Digital merchandise can’t be held, tasted, or touched, however everybody consumes them—from music to movies, ebooks to on-line programs, and extra.
Many entrepreneurs construct total companies round these intangible items, attributable to their reputation and ease of distribution, or launch digital merchandise to promote complementary to the bodily gadgets or companies they provide.
What makes studying learn how to promote digital merchandise particularly interesting, nevertheless, is they are often created as soon as and offered repeatedly to completely different prospects with out having to replenish stock, making them superb for creatives, bloggers, educators, and freelancers on the lookout for passive methods to make cash on-line that require much less effort to take care of.
Here is learn how to promote digital merchandise on-line—together with the highest digital merchandise examples, learn how to create your individual, and advertising and marketing tricks to promote on-line efficiently.
Discover your subsequent on-line digital merchandise 💻
Learn how to promote digital merchandise in 4 steps
1. Discover or create a digital product
Discover a digital product to promote, whether or not you resell present merchandise or create your individual. Digital merchandise embody music, fonts, Photoshop presets, programs, or on-line companies.
2. Construct an internet retailer
Stand up and working in just a few hours. Decide from a catalog of web site templates, populate together with your emblem, copy, and pictures, and also you’re able to get promoting.
3. Use an app to make promoting simple
Some apps make supply of digital merchandise even simpler. Browse the Shopify App Retailer to seek out apps that plug into your retailer and do every little thing from internet hosting course content material to delivering PDF purchases.
4. Market your digital merchandise
Discover your prospects the place they’re. In case you’re promoting fonts or design templates, construct an viewers of designers and creators on the social platforms they use most. Think about influencer advertising and marketing, social adverts, or lead magnets.
What are digital merchandise?
A digital product is an intangible asset or piece of media that may be offered and distributed repeatedly on-line with out the necessity to replenish stock. These merchandise typically come within the type of downloadable or streamable digital information, reminiscent of MP3s, PDFs, movies, plug-ins, and templates.
Why promote digital merchandise versus bodily items?
Promoting digital merchandise has many benefits that makes it uniquely enticing to entrepreneurs:
- Low overhead prices.You don’t have to carry stock or incur any delivery costs.
- Excessive revenue margins. There’s no recurring price of products, so you keep nearly all of your gross sales in income. Calculate your revenue margins forward of time with our free instrument.
- Potential to automate. Orders might be delivered immediately, letting you be comparatively hands-off with achievement.
- Versatile merchandise. You possibly can supply free merchandise to construct your e mail checklist, month-to-month paid subscriptions for entry to unique digital content material, or licenses to make use of your digital merchandise. You could have a variety of choices as to the way you incorporate digital merchandise into what you are promoting.
- E-learning is the way forward for training. You could have a large alternative to increase what you are promoting and influence with e-learning, an trade anticipated to be price $374 billion by 2026.
However on-line digital merchandise additionally include particular challenges you’ll have to be careful for:
- You’re competing with free content material. With digital items, shoppers can in all probability discover free options to what you’re promoting. You’ll have to consider carefully concerning the area of interest you goal, the kinds of merchandise you promote, and learn how to write your product descriptions. You’ll additionally need to supply high-quality merchandise and know learn how to construct your model with a purpose to compete.
- You’re prone to piracy/theft. You want to take precautions and cut back these dangers by using the appropriate instruments to guard your merchandise.
- There are some restrictions on learn how to promote digital merchandise. For instance, it’s essential to promote bodily merchandise via the Fb and Instagram gross sales channel based on their commerce coverage.
Most of those challenges might be overcome, nevertheless, in case you make use of the appropriate instruments when designing your digital product enterprise.
6 greatest digital merchandise to promote on-line
- Academic merchandise
- Licenses to make use of your digital property
- Membership websites
- Digital templates and instruments
- Music or artwork
- Companies
For a bit inspiration when creating these merchandise, discover the highest kinds of digital merchandise listed beneath.
