When you think about the ways most new businesses operate, there’s a standard way of doing things. Startups will have their idea, design a product, sell it, and then look into activities such as blog creation to market their product. But, what if you mixed things up a little and did it the opposite way around?
Think about it: if you’re a successful blog owner, you already have a responsive audience. That gives you a much bigger advantage over a product or service idea that comes from nowhere. As long as the product you sell is linked somehow to the industry you deal with, you could be onto a winner. In today’s guide, we’re going to talk you through everything you need to do.
Starting out
There are plenty of options for you regarding monetizing your blog in a better way. You could design a new product from scratch that fulfills a need for your audience. Look at what they are saying, find out what’s missing from their lives, and design something that gives them what they need.
It could be a physical product that you manufacture – if so, it’s worth finding out a little more about the process. Scientific molding training, for example, could help you learn how to minimize your costs. Or, if you are designing a software product, why not get your audience on board at the early stages? If it meets their needs, most will be happy to be early adopters and help you tweak things so that you get them right.
Launching
Once your product is refined and ready, it is time to launch. Again, you can use your audience to help you here. You could give them early access, for example, on the condition that they like and share it on their social networks. It’s all about building a buzz, and if your network has been integral to testing, most will be happy to make a noise about the product.
You could also host a special launch event. If your target audience is localized, we would recommend holding a live event, but you could do an online version, too. There is plenty of great advice on how to do that over at MasterNewMedia. Check it out and see if you can incorporate any of the ideas into your product launch.
Ongoing marketing
Even if you have had a great start and shifted tons of product, you can’t afford to rest on your laurels. If you get your marketing right, you have a great opportunity to turn your simple product idea into a viable business proposition. Start by creating some case studies about how your product has helped your customers. Use concrete facts, rather than wishy-washy ideas, and you will prove your product’s worth.
Your next step is to think about add-on products. Is there anything you could create that would supplement your initial offer? Let’s say you have written an e-book -does it cover everything or is it just the basics? If it’s the latter, you could consider writing follow-ups for intermediate and expert levels. That’s just a simple example, but in essence, this is how you can start building up your brand.
Do you sell your own products from your blog? Let us know about them in the comments section below.