How to Market Digital Products

Sep 14, 2023

So you've worked hard to create your first (or the most recent) digital product -- Congratulations! Next naturally is to promote the product and make it visible to of the audience you designed it to serve.

Promoting digital goods and making sales isn't easy however there are a few methods you can apply to get in touch with as many potential customers as you can and generate a substantial earnings. In this post will be taught some of the promotional strategies you can implement to get the ball rolling.

skip ahead:

First, let's define digital goods?

Considering how many people consume information online -- 5.18 billion people, to be exact -- Many entrepreneurs put their skills regardless of what it's to create digital goods that which they sell to interested customers. Digital products can comprise:

  • eBooks
  • Video courses
  • Music and audio files
  • Website and graphic templates
  • Videos and photos from stock
  • Software programs
  • Mobile apps
  • Coaching packages
  • Podcasts
  • Memberships

12 ways to advertise digital goods and increase sales

to promote your digital product and generate sales, here are a few steps to take:

    Make an online retail store, or web site    

The first step for advertising your digital item is to build a virtual shopfront or website which can be directed to by people so they can buy from you.

There are a myriad of methods to do this. You can use online store builders such as Shopify as well as Gumroad. The platforms have many features that allow you to build eCommerce websites from scratch without any programming skills required. With these store builders, it is possible to offer all types of digital products, including:

  • eBooks
  • Online video courses
  • Non-fungible tokens (NFTs)
  • Audio and music documents
  • Memberships
  • Digital art
  • Photos and videos from Stock
  • Templates for websites
  • Event tickets, etc.

Gumroad caters to beginners of all levels according to their headline, "Go from zero to $1". Shopify, on the contrary on the other hand, is designed to cater to individuals with varying levels of expertise.

The two tools provide a broad range of online store templates as well as a drag and drop website editor that allows you to customize templates according to your requirements for branding. Additionally, they offer tools to assist you in driving traffic to your store. Shopify is a good example. It lets you download additional applications to improve store functionality as well as integrate with third party apps to simplify processes.

Another platform which can be used to construct an online storefront, website or even a web-based shop can be found here:

Contrary to Shopify or Gumroad , these platforms are completely accessible for free. They're hosted by self and you'll be required to buy:

  • A domain name ($10-20/year)
  • Web hosting ($3-30/month, based on the platform and plan)
  • Premium theme ($100-200 one-time payment)

They allow you to create any kind of website you want, and you can add eCommerce functionality by downloading plugins like WooCommerce, EasyDigitalDownloads, and MemberPress.

    Join an online marketplace    

If you're a beginner at designing and selling digital items You might wish start by joining a marketplace before you start your own site or store. Some online marketplaces you can be a part of include:

  • Amazon is used for eBooks as well as audiobooks
  • eBay is a platform for various digital items
  • iTunes - for songs, podcasts, and videos
  • Envato to provide website and graphic templates video and stock images, and royalty-free music
  • Udemy is a platform for online classes generally
  • Creative Market : fonts, graphics, and templates to create creative ideas

However, the downsides that are associated with marketplaces is:

  • The majority of them make a profit from each purchase you create
  • The products you sell are placed in between similar products that are made by other companies. It reduces the chances of selling as many units as possible.

    Create a compelling sales page for your product    

This is a factual aspect of selling digital goods The first time you sell digital products you'll be unable to tell your clients who you are, so they'll be less inclined to purchase from you unless you show the reasons why they should. This is the case especially if you sell eBooks and online courses.

Contrary to what the majority of people think it is not necessary to be a proficient copywriter to craft a compelling sales page. All you have to do is answer this question in relation to your prospective customers: Is the item right for me?

You don't need to include every detail about the digital item. Instead, focus on:

  • What can your product do to assist them in solving their issues
  • Why should they choose it (instead of the other products similar to it available)

Here's a sample sales page created with to promote an instructional design course. The copy that is over the fold is clear about the audience that the course creator would like to target, i.e. educators looking to use their educator skills within high-quality establishments.

Showing potential customers that real people have tried your product and benefited from it is among the best ways to convert them to buyers.

