Do you know what sucks (big time)?
When someone creates her first product, it almost certainly is some kind of quick-to-make ebook.
Why does that suck?
Because that ebook is usually so forgettable that the customer doesn’t get much value out of it, and the product creator won’t get loyal followers by selling me-too ebooks. It’s a lose-lose situation in other words.
But there are better ways to create products…
You CAN convert random buyers to loyal fans of yours by presenting them a great product (because it doesn’t happen automatically…)
With that said, let me present to you the 10 Underused Product Creation Strategies That’ll Turn Customers to Loyal Fans -series. In this series of blog posts, I’m going to cover 10 product creation strategies that very few people use correctly – especially many beginners ignore these completely (I have too), and then they’re wondering why their email list full of buyers isn’t that valuable after all, as some people may have suggested…
As a side note: Don’t get me wrong – even though I may have implied otherwise, ebooks can be extremely valuable. In fact, many of the best products I’ve bought have been ebooks. In fact, this is something that I’m going to discuss a little in this blog post, and in part 3 of this series…
Without further ado, let me share with you the first of the 10 strategies:
How making your product “shiny” can increase its real value
This principle is about increasing the perceived value of your product.
“Perceived value, huh? Isn’t that kind of cheating your customers to think that your product is more valuable than it actually is?” you may be thinking…
And the answer is ‘yes’ and ‘no’.
Yes, if you present the same content in video- and in text-formats, video is more often considered more valuable, even though it’s the same damn content!
No, because perceived value also can increase the real value of your product. Let me demonstrate this with a simple question:
When it comes to business advice, who would you rather listen to, Seth Godin or some random, dirty drunkard from the streets, even if they both shared the exact same advice with you?
I’m guessing you would listen to Seth Godin… And you would be more willing to take action on advice given by him. <– That’s the key. That’s why content with higher production values IS actually more valuable than some hastily formatted ebook.
Also, you’ll be able to sell it for more money. ;D
And when you sell high-ticket products, people WILL respect you more. (Well… At least until you join some guru-circlejerk and start launching non-existent $2K products…)
By the way, a great example of high production value content are the products of Shane Melaugh…
What makes his products special?
Well, let me give you this little checklist of things that apply to pretty much every product of Shane:
- Use video, audio AND text
- Deliver your content through a membership site (no, it doesn’t have to be a monthly membership site!)
- Use fancy graphics and visuals
- When talking in a video or in an audio, present your content in a professional manner (ie. use a script, avoid the ‘umms’ and the awkward pauses <– but don’t fall into the trap of perfectionism!)
These kind of things aren’t that hard to figure out. But they are important, and they are often ignored.
Also, as they say, “the first impression is the one that lasts”, which holds true for product creation also. With this simple advice you can create a product that is perceived high-value, and make a great first impression.
(Reminder to self: Start applying your own advice more, you lazy bum!)
Next time we’re going to discuss something that is a very common problem among beginner product creators…
Check out other parts of this series: 10 Underused Product Creation Strategies That’ll Turn Customers to Loyal Fans
Image by stevendepolo.
 |
If you enjoyed this post, get email updates (plus a gift)Helping the little guy out of the darned Internet marketing maze of hype and bad information since 2525 (plus you'll also get my Truth About Traffic training as a gift!)
|
| Post a comment below...
|
| Speak your mind and leave a "regular comment" or a Facebook comment! |
The mastermind behind Living In a Maze is Mitro Patrikainen.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the mention, Mitro!
Totally looking forward to this series! This kind of thing is extemely interesting to me.
I also want to mention the connection between pricing and percieved value: Of course, increasing the price of a product is probably the easiest way to increase the perceived value.
While selling crap at high prices is really bad, it’s also dangerous to under-price a valuable products. Just like you’re more likely to take action on advice given by Seth Godin, so are you more likely to take action on a $100-product than on a $1-product (or even a free product). At least, that’s been my experience.
Thanks for dropping by, Shane.
Oh yes, that’s a great point!