One can imagine to run an online series like this. A few episodes are
available for free. In exchange for the Email address an autoresponder
sends a couple more episodes to the subscriber. Along the way, you
communicate that the complete first season is available for X Dollars as
a subscription. Either an autoresponder sends out an episode of the first
season once a week, or you create a membership area, keep on adding new
episodes, offer all kinds of extras and games, build a forum, a shop etc.
Implement an online shop
When selling your products on your own website, you need a shopping cart
software such as Paypal or Clickbank. Look out for recurring fees before-hand.
You will also find free PHP shopping cart scripts and e-commerce plugins
for wordpress. Furthermore you have to take care of the shipping and the
customer service.
There are less labor intensive ways to sell your products. But at the
same time you are less flexible and will have to split the returns. The
easiest approach and at the same time the one where you get to keep the
smallest part of the profits, is to use a service like CafePress or
CreateSpace. All you have to do is upload your CD, DVD or t-shirt design.
When someone places an order, the product will be manufactured and shipped.
CreateSpace has the advantage that it is part of Amazon.com and your
product automatically appears in their shop.
In addition Amazon, offers a lesser known way to sell products. You can
register as a vendor, pay Amazon a part of the returns and a monthly fee
and you won't have to use CreateSpace for production. Another easy way
to introduce your products to a larger audience is Ebay.
Many artists and publicists use a variety of distribution channels to
spread their products as wide as possible. They offer their works on
their website and at the same time link to CreateSpace, Amazon or Ebay.
It is certainly no disadvantage to have a look at your website from a
sales-related perspective. Integrate your fans in the development of a
product and collect feedback as early as possible. Before selling a new
product on your website, arrange a product launch for interested people,
to grow your fan list and to increase sales figures. Afterwards you may
use the Pre-Sell material, made for this purpose, to enlarge your website
or to setup an automatic sales machine, in the form of an autoresponder.
To reach larger audiences, you are continually looking out for new
distribution channels.
