed Public Domain Expert Course). In this case, we’re not even talking about perceived value…this content is amazing. Releasing the resource as a book with DVD’s does increase its perceived value, however, than if I just released it as an e-book with online videos. Make sure you watch for my upcoming announcement about the product launch. The bonuses alone are going to be unbelievable.

I hope you realize that I have just given you a proven, effective way to create amazing information products. So now I want to challenge you…pick a niche market you have interest in. Make sure you determine that there are people interested in the topic and are hot to spend money for it…like golf or tax debt relief or homeopathic pet care (yes these are great topics). Now go to Google and do a search on your topic of choice and begin to list relevant websites that would be helpful to your future customers. Conduct related searches on sub-topics like (using golf as an example): Consumer Reviews on Golf Equipment, the Best Golf Courses by State, Finding a Golf Pro to Work with You, Golf Tips and Tricks, etc. Then list all the links with descriptions under each sub-topic. Make your “book” something that would interest you. Great! Now write a brief intro to each section. Write it as if you were telling your best friend about the websites in each sub-topic. Look for Public Domain content that would add value to it (you know I had to say that, right?) Be creative with it and have fun. Think of other ways to make it a resource you would love to own yourself.

There you go…you’re on your way to having your first book and having a valuable information product to sell.

A Shocking Family Revelation

During my recent trip to the Big Seminar, I was away from my wife and daughters, and I missed them. I pictured them sitting at home missing me too. After all, I was away from home…over my birthday…missing them deeply. So I thought the least they could do was sit at home all weekend and miss me too. But they didn’t. They decided to go live it up…without me. And not only that, it’s what they did that’s even more shocking…they went out to dance...for money!

Yes…It’s TRUE!

My wife dances for money. So do my daughters. They’re quite good at it. So good if fact, they dance circles around the other women. So here I am, hundreds of miles away in Atlanta, trying to make business connections that could improve my family’s life together, and they are out dancing for cheering men (and women) AND getting paid to do it. My oldest daughter was even hounded by a guy who was convinced she was “the one.”

So why am I telling you this? Why am I “fessing up”? Because I’m proud of my family no matter what. Plus, my wife DID something with the money she earned that really brought tears to my eyes…something very special…for me.

Now before you jump to any shady conclusions about my wife and daughters, I want to clarify exactly what it was they were doing. They were NOT hanging out at some seedy strip joint or men’s club…nor were they living it up as escorts at some convention for strung out, lonely businessmen. My wife and daughters were dancing at a Native American Powwow to honor our culture and traditions. The powwow committee at this particular powwow just happens to pay day money to all the dancers to help defray their travel and hotel costs.

So what did my wife do with her money that was so special? When I checked into the airline ticket counter to prepare for my flight to Atlanta, I checked two bags. One bag contained my clothing; the other bag contained two smaller bags…one with my portable audio equipment, the other with my video and digital cameras. Both bags went through the airport security screening process. The problem was, when my “media” bag came out the other side and was loaded onto the plane, my camera equipment was no longer in the bag. Yes…someone stole my camera equipment…and a government employee at that. Now I am jumping through all kinds of hoops to find it again and discover what happened to it. I loved that equipment…I found great deals on them…so it really started my trip off on a down note. Not to mention that this happened just a few days before my birthday…guess it was the TSA’s way of saying “Happy Birthday Tony!”

When I got back home, my family greeted me with a balloon and bags of every kind of comfort food I love…Reese’s Cups, Double-Stuff Oreo’s and Martin’s Cheese Waffles. What a family! But then my wife handed me an envelope. She told me that she knew my cameras meant a lot to me and she wanted to get me another digital camera to replace the one that was stolen. She didn’t know which one to buy so she decided to give me the day money she received at the powwow. That way I could buy the camera that best suited my needs. It brought tears to my eyes…it still is even as I write this. So, yes, I am still pursuing trying to get my camera equipment back. And YES, I have the greatest family in the world. I can truly say that it was a great birthday!

Now…to bring this all back to marketing…there is power in storytelling. In fact, it is the MOST powerful way to convey your message out there. Here are a couple quick tips on how to use stories effectively:

1. Be yourself. Tell the story the way you would tell it to your best friend on the phone. You’re already good at that form of communication--you have been talking that way for years now. If you try to write in a way that isn’t you, your readers will see right through it.

2. Always look for a hook. This letter was birthed out of something my wife said to me and it caught my attention. I just built on her statement.

3. Tell the truth. Nothing is worse than to have your customers find out that you lied or embellished your story.

4. Connect with your audience. Effective marketing connects with its customers in one or more of just a few ways. I have listed them below.

Effective marketing:

a. Makes them laugh
b. Connects at a deep emotional level
c. Shocks them
d. Wows them

Practicing these four simple steps will definitely put you on the right path to good storytelling and effective marketing. Start telling those stories!

Tony
www.thepublishingexpert.com

PS - Here's my wife dancing at a recent powwow. She's the one in the middle with the white skirt. My daughter, Courtney is in the pink to the far right.