Micro Products Will Launch and Grow Your Business
There are many different business models for you to choose from online, but if you’ve made the decision to pursue info product development, you may find yourself stalled right out of the gate. Micro products will build your business faster than anything else, and it’s all about leverage.
What you’ll see in this industry are enormous launches that take months to plan and create. These launches often have four or five marketers onboard, not to mention the affiliate managers working to help bring the right people into the fold for promotions.
When you see this happening, it can be intimidating and suddenly you feel like you may not have what it takes to pursue this line of work. But what you have to remember is that the strategy they’re taking is not the only one available to you.
While they’re mired in risky, stressful, time-consuming strategies, you can bypass the traditional, high-stakes launch process. Instead, you’ll work on more compact, high-target micro launches that minimize the amount of time and effort required, allowing you to maximize profitability in a different way.
Your target will be narrow, which means higher conversions from an audience who sees your solution as something meant just for them. With a broad, catch-all product launch, many buyers will be repelled because they see it as including a lot of things irrelevant to their needs.
Embracing the Concept of a Micro Product Launch
When people hear the word micro they think small – in terms of profits. But there’s nothing small about the profit potential of a solid micro product
launch. In fact, you have the opportunity to generate a lot of revenue with this strategy.
A micro product doesn’t mean less value. And while the front-end price point might be smaller, that doesn’t mean the money earned from upsells and a good backend strategy isn’t significant.
A micro product is focused on a narrow niche topic or slanted to a specific audience. Sometimes, it’s a combination of the two. It delivers a lot of good
information for a specific goal or pain point for your audience, without a lot of fluff and filler covering unnecessary topics.
Instead of comprehensive coverage of a broad topic, you’re zeroing in on exactly what they need to know, allowing them to better their lives faster without being overwhelmed by an overload of information.
You can create micro products in different ways. They can be traditional text eBooks, but they can also be a short compilation of video modules or even a live event if you want to do a paid webinar. It’s an embrace of the one problem, one solution strategy in the best form. Whether you’re teaching a beginner audience or an advanced audience, they’re going to appreciate this type of focus.
When compared to a traditional big launch, micro launches are much faster and more efficient. A big launch has a long preparation process, which can
take months, and the development of the product is just as long.
The developers of major launches often take a lot of time strategizing and marketing their launch ahead of time, and the process can be very stressful
for everyone involved. With a micro launch process, you’re going to be able to quickly release products aimed at a specific audience, and your risk will
be much lower in every way.
There are many marketers who are considering their ability to dominate in a niche, and the thought of committing to a major launch can be intimidating. However, a micro launch will allow you to test the waters within that niche to see if you’ll be able to convert and get a good reception to your insight and advice.
It’s also a process that allows you to fine tune your approach with a particular niche demographic, tweaking things to be well-received each step of the way. When you’re thinking about what you want to do for your micro slant, there are a few different ways you can approach it.
The first is by simply drilling down your niche topic. So instead of a comprehensive fitness eBook, you might focus solely on a product about high intensity interval training (HIIT). You can also target a micro niche audience. For example, fitness for busy professionals. Or, you can combine the two and have a micro product like High Intensity Interval Training for Busy Professionals.
This is going to appeal to that audience and increase your conversions extensively. You’ve not only pinpointed their demographic details, but the exact solution they’re seeking as well. They’re not only going to convert well for you based on this fact, but they’re going to be more satisfied with your solution. There are many info products on the market that get bad feedback due to irrelevant information for the reader, and this won’t have that issue.
But you might be worried about the profit potential that a micro launch could bring in. After all, if you’re narrowing down your topic and audience, you’d think that might make revenue suffer.
There are several reasons why this is not true. First of all, you have a lower price point with a micro product, which means you’ll have higher
conversions. This is an attractive concept for most consumers because it allows them to take a chance on you without too much risk involved.
Not only is the product affordable to them, but it’s very specific to their needs, which means you’ll convert much higher than if you were offering a
broad slanted product. When you target a specific audience, it makes them feel as if the product resonates more deeply with their needs, and they will
convert due to the fact that it is tailored to what they were looking for.
