Freelancers need a constant flow of projects they work on, to ensure a regular income. But what if you could use your skills more effectively, like launching a digital product that brings you continuous profits, without the need for continuity and renewal of effort? So, how do you develop a digital product that generates more income for you?
What are digital products?
Simply put, a digital product is an intangible product, created through various digital media such as computer programs, then sold over the Internet and used digitally with the click of a button, such as designs in all their forms, electronic documents, and templates.
Why are you going to sell a digital product now?
As long as your freelancing journey is successful, why turn your services into digital products? Well, here are a bunch of reasons:
- Achieving passive income
In self-employment, regular income is closely related to the existence of independent projects that you work on. On the other hand, developing a digital product does not require regular effort, nor is it affected by your emergency conditions. You make an effort once, and requisitions flow in at different times; Even in times of rest and sleep. What enables you to make continuous profits without the need to continue working, which is known as passive income.
- Ease of developing digital products compared to providing services
The skills required in providing digital services are similar to those in creating a digital product. Your ability to develop website interfaces for entrepreneurs, for example, enables you to develop an HTML template for a landing page that is adopted by various businesses or a ready-made template for designing a website.
But the difference here is the effort; The effort to develop a digital product is spent only once in the beginning, after which it is limited to marketing and a few improvements. In the case of services, the effort is repeated every time you win a new project. Not to mention that the different nature of each project, leads to a dedicated effort in each work.
- The popularity of the digital products market
Digital products are ready-made solutions that provide the customer with the requirements and features he is looking for in a single product ready to use immediately after purchase. Therefore, buying a ready-made digital product has become the most preferred option for business owners. For example, if you need a WordPress theme for your blog, would you prefer to buy a ready-made theme that perfectly matches what you are looking for, or would you hire a developer to build a new theme from scratch?
- Scalability and customization
The digital market is an unlimited market, you can create multiple products to sell, with different versions targeting a diverse customer base. For example, you can launch a mobile application template for the Android system, another template for the iPhone, or a template that works on both systems.
Add to this the possibility of offering customized use licenses for your digital product, such as offering a business license, which is often more expensive and more customized than a personal license.
- Personally marketing yourself through digital products
Developing a professional digital product enhances your professional reputation in your field, meaning it is a powerful way to support your marketing. This gives you a greater chance of earning income from self-employment as well, increasing the reliability of customers and encouraging them to do business with you.
What digital products can you sell?
In the digital world, most things can be digitized and turned into products to sell in various fields. The most important of these digital products:
ready-made templates
When we talk about digital templates, we are talking about the look and structure of websites. The most prominent of these examples are WordPress templates; So if you are a WordPress developer, you will find many options for products that you can develop such as WooCommerce e-commerce themes, blogs, educational and news sites themes, video presentation templates, classifieds ads, discounts and coupons templates.
The development of ready-made electronic templates is not limited to knowledge of WordPress only, if you have knowledge of e-commerce, you can develop specialized templates for other content management systems such as OpenCart and Drupal templates, and Adobe Commerce templates (Magento).
In addition, your proficiency in HTML and CSS markup and formatting languages enables you to develop HTML templates for dashboards, or site pages such as personal sites, landing pages, resumes, and other examples.
web applications
You can use your web development skills by writing specialized code for a website or online store, or creating programs through the Odoo system and offering them for sale. Or in solving the problems faced by site owners, by developing custom add-ons that help them update and improve the site, such as site subscription add-ons or managing applications and settings.
designs
As a designer, this gives you a wide range of digital products that you can launch, often based on your previous skills and experience. For example, if you are a UI/UX designer, you can design user interfaces for popular websites and apps, such as online stores or delivery apps.
If you specialize in graphic design exclusively and are interested in digital drawing, you can design graphics or icons that are used in digital media. In addition to several other options, such as designing ready-made templates for advertising banners, designs for social media, designing personal cards or cards for weddings or birthdays, designing book and magazine covers, and the list goes on.
electronic documents
An electronic document is a file that you can view and use on your computer or phone, usually in PDF, PowerPoint, Excel, or Word document. You can use your experience in using the Microsoft Office suite to prepare ready-made document templates, such as resume documents, billing documents, financial documents in general, or design presentations.
mobile apps
Companies are looking for ready-made templates for mobile application software, which you can customize as needed. The most prominent examples here are delivery applications that usually follow a unified business model, applications integrated with the WordPress dashboard, or electronic games. Whether you are an Android or iOS developer or a hybrid app developer, you can launch a customizable version in different areas.
How to Become a Digital Marketing Professional (10 Steps Guide)
How do you create a successful digital product that generates sales?
Now that you have a clear picture of what product you want to create, it’s time to start with the practical stages that complement the matter, which are:
- Analyze your target market
You need to be aware of the market in which you are going to launch your product, so you know who your target audience is and what their needs are. And who are your competitors? Your audience’s specifications often match those of previous customers you’ve dealt with, carefully analyze their preferences and keep them in mind. Study competing products, and identify weaknesses that you can exploit to create a competitive advantage for your product.
