Foolish Adventure

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Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice. ~ Anton Chekhov

Think for a second:

How many things have you downloaded that you really think you could use, or that seem to have great stuff in them that you might even actually need for something….which then have just sat on your hard drive, gathering digi-dust?

If you’re like most of us, there are probably quite a few.

In this world, we’re bombarded with information every day. Tremendous amounts of information, from email to blogs we follow to the nightly news — there’s a whole lot out there that’s competing for our attention.

Your product, of course, is made of information.

As such, it’s in some pretty stiff competition for people’s attention, what with the veritable avalanche of it that’s coming directly at your customers’ heads. It’s ridiculously easy for your information to get lost in the wall of Brain Stuff that’s slamming into your customers.

So how can you combat that information overload, and get people not only hooked on reading what you have, but also using it? (Which, of course, is where the real value is in what you’re trying to tell people with your product.) How can you help encourage people to engage with your product, and apply it to their businesses and/or lives?

Part of it, we already talked about.

Have a killer introduction.

Make sure your stuff’s well-headlined. Tell stories. Some of it, we’ll talk about later. Layout. Packaging. Great editing. That kind of thing.

Once they’re sucked in by your awesome content, though, the easiest way you can make your stuff truly memorable is by including actual actions for people to take. Forms, quizzes, checklists, and worksheets make people actually think about what they just read, and, hopefully, to apply it to their own unique situation.

If your customers thinking about what they’re learning from you and how the information can be assimilated into their own practice/business/lives, there’s a good chance that they’ll actually take action on it.

And…

Since we already know you’re brilliant, giving out valuable information for people, we know that if your customers use your training, they’ll see results…which means more word of mouth for you, and possible testimonials, not to mention the superstar feeling that comes from actually breaking through the information avalanche and helping people.

ACTION TASK:
Good worksheets shouldn’t be an afterthought. They serve a purpose way too big to half-ass them at the very end.

While you’re finishing up your writing today, take a look back at what you’ve got. What parts of what you’re doing should your customers take away and apply to their own lives? What parts may be a little difficult to relate to for them? Where might they get extra value by taking action right away?

All of those are great starting points for worksheets. How those worksheets will look will largely depend on your audience. For example, a free-flowing, open page with lots of boxes and instructions to doodle your answers probably wouldn’t go over as well with a product for left-brained businesspeople.

Conversely, a worksheet that forces an artist to put in a lot of numbers on a spreadsheet or is all just question-and-answer lines and linear questioning style probably won’t fly, either.

Think hard about your audience when you’re putting these together today. They’re fairly quick to do once you know your customers’ style, and your product’s points of action.

Engage.

Get your customers to not just know the material, but to imagine using it, and then to take action. Information applied is a billion times better than just burying them in an avalanche of it to learn.

TOMORROW:
With your writing done (or almost done), it’s time to focus on polishing it to a rich shine. Tomorrow, we start tackling the editing, and turning your hard work into something of which you can be justifiably proud.