Security on Information Products

Ever since ExpertPreneurs discovered digital delivery, unauthorized duplicating has been part of a big debate.

If you're selling an ebook or an Mp3 download, should you be more concerned about the purchaser being able to send copies to his or her friends, or does that only increase the visibility of your message, potentially expanding the market of those who might buy other products from you?

Obviously, there's no one right answer in all circumstances. Lost sales through needlessly lax security on digital products doesn't smell good but the ExpertPreneur always maintains control over the form of distribution of his or her products.

So, less expensive products can be made available by digital download while other, more expensive products can be sent in in forms that take more effort to copy more than a casual amount.

Even more, you can forego downloads altogether, only allowing streaming audio or video once someone accesses a password protected page after payment.

Yes, even that's not foolproof as technology marches, but when it comes to this kind of digital infringement, making it harder reduces the incidence of theft.

And, of course, IP tracking and other technologies do help in monitoring unauthorized use.

Still, we live in an age where information  is harder and harder to control so that the secret to an ExpertPreneur's long term success may lie more in  providing the type of quality product that keeps people returning and buying than it does in preventing every single instance of unauthorized copying.

Keep in mind that one of the beauties of digital delivery is in its "hands off" automatic processes that don't require you to go to the Post Office and package CD's all the time. The more difficult you make it for a customer to download and access digital information, the more customer service calls you will get and the higher your potential return rate.

So, in weighing the ying and the yang of security vs marketing considerations, the savvyy ExpertPreneur will decide on a case by case basis whether it serves he or she better to get the message out or to lock down the message so tight that even people who are allowed to see it have trouble.




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