1. Academic merchandise
On-line programs are greatest fitted to in-depth content material. They require some effort up entrance, from making a presentation to recording a video walk-through. When creating programs, begin with learner outcomes: what would you like the learner to know or have the ability to do on the finish of your course?
You possibly can embody quizzes, information checks, and interactive actions inside your programs to assist break-up studying content material and make your e-course extra partaking. Think about studying and implementing a educating mannequin like ADDIE.
In case you think about your self an skilled on a selected matter, digital merchandise are a good way to bundle that info and promote it to others seeking to study.
If there’s an abundance of free weblog posts or tutorials on YouTube about what you’d like to show, you may compete by delivering content material that guarantees not training however transformation. In different phrases, don’t promote the product—promote the client’s personal potential after shopping for your product.
You possibly can leverage an present fame as an skilled to garner consideration in your downloadable merchandise to promote on-line or, in case you’re ranging from scratch, you may create and provides away free content material to generate curiosity and leads in your paid digital merchandise.
2. Licenses to make use of your digital property
From inventory photographs to video footage, from music and sound results, there’s a worldwide ecosystem of licensable digital property uploaded by creatives for different creatives to make use of of their work.
By providing licenses to people and companies, you may cost for the usage of your photographs, movies, music, software program, and related prime digital merchandise in your individual retailer and thru on-line marketplaces, reminiscent of inventory picture websites. In change for publicity, a few of these marketplaces can take as much as 50% in fee for each sale. Nevertheless, if you wish to construct your individual vacation spot for digital merchandise to promote, you should utilize SendOwl to energy any such enterprise with distinctive auto-generated license keys.
When arising with property to create, it helps to work backward from the wants of your meant viewers. Begin by occupied with what sort of property they’d need to use with a purpose to create merchandise which can be truly in demand (and thus simpler to promote).
Additionally, you’ll want to defend your digital merchandise with watermarks and different safety measures, particularly in case you’re promoting photographs.
3. Membership websites
As an alternative of specializing in learn how to promote digital merchandise individually, you may bundle them collectively and lock them behind a paid subscription to generate recurring income.
This method to promoting digital merchandise is good in case you plan to take care of a rising library of premium content material and nurture a neighborhood of passionate members. In some circumstances, paid digital subscriptions may even create a possibility to immediately monetize your present content material advertising and marketing efforts.
Since this content material is behind a gate that solely paying subscribers can entry via their buyer account, you can too host unique content material that may be streamed somewhat than downloaded.
You possibly can construct any such enterprise concept by utilizing Subscriber Subscriptions for recurring subscription billing and Sky Pilot as your digital supply system.
4. Digital templates and instruments
Digital merchandise also can come within the type of intangible instruments that equip professionals to do duties that both fall exterior of their ability set or take up a variety of time. You possibly can promote digital options to the frequent ache factors and desires of a particular viewers.
Some examples of learn how to promote digital merchandise on-line this manner embody:
- Digital advertising and marketing technique templates for entrepreneurs
- Résumé templates for job-seekers
- Cellular apps for companies
- Graphic design templates for brochures, flyers, posters, and so forth.
- Adobe Photoshop filters and plugins for media editors
- Icons, fonts, or UX Kits for net designers
If you have already got a contract enterprise, it is perhaps price contemplating how one can flip your abilities and companies into digital merchandise to create passive streams of income.
5. Music or artwork
In case you’re a musician or an artist, chances are high you’ve explored methods you may monetize your skills or the viewers you’re constructing. Whereas print on demand t-shirts or customized prints are at all times an possibility, there are additionally loads of digital product examples for promoting artwork and music.
A musician can promote ringtones of their greatest songs alongside their merch. Or a cartoonist might flip their artwork into printables, cellphone wallpapers, or print-on-demand merchandise. A filmmaker can promote their motion pictures on-line. Because you don’t have to carry any stock with on-line digital merchandise, you may experiment with completely different codecs to see what your viewers needs with out a lot danger.