For example, if you are going to create a blog template, you may find that competing templates are concerned with ease of navigation by adding tags and ratings, but they lack the support of user participation with comments, which bloggers want, your awareness of this and its implementation enhances the quality of your final product.
- Define the characteristics of your digital product
Defining the characteristics of your product is essential and should precede actual development; To have an accurate visualization of your product specifications, and to be able to establish a timeline for implementation. At this stage, take care of carefully crystallizing the characteristics of the product to serve its purpose.
For example, if you are going to create user interfaces for an online store app, you should identify the unique features of existing online stores to include during your design; Otherwise, the product will not fully achieve its purpose.
- Develop your digital product
This stage depends on your key product creation skills and often takes the most time from you; The quality of the product is based on its output. Rely on a logical sequence of steps to ensure smooth work. For example, if you are designing a corporate presentation template, design the inline graphics first, and then start designing the slides in their order.
During development, consider launching a beta that collects customer feedback to improve the digital product’s output. You can also release two versions, one of which has premium additional features at a higher price.
- Test the product
Don’t rush to launch the product after its development, give time to preview and review the result. The presence of an error or some things that need to be improved is very likely, and you should realize it before presenting it to potential clients. This ensures that your digital product is professional and hassle-free.
How do you start selling your digital product on the platforms?
After the digital product is developed, the appropriate platform to sell it should be chosen. The best option for reaching an audience is Fiverr, which specializes in selling digital products around the world. Selling platforms for skilled people allow you to offer and add their products unlimitedly; Such as plugins, templates for websites, applications, and electronic documents, in addition to various forms of designs.
Join the platform by logging in, then filling out the joining request form.
How do you market your digital product successfully?
Like any product you offer to sell online, digital products require several marketing strategies to ensure sales. Among the best of these strategies:
- Market your product before it is launched
Do not wait for the launch of your digital product to promote it, it is preferable to start marketing it before launching it. You start by sparking the audience’s curiosity about your product, the pain points it addresses, and the problems it solves. Which increases the turnout from the beginning and encourages them to buy it. Use here the digital platforms you talk to your audience through, such as your blog, YouTube channel, or social media accounts.
- View product details professionally
You need to convince your potential customers of the professionalism and worthiness of your product to increase their chances of buying. So, I am interested in reviewing images that reflect the quality of the product and explaining what it is, and mentioning the advantages that are unique to what the customer is looking for. Also, the customer needs to have a full conception of the product’s appearance to buy it. If your product is a WordPress template, for example, add pictures of the full details of the template, and it is preferable to add an explanatory link to the actual preview.
- Take advantage of custom additive requests for your product
Sometimes your digital product may not meet the customization features that every buyer needs for their project or brand. He may need modifications to the interfaces to be simpler, change the colors to match his visual identity, or even add a feature necessary for his work, or delete other unimportant, or otherwise.
So be sure to ask the customer about any modifications or additions they need to make your product more personalized to their brand, and assure them that you are ready to make any needed additions to the base product through Fiverr’s custom offers feature.
This feature enables you to receive requests for custom additions to your product, create a special offer for the required modifications or additions and send it to the buyer on the message page, who in turn adds the offer to the shopping cart, to start implementing the required modifications.
4 . Interact with digital communities
Digital communities are interactive places in which you participate in matters related to certain fields, such as the Fiverr community, which specializes in the world of digital products, and others
Integrating into these communities, sharing topics and issues related to your field, or responding to inquiries from community members helps you demonstrate your involvement and expertise in the field. Which reflects positively on promoting yourself, and consequently promoting your digital products.
5 . Use social media platforms
Social media platforms are one of the most effective marketing channels, as they provide many options for promotion; Like paid posts, stories, and ads. Use your personal accounts or create a dedicated account to promote your products, via several platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, to attract potential customers by highlighting the advantages of your product and talking about it.
6 . Make tempting offers
At the beginning of the product launch, promotions will help you achieve higher purchase rates. For example, you can offer a 20% discount for the first five sales. Or develop several models for one mold and sell them at a low price. For example, you can offer a magazine WordPress theme in several versions with different designs that the buyer will get. On platforms like Themeforest
7 . Benefit from your relationships
You should not only publish about your digital product through your digital channels, but you can also use your knowledge and friends base to expand your marketing reach, reach customers and promote your product. Someone could have a YouTube channel that helps you target a larger audience, for example, or a blog, among other examples. If you can’t find someone to help you in your relationships, find and connect with influencers and content creators.
In conclusion, the market for digital products is a market that is expanding and spreading among customers, and exploiting it from this moment on by launching your digital product will be a promising return for you. We wish you good luck.
