Many people immediately think of ebooks when they hear the words "information product", but there's so much more you can do with your information products that will make your products more useful to your customers AND will help you make more money.
Why Your Customer Benefits from Different Information Formats:
People learn and like to consume information in different ways. Many people do like to read and printed reports or ebooks will do the trick for them. Others like to listen to information. They may want to download audios to their mp3 players, burn them to CDs so they can listen in the car or listen on their computer while they attend to other tasks. Some people may prefer to watch and you may even want to include video in your information products.
Why YOU Benefit from Different Information Formats:
When you offer different formats, you can increase the perceived value of your products. A product that is just a downloadable PDF may not be seen as valuable as a product that offers an ebook, audio recording and transcripts. This means, you can charge more for your information product...increasing your bottom line.
You can also reach more customers with your multi-media information product. Some people won't buy ebooks because they'd prefer to listen. Others may have slow Internet connections and can't easily download mp3s, so they would rather have typed information they can read. There are so many reasons why customers prefer different formats and it's easy to provide those formats...so why not go the extra mile.
Keep in mind accessibility. People with visual impairments may find it easier to listen to your audio and those with hearing impairments wouldn't be able to listen to your audio. Don't limit their options.
And Don't Just Limit Yourself to One Product:
It's tough to make a great living off just one information product and if you make a great product, your customers are going to want more. So, when you're creating your first information product, make a plan for additional ebooks. These can give more in-depth information on certain topics, could contain more advanced techniques or anything that your target customer would be interested in.
Alternatively, if you can't develop your own line of products immediately, ensure that you have some backend sales lined up and recommend further products through affiliate links. Always make the most of your marketing efforts!