Igor BokyAlexey Kramin
15 minutes read
December 10, 2024
Published: July 14, 2024

Turning Ideas into Best Selling Digital Products: A Step-by-Step Guide

Want to create and sell successful digital products? Here's a quick guide:

  1. Know your target market
  2. Generate and test product ideas
  3. Create your digital product
  4. Set the right price
  5. Build a sales funnel
  6. Market your product effectively
  7. Launch and grow your business
  8. Monitor progress and improve

Key steps for success:

  • Understand customer needs
  • Develop a product that solves problems
  • Use the right tools and platforms
  • Price competitively
  • Market through various channels
  • Continuously improve based on feedback
Stage Main Actions
Planning Research market, brainstorm ideas
Creation Develop product, set up sales system
Launch Build buzz, offer special deals
Growth Expand product line, enter new markets
Optimization Analyze data, make improvements

This guide covers everything from market research to product creation, pricing, marketing, and scaling your digital product business.

Know your target market

Understanding who might buy your product is key to making digital products that sell well. By knowing your potential customers and what they need, you can make a product they'll want to buy.

Find your potential customers

To know who might buy your product, think about your ideal customer. Consider these points:

Point Question to ask
Age How old are they?
Gender Are they male, female, or any gender?
Location Where do they live?
Income How much money do they make?
Interests What do they like to do?
Social media Which sites do they use most?
Education What's their highest level of schooling?

Answering these questions helps you picture who your customers are and where to find them.

Understand what customers want

To make a digital product that sells, you need to know what your customers want. Think about these things:

  1. Does it work?: Make sure your product fixes a problem or meets a need.
  2. Is it easy to use?: Design your product so people can figure it out quickly.
  3. Does it work well?: Make sure your product does what it's supposed to do.
  4. Does it make life easier?: Add features that help people save time or effort.
  5. Is it clear?: Be honest about what your product costs and what it can do.
  6. Can customers get help?: Offer good customer support if people have questions.

Knowing these things helps you make a product people will want to buy.

Look at other products

Checking out what other businesses are selling can help you make your product better. Here's how to do it:

  1. Find similar products: Make a list of other businesses selling products like yours.
  2. Look at what they offer: See what features they have and how much they charge.
  3. Read what customers say: Look for good and bad comments to see what people like and don't like.
  4. Find what's missing: Look for things customers want but can't find.
  5. Make your product different: Use what you learn to make your product stand out.

Come up with and test ideas

Think of digital product ideas

To come up with ideas for digital products:

  • Look at what sells well in your field
  • Think about topics you know a lot about
  • Find common problems you could fix
  • List your skills that people might pay for

Here are some popular types of digital products:

Product Type What it is
E-books Long guides or how-to books
Online courses Video lessons you can watch online
Templates Ready-made designs for different uses
Software Computer programs for specific tasks
Digital artwork Pictures or designs to sell
Audio content Podcasts or music

Write down all your ideas, even if they seem silly at first.

Check if your ideas work

Before you spend time making a product, make sure people want it. Here's how:

  1. Talk to possible customers
  2. Look at what people say on social media
  3. Use Google to see how many people search for your idea
  4. See if your idea is part of a long-term trend
  5. Look at popular content in your field
  6. Ask people what they think about your idea

Doing these things helps you know if your product idea is good before you make it.

Do market research

Good market research helps you make sure your idea will work. Here's what to do:

  1. Decide what you want to learn
  2. Figure out who might buy your product
  3. Use different ways to learn about your customers:
    • Ask them to fill out surveys
    • Talk to them one-on-one
    • Get groups of people together to talk
    • Watch how people use similar products
  4. Look at what other businesses are doing
  5. Keep up with what's new in your field

Make your digital product

Pick the right product type

Choose a digital product type that fits your skills and what your customers want. Think about:

  1. What you're good at
  2. What your customers need
  3. What's popular in the market
  4. How much time and money you have

Here are some common digital products:

Product Type What it is Good for
E-books Long guides or how-to books Sharing lots of info
Online courses Video lessons you can watch Teaching hard skills
Templates Ready-made designs Saving time for workers
Software tools Computer programs for specific jobs People who like tech
Digital artwork Pictures or designs to sell Artists

Pick a product that matches what you're good at and what your customers want.

Create a basic version

Start by making a simple version of your product to test it:

  1. List the main things your product should do
  2. Focus on fixing the biggest problem for your customers
  3. Use tools you already have to make your product
  4. Keep it simple and easy to use
  5. Set a time limit to finish it

Don't try to make it perfect. This first version is just to show what your product can do and get feedback.

Improve based on feedback

Make your product better by listening to what users say:

  1. Ask users what they think through surveys and reviews
  2. Look at how people use your product
  3. Find out what problems users have and what they want to add
  4. Choose what to fix first based on what's most important and doable
  5. Make small changes and test them one by one

Keep updating your product based on what users say. This helps you make something that people really want and that stands out from other products.

