16 successful creators discuss how to make
Starting your first online business? Discover how to get your first sale from business owners who've had to go through this and are now sharing their secrets.
We've put their tips into six easy, digestible advice, so whether you're having trouble selling your first item or an experienced creator seeking some inspiration, here's what people who've been there and done that have to say.
1. Get to know your customers
"Sales are easier when you understand who exactly you're selling to.
When I launched my ebook, The Swap I had the urge to address the decluttering needs of every person with a closet, but my language was broad unclear, confusing, and meant for no one.
When that customer became specific -- someone who conceptually loved KonMari but couldn't practically get on board -- I was able to surpass my secret, it'll-probably-never-happen goal.
The point? Know. Your. Customer."
- Kendra Adachi, The Lazy Genius Collective
To make your first sale, you need to know what the audience is looking for.
To find out the needs of your target audience, you need to learn more about them.
76% of clients believe that companies should be able to meet their needs and expectations however, more than a quarter don't believe that companies are keeping their best interests in your mind.
There are many companies that miss their standard, showing your customers that you understand and care about them makes your company stand out from competitors.
Customer research is the place where it is where it comes in.
The process of conducting customer research is to gather the most information possible about your target market, so you can create an experience for customers that makes people feel appreciated and respected.
One of our most popular customer research techniques is review mining. Utilize a search engine like Amazon to discover additional products that are targeted to your intended audience. Then, read the reviews. These product reviews offer qualitative insights into your customers' requirements and wants.
Imagine you want to sell an online course in songwriting for novices. You can do a search for "songwriting for beginners" on Amazon and then go through the reviews of books like "The Art of Songwriting :
Based on these reviews it is clear that aspiring songwriters value insightful, actionable tips for songwriting, with a focus on music and lyrics. You can use these insights when building and marketing your course to make sure it meets your audience's needs.
If you want to learn from your audience directly, surveys are another excellent customer research tool. Here's why:
Surveys show your audience that you value their feedback.
They provide first-hand insights that none other type of research can.
Surveys allow you to gauge the demand for your product.
companies that focus on collecting customer feedback see higher customer retention rates .
The ability to collect feedback from prospective clients can assist in avoiding the number one reason that startups fail their products and services aren't innovative or innovative to the market.
It's not difficult to believe that we know the needs of our customers. It was the case for John D Saunders when he first launched his course. A new entrepreneur, and creator of courses the course creator, he figured out what his customers wanted.
Don't be afraid to ask your customers what they want. Tiffany Williams, the founder of Rich Girl Collective discovered what kinds of customers and products they wanted to see from them simply by asking them directly -- and listening.
"I just ask my audience to tell me what they would like, what they want to learn and, if the answer is something that I have completed, and that I have had success with, then I teach it to them," she says.
One more thing before we get to our next suggestion: Getting familiar with your clients shouldn't be stopped after making their first purchase.
In other words, show your customers that you value their loyalty long after your first dollars with you. It can be a significant contribution to your profit:
52% customers go the extra mile to shop at the brands they trust.
Return customers have nearly nine-times more likely to purchase as compared to a customer who has never been before.
It may cost more than seven times more to get a new customer than retain the one you already have.
If you are able to treat them with respect Your first clients will be your best advocates and, most importantly, they will be eager to explain why.
Naturally, word-of mouth (WOM) doesn't have to be the sole tool needed to make your first sale. It's important to clean up all of your tools as well.
#2: Get the best use of your advertising
"Having the largest social network followers? Sure, that's cool.
Do you have a large number of YouTube subscribers? Great.
But the platform I focus on when it comes to marketing is email. When it comes to email funnels, sequences and even emails I believe there is a huge benefit because this is only one more step towards saying that they're truly interested in what it is that I can sell or provide."
-- Sef Chang House of Royalties
Small-business owners is responsible for 4.2 positions that you can assume, and when first starting out, "marketer" is definitely among them.
Starting from the Google AdWords to search engine optimization (SEO) The options are endless. From Google AdWords to SEO, there's a ton of different ways for you to market your company. For Sef (and almost every other creator we speak to -- marketing via email is among the most effective ways to reach your clients and to sell more of your products.
Statistics confirm thatemail marketing can generate the potential to earn $42 for each $1 spend .
