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Help I Don’t Know What To Sell
Here’s What to Sell Online When You Don’t Know What to Sell
So you want to start an online business, but you aren’t sure what to sell?
I get it.
When I first started out as a writer, I had no clue what info products would be useful for my audience (wait, let’s be honest – I didn’t even have an audience!). I didn’t know what to sell.
Luckily, I found there are many evergreen options which pretty much always work when you’re selling digital products online.
Things like eBooks, video training courses, templates, and more. These are products buyers tend to need again and again, so the demand stays consistent over time. Which means you have an opportunity to make stable, consistent money over time, rather than quick, one-off sales spikes and then nothing.
Why Evergreen Products Sell
We humans move through several, predictable stages in our life. And each stage requires certain predictable products and services. One of the simplest is, babies need diapers. Always. That’s a reliable physical product category. Parents of babies will ALWAYS be looking for info on how to be a good parent. That’s a reliable digital information product.
For each stage in our life, this pattern repeats. There are things each group ALWAYS buys.
And when folks reach the end of life, look again. Another group of babies has been born. This repeats on a daily basis. There are ALWAYS new evergreen customers seeking to buy evergreen products.
If you are at a loss for what to sell, why not sell things people ALWAYS buy?
Evergreen Example: Photoshop Tutorial Book
For example, one of the very first books I self-published was an entry-level, short book on the most popular, and highly praised photo editing software, Photoshop.
Mind you, I was no expert at that. 6 months experience was all I had. All I COULD write was a basic, entry level book on Photoshop. Yet that’s OK.
You don’t need to be THE expert. Unless your prospects are Photoshop masters looking to learn the most advance techniques. All you need is to be better than those at a level below you. That’s your prospects. And often, as was my case, being the “newbie” helps you present information from a simple, beginners perspective.
Often, when experts with years and years of experience try to teach something, they assume you already know a bunch of stuff. Then, as a less skilled than assumed student, you get lost, confused and quit.
Remember, if you are just a level above someone, you can teach THEM. Not everyone. But Them.
This is an important point many don’t consider. But knowing only that – opens up tremendous opportunities.
Back to my story…
As most know, Photoshop has a reputation for requiring a fairly steep learning curve. I initialy struggled with it myself, until I developed some shortcuts. My first book, “Photoshop Tip Cards” included those shortcuts to help aspiring photographers. It’s been consistently selling, in the older, and now the newer paperback format for over ten years now.
Why?
Because there is always a new crop of photographers coming up who need to learn and use Photoshop.
“Bob, your way of explaining things does more for me than all the videos.” wrote one buyer.
Photographers are an evergreen hobby market. There have been photographers since the first camera was invented in the early 1800’s. The ubiquity of smartphone cameras, in addition to dedicated digital hobby and professional cameras, has only expanded the need to edit photos. Despite all the many easy apps to edit photos now available, and other Photoshop copycats, Photoshop remains THE go-to editor for professionals and hobbyists who desire high quality photographs and graphic images.
Such is the value of choosing an evergreen market.
Don’t overthink your products, what to sell, too much.
Concentrate on finding hot evergreen topics people always need help with. Then, look at the skills you already have that you can teach in a simple systemized way. Or find someone to partner with who can, and package that knowledge up into an eBook, videos, templates or other appropriate products and services.
What if I don’t want to create products?
No problem! If you don’t want to create products you have several other options:
-
- Find and Use PLR (private label rights) content and sell it simply on sites like Gumroad
- Do Affiliate Marketing – use affiliate commision sites like Clickbank, or programs directly from sellers. You can find these by looking at the bottom of their website page for the word “affiliate”.
- Promote Online Learning Courses thru their affiliate programs, sites like Skillshare, Udemy, Coursera all have them
- Promote Amazon products through their affiliate program
These days, there are plenty of existing products and services you can promote without ever having to create your own. The only downsides to relying on other people’s products are control and profits. With affiliates, you’ll have less of both. But this is often offset by ease of sale, quantity and variety of things to sell, and greater speed to market potential.