Another reason your profit potential will not suffer with a micro product strategy is that you’re able to turn around and launch new products more
rapidly. Instead of devoting months to the creation, development, and launch of a major product, you can turn around micro products quickly, whether that takes you a couple of days or a couple of weeks.
This means not only will your strategy continue to generate new revenue with each launch, but when you bring someone in for one specific topic, they will often purchase your back list of products, and look forward to each new one that you release in the near future.
When you are able to quickly turn out new micro products, you’ll be able to take advantage of trends and news in your niche that will have an impact on your target audience.
By releasing multiple info products, you’ll build your authority in your niche as an expert who is providing highly valuable, targeted solutions that are
well received by your audience.
This is a very low risk, high reward concept because you’re able to test the waters with different topics and slants without working months to put
something together. Because you will have so many launches coming up, you’ll be able to quickly build your list with new buyers who see something
that is fitting for their own needs.
You’ll also have the ability to cross promote to these new subscribers and upsell them on other, more expensive products that you have, which will
contribute to your increased revenue.
When it comes to the list building aspect of micro launches, you’re going to be able to leverage your affiliates’ lists, whenever they promote one of your
micro products to their own subscribers and send their leads to you.
Each time one of their customers buys something from you, you’ll have that opportunity to add them to your own list by sending them a confirmation
email as a buyer and then promoting to them directly in the future.
It also gives you the ability to segment your list very strategically, based on consumer behavior. When you know that they are interested in cardio
routines or you know something about their demographic makeup, you can tailor your promotions to them so that they convert well for you.
Many people worry about the creation of micro products because they think affiliates won’t promote for a lower ticket front end product. However, affiliates also like high conversion rates, and they understand that low barriers on the front end are likely to convert well.
As long as you have a funnel in place that promises to deliver opportunities for increased commission in the upsells and downsells, they won’t mind
sending their list to your launch.
Micro Product Creation Tips
Let’s talk about how you can create a micro product of your own, regardless of which niche you are in. Selecting your topic is going to be the
first step in having a successful micro product launch.
You want to identify topics that would work well for this strategy, and you have to balance your approach with being able to deliver specific value and
not going so narrow that you eliminate your revenue potential.
The first thing you want to do is some market research that will help you pinpoint good micro topics. Of course, it has to be in an area where there is
a high demand for information and solutions. You can look in the marketplace to see what is currently converting well and then make a decision about how to narrow that topic down into multiple micro slants that you will release over time.
So instead of one large Internet marketing course, you could divide your micro courses up into specific areas such as list building, email marketing,
social media success, product creation and more.
You can also use keyword tools, look into consumer sentiment on social media platforms and in forums or groups, and even survey people to gauge
their interest about a specific micro topic you have in mind.
Regardless of how you are investigating the market for micro niche topic opportunities, you want to consider the amount of interest in the topic, the
competition that exists for that specific micro topic, and the profit potential you have and creating something for that topic.
Keep in mind that your profit potential may be based on more than just the initial sale of the product. It can also come in the form of affiliate product
recommendations, additional related digital products, or even services that you want to offer.
If there is not a lot of engagement online about the topic itself, that may be a sign that it’s not well suited to be a micro niche topic. You want to focus
on things where people are not finding the answers they need or they are highly interested in the topic enough to initiate conversations about it.
Sometimes, you can pinpoint topics that have not been covered adequately by the competition. When you discover something that serves as an unmet
need for your target audience, you can test the waters with a micro product to see if this is an area you need to expand upon without too much risk.
As you are coming up with your topics, don’t go too narrow so that it has limited appeal that will make it not worth the effort. There is one instance
where a very narrow topic will work, and that’s if that narrow audience is extremely motivated to purchase the product, which means it will end up
being worthwhile.
