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Here are some quick ideas for creating a profitable information product from your very own blog…

1.  Expand one fruitful post into a much larger piece.
Look for posts that you could easily expand into chapters or subtopics.  Perhaps it’s a post you’d love to write more about but felt limited by the blogging medium.  Here, you’re putting passion ahead of testing and viability, but that’s not always a bad thing.  Remember, you’re just looking for something fruitful to get the wheels turning.

2.  Use a post-series and add supplementary materials for added value.
I can think of a number of great series out there in the blogosphere that have really contributed to my life and, frankly, I probably would have paid for the information.  Unfortunately, once material is available for your readers, it’s a bit hard to justify simply collecting all the posts into one easy-to-download ebook for a price.  But… you might be able to take that series and “repackage” it along with some other additional “exclusive” material. 

3.  Rank your posts by popularity and create a related product.
Figure out what your readers really like.  Then, use that post as a starting point for your brainstorming process.  Connect this idea with #1 above for extra punch.

4.  Work on a joint venture product or co-author an ebook with regular commentators.
This idea makes the most of the “social” or “networking” benefit of being a blogger.  You might find another avid info marketer out there who wants to team up under your lead.  Or, you may find a handful of folks who’d willingly contribute to the work for a kickback – link to their site, royalty, etc.  Two minds are always better than one.  Three or nine are awesome!

5.  Review natural search hits to uncover profitable keywords.
Are you using HitTail?  Well, you really should be by now.  Whatever your method, figure out how people are getting to your site and create a pool of keywords for generating ideas.  Sometimes the audience has a way with words, if you know what I mean. 

These are not fail-proof plans for creating an information product – just helpful starting points or hubs for creating something truly great. 

If you’re a blogger and you enjoy writing and communicating with a hungry market, then information products may be a shoe-in for you. 

On the other hand, you may just uncover lots of new ideas for future blog posts.  Either way, it’s all right there at your feet.  Have fun!

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Looking to “discover what really works” in your online marketing tests? You need look in just one important place: MarketingExperiments.com

I stumbled upon this awesome resource for through a number of rather random, but highly reliable, references.

The team behind “Marketing Experiments” is highly professional and immensely committed to finding, again, “what really works” in online marketing campaigns. They even offer several Internet Marketing Certification courses via their site.

Here’s a few of their informative articles I recommend for just a quick taste:

90-Day PPC Plan Tested
Landing Pages Tested

Also, check out some of the great audio content. (Lots of great stuff!)

Everything from A/B Split Tests to Email Marketing Tests – these guys (and gals) have done it all!

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Perhaps the most important principle for starting and running a successful online business is “Find Your Niche!”

This is great advice.

The only problem: most people will never really tell you what a niche is or how to go about finding one.

Much of this problem is directly related to the definition itself. I recently hunted around for an appropriate explanation of “niche” and turned up these two interesting definitions:

1. a position or activity that particularly suits somebody’s talents and personality or that somebody can make his or her own;

AND,

2. an area of the market specializing in a particular type of product.

So here’s the problem:

The second definition is the very general approach you’ll hear most of the time. “Go find an area of speciality,” they say. “Look for your target market.”

Good advice? You bet it is. But something is definitely missing here. This is where we need to reconnect with the first definition, especially the part about what “somebody can make his or her own.”

The bottom line is if you’re going to be successful in any niche, it must *suit* you – it must be an appropriate fit for who you are.

I recently read about one Harvard professors theory of “Multiple Intelligences” and how each of us occupies one or more areas specific to who we are and where we excel – whether in kinesthetic, linguistic, spiritual, musical or other such areas.

This is a great place to begin looking for your niche.

The key, of course, is to bridge that gap between what’s unique to you in personality and what can be developed into a valuable product and service for a hungry marketplace.

Looking for some great books, ebooks, ezines, affiliate programs, podcasts, and online services for your internet business?

Look no further…

I have added a new “Internet Business Resources” page for aspiring and growth-seeking internet entrepreneurs here on the site. 

I’d like to keep the list limited to the most useful stuff for now, but I will likely add more in the future. 

Leave a comment if you have any additional recommendations.  Limit your suggestions to those key resources that have brought you the most success!

Leaving money on the table in your internet business? Not satisfying your “hungry market”? Not confident in your ability to make real money on the web?

Let’s look at the three most likely reasons your web site is going broke…

1. You Have a Mental Block

It’s bizarre, but oh so true: Your ability to make money (in any venture) has a lot to do with your ideas about money.I know what you’re thinking: “Not more of this ‘Law of Attraction’ and ‘The Secret’ hullabaloo.

I’m not going to tell you that all you need to do is sit quietly in a room and meditate on your piles of money. That would be about as effective as telling you that all you need to do is sit at a computer all day and create website after website Field of Dreams style.

The key is… you need to do both. And you need to balance both according to your specific needs. Some people need to focus more on the meditation and mental mindset stuff, while others need to work a bit harder at the desk.

In my experience, this balancing act never ends, and if you learn to accept that now, it makes things fun.

But if you’re working really hard and seeing little or no results, the problem is almost always in your head. If so, it’s time to do some mental reconfiguration.

Start with these key questions:

• What is the difference between the you TODAY who makes X amount every year and the you TOMORROW who makes X+Y per year?

• How hard do you think a person MUST work to make X+Y?

• Do you think it’s possible to really enjoy your work (so much that it’s hardly work) and still make a boatload of cash?

• What feelings of guilt are you still harboring about making (or having) a lot of money?

2. Your Prices are Too Low

Here’s another common problem: guilt-reducing price cuts!

Can you believe that many people are out there selling their own products and services for prices far lower than they actually deserve? Believe it. Chances are, you’re among them!

When I started working as a freelance copywriter, I had the hardest time quoting my prices to clients. Some part of me actually felt guilty charging the industry standard for my valuable services.

Despite the fact that I was qualified to do the work, my copy was always effective, and I gave my all to every project on my desk, I still managed to come up with tons of reasons to lower my prices.

Let’s start here: If you don’t believe in the value of your products and services, who will?

Ask yourself: how much is this product/service really worth? (Spend some time really thinking about what it’s going to do for your customer.)

Also: how much is my time really worth? This question alone can change your life. If you decide you’re worth $100 per hour, then absolutely every minute of your working day becomes incredibly valuable to you.

But, alas, problem #2 here is DIRECTLY related to the opening problem #1 above.

3. You’re Giving it All Away for Free

This last problem is especially true on the web.

Yes, it’s a good idea to give some things away for free, especially if it’s going to result in kickbacks later (email sign ups, client referrals, future purchases, etc).

But… You can’t give it all away all of the time. The key here is knowing how much is too much.

Blogging provides a useful example: In the beginning, as you’re building a readership, you’re going to give it ALL away for free. But you absolutely must have an end game in mind.

What are you giving away every day that you could easily package for sale? (Bloggers, for example, might consider creating ebooks).

How can you stop or cutback on the giveaways? (Write shorter blog posts, be more disciplined during “free consultations” – you get the idea.)

The worst mistake any business or entrepreneur can make is leaving money on the table. As Dan Kennedy once suggested, the goal is actually NOT “zero resistance selling” - it’s better to turn some customers away because of higher prices than to get all the business at rock-bottom prices!

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