There are TONS of great products out there, old and new, foreign and domestic that are collecting dust instead of cash because the creators were clueless about marketing. Could you help them?
Ask!
With a little hustle to get the word out, you’ll can be up and running with digital products in no time! Today even.
Remember, focus on markets (the who), their needs and problems first – because you want to be selling irresistable solutions to evergreen problems and markets.
You want to be in the business of selling evergreen products. The competition IS greater, but so is your potential for reliable profits and ultimate stability and success.
To make this easy as pie for you, I’ve created a list of 144+ Evergreen Opportunities which span the life cycle of men and women from conception until death.
Anytime you’re stumped for what to sell, simply glance over this list sheet to quickly get those money gears turning again. You can’t help but to think of something someone needs, that you could sell them when you simply glance over this sheet.
You want it? I’ll send it to you for FREE. Simply send an email request to me, bob@writeforwealthclub.com
Be sure to put Evergreen in the subject line to get your opportunities sheet faster.
That’s all for today folks.
Happy Selling and Happy Holidays!
– Robert Schwarztrauber
P.S. Remember that at each stage of life, new people (prospects) are always coming online. Your prospects are in a march, a parade. They are always in motion – even if you can’t perceive it. They are moving toward something (goals) or away from something (fears). Life moves pretty fast, as Ferris Beuller says. Your targets are moving. One day they buy diapers, soon enough they have no use for them. One day they don’t need a car, next day their’s got totalled in a crash, and now they do. You’re moving. They’re moving. Keep shooting. Reload. Best to have a lot of evergreen products (ammo) on hand so you never miss an opportunity to hit it big. And digital products cost nothing to store. Hmmm?
P.P.S. The Copywriter’s Persuasion Toolkit lets you see specifically which products are most likely to sell to any specific market and the emotional hotbuttons you will need to trigger quick and reliable sales.
Claude Hopkins 10 Commandments
The 10 Commandments of Attention-Grabbing Marketing from Claude Hopkins
Claude Hopkins is considered the pioneer of direct response marketing and advertising. Living in the early 20th century, his principles and approach forever changed how brands connect with consumers.
Many smart, modern marketers look to Hopkins’ teachings even today (as they should) for guidance on crafting compelling campaigns. Specifically on the critical task of capturing audience attention in the current Tsunami of advertising noise.
Here are 10 key attention-grabbing marketing lessons from Hopkins that every copywriter or marketer can profit from:
1. Understand Your Customer Through Research
Hopkins emphasized truly knowing your customer. He conducted in-depth interviews and surveys long before market research became an industry standard. Hopkins said,
“To advertise blindly, without knowing your prospects’ minds, likes and dislikes, is like firing into a fog at sparrows.”
The Copywriter’s Persuasion Toolkit lets you research every detail about your prospect in less than 30 minutes while organizing that research into templates proven to speed and improve your copywriting.
2. Feature Benefits Over Features
Hopkins spoke to customer benefits and avoided generic features. As he put it: “People do not buy from business concerns, they buy from other people.” Focus on how your product improves their life. Even deeper, focus on how your prospect will FEEL once you’ve solved their problem or satisfied their desire. Paint a word picture of their new life.
The Copywriter’s Persuasion Toolkit quickly shows you the right words to use which grab their attention and ignite their buying hot buttons. Use the toolkit to quickly and effectively gain your prospect attention by penetrating their Bubble of Preoccupation.
3. Be Concrete and Specific
Hopkins avoided superlatives and encouraged specificity in copy. Don’t claim “the best salsa.” State “made with ripe California tomatoes” so readers can envision and relate to your message. About shaving cream, “He said, “Multiplies itself in lather 250 times.” “Softens the beard in one minute.” “Maintains its creamy fullness for ten minutes on the face.” Specific claims sway decisions. Specifically define the final result acheived.
