april bowles-olin - create digital products that sell while you sleep workbook

Create Digital Products thatsell While You Sleep Workbook

April Bowles-Olin

2 2014 April Bowles-Olin

Hi lovely creative!

Welcome to the wonderful world of creating digital products that sell while you sleep. Doesnt that sound like a dream? (Ha!)

But seriously, adding digital products to your business plan can give you more freedom and help you make a lot more money without adding more work hours to your day.

Its one of my very favorite things to teach because of the amazing impact it can have on your business and life. No matter what your business goals, almost always digital and information products can help you reach them.

If you do the work, BIG things can happen for you and your business.

Before we get started, I want to say thanks.

Thank you for choosing me as your guide in your exploration into digital products. Im going to do my best to make it a lot of fun, because one of my mottos is business should be fun.

The one thing I want you to keep in mind throughout the course is that you should break down these to-dos into manageable pieces. I dont expect you to do all this work in just a couple days. In fact, itll probably take you a few months and thats okay. Set reasonable expectations and youll feel a lot better about what you do get done. And, youll be more likely to finish.

Alright...lets get started!

xoxo

April Bowles-Olin

oh, hey!


Create Digital Products that Sell While You Sleep

SESSION 1

Segment 1: Why You Should Sell Digital Products.................................Page 4Segment 2: Picking the Right Products to Develop and Sell...............Page 9Segment 3: Logistics, Planning for Your Product Creation...................Page 19Segment 4: Creating Digital Products from Scratch.............................Page 22

SESSION 2

Segment 1: Getting Your Products in Front of the Right People..........Page 24Segment 2: Writing a Sales Page that Actually Sells.............................Page 36Segment 3: The Importance of Your Launch.........................................Page 42Segment 4: Your One-Page Marketing Plan..........................................Page 47

table of contents


Your Dream BusinessWhat would you love to change about your business? (how many hours you work, how much money you make, less overwhelm, etc.)

Describe your dream business.


Your Dream BusinessWhat are three big goals youd like to reach in six months to a year?

1

2

3


Goal:

Month:

monthly tasks:

Weekly tasks:

daily to-dos:


the fraud complex and fearWhat are your fears related to creating and selling digital products?

What has held you back from selling digital products?

Whats one thing you can do today to start to move past these limiting beliefs?


Whether you think you canor think you cant--youre right.

- Henry Ford


pain pointsWhat are your customers pain points? What problems can you solve for them with your products?


product brainstormList all the digital and information products you can think of that you might want to sell.


product brainstormWhat would be easy for you to create and put out into the world?

Why do you want to make this? Does it already exist? If so, how are you making it different? If not, why not?


what youre made to sellWhat do you want to be known for? What mark do you want to leave on the world?

Skill set:

Experience:

Education:

Strengths:

Values:


what youre made to sellWho do you currently sell to?

Who do you enjoy working with?

Who do you want to serve?

What type of people get you?

Who asks you questions?

Who do you get emails and comments from?

Who appreciates your skill set?


what youre made to sellWhats your tagline?

What do you currently sell?

Whats your branding based on? Values? Truths?

Product experimentImagine your perfect ebook. Whats the title? List some of the content. What would the main message be? How would you introduce it? How long would it be? Who would buy it?

2014 April Bowles-Olin 15

Product experimentImagine your perfect course. Whats the title? Whats the format? How many students are in it? How long is the course? How would you introduce the course? Whats included in the course? What topics do you cover?



choose your next productPick two products from your brainstorm list and answer (on a scale of 1 to 10):

How excited am I about creating this product?

How much effort will it take to create?

How well does it fit in with my current calendar and other commitments?

How well will it sell?

How well does it fit in with what Im already selling?

How well does it fit in with my brand?

How well does it fit in with my overall vision for what I want to be known for and business goals?


three questions1. Why does your customer need this?

2. Why will she WANT it?

3. Why will your customer choose you?

Choose your next product: ________________________________________


logistics planningWhat do you need in order to create and sell your first/next digital product?

Where will you sell it? (your website, Etsy, Creative Market)

What programs do you need to buy or learn how to use?