Set your price

Figure out your product's value

When pricing your digital product, think about what it does for your customers:

  • What problem does it fix?
  • How much time or money does it save?
  • What results does it give?

For example, if you're selling a WordPress template, think about how it:

  • Saves time
  • Removes the need for a developer
  • Helps customers get more clients

Look at competitor prices

Check what others are charging:

  1. Find similar products
  2. Look at their prices and what they offer
  3. See how your product compares

Use a table to compare:

Competitor Product Price Main Features
A WordPress Template $49 - $99 Mobile-friendly, SEO ready
B Custom Website $500 - $2000 Unique design, advanced tools
You WordPress Template To be decided Time-saving, client-getting features

Choose the best price

Pick a pricing method that fits your goals:

  1. Value-based: Price based on what customers think it's worth
  2. Cost-based: Add your desired profit to your costs
  3. Tiered: Offer different versions at different prices
  4. Freemium: Give basic version free, charge for extras
  5. Pay-what-you-want: Let customers choose, with a minimum

When setting your price:

  • Start with a price that matches your product's worth
  • Try different prices to find what works best
  • Think about offering short-term deals or bundles
  • Check and change your price based on how well it's selling

Build a sales funnel

A good sales funnel helps turn your digital product ideas into top sellers. Here's how to make one that works well.

Make a good landing page

Your landing page is the first thing people see about your product. To make a landing page that gets people to buy:

  • Write a clear headline that shows why your product is useful
  • Use eye-catching pictures and short text to show what your product does
  • Add comments from happy customers
  • Put in a big, easy-to-see button that tells people what to do next

Keep your landing page simple and focused on getting visitors to take action.

Use email marketing

Email marketing helps you stay in touch with possible buyers and get them to buy. To use email marketing well:

  • Give away something free (like an eBook) to get people's email addresses
  • Write a series of emails that help people and make them trust you
  • Group your email list based on what people do and like
  • Use people's names in emails to make them more personal

You can use tools like Active Campaign to send emails automatically.

Make checkout easy

Making it easy for people to buy is key to selling more. To make checkout simple:

  • Use fewer steps to finish a purchase
  • Let people pay in different ways
  • Show people how far along they are in the checkout process
  • Use clear, simple words during checkout
Checkout Tips Why It Helps
Fewer steps People are more likely to finish buying
Many payment options More people can buy your product
Progress bar People know how long checkout will take
Simple words People understand what to do

You can also try offering extra items or deals during checkout to make more money.

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Market your digital product

Getting the word out about your digital product is key to making it sell well. Here are three main ways to do this.

Use social media

Social media helps you reach people who might want to buy your product. Here's how to use it well:

  • Pick the right sites: Use the ones where your customers spend time.
  • Share good content: Post helpful things that people will want to see.
  • Hold contests: Get more people to follow you by giving things away.
  • Use videos and stories: Show sneak peeks of your product.
Site Best for
LinkedIn Work-related products
Instagram Products with nice pictures
TikTok Short videos, younger buyers
Facebook Lots of different people

Create helpful content

Making good content helps people find and trust you. Try these:

  • Write blog posts: Share what you know about your product's topic.
  • Give free stuff: Offer small free things to get people's emails.
  • Make how-to videos: Show people how to do things related to your product.
  • Do online classes: Teach people for free to show you know your stuff.

When you make content, talk about your product in a natural way. For example, if you sell a fitness app, write about workout tips and mention how your app can help.

Try paid ads

Paying for ads can help more people see your product quickly. Here are some ways to do this:

  • Social media ads: Pay to show your ads to specific groups on sites like Facebook.
  • Google Ads: Pay to show up when people search for things related to your product.
  • Work with influencers: Pay people with lots of followers to talk about your product.
  • Show ads to past visitors: Show ads to people who looked at your product before.

Start with a small amount of money for ads. Try different types to see what works best.

Ad Type Good things about it
Social Media Ads Can choose who sees them
Google Ads Shows to people looking for your product
Influencer Ads Builds trust with new people
Ads to past visitors More likely to get sales

Launch your product

Plan your launch

To launch your product well, make a plan:

1. Pick a launch date 2. Make a list of things to do before launch 3. Set deadlines for each task

Include these in your plan:

  • Marketing before launch
  • Making launch materials
  • Setting up and testing your product
  • Assigning tasks to team members

Make a checklist to make sure you don't forget anything.

