With technology and ease of access to the Internet, we are exposed to a large pool of information. Even more than what we can consume? We read product details on the website and find product reviews before buy things. More in-depth analysis and time are spent looking for relevant information to making our crucial decision.
Infopreneur is not a new term, but it regains its popularity due to these days technology. For example, a user-friendly blogging software, a screen capture vdo, and e-publisher application. There is a small start-up cost for them because knowledge and time are the main sources of their investment.
The term “Infopreneur” was registered a trademark by H. Skip Weitzen (author of the book ‘Infopreneur’) who describes an infopreneur as “a person who gathers, organizes, and disseminates information as a business venture or as a value-added service” (BusinessDictionary.com, 2015).
To add, infopreneur is an information seller, who aims to meet customers’ specific need and lessen the opportunity cost of finding information. Most common topic covered by Infopreneurs focuses on business-related topics to a very specific purpose, for example, fishing how-to.
From my research, there are two main sources for Infopreneur to gather the information.
- Experience & Expertise
Infopreneurs apply their experience and expertise in a particular area as sources of the information. Wisoot Sangarunlert is one of the famous Thai businessmen. He is a writer, editor, song-writer and speaker. He became an infopreneur after his series of business how-to books. One of his famous books called “Freelancer earns more”, published by Ookbee. He converted his knowledge into different form of information products; each has its small unique content. For example, eBook, videos, audio book, CD, seminar and dinner talk. (Ookbee, 2015)
Another example is Alex Alex Jeffreys who runs seminars, Youtube coaching and how-to DVD. His achievement from social media brought him to be an inspiring infopreneur.
2. Information from a blog, published articles, expert interviews and seminar can be sources of information for infopreneur as well. The information from the 4-hours seminar can be divided into different topics for their products.
Infopreneur business will bring more web-based publishers and application that allow anyone to publish their works, while the traditional publishers must adapt their business and pricing model to survive (Lahm and Stowe, 2011). This is an example that technology empowers an individual to reach out to people. As a consumer, infopreneur should not be only one source of information because idea and solution can be limitedly constructed. A series of information created may be similar to one another since it was created from the same person. It is worth to find out about the content and reviews before purchase. Inforpreneur affects marketers’s operation because they knows how to provide relevant information to specific target customers. Marketers will have to narrow down the audience and offer personalized solution/services that add value to them. Then create customer engagement that lead to value creation for customers and brand advocates.
Can you think of the challenges for marketers as infopreneur are emerging?
Reference
BusinessDictionary.com, (2015). What is infopreneur? definition and meaning. Available from: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/infopreneur.html [Accessed 28 Oct. 2015].
Lahm, R.J. and Stowe, C.R.B.(2011). “Infopreneurship”: roots, evolution, and revolution. Available from: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/article/Entrepreneurial-Executive/263157525.html [Accessed 29 Oct. 2015].
Image 1: Ookbee (2015). Photo 1: Wisoot’s product. [image] Available from: https://pod.ookbee.com/Book/1002 [Accessed 29 Oct. 2015].
Image 2: Marketing With You. (2015). Photo 2: Alex product [image] Available from: http://marketingwithalex.com/ [Accessed 29 Oct. 2015].
DigitalSwift 
From consumer’s point of views, I think one of the marketer’s main challenges is content proportion (in terms of length & depth). I do not want to spend much time on irrelevant info. Time is very valuable. I prefer to get the precise and direct info to what I am interested.
Infopreneur seems to be a good choice, because they know their target well. Also, they are budget-wise. So, they would cut unnecessary things out to save cost and portray what they intent the receivers to perceive (which is direct and get to the point).
I personally like to check couple sources before buying anything. I find Infopreneur plenty and available nowadays. I have no surprise how fast the infopreneur emerge !!!
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I agree that the length of the content must be precise. We are becoming increasingly selective users. Therefore, marketers need to adapt to customers’ changing habits and provide more specific content. Marketing tends to focus on the individual preference.
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Hey, Naim,
What about blogger who earns money from ads, do you think he / she considered as infopreneur?
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Thanks for pointing this out, Tedy.
If we look at how they earn money, the infopreneur sells their content/information to customers for money. They are information sellers. Unlike, the blogger who earns from selling their space for ads. So I personally think they are not the same. What do you think? The reason I wrote about the infopreneur is to demonstrate how technology empowers an individual to reach out for the crowd and for sure that many companies will face their challenging in maintaining their customers if they cannot adapt their strategy to suit an individual.
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I think it’s useful but blogger should concern about information that they would like to present. If it too long or too difficult to understand, it may not attract to consumer participation.
