Have you ever dreamed of creating a side business on the Internet? Maybe you’d like to go a step further and create a full-time income so you can finally work from home.
One Internet-based business model that has gained popularity is digital download products. Once reserved for hardcore software developers only, digital products are no longer just software and can be created by almost anyone.
In this article, you’ll learn what digital download products are and how to sell them. and tips for success.
What are digital products?
When most people hear the phrase “digital product,” they think of software that is installed on a computer. Products like Microsoft Office, Skype, and others may come to mind. But digital doesn’t have to mean just software.
Merriam-Webster’s definition of digital:
: Of or relating to information that is stored in the form of numbers 0 and 1
In other words, anything that can be stored, viewed, or run on a computer.
There are many other digital products you can create and sell Here are just a few non-software examples.
1. E-Books
Creating an e-book is one of the fastest ways to create a digital product. You don’t have to be a novelist, you just need to share what you know.
Even if you feel like others already know the same thing, keep in mind that you have a unique perspective that is worth sharing.
Tips for eBooks:
- Keep it simple. Use tools like Word, PowerPoint, and others to create your PDF eBook.
- Use photos and images. Not only does it look good, it helps increase page count.
- Reuse content. Take your old blog posts and rewrite them. Curate content by creating a list of resources that points to other websites (using only an abstract and with full attribution).
2. Audio files
Are you a musician, singer, DJ or broadcaster? If your passion can be recorded in audio format, there’s a chance you could sell it as a digital download.
Audio types:
- Music: either original songs, remixes, or even simple loops, you can sell access to them.
- Audiobooks: Read a blog post or eBook you’ve previously written.
- Podcasts: Get the most out of the audio from your podcast for free, but requires payment for premium episodes.
- Ringtones: Yes, you can create ringtones and sell them 🙂
Audio tools:
- Audacity: An open source audio editing software.
- Zencastr: An amazing podcast recording tool. There is no software to download; uses your browser’s microphone capabilities to record.
- GarageBand: Audio editing and visualization for Mac.
- Screen casting software: Whether you use ScreenFlow, Camtasia, or any Another screen recording tool, you can always extract just the audio.
3. Video Archives
Many of us are visual learners, myself included. If I see a process or explanation, I’m much more likely to retain that information and put it to use. The popularity of sites like YouTube, Vimeo and others are proof of this.
Creating videos is also easier than ever. You don’t need to use professional video cameras or editing software. You can even create engaging videos using just your smartphone.
Video Types:
- Tutorials: Create a video of yourself cooking, using a website or other software. Tutorials are very popular, and people are willing to pay to be shown exactly how to accomplish something.
- Interviews: You can interview business owners or other “influencers” in your niche.
- Music Videos: Create original or satirical videos set to music.
- Short Films: Are you a budding filmmaker? Why not sell access to your original work?
- Event Recordings: There are many conferences and events that people can’t attend in person. You can also easily sell access to these videos.
Video Tools:
- ScreenFlow (Mac): This is screencasting software (records the screen from your computer) and works great for creating tutorials. This is also great software for editing your other types of video.
- Camtasia (Mac or PC): Another screencasting software that allows for more advanced editing without being too complicated.
4. Printables
These are products that have seen a huge increase in popularity, especially in the blogging niche and can be easily printed at home by your customers.
Types of Printables :
- Digital art
- Day planners
- Clothing patterns
- Memes
- Posters with Inspirational Quotes
How to Sell
To be successful in selling anything online, there are a few things to keep in mind.
- Have a plan: Creating a comprehensive business plan is always a good idea.However, creating a plan can be as simple as having a summary of the steps needed to achieve your goal. The key is to write it down somewhere. Whether it’s a Google doc or a piece of paper, make sure you can easily refer to it when needed.
- Hosting – This is an obvious one for a digital business, you’ll need a domain name and account web hosting. My simple advice is not to go cheap. Pay a little more for a host to have the peace of mind that when your product page gets traffic, your site will still load…and fast.
- Security – Along with a good host, you need to be sure your site is secure. Having an SSL certificate not only builds trust, but adding malware scanning and other security measures will ensure that you don’t lose sales to a hacked website.
- Contact: This is another one that seems obvious, but I I have seen eCommerce businesses with no way to contact them for pre-sales and support questions. At a minimum, include a contact form.
Which ecommerce platform should you use?
There are many platforms to choose from, including hosted services, marketplaces, and por Of course, the full do-it-yourself option of using WordPress and an eCommerce plugin.
Since our focus on this site is WordPress, you’ll find my two favorite digital download solutions below.
- Easy Digital Downloads – Known as EDD, this free plugin was created specifically to run a digital download store. It is very actively developed and offers dozens of plugins to enhance its offerings.
- WooCommerce – This is also free and is the most popular eCommerce plugin for WordPress. It was originally designed to sell physical products, but with the addition of a couple of plugins, you can easily create a digital download marketplace.
“Shortcuts” to Success
Spoiler alert; There are no short cuts. However, there are tactics and processes you can implement that will steer you in the direction of success from the start.
- Design: Choose a theme for your site that is clean and minimalist. All the “bells and whistles” that include many topics are not something your visitors come to see. They want to know about your products. Be sure to display them front and center.
- Product Pages – Consider using any of the popular page builder plugins for WordPress. Many come with pre-built product page templates that allow you to “fill in the blanks,” streamlining the time you spend building the site. My personal favorite is the Beaver Builder. You should also focus on the benefits of your products over the features. Ask yourself, “What is the customer outcome of using my product?”
- Images: Use quality images of your products. If you don’t have design skills, look for places like Fiverr to make them. You can also use animated gifs to show your customers how your product works.
- Tutorials: Just like animated gifs, you can create video tutorials and embed them directly on the product page. This is an easy way to show your customers exactly how your product works.
- Email Marketing: At the very least, offer an email subscription. Whether it’s to people just searching or during checkout, having a list of interested people allows you to email updates or special offers whenever you want.
- Reduce cart abandonment – This is similar to marketing by email but you can use a service like CartHook to automatically send a series of follow-up emails to people who added something to their cart and then left before purchasing.
- Affiliate Program – Offers An affiliate program for your products is an easy way to get others to promote for you. Many times bloggers and internet marketers write articles showcasing the benefits of their products.
- Content Marketing: This is a longer term strategy and many digital download companies fall short. Creating regular articles on the topic of your products is a great way to get natural search results and drive more traffic.
What’s the most important thing?
Have a bias for action. In other words, don’t wait until everything is perfect. It never will be, and if you wait, you’re delaying your chances of earning a passive part-time income and maybe even achieving your goal of running a digital download business full-time.
Have a ? WordPress website or business security question you would like to ask? Post your question on our Twitter page @SiteLock or call us at 855.378.6200 and we’ll be happy to help you.
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