Feature Updates 09-22-09

Feature 1 – PDF Protection Suite Upgrade

We have upgraded our Digital Finger Printing Feature within the PDF Protection Suite by adding the buyers Address, City, State and Zip to the pdf document that is purchased.

With these new fields etched into each and every PDF that is sold we hope to deter file sharing and theft even more.

Feature 2 – Help with End Users Saving Files Correctly

If you have ever gotten a call or email from an end users telling you they did not save their files when downloading you are not alone. Most end users zip through checkout and then the view file without saving it. Then when they want to view it again they try to go back and download it and it won’t download because they have used up the license key with the first viewing, which is considered a download.

Hopefully those support calls/emails will stop or at least slow to a trickle. We have added a new “Please Read” stop sign on the confirmation page and the download page that explains how to download properly.

Other New Stuff

We have just launched our new Affiliate Program – Read about it here.

Coming Soon

A new Upsell Promotional System…Cool stuff…Stay Tuned!

In Closing

Thanks for keeping up with our upgrades and new features. We’ll update you as we add more features to our service. If you have a feature that you would like to see, let us know, we are always interested in hearing from our clients and making our service the best it can be.

Thanks for choosing Digital Content Center as your preferred digital content delivery service.

Digital Content Center Affiliate Program

After months of exhausting work and testing we proudly announce the launch of our new Affiliate Program.

Highlights of our Program

Our Goal

The digital content delivery industry is just starting to emerge with projections of phenomenal growth over the next 3-5 years. Our goal is to grow our market share by creating long-term professional business relationships with aggressive marketers. We plan to do this by providing top-notch support, fast and accurate payouts and traffic driving affiliate promotions so that our Affiliates can really make money.

Helping our Affiliates Drive Sales

We help affiliates drive sales with our promotional banners to help sweeten the deal for affiliate site visitors. Our promotional banners offer a call to action promotion code that is entered upon checkout for special savings that really helps drive sales.

Payouts

We opted to allow our affiliates to request payouts rather than set a pre-determined date for payouts. As this may be more work for us, it benefits our affiliates because they control when they get paid.

Payouts are 50% payout on activations as well as 20% recurring payout on renewals.

Tracking

We are the only company that we know of that has three ways ensuring you receive credit for your sales. First, we track by session variable to record the sale if a visitor signs up during their first or subsequent direct clicks from your site. Second, visitors are tracked by a cookie that is set for 2 years which means if someone came from your website to our site, having purchased nothing but came back a few months later to make a purchase, you would still get your commission. Third, the cookie and the URL both have encryption built in to prevent substituting the affiliate ID encoded into the URL.

We have developed a state-of-the-art system. Once you’re an affiliate simply log into the Affiliate Management Control Panel and you will be able to see all of your clickthroughs, activations, conversions, commissions due, commissions paid and any charge backs. You’ll even be able to download the reports into excel by date range.

Affiliate Support

As with all of our services we offer, support is fast and easy. Contact us by telephone, email or our Support Ticket System.

In Closing

If you have some time, check us out. If you have any questions, let us know. If you like what you see, please Join Our Program.

Thank you for reading and stay tuned.

Feature Updates 08-27-09

Feature 1 – Album Pricing is Now Available

If you are selling music and using our album feature, you can now offer a discount to customers if they purchase the whole album.

If a customer chooses only to buy a few tracks off of an album, they will pay the normal per track price that you set up. If they buy the entire album and you want to offer them a discount for the purchase of the entire album, they can purchase an entire album and get that discount.

The feature can be found inside of the Manage Audio Albums area within the Client Administration Control Panel.

Feature 2 – Deleting a Sample without Deleting an Entire Product

We have added a check box that will allow you to delete the sample without deleting the actual product. This new function can be found on the Edit Content page under the Sell Digital Content heading in the Client Management Control Panel.

All you have to do is check the box labeled, “Remove” and click the Edit Content button at the bottom of the page.

Other New Stuff

To help communicate with prospective and new clients, we have jumped into the social networking arena, full force.

Follow us on Twitter for the latest updates we post to our blog. It’s quite convenient.