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True. I think that is why the content of topic should be informed at the very first. Though there are many available sources of information that consumers can look for. Maybe there is no need for them to spend their money.
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Ohh Infopreneur!
First of this, there are too many Infopreneur in thailand. I don’t think they all are expertise. Some people just think that it is an opportunity to make money as one course is quite expansive and they can set the seated as much as they want.
Second, how do we know that the knowledge is fact or you can use it in reality. Some of them are might a best seller book author but they don’t have an experience.
Third, I think it s good way to learn from others, particularly successful person. But i think if we copy them we can’t be successful like them because the factors and situation are different.
Sometime I think that we have some certificate or someone to prove that they are a real expertise or specialist, not be an amateur. LOL
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Yes, Jay. That’s true so many people will just take an opportunity to make money with the trend. Though we can check about their content being offered before buy from them and how materials are incorporated into their session. I think it depends on how we look at the infopreneur. Their story/content can be an inspiration for new ideas. For sure, it is not a one-fit-all solution as each person has different situations.
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I think it’s a good idea for them to do what they want. They can have their own time and they can also mange their time off for a short or long holiday if they need.
But it’s not too easy, the success of this business is a knowledge requires in writing. They should present their own word in an easy way for people to understand. They should know the present trend. and they should read their listener’s mind to know what they want.
Interesting topic can grab the listener’s attention but it’s also depend on each person.
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Nice blog. Well, the information based business model as Infopreneur is quite classical and wild-spread now. It is an good way for those people who hold adequate and professional knowledge or information to get money from these. To some extent, as consumer, if you’d like to collect information in this way, you are likely to benefit from it. However, if these people face much more attractive profit, instead of through making high traffic on their blog or other pages, then, it’s hard to guarantee that we, as consumers can still get effective, valuable and useful information from them. I mean for example, when a brand or company start to engage in this model, popular infopreneur are likely to use their platform to disseminate products or services that are not as good as what they say, or even they don’t really accept them. But the main force to make infopreneur to do this is to get a high brokerage. Then, as information seeker, we will suffer loss from this. And for marketers, obviously, unordered or unfair market competition are not good for the whole market. A piece of challenge, as I think, for the marketers. Hope it make any sense.
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Hi Zhao, thank you for your comment. Maybe, we have different understanding of the role of infopreneur. To my knowledge, their business model is not similar to blog. Infopreneur is independent person who originate the presenting content by collectiong information from their own expertise or researches. They are not working for anyone or reviewing any product, accept their products. However, the point you raised may be possible that they may lose their original focus when other companies offer incentive for them to include product review or product suggestion. However, I think (again my personal opinion), that quality infopreneurs are aware enough that what drives profit is actually their quality content of information they are selling. So their focus is to keep originating the ideas. Otherwise, customers will eventually find out that it is not what they are looking for, the infopreneur himself/herself is the one who suffers losing their customers. A challenge for marketers though, would be how to do better then infopreneur in understanding and satisfying customers insight and needs. 🙂
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Haha… we may have different experience on this. But I do believe a more attractive profit will make some infopreneur losing their original goals.
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Interesting Topic!
Can I ask what are the differences between Infopreneurs and normal writers or speakers? Do you have another example?
In my views, they just a writer or speaker who do self-branding. Using digital platforms to be other touchpoints to communicate with their targets.
However, how do they build up their credibilities? how do they make people believe them?, how do they keep and expand target audiences? these questions are interesting for all marketers to find the answers.
How about your opinion
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Thanks for your comment and good questions. First I am sure there is no exact definition of ‘infopreneur’ as this type of job title evolves from people who have the different professional background. They can be a former writer, speaker, artist, chef or fisherman. Hence, it seems infopreneurs and the normal writer/speaker has no difference when the information is the source of their income. However, infopreneurs focus on demonstrating ‘how-to’ subject matter within a niche market. They collect, provide, promote distribute knowledge of how to do something in order to save time for the others. And obviously, they utilize technology to best reach their audience. Also, the typical writer does not have a clue about who is buying their book. In the other hand, infopreneur knows who is their customers and prospects which enable them to specify the content concisely and high specialized topic. Over time, they are able to develop deeper information to a niche market. Unlike the writer who appears to offer to the masses.
This brings to answer your following questions. To my knowledge, Thai well-known infopreneurs are already successful in their businesses. This is how they found credibility. Instead focusing on expanding the audience, I will say they focus on what kind of niche demands to offer solutions from their knowledge and expertise. These will be interesting for marketers learning to adapt to customers’ need.
There are many people, even not from success business, is offering the information from their experience or learning from different sources of information. Being a role model with a powerful presentation skills and deep understanding of the content and customers’ need, infopreneurs will be able to build a strong customer base.
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