I have two brilliant friends who have thriving service-based businesses that they market almost entirely online. They both dream of creating and launching digital products like an ebook or ecourse but neither of them have, each for different reasons.

Rachel is a go-getting self-promoter. She guest posts regularly and has a thriving Facebook presence. She works in short, intense bursts and loves selling her services. But she just can’t seem make the time to sit down and create something to sell to the many people who need her expertise.

Tristan loves creating, in his own words he could create a product a week. While he is active on social media and blogs regularly, he feels most comfortable having tailored, one-on-one sales conversations. The idea of selling a product feels cheesy and inauthentic, too cookie cutter.

Which type are you?

Most people that I’ve worked with find themselves in Rachel’s camp or Tristan’s. For instance, my friend Aine and I are split along a similar axis. I could network and promote until the cows came home, and Aine excels at spending entire days writing one book after another. The trick is to find balance because we need both the introspective, intensely creative time and a strong self-promotion muscle.

If you’re a Rachel: You are operating with the belief that to create something will necessarily be hard and time consuming. You may go stir crazy sitting for hours at your desk. Here are some ideas for the Rachels of the world:

• Use audio or video. They less time to refine and produce than an ebook. For example, host a virtual summit of people with complementary expertises and interview them.
• Use transcription to write. Start with recordings of teleclasses or sessions with clients (change identifying details to protect privacy in the final edit).
• Get a sounding board. It’s important for this social type to be in conversation about her ideas. Enlist a buddy to be a brainstorming and accountability partner through the creation process.
• Shrink the project. More isn’t always better, as hard as it is to create something it’s as hard for people to make the time to consume it. Laser-focus your solutions to people’s problems, what is the smallest package you could use to deliver information?
• Define success. It’s hard to make time for a vague “something” that has an indefinite timeline or scope. What is the target dollar amount? How many products would you need to sell at each price point to reach your goal? Look at other products in your niche at each price point and get a feel for how much stuff you actually need to create.

If you’re a Tristan: it’s a matter of overcoming the feeling that sales is pushy.

• Remember people want and need your expertise. I argued with Tristan that so many people need the knowledge he has and can’t afford to work with him on a one-on-one basis. People need his advice and he has an obligation to package it for different price points.
• Sell in your own style. The super-long, hard-sell sales page is quickly becoming extinct and you can create a perfectly fine short one. There are many other ways to get your product in front of people who want and need solutions you can provide — guest posts, a “shop” on your site, as an offer you make to others’ audiences. Get creative and find what feels right.
• Build a team of affiliates. Affiliates are the secret-weapon of the reluctant marketer, Tristan could empower his affiliates to market on his behalf.
• Find a partner. The right JV can be a wonderful thing and I want to do a lot more of them. Find someone whose audience overlaps with yours, whose services and expertise are complementary and whose work and professional style you admire. Even if both of you are Tristans, it’s a relief and motivator to have a sounding board and someone to share the work with.

David Meerman Scott, marketing guru and author of World Wide Rave, believes strongly that you should give away your eBook for free, without requiring so much as an email address. Naomi Dunford of IttyBiz, marketing guru and co-author of How To Launch the S*** Out of Your eBook made $12,000+ in a day with the launch of a $37 eBook (hint: she tells you how to, too).

So what’s the answer?

The answer, as always, depends on who your market is and on who you are.

David wants to be recognized as a thought leader on viral marketing by C-level executives (CEOs, etc.). Naomi needed to pay her rent and had valuable, useful information to teach her loyal readers (ittybiz owners) in her irreverent way. David’s approach is a more global outreach, Naomi’s is laser-targeted.

David’s approach still leads to sales, albeit in an indirect way. By spreading his ideas far and wide he becomes a trusted expert on his niche, corporate marketing and PR.

Which approach makes the most sense for you and your goals? I’d love to know.