This post and photos may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. If you purchase something through any link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. Any supplies used may be given to me free of charge, however, all projects and opinions are my own.
Do you want to add digital products to your business? Today I’m sharing 9 tips you should know that will help you start selling digital products.
Digital products can include things like SVG files, eBooks, and even courses. These products can help you grow your business and have the added bonus of being something that you can create one time and sell over and over again without shipping anything.
If you’re still trying to decide if a crafting business is right for you catch up on the Crafting for Profit Live podcast to learn more about starting a business, selling at craft fairs, creating a brand story, and more.
You can watch this episode of Crafting for Profit Live by clicking play on the video below:
Get Started Selling Digital Products
Use the tips below to guide you on your journey if you want to start selling digital products. This can be an amazing money maker for a small business in the craft industry.
Tip #1 Decide What Type of Digital Products You Want Sell
The first tip I have for you today is to decide what type of digital products you want to start with. There are a lot of options out there and what type you decide on will determine which program you need to create them.
Eventually, you can evolve and do more than one thing but finding one type of digital product to start with will make it easier for you to get started.
You want to find a digital product that is going to bring you joy to make. If you’re not enjoying what you do it will show in your work and your marketing. If you love what you’re doing, your customers will be able to tell and that will serve you well in the long run.
Note – Regardless of what type of digital product you decide you want to sell, stay away from licensed content. Do your research, and make sure you know before you try to sell something if you legally have the right to sell that design. This can include song lyrics and popular catchphrases.
Tip #2 Learn the Software You Need to Create Quality Digital Products
Depending on the type of digital product you want to sell you may need to learn new software. If you’re creating SVG files you need to use a program that will export them correctly.
There are a few different software options you can use to create SVG files, take the time to learn the program you choose so you can deliver products that will bring customers back. Repeat customers are the bread and butter of every small business.
For digital products like sublimation designs, you want to make sure to offer those without a background and at a high enough resolution that they will not get pixelated as they are resized.
Learn one program now to get started, you can always change in the future if your needs evolve.
Tip #3 Decide Where You Want to Sell Your Digital Products
There are a variety of places you can sell your digital products online. Some you may want to look into are Etsy, Amazon Handmade, TikTok Shop, Facebook Marketplace, Shopify, and more.
Etsy is a great place to start because it helps with marketing and collecting sales tax. Taxes can be a scary part of your business and it’s nice to let someone else take care of that when you’re first starting.
No matter which platform you choose to sell on you will want to make sure that the digital product is being sent automatically after it is purchased. This will save you a lot of headaches trying to manually send out digital files all day long.
Don’t forget you can continue to evaluate the different platform options as your business grows. Switching platforms is usually fairly easy and your needs may change over time.
Tip #4 How Are You Going to Market the Digital Products You’re Selling?
Now that you know what you want to sell and you know where you’re going to sell it, how are you going to get people to find you?
If you’re on Etsy, they will do some marketing for you but you don’t want to rely only on that.
Social media can be a great way to share about the digital products you’re selling. Show how you’re using your digital products, behind the scenes of creating a design, and share customer stories. There are a lot of ways you can use social media to get your product in front of people.
Don’t be afraid to ask your customers to share on their social media accounts and tag you.
As you grow, you may decide to look into paid advertising and you can grow into that but I recommend targeting your current community in the beginning.
Tip #5 How Are You Going to Engage with Your Community?
Most of the best small businesses have an engaged community. You may find it beneficial to create a dedicated Facebook group where you can share about upcoming product launches and sales. You can even do some crowdsourcing to see what your customers would like to see next.
I’ve talked a lot about email in every episode of Crafting for Profit Live, if you haven’t started an email list don’t wait even one day longer. Start collecting those emails and stay in touch with your customers.
You want to build a relationship with your customers. Talk to them via email and social. When they feel like they know you, they’ll be more invested in your business and want to see you succeed.
Be responsive. If you ask for feedback and get it, respond. Make sure your customers know you appreciate them taking the time to help you.
Tip #6 Over Deliver
When it comes to your small business, you want to make sure and always give the customer more than what they’re expecting. A lot of what we offer can be purchased from larger companies so you want to remind your customers why they should purchase from you.
Overdelivering can mean a lot of things. You can include an additional free file that compliments the product they purchased. You can also offer access to you, a Facebook group just for your customers where they can interact with you is another way to make yourself stand out from the large companies.
Craft your future by turning your passion into a paycheck! With more than 25 years experience and a DIY community of more than 1.5 million, Angie Holden and Cori George share handmade business strategies, craft business insights, and inspirational stories. Every other Monday, you’ll learn from experts how to use your crafts to financially support a creative life.
Click here to sign up so you don’t miss future episodes of Crafting for Profit Live!
Tip #7 Test Your Digital Products
Every time you create a new digital product you need to test it. If it’s a printable, make sure you print it out to ensure it’s formatted correctly and fits on the size paper you say it will.
For digital designs that will be used for sublimation or other prints ,make sure you have it set up to have a 300dpi even if it’s enlarged.
If you’ve ever used a bad SVG file, you know how important it is to test cut files. If the design will be loaded into Design Space, make sure it loads in the program correctly.
Digital products that don’t work easily are very frustrating for customers. You don’t want them getting a bad taste in their mouth about the products you offer.
Tip #8 Think About What You Want to Do Next
Now that you’re ready to get started, don’t stop there. Think about other items you can offer that complement the digital products you already have.
Just because you started with a digital product doesn’t mean you have to only sell digital products. Listen to your customers. Is there something they’re looking for that you can provide?
Your existing customers are a great resource for you as you grow your business. Pay attention to the feedback you get. If you’re able to help them with other products you’ll know you already have buyers ready when you launch.
Tip #9 START
You are not going to be perfect when you are starting out and that is okay. If you go back and look at my first videos and photography, they don’t look anything like they do now.
If you wait until everything is perfect to get started, you will never start. Make a few designs and put them out there.
Embrace where you are now but don’t stay there. You can start now and continue to learn and grow and offer more products in the future.
I hope you’re excited about offering digital products in the near future. If you have any questions that I can help you with leave them in the comments and I’ll be happy to answer them for you.