If you are considering adding a new information product to those you already offer, your first instinct is probably to advertise it heavily. Sure, you do need to get the word out about a new product, but you also risk overdoing it and turning people off. In many instances there is a fine balance between marketing and spamming.
So what’s the best to roll out your new information product? Take a look at some ideas for more covert advertising and marketing strategies.
Indirect Marketing
Think about ways you can indirectly market your new product, rather than just tossing out blatant sales pitches to your subscription list. This might include posting at forums and groups. If you’ve written an e-book, for instance, you might post little excerpts to get people excited about reading the whole thing. Don’t forget social media sites, either. Add an excerpt to your main website and include a link in your micro blog posts.
This sort of indirect marketing entices people with an interest (warm sales prospects) to find out more information. It also encourages viral marketing as they spread the word to their online contacts. Introducing a topic slowly can be very effective and can start to build buzz for you.
Article Marketing
Couching your marketing message in the form of an informative article is a good way to spread the word without resorting to outright spamming techniques. The article you write should be about a topic that allows for an easy link to be included that directs to further information on your new product. The article itself can become the basis of an email message to your subscribers or submitted to article directories for maximum leverage.
What makes an article effective is that it contains information valuable to the reader. It cannot be a sales pitch; it needs to focus on subject matter that presents some value. It can be valuable, pre-sell, and benefit your SEO concurrently!
Blogging
Don’t forget to add blog posts regarding your new information product on your blog. Again, the idea is not to create an advertisement, but to write a piece that is interesting and markets the product via a link to the sales page on your website.
Blogs are also a great venue for hosting an online contest. Drive traffic to your website by requiring the contestants to go to your site to find the answer to a question, which could be included in the excerpt of your e-book, and make the winner’s prize a free copy of your new information product.
Do Tell Your Subscribers
This is not to say that you shouldn’t make your subscribers aware that you are offering a new product. One thing you might consider doing is using them to determine if your new information product is going to be a good seller by surveying them ahead of time as to interest.
Perhaps you could make your list, part of the planning process. Have them vote on the title of the e-book, or solicit their comments for inclusion. This is a great way to get them involved and entice them to buy the product once it is offered for sale.
A new information product may be just the boost your e-commerce site needs to re-energize sales. Don’t shy away from offering something new, but do think twice before using blatant sales pitches to advertise it to your email list.
About Sean Rasmussen
I think with everyone hating spammers so much, and being so careful not to look like one, it can make people a bit too cautious about promoting. Sometimes you just have to make the call and be confident when you sell. If some people don’t like it, well, you can’t please everyone. Yes, there’s a fine line but I do think people should be more confident than they mostly give themselves credit for. But hey, how you promote is a call every IM’er has to make.
Slow and steady wins the race, also when introducing a new product. With common sense and valuable information (adding value to your followers and friends) I think nobody will be offended. And they always have the choice not to buy it
Hi Sean,
I think I would keep it very low key and allow interest to build naturally. I think I would much rather find ways to simply offer the information and give people the choice as to whether they wanted to buy it or not. Slick marketing techniques is not something I would want to use.
I think introducing a new information product would be very exciting. I just think if the product is really good; it will sell itself.