Printable View
About 6 months ago I found myself continuosly advising my friends on HOW to study, etc...
Then, I went and wrote a program (e-book) or a sort on EXACTLY what I do to maintain a 4.0 GPA.
The program is REALLY good in MY opinion - IT IS EXACTLY WHAT I DO IN COLLEGE.
I just want to know what you guys think about me making a website and throwing it on the net where i sell this program for about 25 dollars.
There really isnt any competition.
Also, how do you recommend I market it!?
Well, the first thing you need to do is keep your finger off the CAPS LOCK KEY. It is considered shouting. And it makes your pitch sound like a scam.
The first thing I thought when I saw the header was that someone was posting spam and that I should delete it from the forum.
It is possible to sell a manual this way but it requires work to make sure you are presenting in a convincing way. Don't over-promise.
If you want to be reputable, make sure you are testing out the whole process. Are you going to accept PayPal? Test the buying process to make sure you can do it.
Be prepared to give refunds. Otherwise you'll end up with complaints against you and you'll lose your ability to accept payments.
So, yes, you can do it but it's going to take a little more than just throwing up a website.
If you are willing to put in the work and follow through, read through eCommerceGuide's forums on how to build a website for ecommerce.
And come back and ask questions. It is doable but it will be just like earning a 4.0 GPA -- something that requires hard work.
With regard to marketing, you may want to start locally with some universities and colleges in your area, to see how successful the idea is. In other words, test market. Would students pay for this material? How much would they be willing to pay? Is $25 a reasonable amount for a college student? Remember your basic economics laws of supply and demand: Beer and pizza vs. a study guide?
When you think about marketing it, think: Is it really better than the dozens of other study guides out there? (Check out Amazon or BN.com to see what I mean.) Also, many profs offer their own guides to better grades, as do professional tutors.
Before you decide to spend money on putting up an e-commerce Web site, find out first if you've got a market.
I left school in 1977 at the age of 14 and completing year 10. Last year I enrolled at Uni and found the in's and discovered that there were other ways to study than what I knew but found it difficult to attend the extra classes they were offering. I was also a bit behind the eight ball in understanding the rules & regulations of writing assignments. My son has just started high school and is also having a struggle with both of these issues. I think your program is a great idea especially if it expands on the assisgnment techniques as well. My marketing tip is to establish a contact with the Parents & Citizens Associations (or whatever name your familiar with), try and have a link to your site with the learning institutions sites and contact the Student Guild or body of the various universities. Best of luck.
I agree with Larush I know this solution may take some time but you should go to local colleges and perform a few case studies. After you have this hard data it would be much easier to sell your product with a proven track record. You may even be able to attract investors at that point. There actually are many sites that sell learning tools out there. If you can prove yours works then you won't have a problem selling it. Good luck!
Yes - this sounds like a good opportunity, with the correct marketing it could definitely become a good seller.
Here's a few ways to test the online demand for your
product...
1. Go to Overture keyword popularity tool at:
http://inventory.overture.com/d/sear...ry/suggestion/
and discover the popularity behind certain keywords that would
relate to your product.
You would then want to find some of the higher hit keywords
and perform the search on Overture, Google etc to find out
what types of products are being sold.
At first glance, there is good demand for study guides, and
study books - though you want to make sure there is some
existing demand for your specific topic.
2. Head over the Amazon, Barnes and Noble websites and seek
out books that already deal with your subject area.
You don't want to be convincing a market online, you want to find
a market and offer something that addresses a high demand in a unique way.
3. Scour the web and look for sites, ezines, discussion forums,
chat groups, etc... on your topic - you need these to be your
main channels of distribution on the web. You need to use these
as potential joint venture partnerships, advertising opportunities,
posting opportunities, places to run articles you may write etc...
These are the prime vehicles for marketing online - so you need
to verify that your product is "friendly" to market online. This makes
a huge difference. At the same time, these places offer you a good
source of testing for your product idea and eventual product.
Here is a free minicourse on creating and testing your information
product ideas online - enjoy!
http://www.infoproductcreator.com/minicoursenew.html
Hope this helps...
Jeff