If you sell Information Products at your e-commerce website, one of the biggest stumbling blocks to success can very well be difficulty in delivering it.
Sometimes the problem can be attributed to file format, other times the download speed of the user’s computer, and quite often, the customer’s technologically challenged skill set.
In order to avoid displeased customers and refunds, ensure that your information products are properly packaged and that your website is easily navigable with clear instructions. Let’s take a closer look at some of the ways to make this happen.
Format
The majority of the time, creating your information product (e-book, report, tutorial, or newsletter) in a .pdf format is the best. There are several advantages to this. These include:
• Adobe Reader is free and readily available software; usually pre-installed on most computers.
• Compact file size.
• Document security – it is easy to “lock” a .pdf file so that it cannot be manipulated or changed, you can even include a watermark that will prevent your work from being “stolen” or attributed to someone else.
• Ease of download or delivery – most spam filtering software will not consider a .pdf file a threat.
• Portability – if your customer uses an e-book reader, .pdf format is usually an option for uploading to the device.
• It can include live links.
• It is easy to change a Word document to Adobe Acrobat format via a number of free online services.
All that being said, it may be a good idea to offer your information text product in more than one format to please every customer. You may want to include an option for HTML.
Of course if your information product is a piece of software, there are considerations that apply to an .exe file. Offering it as a download is probably more effective than sending it via email since most spam filters will see it as a possible security threat.
Presentation
When your Information Product is an e-book, report, or pamphlet, presentation is the difference between appearing professional and offering something of suspect quality. If a customer’s first impression is that your e-book looks like your young child created it, you are unlikely to reap the benefits of referrals and testimonials and you might have a high number of refund requests.
Stick with some industry “standards” when formatting your e-book. Use an easy-to-read sans serif font, like Verdana, with at least 11 point size. Make chapter headings different – big and bold. Use a larger width on the left margin so that if the document is printed, it can be easily bound and read.
Include a table of contents. This is easy to create in Word, the program will do it for you as long as you indicate breaks in the text correctly. Photos are nice, especially if you are selling an instructional book.
Nothing says bad quality as much as poor grammar and spelling errors. If you can’t afford a professional editor, at least have family or friends read through the text to catch obvious mistakes.
Other Types Of Information Products
The same principles hold true for software. It should be free of mistakes, be laid out in an easy-to-see format, and employ a clean style. Include a help file and contact information for further queries.
If you are selling an online course, be sure that you are well-organised ahead of time and have all the lessons in place. Respond to students’ queries and messages in a professional manner. Make sure the online location is easy to connect to and resides on a secure server.
When it comes to Information Products, online sales success is largely a function of delivery. It is not enough to merely get traffic, you must provide a quality product that will gain customer referrals and testimonials to help your business grow. A smooth digital supply chain will increase customer satisfaction and minimise your own stress levels.
About Sean Rasmussen
Quality is the key here.
Er, I’ll just stick to affiliate marketing and let the vendor/business owner deal with all this… Trick is to find a vendor whose after-sales service you can rely on and be willing to endorse.
Hi Sean,
I’ve downloaded lots of free reports and e-books over the last few months. I have never had a problem downloading the product. The biggest issue I’ve found is the presentation.
You can clearly see that these people are trying to do it all themselves. The presentation isn’t up to scratch and there are basic spelling and grammatical errors. Sometimes the information is great but it is let down by the presentation. I would definitely have a professional look over any information product I wanted to sell.