Do you need to hire anything out? (web design, book design, photographer, videographer)


mark time in your calendarList the tasks you need to complete to create your digital product below:


preliminary pricingWhats the first price that pops into your head?

Whats the value that your customer is getting from the product?

Whats your level of experience?

Whats the average that your competitors charge?

How is your product different than your competitors?

If you were choosing a price right now, what would it be?


creating products from scratchNOTES:


There is nothing more importantto any business today than

understanding the worldview ofits customers and the reality they

live with. -Bernadette Jiwa


summarize your productIn one sentence (YES-ONLY ONE), what is your product? (Example: Marketing for Creatives is a digital guide that helps creative entrepreneurs get their products in front of the right people and boost their sales.)

What problem/issue does your product solve?

Who will your product help?


Your dream CustomerIf you lined up 10 dream customers, what would they all have in common?

Imagine your dream customer. Give her a name. Describe her characteristics, where she lives, her career, how much money she makes. Think about her values, likes and dislikes. Consider her goals, problems, pain points, what keeps her up at night, habits and daily behaviors.


interview Your dream CustomerIMAGINARY INTERVIEW

1. Where do you work?

2. How long have you worked there?

3. How do you spend the majority of your workday?

4. What do you like most about your job?

5. What do you like least about your job?

6. What do you like least about yourself?

7. What do you like most about yourself?

8. Are you married?

9. What is your spouse like?


10. Are you happy with your marriage?

11. What would you like to change about your marriage?

12. What one thing would make your life easier?

13. Do you have children?

14. How old are your children?

15. What do you like most about being a mother?

16. Whats your worst fear when it comes to being a parent?

17. When are you the happiest?

18. When was the last time you felt sad? What happened?

19. When was the last time you got in an argument with someone? What did you argue about?


20. What did you have for dinner last night? Did you cook or eat out?

21. When was the last time your spent money on something frivolous for yourself? What did you buy?

22. Whats your favorite book?

23. What magazines do you read?

24. What blogs do you read regularly?

25. Do you have a Facebook account? How often do you check it?

26. What other social media sites do you frequent? Whats your favorite?

27. When was the last time you ordered something online? What was it?

28. What problem are you currently struggling with?


29. What issues keep you awake at night?

30. Whats your favorite television show?

31. What are your favorite movies?

32. Whats your favorite sport?

33. Whats your ideal date night?

34. How do you spend your Saturday mornings?

35. How do you spend your Sunday evenings?

36. Whats your best friend like?


37. Do you exercise? What do you do for exercise?

38. If you could have one wish granted, what would you wish for?

39. Whats your favorite holiday?

40. Do you like weddings? Why or why not?

41. Where do you shop for clothes?

42. Do you have pets? If yes, what type of pets? What are their names?

43. How much sleep do you regularly get?


44. Where do you go on vacations?

45. What type of music do you listen to?

46. Where do you live?

47. What do you live in? Do you own or rent?

48. Do you have any debt? How much?

49. What does your favorite pair of shoes look like?

50. Do you sing in the shower?


product connectionWhat does your ideal customer WANT from your product? Why is she buying it?


tap into her emotionsImagine exactly what your dream customer feels, especially when it comes to her pain points that you help resolve.

What does she think about before, during and after purchase?

How can you use this information during product creation and to improve your sales page?


Light background with dark text

Music/video doesnt automatically play when page is loaded

Text is broken up into small chunks

I use headings, bolding, bullet points and lists in blog posts

One sidebar

Sidebar isnt cluttered--only used for important things

Social sharing buttons are obvious and on every blog post

My contact information can be easily found

My email newsletter opt-in is attractive and obvious

My website is appealing to my target market

Its obvious how to find my shop/products or how to work with me

Ive asked three people in my target market for feedback on my site

My about page has been updated within the past six months

I use analytics to track visitors, my most popular pages and posts, etc.

Website is easy to navigate

Readers can easily comment

Website Checklist


The BeginningWrite out some ideas for the beginning of your sales page. Brainstorm at least two different options (but three is even better).