Why? Because you're not the only one telling them of the value of your product Other people have confirmed the same. They consider: "If this can work with others, surely it will be effective for me too".

    Make your site more optimized to be search engine friendly    

If your goal is to implement a marketing strategy which is so effective that you'll selling on autopilot months ( or even years) after you've implemented it and implementing it, you should try searching engine optimization (SEO)

There are three kinds of SEO: on-page off-page, and technological.

On-page SEO involves the use of niche- or product-related keywords within your web copy. In order to determine the best words to include in your pages for sales or product Consider: If someone wanted to locate my item then what term(s) do they need to enter into Google?

These terms are your keyword. It is possible to use keywords or SEO tools such Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Ubersuggest to find similar keywords and their respective numbers of searches. When you've found the keywords you want to use, include them in your titles, subheadings, body copy and URL, meta description images alt text as well as other. If Google's crawlers find that website, they will know exactly what it's about and will rank it accordingly.

Lastly, technical SEO means improving the performance of a server or website in order to allow search engine spiders to browse and index your site efficiently. It involves increasing the speed of your website and user experience as well as structuring data on the web.

    Make a marketing funnel    

When you're selling your digital product through a website (as instead of market place) You can make informative blog posts video, blog posts, or social media posts that educate people about your area of expertise and the product(s).

Just like the product pages you have, you can optimize the blog posts for search engines by using keywords too. Even if your product pages don't rank but your intended audience could be able to find you with the blog content that ranks.

In addition to driving traffic and leads to your site, relevant content can also help you establish credibility and make yourself appear as an expert in your industry.

    Create an organic social media presence    

"You could just record to record it on TikTok but it does not have to be perfect," she shares "It's real and raw People know me for being a transparent and genuine person."

For the purpose of growing your presence on social media make and publish material (images or carousels, brief videos, longer videos, infographics such as infographics, images, etc.) to educate your audience about your industry/niche, explain the reasons behind why you started creating items in this niche, and extol the benefits of these products. If you have customer reviews you can share them with your social media platforms.

Growth might seem slow at first, however if you publish content consistently the people will begin to come to your website. When they arrive, engage with them, and establish relationships by liking and replying to their comments and sharing their content, and letting people know who have purchased your products.

    Run pay-per-click ads    

Building an organic presence on social media requires a long time before you can reap the benefits. However, if you're trying to put your brand in front of many eyes within a brief time consider using pay-per-click (PPC) ads. You've probably guessed that the pay-per-click (PPC) is an advertising system that requires that you only pay for advertisements that users click on.

There are two kinds of PPC ads that include paid social media advertisements and paid search ads.

Through paid social media advertising it is possible to run ad campaigns across the social networks that your intended audience is using. Before you begin your campaign you'll define the behaviour that, the demographics and preferences of your audience, so your advertisements will be displayed in the feeds of people who might purchase from you.

Paid-search ads however let your ads be displayed on Google results pages for search engines (SERPs) when your target users conducts commercial searcheswhich means they're searching for something to buy.

For a greater chance of having your ads clickable, follow these steps:

  • Utilize high-quality, visually appealing visuals in the ads
  • Use compelling, but concise copy to explain the advantages from your service
  • Provide a clear call-to-action which explains the next action to follow after watching the ad

    Create an email list    

SEO, Content Marketing, as well as paid ads are great promotion methods for digital items, but what happens if Google as well as all other social media platforms become obsolete (or fail to function)?

The idea may sound a little flimsy, however, look at what has happened to popular platforms such as MySpace, Friendster, Tumblr and Vine. I bet you haven't been thinking about any of these sites since a while. If this happens to any of the principal networks you use to market your goods, your business will become outdated, as well. Your audience will be lost and you'll need to begin from scratch to build your base of customers.

Things don't stop after the person has given you their email address. It's important to keep up with relationships with your customers and keep your business in the forefront by consistently emailing relevant, useful messages to your customers. To help make this process simpler, you can use email marketing tools such as MailerLite, ConvertKit, and ActiveCampaign to automate your emails. It is also possible to segment your email list based on subscribers' behaviors, interests, and preferences -- and send personalized emails to each group.