6. Companies
Companies are likely to pair effectively with quite a lot of kinds of digital merchandise as a result of companies are primarily their reverse—with companies, your “stock” is proscribed to the variety of working hours you may accommodate.
Plus, prospects typically obtain digital merchandise as a part of their “buy” with many companies. A designer will ship logos. A private coach may ship a exercise plan. Leaning into this, you may place sure companies as packages containing invaluable digital merchandise.
For instance, you would supply a session for a price, together with a personalised report or Excel spreadsheet, after which upsell your prospects in your different companies or merchandise. Or you would supply a free downloadable product to generate leads in your e mail advertising and marketing checklist, a tactic that many on-line companies make use of right this moment.
If there are frequent duties you full as a part of your service enterprise which can be simple for you however invaluable to your buyer, you may think about productizing them to create income streams that require much less of your effort and time to take care of.
Free: The Large Listing of Enterprise Concepts
That can assist you discover the inspiration to start out, we compiled a listing of 100+ in-demand enterprise concepts, damaged down into classes like health, attire, and gaming.
Get the massive checklist of enterprise concepts delivered proper to your inbox.
Virtually there: please enter your e mail beneath to achieve prompt entry.
We’ll additionally ship you updates on new instructional guides and success tales from the Shopify e-newsletter. We hate SPAM and promise to maintain your e mail deal with protected.
Learn how to create digital merchandise
Whereas it’s simple to get caught ready round for a eureka second, discovering a great enterprise concept is extra of a course of. It’s nice to have an concept that excites you, however in order for you an concept that sells, you’ll need to observe a technique of brainstorming, analysis, and validation. Right here’s what goes into creating one of the best digital content material to promote:
1. Brainstorming
Generate concepts to start out with, and write all of them down. Don’t be too important—you don’t have to provide you with one of the best digital merchandise in your first brainstorm. Unhealthy concepts can result in good concepts and vice versa. The important thing to brainstorming is to keep away from overthinking issues.
In case you’re on the lookout for a spark for concepts on downloadable merchandise to promote on-line, listed here are some inquiries to ask your self:
- Are you able to train prospects learn how to use your merchandise? For instance, in case you promote knitting merchandise, you would supply appointments to show superior knitting strategies.
- Are there issues you may assist your prospects with associated to your general trade? In case you promote surfboards, you would create a exercise program to assist your prospects keep in surf form at residence.
- What are the values you’ve constructed what you are promoting on, and what are matters associated to them? For instance, in case you promote sustainable attire, you would create a course educating your prospects learn how to reside a extra sustainable life.
- In what methods might you deliver your neighborhood of consumers collectively? In case you promote kitchen provides, you would run a digital guided wine tasting occasion.
- What are you good at? In case you’re actually nice at product pictures, you would train different folks learn how to get higher at product pictures too.
2. Analysis
Perform some research so as to add to your checklist of small enterprise concepts. The very best digital merchandise to promote attraction to ache factors your prospects have associated to your product, trade, or values, in addition to matters they love or get enthusiastic about. Each current nice enterprise alternatives to offer worth within the type of an academic product.
Listed here are some good locations to get began doing analysis in your prime digital merchandise:
- Fb teams. There are Fb teams devoted to each area of interest and viewers conceivable, making them a fantastic place to study what your potential prospects care about.
- Business boards. Boards devoted to hobbies and communities in your trade will help you study extra about what folks need and wish in your broader trade.
- Product opinions. Learn each the opinions in your merchandise and opponents’ merchandise to get concepts. These might come from the opinions on product pages in addition to stand-alone opinions on blogs and different web sites.
- Weblog posts and feedback. Learn the weblog content material your neighborhood is perhaps studying, in addition to the feedback, to get much more concepts. For instance, in case you promote auto components, dig round on automotive blogs.
- Emails from prospects. Lastly, don’t neglect to return and reread any emails or messages you will have gotten from prospects over time. The individuals who took the time to contact you with ideas and issues are often “excessive intent” prospects they usually might need shared some actually helpful insights.
