Launching a new digital product like an ebook, online course, membership site, or software is an exciting milestone. But your work isn’t done once you hit publish. The next critical step is to actually promote your digital products so you can attract paying customers.
Promoting and marketing digital products comes with unique opportunities and challenges. Unlike physical products, you don’t have to worry about warehousing, shipping, or manufacturing costs. But you have an intangible product that customers can’t see, touch or hold before purchasing. That’s why you have to implement effective promotion strategies to demonstrate value, establish trust, and convert prospective buyers.
In this comprehensive guide to marketing digital products, we’ll show you how to promote your digital products with 10 proven and effective methods. Let’s dive in!
Disclosure: Bear in mind that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
Content Marketing
Content marketing is a must for promoting any business, but it’s especially important for digital products. Your content is what will attract an interested audience for your niche and products in the first place.
Create Valuable Content
Develop a content strategy focused on topics your target audience cares about. Answer the questions they have when it comes to your niche or products. Identify keywords to optimize around. Craft blog posts, guides, and videos that provide solutions and value. Entice readers with helpful, informative content that builds trust.
Promote Your Content Extensively
Creating amazing content is only the first step – you need to promote it heavily to get it found. Share your content across all your social channels, email lists, paid ads, and anywhere your audience hangs out online. Make content creation and promotion a consistent habit, not a one-off effort.
Repurpose Your Content
Don’t just publish a written blog then forget it. Get more leverage by repurposing content into new formats like micro-content for social media, short videos, podcast interviews, and more. Adapt the content into briefing decks, downloadable guides, or videos. Repurposing content will help to extend your reach and visibility.
Include Clear Calls-to-Action
Convert readers into customers by including relevant calls-to-action in your content. For example, at the end of a tutorial add a CTA to check out your product for executing the tactics covered. Or insert a download link for a related resource. Give readers a clear pathway to your offerings.
Read more: What is Content Marketing? A Simple Guide
Use Social Media to Promote Your Products
Social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest are extremely effective for directly showcasing your digital products to interested buyers
Create Visually Appealing Social Media Posts
One of the best ways to showcase your digital products on social media is by creating eye-catching and informative visual posts.
- Use high-quality photos, graphics, or short video clips that highlight the main benefits, features or value of your offering.
- Include some branding elements but keep the focus on how your product can help the viewer.
- Compelling copy and captions are equally important for context and a clear call to action.
Engage Your Niche Community
Simply broadcasting promotional posts won’t be very effective. You need to actually engage your target audience on social platforms. Post fun polls, ask engaging questions, share user-generated content, and respond to comments.
Build personal connections with followers and position yourself as a trusted voice within your niche community. This helps establish brand loyalty and authority.
Run Contests and Giveaways
Contests, sweepstakes and giveaways are a proven way to quickly boost visibility and engagement on social media.
Offer prizes like free access to one of your products for a limited time. To enter, require participants to follow you, share the post, or tag a few friends. This can expand your reach to new audiences. Just make the entry requirements relevant and simple.
Promote your contests through paid ads for maximum impact.
Use Relevant Hashtags
Join larger conversations on social media by using relevant hashtags. For example, if you have a fitness app, use hashtags like #fitness, #workout, #fitnessmotivation.
This allows your content to appear when people search for those popular keywords. You can also participate in hashtag holidays like #WorkoutWednesday.
Just ensure the hashtags you use are closely related to your niche and content.
Optimize for Organic Search Traffic
Many potential buyers will find your products through search engines like Google. That’s why search engine optimization (SEO) should be a core part of your digital product promotion strategy.
Conduct Keyword Research
The foundation of a successful SEO strategy is understanding what your audience is searching for. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest to identify high-traffic keywords and related long-tail phrases that prospective customers use when searching for products like yours.
Look for questions people ask as well. Optimizing content for these searches can boost organic visibility.
Create Helpful Blog Content
One of the top SEO strategies is consistently publishing blog posts and guides around topics in your niche. For example, if you have a meal planning app, create blog posts like “How to Meal Prep for the Week” or “Easy Dinner Recipes for Families”.
Incorporate keywords in titles, subtitles, body text, image names, etc. Promote this content across channels to maximize views.
Optimize Product Pages and Descriptions
Not just your blog, but every page on your site presents an SEO opportunity. Ensure that key product pages are optimized with relevant keywords in titles, URLs, image alt text, page content, meta descriptions and more.
The goal is to help search engines understand your offerings so you rank for searches.
Build Quality Backlinks
The more reputable external sites that link back to your content and products, the more authority search engines give your domain.
Reach out to similar businesses to exchange backlinks through guest posts, interviews, lists and more.
Create content that earns natural backlinks by getting shares and mentions.
But focus on quality over quantity when building links. Your goal should be to get backlinks from sites that are reputable and relevant to your niche.
Email Marketing Strategies
Email marketing and promotions are a low-cost, effective way to sell to warm leads who already know your brand.