1

2

3


outline your sales pageWhats the value that your product provides? Whats the end goal? The result? (Examples: Learning how to knit, Losing ten pounds in a month, Speaking fluent Spanish, Getting their first 100 email subscribers, Immediate and inexpensive art, Completing one painting)

What are the features and benefits? (Example: features = PDF print, 8x10; benefits = accessible art that can immediately transform a room from dull to bright; Example: features = Eight 90-minute segments, HD videos, workbook; benefits = learning how to create and sell digital products to make more money and gain more freedom)


outline your sales pageWhat are the objections and ways to diffuse them? (Examples: This is too ex-pensive. I dont have enough time for this. Will I really be able to do this? This might work for her, but not for me. Using testimonials for this works really well.)

What are bits of story you can use?

Why should the customer should buy NOW? We all procrastinate, so you have to give your customer reasons to buy now.

Whats the call to action?


learn from loyaltyWhat brands are you the most loyal to? Why? What are the brands that are au-to-buys for you? (They come out with something new, and youre going to buy it because of the brand.)

What makes them auto-buys? Why are you so loyal to them?

What blogs do you always check out when theyve published something new? What makes you loyal to them?


your customer service mustsWhat are your rules for customer service? How are you going to blow your customers away? Get creative but be reliable.


your sharing planHow can your fans share your stuff? Do you make it easy for them? How can you make it easier for them to share?


Business opportunities are like buses;theres always another one coming.

-Richard Branson


Your launch content PlanWhat is the BEST content to get your audience primed to buy your product? Brainstorm a list of ideas. Jot down any and everything so youve got lots to choose from. Dont let your inner critic badmouth an idea at this stage.

What are the top five questions your target market will have about your product?

What are the five biggest objections and how you could counter them?

What will help your customer make an informed decision? What will attract the RIGHT customers?


categorize your contentStart with your top 10 favorite content ideas. Categorize them based on format and platform. (written blog post, tweet, Facebook update, short video on Instagram, long video on landing page, tutorial on YouTube, pin on Pinterest, etc.)


launch systemsWhat systems can you put in place to make your launch run more smoothly? (Do you need to hire a virtual assistant or someone to help with customer service? Do you need your web designer on call in case your site crashes or a technical issue pops up?)

Have YOU tested your product--going through each step to see what your customer will see and experience?

Have you had a couple of friends or fans test your product, buying it, receiving it and using it?

Is your shopping cart system set up to do everything automatically?


Develop launch content plan

Collect names and emails of prospects

Test idea, survey audience, ask for feedback

Schedule launch content (blog posts, emails, social media)

Hire extra assistance (if needed)

Test checkout process from start to finish

Write sales page

Have a friend test checkout process from start to finish

Collect testimonials and put on sales page

Build anticipation with your pre-launch

Set goals (monetary and other)

Set up customer service plan

Have clear policies (including a refund policy)

Check in with first five customers to make sure everything went well

Overdeliver

Celebrate!

launch Checklist


Involve your audienceWhats one thing you can do now to involve your audience in the creation of your product?


Advertising is like sex:only losers pay for it.

-Chris Guillebeau


Your One-Page Marketing Plan

product:

pre-launch: launch:

Affiliates/partners:

Beta launch:

goal:

ideal customer:Benefits/value:

difference:

funnel: customer serviceand loyalty:


Guide for Filling Out Your One-Page Marketing Plan

Use this as your overview--not the only tool for marketing.

Goal Section: What do you want to accomplish with your marketing efforts? This helps you stay on track when planning your marketing strategies. Only include things that help you get closer to your goals.

Ideal Customer Section: What do you know to be true about your ideal customer? What information will help you when marketing your product?

Benefits/Value Section: What are the benefits of your product? Whats the value that your customer gets from your product?

Difference Section: What makes your product different than your competitors? Why should your customers choose you?

Beta Launch Section: Are you going to have a beta launch? Do you want a small number of people to test/use your product before you launch it? If so, use this section to plan that out including a date of when you want to do it.