If you go too broad with your topic, the interest will become diluted and it expands the level of competition that you have because you are casting too
wide of a net in trying to appeal to everyone at once. Think of all the different ways you can narrow down a topic, such as turning a weight loss product into post-pregnancy weight loss or weight loss for
menopausal women. Or narrow the topic itself into something like 100-pound weight loss or rapid weight loss using fasting methods.
You want your products to convert well, and you have to have a heavy emphasis on presenting a solution to a specific problem. You might be
tempted to draw in more buyers with a wide slant, but you’ll actually be repelling people in the process.
One way to ensure that your micro product converts well is to make it an actionable approach. People love step by step instructions, over the
shoulder guidance, and other immediate implementation solutions that will help them take action fast.
Don’t worry as much about the length of your product as you do about the value contained within. Consumers can tell when you are trying hard to fill it
with unnecessary information just to increase the page or word count.
Whenever possible, try to have a hybrid approach to the media formats that you are offering for your micro product launch. While many people stick
with a text only approach, you can add visuals such as charts or other aids that can help the consumer understand the information or video tutorials
that complement the text nicely.
You can even add other text based media that will enhance their journey, such as a worksheet or cheat sheet that they can use to apply what you
have taught them. Keep in mind that just because this is a micro product, it doesn’t mean that your customers deserve anything less than your best.
This is true in terms of the value that you are providing as well as the customer service that you are capable of as they go through the buying
process. You always want to nurture the needs of your audience so that they stay with you and become repeat buyers.
After you have come up with a good slant and created your product, you’re going to want to focus on how to price the micro product so that it converts
well with your audience.
It needs to be affordable, and a low price point is going to help you convert well. Some micro product creators go with a free front-end product, so that
they can get people on their list and also earn money through the rest of the funnel.
You can conduct some research into how this type of strategy is being used in the marketplace. Some of the smaller micro products are either free or
priced under $27 in order to appeal to the vast majority of their target audience.
Keep in mind that there is such a thing as perceived value. If you are giving something away free or at too low of a cost, customers may be skeptical,
but they’re going to be pleasantly surprised when they see the value that you have included.
You don’t want to overdo it too much so that you are giving away everything in your initial product launch. You want to save information for subsequent, follow up launches that you have in mind.
For your funnel, you want the upsells to progressively become more expensive and valuable to the consumer. While your front-end product may
be micro slanted, and inexpensive, your subsequent upsells can be a bit broader and higher priced, ranging from $47 to several hundred dollars.
Your front end, micro product is going to be very targeted. For the upsells in the funnel, you can go a bit more broad or select other micro products to
present to them that are complementary to the initial front end product.
Depending on how you positioned your initial micro product, you might also be able to offer something more advanced in your upsell funnel. For
example, if your front-end product is a beginner’s crash course to list building, one of your upsells can be an advanced course that goes more in depth and presents case studies or other proof of elevating their list building efforts to the next level.
You might also have some sort of membership program that will provide you with recurring income. For this purpose, you’ll want to give the customer access to content they won’t be able to find as standalone information.
Depending on the niche that you are in, you may also want to offer some sort of coaching service or done for you service as one of your upsell offers. You might also offer them the opportunity to join a masterclass, private community forum or webinar that is closed to the general public.
Some marketers use their license as a way to entice buyers to purchase an upsell in the funnel. For example, you can offer private label rights to your
micro product as one of your upsells so that they can then sell the product as their own.
Your overall goal for focusing on your funnel is not only to help you profit from your micro launch efforts, but also to nurture your affiliates so that they
are earning what they need in promoting you.
You can always split test your price points to see what works best with your particular target audience. You may find that some demographics convert
better with a free front-end offer, while others convert better with something more along the lines of $17 to $27.
There’s another way you can price your micro products so that the perceived value is high, but the consumer is still getting a good deal. You can offer a limited time, launch discount with additional incentives such as bonuses during the initial phase of the launch process.
This true scarcity offer is going to create a sense of urgency with your customers who want to take advantage of the deal before they lose out on the discount and the bonuses.
