The beauty of running an info product business is that you can get your hands on some very powerful tools for cheap or even free. You can use these tools to automate your business, make it easy to do your day to day tasks, and more. Here are the top tools and services I recommend…
Autoresponder
You can use your autoresponder to build a prospect list, a customer list, and a JV or affiliate list. You can even use an autoresponder to set up a paid ecourse or a fixed term membership site. Stick to the well-known and reputable autoresponders such as:
Aweber: This is one of the oldest and most reputable autoresponders, as they put a lot of emphasis on key features such as deliverability and testing/tracking. See www.aweber.com.
GetResponse: This is a good alternative to Aweber with many of the same features. One benefit of GetResponse is that they offer plenty of opt-in form and newsletter templates. See www.getresponse.com.
MailChimp: Those who are just starting out and looking for a less expensive way to build a mailing list often use MailChimp, because you can get a free trial. However, be sure to read the terms of service before you use MailChimp, as their policies are not affiliate friendly. See www.mailchimp.com.
Blog Platform
There are plenty of content management and blog platforms available. However, only one of them is free, secure, easy to install, easy to use and lets you completely customize it on your own domain. That platform is www.wordpress.org.
Domain Registrar
The key to remember here is to choose a reputable registrar. In other words, don’t be swayed by a new company that is offering deals to bring you in the door, as they could fold tomorrow and take your domain with them.
To that end, choose registrars such as www.namecheap.com or even www.godaddy.com.
Freelancing Platforms
If you plan on doing any outsourcing (and you should), then you’ll need to find these freelancers. Good places to go include two of the most reputable and longest-running freelancing platforms: www.elance.com and www.upwork.com.
Payment Processor
The payment processor you choose depends on what sort of payments you need to accept, what you’re selling and even where you reside in the world. Here are some of the top choices:
PayPal: This is a great option since it’s widely accepted, and you can sell both digital and physical goods. There is no built-in affiliate program, but you can integrate various scripts with PayPal to run your own affiliate program. See www.paypal.com.
ClickBank: Good option if you’re selling digital goods, especially if you plan on launching an affiliate program. ClickBank handles everything, including cutting checks to your affiliates. See www.clickbank.com for more information.
JVZoo: This is a popular alternative to ClickBank, especially if you’re selling in the “make money online” arena with an affiliate program. See www.jvzoo.com.
2CheckOut: This is an alternative to PayPal. It’s not as widely recognized and it doesn’t have a built-in affiliate program, but those who can’t or won’t use PayPal often turn to 2Checkout. See www.2checkout.com.
Zaxaa: Another alternative to PayPal. This one includes a lot of shopping-cart features. See www.zaxaa.com.
Product Creation
The tools you need for product creation depend on what you’re creating. However, most info product sellers create text products (such as ebooks and reports) as well as video products. Here are the tools you might use:
OpenOffice.org: If your computer doesn’t have Microsoft Office or a similar suite of tools, then check out this free alternative. This suite also includes a PDF writer, so you can convert your text documents to the widely used .pdf format. See www.openoffice.org.
TIP: If you don’t have a PDF converter already on your computer, then you’ll need to seek out a third party offering. The most well-known tool is the Adobe converter, which you can find at www.Adobe.com. There are of course less expensive and even free alternatives available, such as www.cutepdf.com.
Camtasia: If you’re doing screen recording videos (perhaps using PowerPoint™ slide presentations), then Camtasia is a good choice for recording and editing. See www.techsmith.com/camtasia.html for more info.
Web Host
Be sure to pick a reputable host, and one that is NOT tied to your domain registrar. Examples include www.hostgator.com and www.bluehost.com.
Conclusion
So there you have some so of the most common tools you’ll need to launch your info product business. Go ahead and pick the ones that are right for you. I think you’ll be amazed at how the right tool makes light work of your business!