4. Appeal to Self-Interest
Hopkins said people think of themselves first when making purchase decisions. Frame your copy around how you satisfy the customer, not how great your product is. Talk to individual self-interest.
Claude cautions,
“Remember, the people you address are selfish, as we all are. They care nothing about your interests or profit. They seek service for themselves. Ignoring this fact is a common mistake and a costly mistake in advertising”
5. Share Testimonials from Satisfied Customers
Hopkins relied heavily on testimony from happy customers in his copy. Humans find endorsements from other people far more persuasive than company claims about their own greatness.
One of my favorite testimonials received was:
“Bob, your way of explaining things does more for me than all the videos!” – Bill T., Ontario, CA.
6. Use Reason-Why Copy and Tell a Story
Logical appeals work for Hopkins, but only as part of a compelling story. He led readers through narratives aligned to his reasoned arguments. Stories allow readers to feel personally invested. We are trained from childhood to be attentive to stories, just like the bedtime stories our folks used to read us. All Disney movies are crafted from stories, because they get our attention, hold it, and secretly deliver a message designed to influence behavior.
7. Use Simple, Direct Language
Fancy words didn’t impress Hopkins, but clarity did. He wrote conversational copy focused on being simple, brief and transparent so readers could easily grasp key messages. Famed copywriter, John Carlton advises to imagine you’re sitting at a bar or a coffee shop with someone having a chat. How would you say it? Then write it that way too.
8. Offer a Strong Guarantee
Hopkins reduced risk by backing claims with a guarantee. He didn’t view guarantees as costs or liabilities, but as advertising to gain more sales through increased consumer confidence. Many recent studies have shown that the longer the guarantee, the LESS likely folks are to take advantage of them and return things.
9. Lead with a Striking Headline and Strong Hook
Hopkins put enormous importance on eye-catching headlines and introductions filled with drama. His opening lines grabbed attention in clever ways before drawing readers into the full story.
5 of Claude Hopkins’ Most Famous Headlines
- “They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano… But When I Started to Play!” (Headlines for pianos course ads)
- “Stop That Awful Pounding!” (For a headache remedy product called Acetylsalicylic Acid, later branded as Aspirin)
- “Whiter Teeth or Money Back” (Introducing Pepsodent toothpaste)
- “Skin Like a Baby’s” (For a face cream named Ponds)
- “Largest Sale of Women’s Fine Shoes Ever Known” (Run for John Wanamaker department store)
10. Test and Measure Results
Unlike the Mad Men days of advertising, Hopkins measured what worked based on sales results. He changed copy and offers quickly to maximize outcomes from all marketing investments. Only results (sales, leads, etc.) matter. Not open rates, views, likes, followers, etc.
In conclusion...
Claude Hopkins wrote his principles many decades ago, but human psychology has not changed much since then.
His rules for attention-grabbing marketing copy serve as an excellent model for today’s copywriters, online content marketers, and digital advertisers.
Test his methods for yourself and watch as engagement and response soar. Just remember, there is no “set it and forget it.” Continually research customers, evaluate performance and evolve campaigns.
As top copywriter Drayton Bird advised in the last post, “One word changed, in one ad, could be the difference between wild success or utter failure.”
Test. Test. Test.
To read the full text of Claude Hopkins famous book, “Scientific Advertising” written in 1923 (as every aspiring copywriter and pro should) you can search for the pdf file online. Alternatively, here is a recent link that has worked for me:
https://www.scientificadvertising.com/ScientificAdvertising.pdf
Sell. Sell. Sell.
Hope that helps.
How else can I help you?
– Robert Schwarztrauber
P.S. If you enjoyed this blast of wisdom from the past with Claude Hopkins, you’ll love all the other old-timer’s advice that’s included with the Copywriter’s Persuasion Toolkit. The gift that keeps on giving is on sale now at: https://robertreports.gumroad.com/l/copywriters-toolkit/ or https://writeforwealthclub.com/copywriterstoolkit/
