How to Sell Digital Products Successfully for Instructional Designers

In today's digital world, instructional designers have a unique opportunity to leverage their expertise in education and design to create profitable digital products. Whether it's online courses, training programs, templates, or educational resources, selling digital products is a lucrative avenue for instructional designers who want to scale their work and reach a broader audience.

However, like any business venture, selling digital products requires strategy, preparation, and persistence. In this guide, we'll walk you through the steps to successfully sell digital products as an instructional designer, from product creation to marketing and optimization.

Identify and Create a Valuable Digital Product

The first step in successfully selling digital products is identifying what type of product will resonate with your target audience. For instructional designers, this could be anything from ready-made eLearning modules to downloadable training resources or comprehensive online courses.

Actionable Steps:

• Assess Market Needs: Before you start creating your product, research the specific needs of your target audience. Who are they? Are they teachers, corporate professionals, or educational institutions? What challenges do they face in learning and development? Conduct surveys or interviews, review online forums, and explore social media to gather insights.
• Solve a Problem: Your digital product should address a particular problem that your audience faces. For example, if you're targeting corporate trainers, you might develop a ready-to-use leadership training module. If your audience consists of educators, perhaps a set of customizable lesson plan templates would be in demand. Ensure your product offers immediate value to your users.
• Leverage Your Expertise: As an instructional designer, you have unique skills in creating effective learning experiences. You can apply these skills to various products like eLearning courses, coaching programs, microlearning units, interactive PDFs, or even multimedia-based content. Choose a product type that showcases your expertise and aligns with the needs of your market.

Design High-Quality Digital Products

Once you've decided on the type of digital product to sell, the next step is ensuring that the product is of the highest quality. A well-designed product will not only meet the needs of your audience but also ensure a positive customer experience, which leads to repeat business and word-of-mouth referrals.

Actionable Steps:

• Focus on User Experience: Whether it's an online course or a training module, the user experience is paramount. Ensure your product is easy to navigate, visually appealing, and interactive where necessary. If you're designing an eLearning course, ensure it's accessible, responsive, and mobile-friendly.
• Offer Clear and Engaging Content: The quality of your content is crucial. For example, if you're designing a course, structure it logically, with clear objectives, learning outcomes, and assessment methods. Use multimedia (videos, infographics, quizzes) to make the learning experience more engaging and memorable. Avoid overwhelming learners with lengthy text-based content; instead, break it down into digestible, interactive pieces.
• Test and Iterate: Before launching your product to the public, beta test it with a small group from your target audience. Gather feedback about usability, content clarity, and overall experience. Use this feedback to make any necessary improvements and fix any bugs or issues.

Set the Right Price for Your Product

Pricing is a delicate balance. If the price is too high, you may deter potential buyers, but if it's too low, it might undermine the perceived value of your work. Instructional designers need to be mindful of the value they are offering while also being competitive in the market.

Actionable Steps:

• Research the Market: Look at other instructional design products in your niche to understand the going rates. This will help you identify a pricing range that is competitive but also reflects the quality and value of your product.
• Consider Tiered Pricing: Offer different pricing tiers based on the product's features or the level of personalization. For instance, you could provide a basic version of a training module at a lower price and a more advanced version with added features or personalized support at a higher price.
• Offer Discounts and Promotions: Offering discounts or limited-time promotions can create urgency and boost sales. For example, you might offer a discount for the first 50 customers or a bundle deal where buyers can get additional resources for a reduced price.
• Monitor Performance: Over time, track the sales performance of your products. If you notice that certain price points perform better than others, consider adjusting accordingly. Don't be afraid to experiment with pricing strategies, such as subscription-based pricing or pay-per-access models.

Build an Effective Sales Funnel

A sales funnel is a marketing strategy that guides potential customers through the buying process, from awareness to conversion. Building an effective sales funnel for your digital products is essential to maximize your sales potential.

Actionable Steps:

• Capture Attention with Lead Magnets: Start by offering something valuable for free to capture leads. This could be a free mini-course, a downloadable template, a webinar, or an eBook. The goal is to build trust with your audience and provide them with a taste of the value you can offer.
• Create Landing Pages: Design high-converting landing pages for each digital product. Your landing page should clearly communicate the benefits of the product, offer testimonials from satisfied customers, and have a strong call to action (CTA) that encourages visitors to make a purchase.
• Use Email Marketing to Nurture Leads: Once you have captured email addresses, use email marketing to nurture your leads. Send them valuable content that educates them further on the problem your product solves. Include social proof, testimonials, and case studies to build credibility. Offer discounts or promotions to push them towards making a purchase.
• Offer Upsells and Cross-Sells: Once a customer makes a purchase, consider offering additional related products. For example, if a customer buys a course, offer them a bundle of resources or personalized coaching. Upselling and cross-selling help increase the average value per customer.

Market Your Digital Products

Marketing is an essential element of selling digital products. Even if you have a great product, without effective marketing, it can be hard to get the word out and drive traffic to your sales pages.

Actionable Steps:

• Use Content Marketing: Content marketing is one of the most effective ways to drive traffic to your digital products. Create blog posts, videos, or podcasts that address common problems faced by your target audience. By offering valuable, educational content, you establish yourself as an expert in the field and attract potential buyers to your products.
• Leverage Social Media: Social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook offer an incredible opportunity to connect with potential customers. Share engaging posts about your products, behind-the-scenes content, or client success stories. Engaging with your audience on social media helps build trust and brand awareness.
• Collaborate with Influencers or Affiliates: Partner with influencers in the instructional design or eLearning space to promote your products. Affiliates can help expand your reach by sharing your product with their networks in exchange for a commission on sales.
• Paid Advertising: While organic methods work, paid advertising can expedite the process of reaching potential customers. Platforms like Facebook, Google Ads, or LinkedIn Ads allow you to target your audience based on specific interests, industries, and behaviors, ensuring you're reaching people who are likely to buy.

Optimize and Analyze Your Sales Process

Once your digital product is on the market and making sales, it's important to continuously evaluate and optimize your sales strategy. This allows you to improve performance, increase conversion rates, and identify areas for improvement.

Actionable Steps:

• Track Key Metrics: Use analytics tools like Google Analytics, email campaign data, and sales reports to track key metrics. Monitor traffic sources, conversion rates, bounce rates, and customer acquisition costs to understand how your product is performing and where to make improvements.
• A/B Testing: Run A/B tests on your landing pages, emails, and advertising campaigns to determine which elements lead to higher conversions. This could involve testing different headlines, images, or CTAs to find the most effective combination.
• Customer Feedback: Always gather feedback from customers to improve your product. This can be through surveys, interviews, or direct comments. Use this feedback to enhance your digital products, fix bugs, and continuously adapt to meet the needs of your audience.
• Update and Expand Your Products: Keep your products fresh by regularly updating them with new content or features. Expanding your product offerings by adding bonus material or upgrading modules will help retain existing customers and attract new ones.

Conclusion

Selling digital products as an instructional designer is a rewarding venture that combines your passion for education with your entrepreneurial spirit. By identifying market needs, creating high-quality products, pricing them appropriately, and leveraging effective marketing strategies, you can successfully sell your instructional design products to a global audience.

Consistency and continuous optimization are key to long-term success. As you iterate on your products and marketing efforts, you'll see growth in your sales and establish a reputation as a trusted provider of high-quality educational resources. Keep refining your approach, listen to your customers, and stay focused on delivering value, and you'll be well on your way to building a profitable digital product business.

View Product