Many beginners and non-bloggers believe that the miracle cure for growing a business and having an outlet for passive income is through digital products. However, they are not entirely incorrect. Over the years, the trend of e-books, online course, and webinars have gained unmatched popularity – all thanks to remote learning and heavy reliance on gadgets.
In addition, when you are offering digital products, you don’t have to think about high overheads. You can also reach a wider audience and you don’t have to worry about shipping or packaging. Your products can also be easily updated, and you can make use of your customers’ feedback to create more digital products.
But let us pop your bubble of convenience and introduce you to reality. What if we tell you that physical products are also essential for keeping your business running? Will you automatically assume that we’ve been living under a rock and have no knowledge about the professional blogging industry? Well, here is the thing. While we agree that digital products are an important part of blogging, selling physical products online plays a vital role in converting your traffic into buying customers.
Regardless of whatever you say about all things digital, you won’t deny that it is the quality of physical products that attract customers. People love products that they can hold in their hands and place in their homes.
We realize that manufacturing physical products can be tedious. You have to get them manufactured, packaged, and shipped. You also have to think about where to store the closing inventory. But you’d be surprised to find out that through selling trending products, you’ll have an advantage over your peers who are producing only digital products.
When you’re selling a digital product, you are basically selling a promise. You are ensuring your customer what exactly will happen if they use your products. For example, you are telling them that they can write like a pro if they opt for your online course. But when it comes to a physical product, your customers can assess it thoroughly. They’d know how it works and what it does. If they like your product, you can earn their trust in no time.
There is an old principle for buying that goes along the lines that a buyer should inspect the product before buying. When it comes to digital products, a buyer cannot vet it. This is why, even in the digital age, many people are wary of buying digital products. But when you associate your digital product with a physical one, chances are that people are more prone to buy them.
Yes, this should also be taken into account when you’re planning on growing your online business. A physical product will constantly remind your customers about who you are and what you do.
If you’re here, you’re probably convinced that physical products will help you make the moolah. But you may be thinking about what you can sell online, how all of this will be carried out, and how you’d get your product made.
What you decide to sell depends on your type of business. Obviously, if your business revolves around selling online courses on editing, you cannot compliment it with selling cosmetics. For such businesses, selling a small notebook with quick tips for proofreading or editing can be a good choice.
In the end, the product that you have decided on has to be something that speaks about your business and reminds your audience about you. Many small business owners have impressive product ideas. They try to be creative with their products and want to manufacture one-of-a-kind items that are exclusive to their brands. These brand owners go for hand-printed tote bags or homemade candles. Some motivational speakers/coaches sell personalized badges or mugs with inspiring quotes printed on them.
Whatever you decide to sell, you have to do your research and consider your manufacturing and scaling options. You have to search for a reliable supplier so that you know that your products are genuine. Also, if you are ordering the products from someplace outside your country, for example from China, you’d have to consider the time it will require to reach you.
The one thing that you should strictly consider is your budget. Small business owners are often hesitant to invest because of financial constraints. Such people can go for drop shipping that helps people cut their physical inventory and starting budget.
These days, selling a product online is so easy. The free and open internet means that you can reach out to the global audience. Now that you have decided to sell products, you have to actively promote them to make visitors buy them.
Social media networking sites were initially developed to connect people and provide them a platform where they can chat and share photos and videos. But now social media has become a viable marketing tool which is helping small business owners promote their businesses. Your Facebook page now offers a Facebook Shop Section where your followers can learn more about your products, see their pictures, and click the buy button. If you don’t want to incorporate the shop section on your FB page, you can also use the site as a sales channel and use it to direct visitors to your main website. You can engage customers by posting photos, videos, and blogs on topics in which your visitors are interested.
The free plus shipping funnel is a good way to expand your customer base. The only condition you will impose will be that your customers would have to pay for shipping. But if your product is good, many customers will not mind paying the price of shipping. This offer will attract so many customers to your blog because of the power of the word ‘Free’. Also, sell products that don’t cost you an arm and a leg so that the amount collected through shipping charges is enough to cover the cost.
You may have heard about how companies offer affiliate options which require business owners to create an account on an e-commerce site such as Amazon and market any of their products listed on the site. Here, you have to do just the reverse. This is a cool feature that you can really work on. Create your own affiliate program and give links to other people to sell your product for you. You can hire them on a commission basis and you will have a sales team that will promote your product.
Selling physical products can help with the growth of your business. If done right, you can have both high profits and loyal customers.
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