14 Steps For Profitable Small Reports

Selling information in digital form (e-books, mp3 audios, video tutorials) is a great way to make money online and has many benefits. There's no products to store or ship, you get paid over and over again for a product you create once, and it can all be automated.

In my opinion -- and backed by the results of a number of marketing polls -- books are still the most sought after learning material, and small reports are the easiest to create and sell.

Here's a quick run-through of the main steps to building a successful information business, based on small reports:

1. Research The Market

Find where people are spending money. See what they are already buying? Can you create an improved version? Is it something that interests you? You want a niche that you can be passionate about, and will bring you paying customers.

2. Join A Forum

Become an active member at an active forum in the niche you choose. Research that forum to see what kind of problems members face, what solutions they are looking for, or what they want to learn.

3. Solve A Problem

Pick one of the problems and start writing out the solution. Write down the steps that the reader will need to take to go from the problem to the solution.

4. Fill In The Gaps

Brainstorm all the details and extra information that needs to go into each step. Give the standard routes, but also any alternatives. Consider any problems they could encounter.

5. Get Kitted

Get a free copy of Open Office Writer at http://OpenOffice.org This will be where you write your report and turn it into a PDF file that can be read by any computer. Watch the video to see how to create a template for your report - and following reports.



6. Start Writing

Simply start with step 1 and start writing. Pretend that you are describing to a friend exactly what to do and write in those words. Keep it simple. Use short sentences and paragraphs.

7. Add Pictures

Use images to illustrate each step. Either screenshots for a computer-based guide, or digital photos for a hands-on guide. Using images makes it much easier for your reader to follow your steps.

8. Write An Intro

After writing the report, it will be much easier to go back and write an introduction. Basically, an intro tells them what you are going to tell them. It's also where you can give a little background on the problem, the solution, and why this is a good solution.

9. Wrap It Up

Finish with a quick conclusion and a link to the logical next step (Your next report).

10. Create A PDF

Hit the "Export As PDF" button.

11. Package It

For a very simple report you can upload it as a PDF file, but it is better to package it in a ZIP file using http://WinZip.com

12. Put Up An Ad

You need to write a compelling salesletter. Follow the time-tested AIDA formula. Then, set it up on a script like the $7 Secrets script to get others helping sell your report. Price it under $10 to get volume sales and start building your customer list.

13. Push The Traffic

Now, you need to drive traffic to your sales page. Forum sigs, paid ads, videos, articles, affiliates ... use a number of traffic generating techniques to get targeted, buying traffic.

14. Start Your Next Report

Create more related reports. You want to build a line of reports that people will naturally go from one report to the next, giving you many sales.