When we see a finished product, we rarely think about the parts that go into it. We just look at the box and say "great product." But in the case of an information product, there are three distinctive parts: content, packaging and delivery. Let's look at each separately.

Content

The content or the information is the core of the product. Without the content there is no product. Without unique content, it's just another rehash.

Your expertise is what makes your content unique. When you learn to express your expertise, you're sharing your content.

Content is the message and the actual information the buyer purchases.

Packaging

We often think of packaging as the box the product comes in. But especially with digital products, there isn't necessarily a physical package.

Instead, we think of the way the content is put into a usable format as the packaging. It may be in an ebook, an MP3 audio, an audio CD, a screen-cam movie, or a downloadable video. Increasingly, you see products that include a combination of packaging formats.

Packaging is a decision you make before you offer the product for sale. Delivery is what happens after the sale.

Delivery

Once the content is packaged we have several choices. We can deliver it as 100% digital content. We can send it in a physcial package. Or we can use a combination.

Timing is a factor when considering the best delivery combination. For example, with consumers' emphasis on instant gratification, they often want something immediately after the purchase. So even if you're shipping a physical product, consider offering the first parts of it as a digital download - to keep them happy until their physical product arrives.

If shipping a physical product takes a week or so, offer an additional download of information in the interim. This "surprise" email is a welcome stop-gap while they are waiting for the full product.

Then there is the matter of consumption. Research tells us that many people purchase a product - but don't really use it. Instead it becomes shelfware. This hurts the consumer who purchased the product, by not having them use the product and get the results promised. And it also may diminish the chance that they will purchase from you again, since they did not see the results of their first purchase.

To help prevent this happening with your products, consider delivering some of the content over time. For example,

1 - provide a follow-up email sequence that draws attention to various features of the information product.

2 - send unannounced bonus gifts that reinforce the important aspects of the product.

3 - send offline postcards to stay in touch and emphasize other points in the product.

When you consider the packaging and delivery of information products, you realize the content continues - beyond the initial creation of the product. Consider all the parts!

Dr. Jeanette Cates, The Technology Tamer, works with independent professionals who are ready to turn their knowledge and their websites into gold. She is the author of more than 30 information products and the creator of the http://www.InfoProductsQuickStart.com