These automated emails should:

  • Give your subscribers information on the reasons you choose to do what you do.
  • Tell them how your product can help them solve their problems
  • Let them know more about your business
  • Inform them about any discounts, freebies, or special offers they could avail of

    Be an influencer    

Because influential people already have established followings, working with them can make a fantastic marketing strategy for your business. Based on the type of influencer, the amount of followers they have as well as the result you're looking for You can either pay them in cash or provide freebies for them featuring your product within their articles.

Another possibility is to set an affiliate program that celebrities can join to promote your product to their audience with the promise of a revenue share on purchases made through the affiliate link they have created.

Whatever method you opt to go with whether it's directly advertising or an affiliate program -- working with reputable influencers within your industry can help you tap into audiences you mightn't have had access to previously. The positive impact of this also affects the image of your brand, and improves your chances of converting and sales.

    Build and execute an early-launch marketing strategy    

Do you know anything better than promoting your product's digital version after it has launched it?

Promotion of your digital product prior to the launch!

Building and executing an initial campaign can help you generate buzz for your product before it hits the marketplace. This way it is possible to create an online community of potential buyers who'll be ready to buy your item the moment it goes on sale. This not only helps you avoid the depressing feeling of having no sales within the first few days and weeks, but it also helps teach how to promote your product, so the whole process becomes simpler as you promote your product.

There are several methods to attract attention for the product prior to its launch. There are several ways to do this:

  • Share clues on social media about the kind of product that you'll launch.
  • Post posters and images of your upcoming product on your site to let people know that there's a new product coming
  • If the product is an eBook it is possible to send your email subscribers a hyperlink to go through the first couple of pages
  • Organize an online challenge and the prize for the winner is the first access to your latest product once it is launched.

Pre-launch campaign assist you in promoting your product, but it can also give you a rough idea about the number of sales to anticipate from potential customers who have declared their intention to buy the product after launch. Additionally, you'll build a loyal customer base to whom you can promote future products easily.

    Offer discounts as well as freebies    

Just like with physical products, offering discounts and freebies when you promote your digital product can attract prospective customers and motivate them to buy.

In the case of digital goods, discounts may be as low as $X off the first purchase and discounts of X% during Black Friday, while freebies can be a free email course, extended content, and bonus chapter. Additionally, you can add smaller digital products in bulk purchase to help you sell more units of your main digital product.

Alongside encouraging others to try your products Discounts, freebies, and discounts will also build your credibility and trust with your customers, increasing the likelihood of word-of-mouth marketing as well as returning purchases. It is also possible to make use of discounts and freebies in order to boost sales on other digital items you sell.

    Host a contest online    

Hosting challenges and contests on the internet is not just a fantastic opportunity to interact with your existing customers. They're also great at priming prospective buyers to purchase your digital products -- if the competition assists them in achieving a goal they've set for themselves.

A great example for this would be Avocadu's 21 days of fat-loss competition, that is featured in front of the public on its website.

Avocadu sells recipe eBooks and a weight loss program called the Yoga Fat Loss Bible. Even though Avocadu boasts a lot of favorable customers' reviews on its sales pages however, they know that consumers are more likely to purchase its paid-for products if they can get a taste of it at no cost. That's what the fat loss contest will be used for.

Any person who takes on the challenge without cost and gains weight through it is more likely to buy the Fat Loss Bible program than someone who just read reviews about it.

For a successful challenge or competition, make sure three factors:

  • People participate in it for a certain amount of duration. In the case of Avocadu, that's 21 days. For you, it could be five.
  • People play it by using (or getting a push to make use of) your products and services online or lead magnets.
  • This challenge allows you the opportunity to sell your paid digital product (or all versions of the lead-generating product) in the end.

Sell your digital items and increase sales

Making digital goods is a lucrative side hustle. But, the product you sell won't magically sell just by existing. It is necessary to put in conscious efforts to sell the product to your intended audience.

The strategies for promotion outlined in this article will help to sell your product however, you'll have to be willing. It's not necessary to test all the 12 strategies at once; pick one or two initially and then experiment. There may be a long time before they work If you're consistent then you'll benefit as you figure out the advertising techniques that will work for your business.

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