Remember that after your initial launch of the micro product, you can begin bundling these up for a larger launch at a slightly discounted rate later. This can be used as a front end or solo launch as well as an upsell offer for a later launch as you accumulate more micro products in your digital empire.
Launch Success Strategy for Micro Products
The brainstorming and creation process is only part of the strategy. That may come quickly to you, but you’ll also need to have a strategy in place
for the actual launch phase.
You still need to do a little bit of prelaunch preparation, which not only means building up some excitement for your launch with your own
followers, but also attracting the right affiliates to get onboard for the promotion.
You can tease your audience on social media and via emails about what’s coming up. You might give them a sneak peek or hint at what you are about
to release. Creating this kind of buzz makes people hungry to jump at the chance to purchase the product as soon as it goes live.
For affiliates, you’re going to need to create a joint venture (JV) page. This can be cloned after your first micro product launch and used with a little bit
of tweaking and editing for subsequent launches.
You want to emphasize the low barrier to entry for your front-end product. The affiliates that you are recruiting also want the best for their list
members, and they know that being able to present an affordable offer that is packed with value is going to be important in getting the conversions they
need.
Make sure you emphasize the high commission potential on the funnel as a whole. You don’t want them focusing on the price point of the front-end
only, because that will be a dismal commission if it is priced low enough for the consumer.
By highlighting the upsell opportunities, you can help them see that they have the opportunity to earn substantial commissions simply by sending
their subscribers to your sales page.
The more resources you can provide to them, such as swipe emails they can plug into their autoresponder system, or bonuses they can use to entice buyers, the more people you’ll see agreeing to promote for you.
When you have a new micro product launch coming up, you want to seek out the best affiliates for each slant. If you know of some people who have
a responsive list for email marketing, and your product is about a subtopic of that broad concept, you can approach those individuals because they will be sending the most targeted traffic to convert for you.
You don’t want to waste too much time targeting other marketers who specialize in other areas, such as paid advertising when it’s not directly related to your specific micro topic. Save those recruitment opportunities for later when you have a product that will speak volumes to their particular audience.
Keep in mind that when your product launches on a third-party platform, other affiliates will be looking at the conversion rates. This will help them
decide whether or not they want to promote the product. If you have a micro product where you have recruited a wide swath of affiliates whose lists won’t necessarily convert well for you, it’s going to sabotage your own conversion rate and make it look as though your product is not performing well.
When you are going through the affiliate recruitment process, identify a few of the top affiliates you want to bring into the fold and attract them with
additional incentives such as 100% commission on the front end or a unique bonus that they can give to their buyers. Don’t be afraid to deny certain affiliates the ability to promote your product if you feel it is not a good fit for their list or if their stats are showing that they have low conversions and high refunds whenever they promote.
You also need to focus on your own promotion for the success of your launch period you can do this by publishing content on your blog or on social media and using a variety of media formats to ensure you get the best coverage.
You can email your list directly if you have subscribers already signed up to see what you have to offer them. For this purpose, you’ll want to create a
sequence of emails that builds up the anticipation for your launch and then urges them to take action using scarcity measures whenever the product
goes live.
If you are going to use paid advertisements on search engines or social media for your launch, make sure that you are focused on pinpointing the
audience they are being shown to so that it aligns perfectly with the demographic your product is meant for.
During the launch process, you want it to work smoothly and generate the most profits possible for both you and your affiliates. You can split test
different elements of your sales page, whether it’s the headlines, bulletpoint benefits, call to action statement, or even the price of the product itself.
If you are using email marketing, you can split test your subject lines and use a variety of slants and wording to get more people to open your emails
and click through on the link to your micro product launch.
You can also split test your paid ad campaigns so that you see what converts better with that audience, and compare the different platforms you are using to see which one is worth more of an investment. Pay attention to how your scarcity is working for your micro product launches. Sometimes, a limited time offer is enough to get the conversions that you are looking for.
But you may need to add certain wording or other incentives like bonuses that will be disappearing or a countdown timer that gives a visual emphasis
of how much longer they have before they miss out.
