Online video is nothing new.  But not everyone knows how to effectively use video. 

• You can use video to get more traffic to your sites – Post humorous or entertaining videos on YouTube and display your site link.  The viral effect of a good video can launch your site’s traffic.’
• Create free video content for your website and incorporate some good keyword-rich article content on the same site.  Search engines will index your videos to improve your ranking.
• Turn your old articles and ebooks into videos and sell them on your site.  You can set up a membership site and provide new videos each month for a monthly subscription fee.  Use a membership script like AMember or DLGuard to protect your video downloads.
• Use videos to promote your own products or promote others’ products as an affiliate.  Provide some useful bit of content in your intro video, and give the link to your product at the end – or better yet, redirect to the product automatically at the end of the video.
• Use videos to encourage visitors to sign up to your mailiing list.  Fewer people want to give away their email addresses due to spam, so a creative and useful video can help to persuade them to trust you.
• Link to your videos and sites with video content from twitter.  But be sure the content you provide is actually useful.  if it’s obvious that you’re simply promoting a product for quick profits, you may just lose some followers.

There are numerous ways to use video content.  And if you’re not comfortable in front of the camera, you can create a PowerPoint presentation or a screen-capture tutorial video with Camtasia.  If you’re the creative type, you may also enjoy creating your own cartoons with a tool like Toon Boom Studio.  With the right approach, you could become the next YouTube celebrity and have all the traffic you can stand.

So, how can you create an e-cover? 

If you have a copy of PhotoShop, you can buy a set of action scripts to automate the process.  These action scripts will allow you to focus on creating a nice flat design for your book or software cover.  You may then run the action script to have a box or book cover generated from the flat design.  The script will use Photoshop’s perspective tools to give the cover a 3D look, and it will also add a reflection and shading to make the image appear more realistic.

You may also purchase a software program specifically designed for creating eCovers.  I believe one of the best programs is The Web Graphics Creator.  It’s often difficult to find in stores, but you can purchase it on Amazon for under $30.  No, it isn’t a perfect solution.  You can certainly make better images yourself using PhotoShop.  But if you don’t want to spend $300+ for PhotoShop, or you’re not really comfortable with your artistic skills, this program may be just what you’re looking for.

How to know if a work is in the public domain

Copyright laws vary by country, so you will need to become familiar with the laws in your country before you utilize public domain works.  In the United States, there are three general rules for evaluating the public domain status of creative works:

1. Works published in the United States before 1923 are in the public domain.
2. Works created after March 1, 1989, even if not published, are copyright protected for 70 years after the author’s death. Works made for hire (corporate authorship) after March 1, 1989 are copyright protected for 120 years from creation or 95 years from publication, whichever is sooner.
3. Works published in the United States between 1923 and March 1, 1989 are also copyright protected, provided that the formalities are observed.

To help clarify the rules, use the following guidelines when determining the public domain status of a work.

A work is in the public domain if it was:

• Published before 1923 
• Published between 1923 and 1978 without a valid copyright notice  
• Published between 1978 and March 1, 1989, without a notice and registration 
• Published between 1923 and 1963 with a copyright notice but author failed to renew it (According to a report, only 7% of copyrights issued through 1958 were renewed)

A work is not in the public domain if any of the following conditions apply:

• Published between 1923 and 1963 with a copyright notice, properly renewed before its expiration for the first 23-year protection term 
• Published between 1963 and March 1, 1989 with a valid copyright notice 
• Published or created any time after March 1, 1989 (Works after this date are deemed automatically under copyright protection)

Where to find public domain works

1. Using your favorite search engine, search for the following keywords. But, always be sure to double-check any results to be certain the works are actually in the public domain.  Failing to do this can land you in hot water for copyright violations.

• public domain music
• public domain images
• public domain books
• public domain movies
• public domain works
• public domain library
• public domain software

2. Check some of the more well-known online public domain sources:

• bartleby.com
• ibiblio.org
• readprint.com
• gutenberg.org
• retrofilm.com

3. Research for available books at your local library that meet the public domain criteria.

Once you’ve found some material that you can use to put together a product of your own, there are many ways to go about creating a great product.  You can produce ebooks, audio CDs, videos, newsletters, membership websites, etc.  The sky is the limit.  So, do some research up front to find a good niche, dig into the public domain and find some material to make a product for that market, produce the product, and make some money. 

Of course, this is an oversimplification of the steps involved.  But it should provide you with enough information to get you started in the right direction.  Public domain works have created fortunes for many individuals and businesses throughout the last century.  You, too, can utilize the public domain to build your own information product empire.

But even with all of the great reasons for getting into the online information business, few people seem to use this business model effectively.  Most newcomers to the online business world see individuals selling ebooks and assume they are raking in big bucks from the sale of those products.  And they may actually be making some decent money from the sale of an ebook, but the true riches are hidden below the surface.

What if you really wanted to sell information products online to make some money? 

How would you get started?  Do you have an existing business?  If not, do you want to learn how to get started the right way?  If so, could selling information products increase your profits?

What would you sell?  Ebooks, reports, software, CD’s, DVD’s, physical books – there are dozens of options.

How would you promote those products?  Would you use PPC ads, free e-zine ads, article marketing, direct mail, etc.?  Well, that really depends on your niche and the type of product you’re selling.

How many different ways can you think of to use information products?  You don’t have to restrict yourself to selling ebooks online.  There are dozens of great ways to package and sell information.

Why would you ever want to give away free products?  Could it be that there’s a hidden path to profits behind the scenes?

Questions such as these are all answered in our new “Pennies into Dollars” membership site launching later this month.  It will include a complete guide to locating great niche markets, finding sources of products ready to sell, ways to improve existing products, and basic online business advice.  Plus, the membership site will be updated with new products, tips, and resources each month.  And the forum and support system will provide ongoing support.

Turn Pennies into Dollars by using low cost resources to make money with information products.