Our Facebook page was designed to post feature updates and to show how our Buy Buttons can be configured on a Facebook page. Feel free to call or email if you have questions on how to post our buy buttons to your page.

Our page on MySpace was created to show prospective and new clients how to use our Buy Buttons on a MySpace page. Feel free to call or email if you have questions on how to post our buy buttons to your page.

Coming Soon

Next month we will start testing our new eBay App. If you or someone you know is currently selling digital content on eBay, let us know, we are looking for individuals or businesses that can help us test our system. A free account is provided.

In Closing

Thanks for keeping up with our upgrades and new features. We’ll update you as we add more features to our service. If you have a feature that you would like to see, let us know, we are always interested in hearing from our clients and making our service the best it can be.

Thanks for choosing Digital Content Center as your preferred digital content delivery Service.

PDF eBooks-How to Discourage File Sharing and Theft

If you are worried about your digital products being stolen or shared, you are not alone. It’s a common concern from anyone selling digital content.

Although no single service can provide total protection, we have developed a suite of features that will certainly put the kibosh on would be file sharers and thieves.

If you offer the most popular format of eBook, the PDF eBook, your future just got more profitable.
We have launched our PDF Protection Suite. It’s a set of features that discourages file sharing and theft. Our suite includes:

PDF Stamping – We stamp the name, phone number, and email address of the customer to each page of your ebook.

Password Protection – Each time your customer opens the ebook, they must enter their email address.

Print Disabling – Your customer will not be able to print your PDF ebook.

Content Copy Disabling – Your customer will not be able to copy and paste any of the content in your PDF ebook.

All the other features of the pdf document, such as annotating are still available for use.

We feel this protection suite really offers the best of both worlds. It doesn’t lock the file to a certain computer/device, and it discourages file sharing and theft.

If you are selling eBooks on our service you can utilize this set of features on any service plan we offer.

Also see our article about Digital eBook Freedom – Click Here.

If you have questions about how Digital Content Center can help you, give us a call, we’re always willing to help, even if you don’t buy from us.

Thank You for reading, and stay tuned.

Digital eBook Freedom, The Pitfalls of Copy Protection

Whether you are selling or buying eBooks there is one topic that will be on your mind.

Copy Protection.

Authors want to protect their eBooks from theft and file sharing, usually by locking the file to a certain computer as well as a host of other “control” features. Anyone that has ever written or created anything wants to protect the creation from theft. It’s only natural to want to protect current and future earnings.

Buyers want the freedom to read their eBooks on multiple devices and not have to hassle with multiple readers that may or may not be compatible with the desired viewing device.

Pitfalls of copy protection for sellers:

The cost of intense copy protection can be rather expensive especially when using a service or dedicated product such as a reader. Expense is not only measured in the cost to secure the eBook but also to provide support to buyers that are having issues.

Creation and management of multiple version of an eBook can be a huge issue. If you are using multiple services or software to protect your eBook, management of a single resource is always easier than managing multiples, especially the time and technical factor.

Decreased sales can be a big factor when considering copy protection. The loss of sales due to file sharing or theft can be offset by the additional sales from using a more flexible format.

Pitfalls of copy protection for buyers:

Being tied to a single device is frustrating and turns off potential buyers because not everyone uses one computer (or device). There is nothing worse than buying something and being told how it can be used.

Most eBooks that are copy protected use an eBook Reader (additional software that is needed to read the eBook). This additional software places technical barriers to reading the eBook including compatibility issues with the device the reader is being installed on, as well as having to manage multiple readers on multiple devices.

Interactivity with a copy protected book is non-existent. The ability to annotate, increase/decrease font size, zoom in/out on images is just not available on most of the readers that are being used. Also as time progresses, the integration of video will represent a huge challenge for any reader, or dedicated device.

Summing it up

Copy protection is a great idea for the seller, but for the buyer it makes the experience less flexible and more cumbersome, which can be a real turn-off. And remember if it is a turn-off for one person, it usually is a turn-off for others, thus decreasing your sales.

We advise any new author to think before you jump into a publishing solution, including ours. If you want your eBook to be successful you have to have the right mix of copy protection and user flexibility.

We suggest using the PDF format with our PDF Protection Suite. It has the best of both worlds. It offers great copy protection and a fantastic usability for the buyer.

