Backend Products
Thirteen Insights for Resale Rights Sellers
Here are some tips I would like to share that might help a new marketer entering this business model of selling products that were created by others. For this exercise, I will use the example of an ebook as the product in question (but it really could be anything – a report, a newsletter, a video or audio, an image, etc).
1. Be sure to read and follow the license terms exactly. There really are no “standard” terms that are found in every license so it is important to read and abide by the rules for your particular license. Generally “Resale Rights” (RR) allow you to resell the product and keep 100% of the profit; but usually you must sell the product “as is” meaning you can’t change or modify it or claim to be the author. “Master Resale Rights” (MRR) are the same as RR except that you are allowed to sell the licensing rights to others. “Private Label Rights” (PLR) generally allow you to change or modify the product, claim it as your own, and basically do what you want with it except that usually you can’t sell or pass along the PLR license rights to others. PLR is sometimes referred to as “White Label” rights.
2. See if the seller/author will share with you what marketing efforts he/she has already taken with the book(s). I would focus on marketing the product in new channels that haven’t been exposed to the book yet. The idea is to present the books in places and ways that will get it in front of new audiences.
3. Add value to the book by offering it in additional formats – audio for instance. Or maybe you might turn an ebook in a series of shorter reports or a series of niche lessons.
4. Add value to the product by offering related and complementary “bonuses” to the bundle or package that you sell.
5. Try different price points from the original book, especially higher price points, since you’re offering additional value. Sometimes the reason a product doesn’t sell well is the fact that the pricing doesn’t fit the product or market place the product is in.
6. See if the seller will allow you to add a new cover design. This may or may not be possible depending upon the license, but if it is allowed it will often make a big difference if you have a very compelling and outstanding graphic rendered into 3D. Don’t underestimate the importance of a professional and compelling cover design and book title.
7. It shouldn’t be difficult to get some testimonials for the book(s) if the quality is good. Sometimes book authors forget or downplay this step. Adding testimonials to the sales letter should help considerably.
8. Offer some type of a bonus (including maybe the 1st Chapter free “preview”) to get prospects on a marketing list. We all know that many folks don’t buy on first contact and getting an email address will give you other chances to make the soft sell.
9. Do a press release for the book. No, you are not “introducing” a new book, but with the right “angle” or story, you could generate some interest that will get new prospects to your web site. Press releases are best for PLR ebooks that have had title and graphics improvements.
10. If you are a good writer and salesman, I would consider re-working the sales page copy. If you have the funds, it may even be worth the money to have a professional copywriter review your sales copy and make modifications that will help your book sales.
11. You might also try making the print version available if you are making sales and the quality of the product is high. I wouldn’t just do this for any digital ebook . . . but if you have a really good one, some buyers would like to own the book in print form. Perceived value will be high and you will have reproduction costs so you will want to price this differently than your ebook. There are long term benefits to having a great selling physical book that you can hold in your hand and show as proof of your author status.
12. Another idea to try would be this: dig into the niche where the books you’re selling provide the greatest value. This may not work for fiction ebooks, but if the book your licensing is a “how to” guide or provides tips or ideas or ways of doing things better – then this should work. In the niche, write a series of short articles highlighting one tip for each article with your web site link in the sig file or resource box. See if you can “guest blog” these articles on popular sites in the niche. I’m not talking about a 200 word sales pitch for your book. I’m suggesting you write a full-length article (like 1,000-1,500 words of quality content) that should be readily accepted if it’s good.
13. A final suggestion: if you purchase several ebooks, I would try to do so within the same niche. You would then have the flexibility to package several of these together in a bundle that could be sold as a unique product even though each one of the components was previously sold as a standalone. The perceived value of a series of books is high and it makes perfect sense if you have a topic that has related sub-topics or natural “how to” steps in a progression toward an overall goal.
I realize that these methods will only go so far, especially if the licensed book has already been heavily promoted.
It would be best if you find very high quality books that have simply been marketed very poorly – that will offer you the best chance of making good money with resale rights products. I personally like the flexibility of PLR when I’m shopping for a product to sell that I didn’t create.
To your online business success,
Steve Browne
www.SteveBrowneDirect.com