3. Validation
Earlier than committing an excessive amount of time to your concept for digital merchandise to promote, you need to validate it and ensure it’s strong. The very last thing you need to do is make investments a variety of time or cash in a brand new enterprise with out realizing it has a great likelihood to achieve success.
There are a few methods to validate your concept as you determine learn how to promote digital merchandise:
- Key phrase analysis. Use a key phrase instrument to see how many individuals are looking for your matters. This provides you with an concept of the chance measurement of every one.
- Google Developments. Search your matters on Google Developments. Search for matters which can be rising in curiosity. This implies the chance measurement will continue to grow.
- Ask for suggestions. Contact your prospects immediately, both via e mail or social media. A ballot or survey is a good way to gather buyer suggestions.
- Begin small and iterate. Typically, the best strategy to validate an concept is to experiment with a smaller model of the thought with room for development. The aim is to get one thing out into the world as quickly as potential so you may put your concept to the check and enhance from it from there.
It doesn’t matter what trade you’re in, you will have distinctive strengths and information that may be invaluable to your prospects and promoting digital merchandise.
4. Create an internet retailer
When you validate a digital product concept, you’ll need to get an ecommerce platform to promote on. If you wish to know learn how to promote digital merchandise on-line, this step is essential.
Shopify is the best and most respected strategy to create an ecommerce retailer for on-line digital merchandise. You don’t want any tech abilities or a giant finances, and you’ll select from over 100 templates with built-in options to get arrange rapidly. There are additionally over 4,000 free Shopify apps you should utilize for managing your retailer and promoting extra digital merchandise on-line.
Sources:
Free Webinar:
Learn how to Discover and Supply a Successful Product to Promote
In lower than 40 minutes, allow us to stroll you thru learn how to discover product concepts, learn how to validate them, and learn how to promote them after getting an concept you need to pursue.
8 apps for promoting digital merchandise on Shopify
- Digital Downloads
- SendOwl
- Programs
- Single Music
- Thinkific
- FetchApp
- Sky Pilot
- BookThatApp
There are a variety of gross sales and advertising and marketing instruments you’ll need to think about for promoting digital merchandise, relying in your wants:
- Digital Downloads. This free app by Shopify gives a easy strategy to promote digital merchandise by yourself web site. Upon buy, prospects can obtain their file instantly and obtain a hyperlink of their e mail.
- SendOwl. For extra advanced digital product companies, SendOwl comes with quite a lot of options and helpful automation, like expiring hyperlinks and auto-generated license keys, to energy your merchandise.
- Programs. This Shopify app helps you to create classes, tutorials, webinars, and manuals and promote them on-line. You possibly can create lovely on-line training portals, embed pre-recorded movies, and even livestream lesson content material. Clients can monitor their progress and earn certificates for his or her completion.
- Single Music. In case you’re a musician promoting music, Single was made with you in thoughts. Not solely does it bridge the hole between bodily and digital music gross sales, it additionally helps you to simply embody clips in your product web page for purchasers to pattern.
- Thinkific. This app helps you to monetize your experience and develop your viewers by including on-line programs to your Shopify retailer. You possibly can add and drag and drop content material to create a course curriculum. A free plan is accessible, permitting you to create as much as three programs.
- FetchApp. FetchApp is one other digital obtain supply app that gives fewer options than SendOwl however has a free plan obtainable (5 MB of storage) and provides you the power to connect a number of information to a single product.
- Sky Pilot or Daring Memberships. These apps are perfect for constructing a membership program. You possibly can promote information and unique video streams to prospects. Clients can then entry all of their beforehand bought information via their very own buyer accounts.
- BookThatApp, Tipo, or Sesami. These three apps are excellent for companies that supply one-to-one or small group interactions and wish an appointment reserving resolution to schedule consultations or teaching periods with prospects. All three apps have a free plan obtainable.
Past these digital product supply programs, there are different Shopify apps to energy and defend your digital items, reminiscent of:
- Recurring Order & Subscription. That is an app for weekly or month-to-month subscriptions. Use it to automate recurring orders, invoices, and digital subscriptions for on-line memberships or applications.