If you have questions about how Digital Content Center can help you, give us a call, we’re always willing to help, even if you don’t buy from us.

Thank You for reading, and stay tuned.

Why does selling an ebook have to be so confusing?

I talk to hundreds of people in a week and the question comes up, on almost every call.

Working in the digital content delivery industry for almost 15 years now, I can say that if you are just starting to research how to sell your eBook, it really can be confusing.

The main reason it is so damn confusing is because there are so many websites that are trying to capitalize on your creation.

If you really want to sell your eBook online you’ll need to cut through all of the junk and get focused on the five components that are required to sell your eBook:

#1 – You have to have an eBook to sell.

#2 – You have to have a launch point such as a website, blog or social media page. The launch point will allow your visitors to learn about you and your offering. You will also need to market your launch point/product.

#3 – You will need a way to accept money from your customers.

#4 – You will need an online service provider (hosting service) that can store your eBook.

#5 – You will need some type of online service that protects your book from unauthorized downloads and facilitates the sale and delivery of your eBook.

Knowing these five basic components will cut out most of the junk that is out there.

In my opinion here are some things that you’ll want to stay away from if you want to have a good experience selling your eBook:

A) – Boxed Software you have to download, then upload to your server then install, configure, and customize. Unless you are a programming superstar it’s a waste of your time.

B) – Companies that do not offer phone support. If you can’t talk to the company you want to help you with your goals, why bother. Personal support is a must in this industry, you’ll want it the first time you have a question, trust me.

C) – Companies that promise you’ll become an instant millionaire by selling your book using their product or service. Don’t get me wrong, it can happen, but for most it will not.

I hope this helps.

If you have questions about how Digital Content Center can help you, give us a call, we’re always willing to help, even if you don’t buy from us.

Thank You for reading, and stay tuned.

Feature Update 08-06-09

Feature 1 – New Affiliate Program Feature

Our affiliates area inside of the Client Control Panel will now allow you to copy and past buy buttons and provide them directly to your affiliate.

Once you have created the affiliate account all you have to do is choose the Buy Button you want to provide to your affiliate and copy the code from the system. Then give that code to your affiliate for posting on their website.

We hope that this new feature will stream line the process of allowing affiliates to sell your products.

In Closing

Thanks for keeping up with our upgrades and new features. We’ll update you as we add more features to our service. If you have a feature that you would like to see, let us know, we are always interested in hearing from our clients and making our service the best it can be.

Thanks for choosing Digital Content Center as your preferred digital content delivery Service.

Using Digtal Content Center on Facebook

Below is a complete tutorial and sample code that will show you how to post our Buy Button to your Facebook Page.

Log in to Facebook and use the search at the top right of the site and search for “My Info”. The first result will be a Facebook Application called “My Info”. Click on the box, which will take you to the app. Once you are on the My Info Facebook page click the “Go To Application” box in the upper left hand side, it will be a box and very noticable. You will come to a screen that invites you to allow access. Choose “Allow”. You will then see the text box that allows you to put in your buy button code. Copy the buy button code from the DCC Client Control Panel, paste it to the text box and click “Update”. You can also click the preview button to see what it will look like.

Once you are satisfied, look to the top of the page and find the “Add to Profile” button. Click it and a popup screen will appear and you will need to click the “Add” button. You will then be transported back to your profile page. You’ll see the app in the left side of your profile page and you will need to click the “Keep” button. This will make the app live on your page.

To modify your new area click the “Go to My Info” text link within the box and the text box that you originally entered your buy button code in, will appear. You can then edit the text and click “Preview” or “Update” as necessary. You’ll want to use your own buy button code when going live and we strongly suggest using some additional text to tell visitors what the Buy Button is for.

Code Snippit

<center> This is a test of the But Button<br><br><a href=”https://secure.digitalcontentcenter.com/shop/25587″ title=”Click Here to Buy Now”><img src=”https://secure.digitalcontentcenter.com/images/buy-now.gif” border=”0″alt=”Buy Now” /></center>

Tag Meanings

<center> = This centers the text in the app box.
<br> = This is a space (carriage return)
</center> = I am telling the code to end the centering

Our test Facebook page

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000114675931

Thank You for reading, and stay tuned.