Offer Lead Magnets in Exchange for Emails
A lead magnet is a piece of free, valuable content that you offer in exchange for an email address. For example, you can have an informative guide, template, or checklist available for download.
Promote your magnet across channels and require an email sign-up to access it. This helps you build a substantial subscriber list.
Segment Your Email List
You’ll need to segment subscribers based on interests, purchase history, demographics, and more. This allows you to send targeted emails that are highly relevant instead of blanket blasts.
For example, segment by customers who purchased Product A vs Product B. Or group subscribers by geography.
Personalized emails have much higher open and click-through rates.
Promote New Product Launches
When you release a brand new digital product or course, an email promotion should be part of your launch strategy.
Announce the new offering in your regular newsletter, or send a dedicated email specifically promoting the launch to engaged segments of your list. This is an easy way to sell to warm leads.
Create Post-Purchase Email Sequences
Setting up automated post-purchase email sequences is crucial for onboarding customers and increasing retention.
For example, immediately after a purchase, send instructions for accessing the product. Follow up with tips for getting the most value. Ask for a review. Offer related bundles.
Well-timed, personalized sequences provide immense value.
Influencer Marketing for Digital Products
Influencer marketing provides tremendous credibility to help you sell your digital products.
Research and Reach Out to Relevant Influencers
The first step is identifying influencers in your niche who align closely with your target audience and products. Look at the engagement levels and types of content they produce. Reach out and explain why you think they’d be a great fit to partner with. Provide links to your products and content.
Be clear on potential partnership terms and offerings.
Offer Complimentary Products
One of the best ways to get influencers on board is by offering free access to your products in exchange for reviews, mentions, and other promotional content. This low-risk opportunity allows them to experience your offerings firsthand before endorsing. Just make sure your product quality is high.
You could also invite them to join your affiliate program so that they earn commissions when someone buys your product through their affiliate links.
Develop Ongoing Relationships
A one-off sponsored post has some value, but you want to develop ongoing relationships with influencers. Brainstorm creative ways you can continue collaborating on content campaigns, social posts, or product reviews. Keep communicating regularly with new opportunities that benefit both sides.
Track Performance and Optimize
Use UTM parameters or unique discount codes to track sales and traffic from each influencer partnership. Pay attention to which influencers drive the highest quality results relevant to your goals.
Then double down on partnerships with those influencers and adjust your offers and tactics accordingly to maximize ROI.
Run Paid Ads to Reach New Audiences
While organic reach is ideal, paid advertising can help expose your products to massive new audiences at scale.
Target Interests on Facebook and Instagram
Facebook and Instagram ads allow you to get your digital products in front of large targeted audiences who likely don’t know your brand yet.
Use detailed interest, behaviors, and demographic filters to target your ads to people more likely to be interested in your offers. Tailor ad creatives, messaging and calls-to-action to resonate with each audience.
Test and Iterate for Optimization
Don’t stick with a single ad creative or campaign structure. Continuously test different images, videos, captions, and post types to see what content and messaging performs best. Try different CTAs or landing page options. Split test critical elements and scale up the highest converting variants. Refine campaign targeting over time too.
Retarget Engaged Visitors
Use the Facebook pixel to track people who interact with your ads or visit your website. Then create lookalike audiences and customized remarketing campaigns to re-engage warm leads.
For example, target those who watched a video but didn’t purchase with a limited-time discount offer.
Track Conversions and Optimize
Install tracking like UTMs or custom conversion pixels on your website. This allows you to accurately measure results from paid ads, especially important actions like purchases or email signups.
Review reporting frequently and reallocate ad spend towards channels, creatives and audiences driving conversions.
Online Communities and Forums
Most niches have dedicated online forums, communities or groups. These are a great way to connect and interact with your target audience, especially when you haven’t yet grown your own following.
Join Relevant Group Conversations
Search for active online communities in platforms like Reddit, Quora, or Facebook Groups. Make sure they’re relevant to your niche. Spend time listening and understanding member interests before participating. Offer a helpful perspective when joining conversations organically. Get a feel for community guidelines before sharing any promotion.
Provide Genuine Value
Don’t oversell or blast promotions constantly. Establish yourself as a thought leader by providing valuable insights and assisting other members. For example, thoroughly answer common questions people are asking. Share your expertise through advice and recommendations. This builds trust and authority.
Share Your Offerings When Relevant
Once you’re an established member, politely share links to your products or content when highly relevant to discussions. For example, if someone asks for tips on meal planning, share a link to your related video guide. Just avoid coming across as spammy or self-promotional.
Sponsor Community Contests
Contact group moderators about sponsoring fun contests like photo challenges or caption contests with a prize relevant to the niche. For example, for a makeup group provide gift cards to a beauty retailer. This engages members while subtly promoting your brand.
Affiliate Programs
Affiliate marketing is a win-win promotion tactic that pays others to help sell your products.