(That return on investment can be more if you employ an all-in-one tool like .
For the best results from email marketing, it is essential to build your email list.
As an example, Sef offers subscribers an unrestricted list of inventor-friendly companies accepting new product ideas. Sef's target audience is those who are looking to find out more about product licensing, so that list is an invaluable resource.
"I had my first sale because people follow my work and download my animation tools. So my advice would be to offer free assistance and advice to the community which you're part of, prior to when you even start offering your product to sell."
- Sander van Dijk, Regulus
Consider your lead magnets as a no-cost sample of your digital product or content for your course. Give your audience an idea of who you're and the things they could learn from you.
Other strategies and tools that you could add to your toolbox include:
If you've got an advertising budget, influencer partnerships and paid social media ads can broaden the reach of your campaign.
Building a presence among your followers' most popular social media platforms helps you to build a following as well as showcase your expertise.
The last part is about how Min Liu drives online course sales.
The most important thing I was able to do was start My own channel on YouTube called The Art of Verbal War for the purpose of building an fan base. I created short video clips on my topic (verbal capabilities) and linked my videos on my website to capture subscriber emails.
Now, I have a substantial email list to create my courses at any time I'd like, but mostly just to share details and provide the value (which is much more important than simply selling your followers). As of today, YouTube is my primary marketing channel to promote my courses."
- Min Liu, The Art of Verbal War
All in all Your marketing plan will reflect what is most effective for you, your business, and your customers. You may not be successful on the first go-around -- but that's not always good, but it is exactly what our next section will cover.
3. Be open to trying new things
"Experiment! It's difficult to figure out how to market online, and each group of possible clients is different. Therefore, you'll need to test to determine what works (and the ones that aren't).
I've found that posting to my blog, and then seeing blog posts being repeated and shared by others with an opt-in feature to my blog is a fantastic method to get started.
I've paid for advertisements through Facebook, Quora, and Reddit, but with very only a few result. I've started an YouTube channel, and began publishing content on it, with satisfactory results.
When you're doing anything, consider, measure and tweak the methods you employ to enhance them. There's no one panacea here!"
- Reuven Lerner, Reuven Lerner's Python Courses
It's not necessary to perform all things perfectly the first time you introduce a brand new product, or at all.
But trying new things and being willing to make mistakes and then learn from them is a vital part of the journey to becoming an entrepreneur.
The Startup Curve , coined by Y Combinator founder Paul Graham Failure is a standard phase that occurs just before your company starts heading upward toward expansion and scaling.
"I consider the most important thing we need to do is look upon previous mistakes and failures and also gather information we can then use for feeding what we're doing now."
To let go of some aspects of your perfectionist mindset, attempt to accept the concept that psychologist Carol Dweck calls the "growth mindset". A growing attitude can help you accept the challenges, conquer them, and gain through challenges, focusing on constant learning, not focusing on perfectionism.
So, give yourself permission to try new things when your company growsJust make sure that you be accountable for yourself along the process.
#4: Be accountable to yourself
"To to be accountable To be accountable, I informed my friends that I'd launch my project in 30 days. And they sent me an email every day with D-15, D-14 within it.
Peer pressure worked great for me!"
-- Alexis Santin
One way to hold yourself accountable is by pre-selling your digital products, as the marketing expert and creator Val Geisler recommends.
"Sell it before it's built!
If you can think about the outline, draw out the course's content and sketch out what's to come You can probably sell the course to your inner circle before you even create the course.
It's a great motivation to create the course, and you have a little money in your bank account to help the course you're creating."
- Val Geisler, Your Signature Experience
John's tweet explains how he uses the pre-sales method:
John asks his audience to fill in a landing page and pay $7 if they're interested in enrolling in his new course. Participants who pay the $7 will receive 50-60% off the course on launch day and John will charge the rest of the fee.
"I am beginning to think about the idea that we were actually building our own business prisons, where we basically set up a framework in our lives. The only possible outcome was inefficiency and fatigue since we'ren't doing our best to take care of our own needs."
"Even when you aren't aware of that you have a whole host of limiting assumptions that cause you to self-sabotage and stay within your familiar zone. Make a commitment to yourself(and your belief in yourself) and things is going to change. "
Successful entrepreneurs like Becky and Minessa are able to offer these tips to give because they've been your shoes. This experience is what makes them the perfect resource for novice creators to take lessons from. Which is, not incidentally, the next thing we'll talk about.