Feature Update 08-04-09

Feature 1 – PDF Protection Suite

If you are selling PDF eBooks through our service we would like to introduce you to our PDF Protection Suite. This new suite of features is included with all account packages. The PDF Protection Suite includes:

PDF Stamping – When a customer buys your ebook their Name, Email Address, and Phone Number are automatically stamped to the bottom of all pages. This feature is a great deterrent against file sharing and theft.

PDF Password Protection – When a customer buys your ebook and you have this feature activated they must user their email address to open the document.

Print Disabling – This feature allows you to stop customers from printing your ebook.

Copy Disabling – This feature allows you to stop customers from copy and pasting content from your ebook.

We know that our PDF Protection Suite won’t solve the world’s digital theft issues, but it will protect your digital property by deterring customers from stealing and file sharing.

Each feature within the suite can be enabled when uploading to sell content or deliver private content, and is automatic when delivering to customers.

Feature 2 – Change to Audio Widget

We are discontinuing our MySpace Audio Widget due to issues with the MySpace platform.

Our Audio Widget will continue to work exceptionally well when used with a website or blog.

For users that post our audio widget to MySpace, Facebook or any of the other social networking sites, we recommend using our Buy Buttons as those continue to work very well on all platforms.

New Services – Professional Design Services

Over the past year, hundreds of clients have asked for help with ebook covers, flip books, proofreading, and launch websites among other services. We have fulfilled many requests on a case-by-case basis but lately the requests have been overwhelming.

Introducing our Professional Design Services.

Starting August 1st we now offer the following services:

- General and 3D eCover Design
- Flipbook Services
- EBook Layout, Format, & Design Services
- Proofreading & Copy Editing Services
- eBook MicroSites

Using the latest graphic design techniques and products, our graphic designers and copy editors can take your product to the next level.

Explore how we can help by checking out our complete line of Profession Design Services at www.digitalcontentcenter.com/ebook-design-services.php. If you prefer to call us, we’d love to hear from you.

In Closing

Thanks for keeping up with our upgrades and new services. We’ll update you as we add more features to our service. If you have a feature that you would like to see, let us know, we are always interested in hearing from our clients and making our service the best it can be.

Thanks for choosing Digital Content Center as your preferred digital content delivery Service.

Feature Update 07-24-09

Feature 1 – Sell Tangible Merchandise

This highly requested feature really hits the mark. Now you can sell not only your digital products but if you have merchandise like books, cd’s, etc…you can sell that too!

This feature includes:

Inventory Control – Only have a limited amount stock? Our inventory control feature allows you not only to control how much is sold, but the system will also send you an email if your inventory drops below a quantity of 10.

Multiple Styles for Products – Selling items that have multiple options and prices is a breeze. Our system allows you to have a single product name with unlimited optional names, item numbers, prices, shipping, and inventory levels.

Sell Event Tickets – If you need to sell event tickets, use our system with the inventory turned on and you can sell just the right amount of tickets to your event.

Simple Shipping Calculations – Shipping for tangible items can be set to FREE or Per Item. We recommend FREE shipping, which allows you to compete with today’s “FREE SHIPPING” mind set that most consumers want.

This feature update can be found inside of the Client Management Control Panel Under “Sell Tangible Merchandise”.

Feature 2 – Multiple Pricing Options

This feature is fantastic for anyone selling products that need multiple pricing options. All you do is create the master product name, upload a single file, then add the options that represent the name and pricing of the option. Perhaps a wholesale version and a retail version.

The structure is unlimited with regards to the option names and prices.

This feature update can be found inside of the Custom Shop Area of the Client Management Control Panel.

Feature 3 – Upgraded Client Control Panel

We’ve upgraded our Client Control Panel navigation to make it easier to get around.

More New Features Coming Soon

We have many new features coming soon. Watch for updates.

In Closing

For now that is it. We’ll update you as we add more features to our service. If you have a request for a feature that you would like to see, let us know, we are always interested in hearing from our clients and making our service the best it can be.

Thanks for choosing Digital Content Center as your preferred Digital Content Delivery Service.