Set Up an Affiliate Program
An affiliate program pays others commissions for promoting your products. Most online course platforms make it easy to set up your program. Thrivecart is popular for being a great affiliate management software (in addition to hosting your courses and checkout pages). You can recruit influencers, partners, or anyone to join your program as an affiliate.
Offer Competitive Commissions
To get affiliates on board, you need to offer competitive commission rates and structures. Typically this is a percentage of a sale or a set reward for specific actions like generating a lead. Make sure that your affiliate program policies are clear, such as cookies duration, payment methods, minimum payouts, etc.
Provide Promotional Assets
Give your affiliates all the tools they need to easily promote your products. This includes banner ads, text links, product images, and relevant promo copy. Create personalized affiliate portals they can access. Having lots of creative assets will encourage them to promote your products more.
Build Strong Affiliate Relationships
Affiliates are a business partnership, not a transaction. Communicate frequently with top affiliates. Ask for feedback on the program and products. Run special incentives or contests just for them. Promote your best affiliates. Strong relationships drive better long-term performance.
Bundles and Summits
Bundles, summits, and giveaways are a great way to grow your audience fast without paying for ads.
Participate in Bundle Deals
Collaborating on bundle deals or giveaways with other creators is an easy promotion tactic. Reach out to other digital product sellers with an aligned audience and cross-promote your offerings in a joint bundle package. This instantly expands your reach while increasing average order value.
Host Free Online Summits
Position yourself as an industry leader by hosting free virtual events like summits or challenge series. Recruit other respected experts in your niche to lead classes and attract their audiences. Promote your own products where relevant. Use the event to collect emails and build your list.
Speak at Other Summits
Along with hosting your own event, look for opportunities to speak or teach a class at online summits in your niche hosted by others. Look for ones aligned to your products and target audience. Speaking establishes credibility and lets you promote your offerings to engaged attendees.
Guest Posting and Appearances
Guest posting and appearances positions you as an expert to other people’s audiences. It’s also a great way to get backlinks to your website.
Reach Out to Relevant Sites and Shows
Build a list of blogs, podcasts, publications, and other sites your audience follows. Send personalized pitches offering to create a high-quality guest post, or appear as an expert source for an article or interview. Make it appealing by discussing promotion opportunities and audience overlap.
You can also call for collaboration opportunities in Facebook groups and other online forums.
Promote While Providing Value
When writing posts or appearing on shows, focus on sharing quality insights and expertise instead of overt self-promotion. Briefly discuss your relevant experience and offerings when appropriate, linking back to your website or products. Find the right balance between providing value and promotion.
Secure Backlinks Where Possible
When contributing guest posts, request they include backlinks pointing to relevant pages on your own website to earn valuable SEO juice. Negotiate with site editors if needed. For podcasts and interviews, ensure your website, social handles and products are mentioned verbally.
Frequently Asked Questions about How to Promote Your Digital Products
Launching a new digital product takes a lot of work – from product creation to technology setup. But knowing how to effectively market and promote your offer is equally important for attracting an audience and making sales. Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about digital product marketing:
What are the most effective strategies for marketing an ebook or online course?
Some top tactics include social media marketing through visual content, influencer partnerships, SEO optimization, running paid ads, email promotions, and affiliate marketing. Creating valuable content like blog posts and guides to engage your audience is also key.
How can I promote my SaaS product or online service effectively?
Consider a content marketing strategy, email nurturing campaigns, social media engagement, targeted paid ads, joining relevant communities and forums, pitching to reporters to earn media coverage, sponsoring events or podcasts, and leveraging existing customer testimonials.
What does a typical product launch marketing plan look like?
A launch plan may include creating excitement through “coming soon” pages, pre-launch content and countdown posts on social media, special promotions for early buyers, reaching out to affiliates and influencers, hosting a launch webinar, and coordinating PR and ads to coincide with the launch.
How do I determine the right marketing budget for my digital products?
Consider factors like your profit margins, customer lifetime value, conversion rates, and existing assets/audience reach. Typical budget ranges are 10-30% of estimated product revenue. Test different spends and measure ROI across channels to optimize budget allocations.
When should I start marketing a new product before launch?
Begin laying the groundwork 1-2 months pre-launch. Start building email lists, creating teasers and leaks, securing affiliate and influencer promotions, optimizing sales pages and tech, and drafting launch content. Build genuine buzz and interest right before going live.
Wrapping it up
Now that you know how to promote your digital products, you can start marketing your product and building your audience of buyers.
You’ll go further if you combine your top marketing methods, rather than relying on just one strategy. For instance, if you use SEO to drive website traffic, use a tool like Convertbox to get them to make a purchase or join your email list. Invite your email subscribers to join your Facebook group, etc.
Don’t try the 10 ways to promote your digital products all at once. Pick 1 – 3 methods and try them for a few months to see which works best for you.
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Disclosure: Bear in mind that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.