#5 5. Learn from each other
"Whatever you're looking to accomplish -- whether writing blogs, making items, or creating a list Begin by following the people who do this very well. All you have to do has been done by many people already, and you can read about what they accomplished by visiting their websites.
It may sound obvious, but emulate the success of. It seems that a lot of us waste a lot of our time trying to reinvent the wheel and thinking that it is imperative to conduct everything with a grand, distinctive method.
The great thing about the internet is that there are a lot of instances of all the things you require to know right at hand."
-- David Cain, Camp Calm
Whatever you're doing or trying do, do,"learn from the very best" is a great way to start. This is why platforms like MasterClass -- it's a series of online courses that are taught by"the most brilliant minds in the world," that range from Neil DeGrasse Tyson to Margaret Atwoodthat they're so well-known.
If you're considering setting up and managing a company, there's no shortage of advice and resources out in the world. However, the most effective guidance comes from the voices that have experience -- the ones who've been there done that, and know they can help you also.
There are countless groups out that allow new creatives and entrepreneurs to get connected with others, from no-cost Facebook groups to exclusive mastermind group.
Brit Kolo, creator of Marketing Personalities , said that being part of a mastermind group is one of the most profitable investments she's made in her business.
"Business development is just the start of my amazing effects ... I've also grown as a person an entrepreneur, leader, and as a CEO. Other business owners from my mastermind group are now lifelong friends, and I do not say that lightly."
A research study of remote working by Buffer shows that the top two struggles when working from home include collaboration and communication, and loneliness. Both are obstacles which joining the appropriate online community can help you overcome.
MegaMaker is a social network for developers and designers with a desire to " want more than a regular 9-5 ". The community connects individuals with similar interests, which means they are able to form alliances with each other, get advice from one another, and learn from each other -- just like David Cain recommends.
To get maximum benefit from these membership communities, you need to offer your whole self at the table, and also be honest about your experiences and obstacles. To make your first (and third, and even 100th) sales, you have to be the same for your clients, too.
#6: Be who you are.
"Be yourself. You can tell if you are a fake.
Find your niche and your distinct voice within the context of. There is no one who can articulate the things that need to be stated exactly the way you can."
- Katie Orr, Bible Study Hub Shop
Customers don't expect or want or.
They seek authenticity and quality. 86% of consumers claim authenticity is the most important element when they decide on which companies they trust and like.
The bulk of your value lies in your personal experience and perspective.
Few people know that better than Minessa Konecky.
"Stop and try as the person you believe your customers would like to see you as.
We want authenticity so when we purchase from a boutique business owner, we aren't just buying a product, we're buying a point of view.
If your prospects don't know about who you are and what you stand for, no amount of photoshopped photos and perfectly crafted posts will convert them. You're free to express yourself fully with all the flaws. They'll love you for it."
- Minessa Konecky, Director to Success
By bringing her full self in her job, Minessa built a successful business that assists others.
It's win-win.
The end of the day, your own unique perspectives and experiences can help to connect with your clients -- not an attractive website or well-crafted content.
Simply show up in the way you are -- that's all it takes.
Make your first sale and grow a successful business
If you're brand new to the world of online business or are just starting to launch a brand new service, the process from an idea of a product the initial sale could be full of bumps and valleys.
Drawing on the experience of successful creators 16 years old and up Here are six suggestions to assist you on the bumpy path:
Learn as much as you can about your customers. Research your customer and speak directly with them and, most likely, they'll be more than happy to provide feedback to you.
Choose the channels for marketing which work best for your business and run with them. Marketing via email is an excellent place to start, and lead magnets are an effective way to increase your reach.
Be open to experimentation, iteration and failing. It's okay not to get things perfect the first time In fact, it's part the process.
Be accountable to yourself, both at home and outwardly. Making sure you are selling your product in advance helps you stay on path to achieving your goals stopping self-sabotaging behavior ensures you're on the right track to success.
Take lessons from leaders and your peers in your industry. Join communities that will not just provide you with new knowledge, but also provide support, too.
Do what you do best. Your clients want acquainted with you as well Your experiences add an added value and perspective to your work.
So, go out and get that deal. We're cheering you on.