Pre-Launch Section: Plan out your marketing efforts for your pre-launch here. What content are you going to share? How are you building excitement before the launch?

Launch Section: What are the main things youre doing to launch your prod-uct? What content are you sharing? In what format?

Funnel Section: How are you going to continue to funnel prospects towards your product? Are you going to have an email series set up? Are you going to publish blog posts throughout the year, reminding readers of your product? How are you going to use social media?

Affiliates/Partners Section: Whats your referral strategy? How are you getting others to help you spread the word about your product?

Customer Service and Loyalty: Whats your customer service plan? How are you rewarding loyal customers? Get creative.

your one-page marketing plan


email newsletter cheat sheetThere are lots of software options. I recommend AWeber. Other options include: MailChimp, Mad Mimi, Constant Contact, InfusionSoft, Ontraport.

Your opt-in is one of the most important factors on whether or not people will subscribe. It needs to be visually attractive and you need to be clear on what subscribers will get in exchange for handing over their email address.

Dont call it an email newsletter. Wording matters!

Opt-in offer ideas: free shipping, discount on first purchase, loyalty program, subscriber-only sales, ebook, checklist, free training or webinar, free trial, desktop wallpaper, access to a quiz or quiz results, access to a forum, workbook, list of resources.

Most importantly: your opt-in should appeal to your ideal customer.

Content ideas for your email newsletter: announcing sales, letting people know when youre selling at a show or your work is in a gallery, letting people know if youre speaking at an event or teaching at a retreat, blog posts.

You have to write a catchy headline to get your subscribers to open.

Experiment with day and time to see when you get the best open rate.

Include one call-to-action per email. People get overwhelmed when you try to get them to do too many things.

Use segments if needed. For instance, if you sell knitted items and you sell knitting patterns, youll probably want two separate lists for those two different target markets.

Put opt-in boxes in different places on your websiteyour sidebar, your about page, your FAQ page, at the bottom of some of your posts.

Email newsletter donts: add people who havent given you permission, send something really long, get hung up on unsubscribes, make it hard for people to unsubscribe.


Decide on a commitment and stick to it (ex: once a week, twice a month), especially in the beginning. If you keep at it consistently, youll see a lot more growth.

Pick a format or formats that you enjoy (ex: writing, video, audio interviews, visuals) so that you stick with it. You can mix and match. You dont have to just pick one thing.

Only put out solid content that is entertaining and/or helpful. Dont publish content just to publish something or you will turn off readers.

Design and visuals matter. Hire a web designer or pick a simple, visually appealing theme like one from Angie Makes or Bluchic. Learn about photography so that you can snap and edit photos that will attract your target market. First impressions are huge and your visuals are what your readers see first.

Keep a notebook to jot down all your content ideas and keep a content calendar. That way when you sit down to write, youll know what that days blog post topic is and you wont waste a lot of time staring at a blank screen.

You cant expect to write blog posts and somehow have readers find you. You have to market your blog just like you market your products and shop. At first, it may seem like a lot of work but it pays off big.

There will come a point where things start to snowball. Instead of having to spend a lot of time marketing, others will do a lot of it for you. Instead of having to pitch guest posts and interviews, people will come to you asking for those things. Your readers will start to write about your blog and share your posts on social media. It will get easier!

Work on improving your writing even if your blog isnt text-based. You still have to write blog post titles, video descriptions (if you use lots of video) and context for visuals. This stuff matters and the more you work on it, the better youll get.

Focus on relationships. Your blog will grow a lot quicker if you dont stay confined to your little bubble. Connect with other bloggers, comment on other blogs, share other bloggers posts on social media and reach out.

blogging cheat sheet


Pin often (pin for about 10-15 minutes twice a day for maximum benefit).

Grow your boards to at least 100 pins/board in order to have a better chance that Pinterest suggests it for others to follow.

Drive traffic back to your site with your pins. Pin something of yours for about every 10 other pins.

Use hashtags and keywords in your descriptions to make it more likely that your pins will come up when others are searching.

Plan specific categories that your ideal customer is interested in.

Curate your content so that it reflects your brand and style.

