One of the most important characteristics of your product is the packaging.  I’m sure you’ve heard the adage “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”  That is never more true than when you deliver a high-quality product to a new client.

Binders

In your multimedia packages, use high quality binders that are solid and durable.  You want your client to be able to go back and review the material over and over without the packaging falling apart.  Avoid colored binders; stick with black or white.  That way your graphics will really stand out, and you’ll reduce costs because colored binders typically cost more from your supplier.  Also be sure the binder has top-loading vinyl covers on the front, back and spine.  You want to be able to insert well-designed covers on both the front and back of your binder, and you need to be able to use spine inserts to grab your client’s attention when they’ve placed your product on their bookshelf.

CD/DVD Cases

CD and DVD products can be packaged in paper sleeves, CD Jewel Cases, vinyl sleeve pages (to be inserted into binders), DVD Cases, and clam shell binders.  Spend some time looking at the various options available at your supplier, and select the most price-effective option for your business.  If at all possible, do not use paper sleeves or CD Jewel Cases because they are not as durable as some of the other options and won’t protect your product nearly as well.

Graphics

Graphics on your packaging should be selected and placed to represent the major benefits your client will gain from consuming your information.  They should be colorful so they catch the eye of any prospects, and tasteful so that the perceived value of the content is high.  Ensure that any images you use on your packaging are your property or purchase royalty-free rights to professional images from companies like gettyimages.com.

Copy

Books, binders and multimedia packaging offer an incredible opportunity to brand your company and market your other products and services.  Be sure the back cover of your product serves as an effective ad for the product so that it’s enticing to prospective clients who see the product at your live speaking engagements, in book stores, or even sitting on their friend’s coffee table.  Also include a special offer of some sort for the person looking at the back cover to encourage them to contact your company for more of your material.

Remember that your packaged products serve as the ambassador for your company, and you want to put the best face forward.  Put enough effort into design and selection to be sure your clients will see you in a favorable light when they receive what they purchased.

So how do you find that out?

Just follow this simple 3-step formula to develop products that your market already wants. While there’s never a guarantee that your product will sell, this method gives you the greatest chance for success.

Product Development Step 1: Find out what they’re already spending money on

Use your keyword research tool to find the 5 most searched-for phrases in your marketplace. You want keyword phrases that have at least 1,000 searches per month. Obviously, the more the better since that figure tells you how much demand there is for your expertise.

Once you know what the top keyword phrases are, check Google to see how many advertisers are paying to display Sponsored Links. If you have multiple pages of Sponsored Links (at the bottom of the list there is a link for “More Sponsored Links”), it’s likely the advertisers are making money from that keyword phrase.

Product Development Step 2: Find out what they want answers for

The easiest way to find out the biggest questions, challenges, or problems for your market is to spend time in forums where your prospects participate. You can do a search for “How do you,” “Need help,” and “Where do you go for.” To find those forums, just enter in the name of your market and the word forum.

Additionally, you can search for your keyword phrases to see the biggest questions people need answered. With this information, you can create an e-Book, a teleseminar series, even a training program geared specifically for what your prospects most want to know.

Product Development Step 3: Package your product in the easiest to consume format

It’s true that there are many different learning styles – some people like to read, some like to listen to audio, and still others like to watch videos to get new information. Some solutions, however, are geared to specific formats. For example:

• Showing a client how to load pictures on the web is easiest done in video format because they can see exactly what they need to do.

• Explaining a principle is often best in text format because it allows the reader to underline, highlight and add their own notes to really consume the information.

• Demonstrating things like proper pronunciation or rate of speed for speech training is well-suited to audio.

Be sure the information products you’re delivering to your clients are in a format that aids in the learning process.

Taking the time to find out what your prospective clients already want is more than half the battle in developing and marketing your own products. Don’t waste your valuable time creating products that nobody wants to buy.