Some marketers will use bonus stacking with their product launches. This is when you emphasize the bonus options as a combined deal that is worth
more than the product you are actually selling.
During your launch process, you can be collecting information that will help you with subsequent micro product launches. You can use data analysis to
discover customer purchasing behaviors, showing you which upsells were most in demand and which ones were ignored.
You can use analytics to help you understand more about what you should be doing with your sales page. There are heat maps that will show you where people dropped off and where they made the decision to convert into a buyer.
After the launch, you want to analyze affiliate performance, too. This will help you keep a record of whose list converts well for your audience, and what topics they convert for so that you can recruit them in the future for additional launches.
As you launch more and more micro products to the overall niche audience, start compiling information about the demographic that is interested in your products. Understand what they’re most interested in, where their pain points lie, and what type of buying behaviors they have so that you can tailor each launch to their needs and preferences.
Sometimes, customers will reach out to you directly after a launch to give you feedback about your product. But you can also survey your buyers to ask questions about what they liked and benefited from, and what they need more of from you.
Niche Examples of Micro Product Launch Strategies
Let’s briefly go over a couple of examples of a micro product launch strategy. We’re going to use two different niches – weight loss and online marketing. In the weight loss niche, you might come up with an action based micro product that is very narrow such as a 7-Day Fat Burning Meal Plan.
Your front-end product is either free or very low cost. Your goal is to make it irresistible to people who are desperate to shed as much fat as they can in one week. In addition to the meal plan itself, you could add on things like grocery lists that are printable or a printable or digital weight loss tracker.
Your upsells could be broader guides that would be attractive to everyone in that niche, like a fitness guide. Or it could include access to a private weight loss coaching program that the general public cannot simply buy.
If you wanted to include scarcity bonuses, you could have an additional free fat-burning recipe guide for the first 100 buyers. Or have it available for the first 48 hours only before it disappears.
By using scarcity in the very beginning, it helps boost your sales and makes your product more visible in online marketplaces where affiliates are trying to consider what to promote and consumers are shopping for things that are in demand.
If you are in the Internet marketing niche, you might create a micro product based on Instagram Traffic for Beginners. This would be a low or zero cost
front-end product that has beginner friendly steps to help them get started.
Your upsells could be more advanced traffic strategies using this social media platform. It may also include a step-by-step video tutorial or templates that they can use to fast track their success.
You could have a scarcity bonus such as a guide on using an exclusive Instagram feature that few people understand how to use as newbies. You can make plans for micro products, upsells and scarcity in any niche.
Making the Most of Your Micro Products Launch Follow-Up Efforts
You always want to make the most of every launch that you are doing, whether it’s broad or narrow. But this goes beyond the initial creation of the product and the actual launch itself.
You want to have a strong follow-up game that provides you with the opportunity to have subsequent successful launches where you don’t lose
momentum in the process. The first thing you want to do is conduct an analysis about your prior launch.
You want to look at how well it converted, what the sales numbers were, how your affiliates performed, etc. You want to take a look at both the front
end and the upsell funnel to see if they were properly aligned and enticed the customer to upgrade consecutively.
If you received any customer feedback, you want to take that insight and apply it to your next launch if and when it makes sense. You should always be aiming for improvements of your micro products, based on the needs of your customers.
Take time to thank affiliates and begin nurturing relationships with those whose lists converted well. Analyze who will be a good fit for your next upcoming launch and start networking with those individuals before you officially reach out to them.
Cater to the needs of an audience who desperately wants to get started taking action on a problem and provide them with relief by not overloading
them with unnecessary information that often accompanies a large scale, broad product and you’ll see your income and loyalty from the audience soar.
I’m Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author, independent publisher, and serial entrepreneur Connie Ragen Green and would love to connect with you. If you’re new to the world of online entrepreneurship please check out my training on how to sell yourself at Sell Yourself and Your Stuff and learn how to gain an unfair advantage when it comes to building a lucrative online business.
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