Use photos with text to give context and provoke curiosity.

Vertical images rule!

Make sure you have pin it buttons that show up when someone hovers over a photo on a your blog so they can easily pin it.

If you add a pin from your computer, go back in and edit it to add a link to your website.

Everything you pin should lead somewhere so that people who follow you trust your pins and take the time to click on them.

You can pin videos on YouTube and Vimeo.

Use Facebook to promote your Pinterest page. (You can link to specific boards and suggest your Facebook followers to follow it.)

Only follow people who match your style.

Follow your competitors (because theyre often pinning things that appeal to your target market).

Pinterest cheat sheet


instagram cheat sheetYou have to provide valuable and entertaining content. Photo after photo of your cat isnt going to cut it.

Use the link in your bio to send your followers to blog posts, sales pages, etc. In the description of the photo write, Link in bio.

Youve got to share high-quality photos. Dont settle for the first picture you snap. It often takes shooting ten or twenty pictures before you get the right one.

Use short videostheyre under-utilized and more clicked on.

Plan out content for the week, so that you dont have to come up with ideas on the fly.

If youre stuck for what to share, pick one thing from your work that day and share it.

Use hashtags to be found for certain keywords.

Dont automatically link to Twitter or Facebook (especially Twitter because it often gets cut off).

Post regularly (at least a few times a week).

Dont always post about products. Share your life!

Use some sort of editing software to edit your camera photos. I use and recom-mend Afterlight.

Use Instagram to share your products in context.

Instagram works well for big name entrepreneurs because it gives their followers a way to relate. It makes you come across as an actual human being when you share bits of your day.


facebook cheat sheetPost regularly (at least once a week).

Dont always post about your products. Use Facebook to connect with your followersnot just sell to them.

Always include a photo with your Facebook posts, so they stand out in your followers feeds.

Separate your business and personal pages.

Reply to your comments.

Dont ask people who arent in your target market to like your page because youll end up hurting yourself in the long-term when they dont like your posts or comment.

Dont automatically link to Twitter because the tweets will get cut off.

Boost posts when you want the majority of your followers to them.

Use Facebook ads wisely.

Schedule posts when needed.

Dont ask your followers to like, comment or share your posts (Facebook currently doesnt like it when you do this).

Drive Facebook followers back to your shop and blog.

Facebook constantly changes it algorithms so stay up-to-date with what works.


Twitter cheat sheetBe social. Interact in other conversations. Ask questions and respond to tweets.

When replying or retweeting dont start with @ unless you only want you and the other person to see the tweet.

Post when your ideal customer is active.

Schedule tweets when necessary. I use Hootsuite.

Say the same thing more than once in different ways, because the majority of your followers wont see each tweet. Its okay to repeat yourself.

Track what people are saying about your brand on Twitter.

Promotional posts should only be a small percentage of your Twitter feed (less than 25%).

Follow people you find interesting, people you admire and people you want to connect with.

Follow your repeat customers.

Find out more about your customers by following them and listening to them on Twitter.

Do NOT ask people to follow you back. If they want to follow you, they will.

Do NOT buy followers.


set social media goalsSet specific, clear goals for each platform. What are three to five strategies youre going to use consistently for each?


plan yearly promo calendarGet a year at a glance calendar or one of the huge wall calendars to plan out your promotions over the next year.

You want to consider: when youll be launching new products and services, giving yourself and your fans time off from selling. (Include: blog topics, emails, social media plans, interviews, guest posts, speaking engagements, etc)

Youll want to include marketing efforts on current products (not just new products that you launch). A mistake lots of entrepreneurs make is that they stop marketing their products after the launch. Consider setting up marketing funnels so that prospects continue to get your content and get information on your past products that are still for sale.


Thank Youfor giving me your time!

I hope you learned a ton in this course and stay in touch. I would love to hear how you apply this information and the changes you make in your business because of what you learned.

Come over to blacksburgbelle.com and sign up for weekly email updates to get even more information on improving your creative business.

xoxo

April Bowles-Olin

april bowles-olin - create digital products that sell while you sleep workbook

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