- Pasilobus Armor. If you’d like further safety for visible merchandise like inventory photographs, this app gives a lot of the safety measures it’s possible you’ll want, from watermarks to supply code safety.
- Disable Proper-Click on. When your content material is your product, this app helps you defend it from theft. You possibly can lock pictures and textual content to allow them to’t be saved or copied with out your permission.
Relying in your wants, these apps and extra can be utilized collectively that can assist you incorporate digital merchandise into your Shopify retailer and execute any of the digital merchandise examples beneath.
Gross sales and advertising and marketing suggestions for promoting digital merchandise
Whether or not you’re a brand-new enterprise proprietor or including on-line digital merchandise to your present retailer, maintain the following tips in thoughts:
- Create a fantastic product. The primary standards for creating digital merchandise is so as to add worth to your prospects’ life. Because you’re competing with free content material on the net, spend money on constructing a product folks can’t discover wherever else.
- Promote a lead magnet. No matter how a lot your product prices, create a lightweight model of it at no cost. A free product will help you construct an e mail checklist you may promote to sooner or later. It additionally opens the door for upselling and retargeting potential prospects with completely different promotions. Free builds belief between what you are promoting and potential prospects.
- Begin an associates program. Associates are an enormous supply of visitors and gross sales for creators promoting digital merchandise. Discover influencers who’re established and trusted in your trade and supply them a fee for every sale they make. You possibly can create completely different percentages for various associates, so if somebody has a large viewers, you may give them a better fee price to advertise extra and appeal to prospects.
- Acquire preorders. A good way to get early gross sales is by giving a reduced “early chook” value. In case you’re releasing a brand new digital product, you may supply a 50% low cost for the primary 100 patrons, then 25% for the subsequent 100 patrons, after which launch the product at full value after the 25% low cost runs out. You possibly can solely launch the 50% low cost to your present viewers to reward their loyalty, get suggestions, and drive prelaunch gross sales.
- Supply a money-back assure. In case you’re hesitant about providing a guaranty in your merchandise, it is sensible. Some folks might purchase and use your product then ask for his or her a reimbursement. Nevertheless it’s all part of working an internet enterprise. The rewards of upper conversion charges outweigh the small share of people that could abuse the coverage. A a reimbursement assure reveals potential patrons you’re placing your cash the place your mouth is, and placing the chance on you, not them.
Free Webinar:
Advertising 101
Struggling to develop gross sales? Learn to go from first day to first sale on this free coaching course.
Creating one of the best digital merchandise for what you are promoting
With out the necessity to maintain stock or the overhead related to promoting bodily merchandise, all kinds of digital merchandise might be worthwhile on-line enterprise concepts.
There are numerous methods you may create one of the best digital content material to promote and resell and incorporate them into what you are promoting. With a bit ingenuity and upfront funding of time, you may serve up irresistible worth that may greater than pay for itself over time.
Able to create your first enterprise? Begin your free trial of Shopify—no bank card required.
Digital merchandise FAQ
What are some examples of digital merchandise?
- On-line programs and webinars
- Kindle books
- Audiobooks
- Software program applications
- Net components like Shopify or WordPress themes
- Printables
- Membership websites
- Workbooks
- PowerPoint templates
How do you create a digital product?
- Brainstorm digital product concepts.
- Analysis purchaser ache factors.
- Validate concepts via key phrase and pattern analysis.
- Produce your digital merchandise.
- Create a Shopify retailer.
- Construct an viewers and market your digital merchandise.
What digital merchandise are in demand?
- Academic merchandise like ebooks and on-line programs
- Unique membership communities
- Digital templates and instruments
- Repurposed music or artwork
- Productized companies
- Licenses to make use of digital property
What sort of digital merchandise promote greatest?
The very best-selling digital merchandise embody graphic design, templates, downloadable prints, music and audio, inventory pictures, and print on demand merchandise like customized t-shirts, notebooks, and mugs.