Get people interested

To make people want your product:

1. Find your audience before launch

  • Know who might buy your product
  • Use social media and your website
  • Make your website easy to find on Google

2. Make people excited

  • Do online talks to show what you know
  • Let some people try your product early
  • Have contests to get people talking

3. Work with others

  • Ask people with many followers to talk about your product
  • Contact news sites to write about your product
What to do Why it helps
Meet people Find possible buyers
Do online talks Show you know your stuff
Let some try early Get feedback and create buzz
Have contests Get more people to know about you

Offer special deals

Give special offers when you launch to sell more:

  • Lower prices for a short time
  • Sell your new product with other things you make
  • Give extra stuff to early buyers
  • Give rewards to people who tell others

When you offer deals:

  • Tell people why your product is good
  • Say the deal won't last long to make people buy faster

Grow your business

Use tools to save time

To sell more digital products, use tools that do tasks for you:

  • Online store systems: Set up tools that send products and handle payments on their own.
  • Email tools: Use Mailchimp or ConvertKit to send emails to customers without doing it yourself.
  • Social media helpers: Try Buffer or Hootsuite to post on social media at set times.

These tools let you focus on growing your business instead of doing small tasks.

Make more products

To grow your business, make more products:

  1. Look at how well your current products are selling
  2. Find out what's missing from what you offer
  3. Make new products based on what customers say they want
  4. Sell products together in groups

Remember to keep your products good and useful as you make more.

Find new markets

To make your digital business bigger:

  1. Look into new markets you could sell to
  2. Find new ways and people to help you reach more customers
  3. Use what you know about your customers to understand what they need
  4. Change your products or make new ones for these markets
What to do How it helps
Look into markets Find places to grow
Work with new people Reach more customers
Use customer info Make products people want
Change products Fit what new markets need

Check progress and improve

Key numbers to watch

To keep track of how well your digital product is doing, look at these important numbers:

Number to Watch What It Tells You
New signups How many new people are joining
Cost to get customers How much you spend to get new buyers
Free to paid changes How many free users start paying
Active users How many people use your product regularly
Product use score How much people use your product
Customer happiness score How happy your customers are
Net promoter score How likely customers are to tell others about you
Monthly income How much money you make each month
Keep rate How many customers stay with you
Leave rate How many customers stop using your product

By checking these numbers often, you can make smart choices to make your digital product better.

Look at sales and feedback

To make your product better, look at how it's selling and what customers say:

  1. Use the tools in your online store to see how your product is doing, how customers act, and how much money you're making.
  2. Put customer feedback into groups to see what many people are saying versus just a few. Use a simple spreadsheet to sort feedback by topics.
  3. Get feedback from different places:
    • App store ratings
    • Comments in your online community
    • What people say on social media
  4. Look at all this feedback to find out what to fix first.

Remember, the hard part isn't getting feedback, it's understanding what it means so you can make things better.

Keep making your product better

To keep your digital product good, always try to make it better:

  1. Use what customers say to fix the most important things first. For example, the Nara app team made an Apple Watch app because customers wanted an easier way to add information.
  2. Keep your digital products safe:
Safety Measure What It Does
Password protection Stops others from using your files
Watermarks Shows who owns the content
Trusted platforms Uses safe ways to send your product
Download limits Controls how often people can download
SSL encryption Keeps information safe when sending
  1. Update your product often based on what users need and what's new in the market:
    • Add new things your product can do
    • Make the things it already does work better
    • Make it easier to use
    • Make it work faster
  2. Think about making new products that go with your main one, based on what customers want and what sells well.

Wrap-up

Quick review of steps

1. Find your market: Pick a specific group of people you want to sell to.

2. Make a good product: Create something that helps solve a problem for your customers.

3. Pick where to sell: Choose a website or online store that fits your needs and reaches your customers.

4. Tell people about your product: Use social media, emails, and your website to let people know about what you're selling.

5. Help people find you online: Use words in your product titles and descriptions that people might search for.

6. Listen to customers: Ask for reviews and use what people say to make your product better.

7. Keep up with changes: Pay attention to what's new in your field and change your product if needed.

Start creating your product

Now that you know what to do, it's time to start making your digital product. Here are some tips to help you begin:

Tip What to do
Start small Make a short guide or mini-course first
Use helpful tools Try online tools that make creating products easier
Sell in different places Try selling on your website and other online stores
Make your product useful Make sure your product really helps people
Be ready to change Listen to what people say and fix problems in your product

FAQs

How do I create my own digital product?

To make your own digital product, follow these steps:

  1. Think of an idea that fixes a problem or fills a gap
  2. Check if people want your product
  3. Know who will buy your product
  4. Plan what your product will do
  5. Make your product using the right tools
  6. Sell your product online

Always focus on making a good product that helps people.

How to sell digital products step by step?

Here's how to sell digital products:

Step What to do
1. Come up with ideas Think of products people might want
2. Check if your idea works Ask people if they'd buy it
3. Know your buyers Figure out who will use your product
4. Set up an online store Choose a place to sell your product
5. Make a plan to tell people Decide how to let people know about your product
6. Write about your product Make it sound good so people want to buy it
7. Make buying easy Set up a simple way for people to pay
8. Start selling Offer deals when you first start
9. Keep making it better Listen to what buyers say and fix problems
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