We live in a digital world, and that means creating and selling physical products (especially in a brick-and-mortar store) is tough nowadays. That’s why the idea of creating and selling digital products can be so tempting for entrepreneurs. Downloadable resources, e-books, courses: all these digital products are pretty low cost to create and sell.
Why? You don’t have to pay for shipping, inventory storage, or physical goods. All you basically need is a computer, creativity and passion, and the time to bring your fabulous ideas to life. Ifbreaking into the digital product biz is on your list of goals this year, but you don't know what digital products to create to get you started –here are some ideas below.
It’s easier than ever to write and sell an e-book of your own. If you have a really niched brand, you can absolutely write an e-book for your dedicated audience. You may even have a starting point for your content already. (Hint: look at your blog posts, FAQs, or social media posts.)
What’s great about writing your own e-book is the flexibility and creative control you get to wield. Think about the products or services you already sell: that’s where you’ll find an easy topic for your book. Then, figure out if you want to give advice, educate, entertain, or build on your existing content.
Need ideas for your e-book? If you’re a lifestyle blogger, maybe you can give readers a behind-the-scenes peek of how your brand came to be. If you’re a health and fitness consultant, you can write about your favorite recipes and/or workouts. Write something that your customers will find worthwhile to read.
You can write about anything as long as it makes sense for your brand. And don’t forget — you’ll need to make your e-book pretty when you’re done. (Don't worry we've got you covered, we have e-book canva templates in the Styled Stock Society membership. Check them out here!)
2. Workbooks or PDF guides
Want to help your audience learn how to do something, but an e-book doesn’t seem like the right format for that content? No biggie. Ditch the e-book idea and create a workbook or pdf guide instead. This kind of digital product shows your customers that you know your stuff and, by using your brand’s actual products or services in the guide or workbook, you can show them how they can achieve their goals.
Depending on your business, you probably already have documents you use that you can build out into a workbook or guide. For example, if you’re a financial planner, you may offer your clients printable resources for budgeting or tracking expenses that can easily be turned into a full-length workbook. Or if you’re a UX consultant, you might create guides based on checklists for user testing. Product-based businesses can create a guide or workbook showing buyers how to use their products in new and exciting ways.
Help your audience achieve their goals (and show off your expertise at the same time) – we've got customizable workbook templates to help save you time!
3. Templates
In case you didn’t notice, we love templates here at Styled Stock Society.That’s why there are over 100 Canva templates included in the Styled Stock Society membership.Templates are just as important as eye-catching imagery. Why? Well, we also love efficiency. When you have a cache of customizable templates ready to go, creating on-brand content is much easier and faster.
Templates aren’t limited to graphic design, though. (Making them the one of the best digital products to create) If you’re interested in creating templates, you can create and sell all kinds of them for your business: logos, social media captions, resumes, reports, newsletter emails, media kits — you get the idea.
Use templates to share your knowledge with your customers and make their lives easier.
4. Masterclass Content
Are videos your strong suit rather than text? Embrace it. If you already create a lot of videos for your website or social media, chances are your fans prefer that format, too. Plus, studies show that many people find videos more engaging and easily consumable than other content. A great way to up the value on your videos: create a masterclass.
Not sure what a masterclass is? Think of it as a short live event that gives your audience a taste of what you can teach them in a longer course (more on that in a bit). It can also be a shorter or condensed training you provide to people who register. Either way, a masterclass is an immersive experience that gives your audience a chance to learn something from you directly. You can package a masterclass as an introduction to your expertise that nudges your audience towards a comprehensive bundle of courses, product, or service offer.
Give your audience a teaser of what your brand has to offer.
5. Online Courses
How to do a perfect cat-eye. How to change the oil in your car. How to upload a video to YouTube (ha). You can learn practically anything online from video tutorials. Online learning is booming as an industry, so take advantage of it and pass your wisdom on to your own audience.
To start building an online course, you might look at what information your audience is already asking for. Are there certain questions you get a lot in your inbox or in social media comments? Is there an opportunity to teach your customers how to best use your most popular product or service? Then you can decide if you’d like to create written lessons, video lessons, worksheets, Q&A sessions, and so on.
Sites likeKajabiandTeachablemake it easy to set up your course, but you should figure out what you want to teach well before you invest in a platform. You can also decide what students get when they complete the course, whether it’s a certificate, a discount towards one of your services, a free product, or just the pleasure of knowing they completed it. It’s all up to you.
Leverage and share your knowledge with your audience by creating an organized course.
The big takeaway: You can grow your brand with digital products
We hope we've got your wheels turning with these 5 types of digital products to create! We know that making the leap into selling digital products can be a little scary, but given how popular (and profitable) digital products are, there’s no reason you can’t do it. It just takes a little brand analysis, some creativity, and belief in what you have to offer.
Once you’ve come up with the content, you best believe Styled Stock Society has images, video, and templates you can use to make your delivery shine as much as the content.
Not a member yet? That’s OK.You can join today!
