It has often been said that Knowledge is Power. With the advent of the Internet and other information technologies, never before has this been more true. To capitalize on the immense power of our information age, however, you have to be aware of the nature of information today.

Because information is so vital, and because it does not require the production or warehousing needs of a physical inventory, it has become a very attractive product to market.

The first thing to remember is that information is marketable only if it is NEW to the audience and RELEVANT to their lives.

To make your information fresh, make sure that you are not simply telling the audience things they already know.

This does not mean you have to come up with something totally brand-new. Instead, you can elaborate on information the audience already possesses by adding additional facts or putting a new spin on it. Simply adding another perspective to something already known may allow your audience to understand it more easily, or even think about it in new ways.

It is not enough, however, to simply offer information that the audience doesn't already have. The audience may not know how many pigeons there are in New York City, but that doesn't mean they will pay to find out. The information you provide must be relevant and practical to the audience you are targeting.

Try to adapt your information to the audience's lives, experiences, and values. You can also show the practicality of your information by showing how it can be used, and what benefits can be gained by using it.

Another aspect of our current information age that should be taken into account is the speed at which information changes.

New and better information about any subject is constantly being generated, while information that may only be days old is modified or rejected outright. This means that any information you use or offer must be kept up-to-date.

Fortunately, it is easier to modify information than it is to redesign a tangible object, such as a car. Just remember though, that just like a car, your information can become obsolete very quickly.

There's an adage that says that if you give a person a fish, they eat for a day, but if you teach them to fish, they eat for a lifetime. This might be an old cliche, but it illustrates some of the benefits of information over more tangible products.

When you market good, relevant information, you are doing more than simply supplying a product -- you are teaching your audience.

If you can teach them well, you are doing a service that goes beyond mere marketing.