It may be something you do as a matter of routine, but I've seen enough sales letters and web site catalogs that don't do this that I'm convinced some sellers just don't know what they are missing.
I've often spoken of the need to do everything within your power to garner the trust and confidence of your prospects in online selling.
Lots of people are still a little skeptical about doing business online. And even though many have moved beyond the fear that credit card numbers will be stolen and used illegally, they still have a certain natural tendency to not give their full faith and trust to a new Internet company they have never dealt with in the past.
One of the best ways to dispel those fears is to bring a face to the Internet. I always recommend that the owner put his own photo online so that customers can see a real face and associate it with the business owner.
I think it's important to also have a logo that has been customized for your business. It's just a visual reminder that there really is a company that's legitimate and operating behind this web site.
If you can take a photo of your physical business or even a photo of the owner sitting at his computer it will help to "humanize" your business.
Now, to the point of this discussion. I recommend that for every product you offer, there ought to be an image created. Even if the product is simply a digital file and not a hardbound book or a loose leaf binder.
By having an image created, you give the customer more reason to believe that you are a legitimate company and you really will deliver a product to him once he orders.
There are several alternatives to creating your information product image that are easy, inexpensive and do a nice visual job.
First, if there is a physical product, you can take a photo of it with a digital camera, edit the photo for size, color, etc. and upload the photo to your catalog or sales page so the customer can view what it actually looks like.
A second alternative is to have a graphic image made for you by a designer. There are all sorts of freelancers and businesses on the Internet that offer this type of service. One image created to your specifications will likely cost you around $75-$150 depending upon the company. You can get it for less, but you will most likely end up with a clipart "cut and paste" job that won't help you entice the prospect to buy.
A third alternative is to make the image yourself. If you have an eye for design and the proper skill with a graphics editing program or two, you can do a great job without assistance. The standard software in the industry is Photoshop, but there are less expensive but still usable programs like Paint Shop Pro that will work nicely.
Included in the do-it-yourself category is a product that "automatically" creates book covers and report covers for information publishers. In fact, there are several of these products on the market. You fill in a template that asks for information like the title, author, color preferences, etc, hit a button, and the image is created, with perspective and shadows, for you.
You will have to decide the best way to get a graphic image produced for your time and budget allotment, but by all means take this little step.
Adding an image to your product is worth every penny it will cost because you will see increased sales that could be attributed to nothing more than this one extra step.
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