I have discussed my consulting company, ICB Consults, numerous times on here. In addition, on social media I am pretty transparent about where a majority of my business revenue comes from; the digital products I create. A few of the big things people are writing about are, how they made X amount of money in 90 days or how they make six figures. After reading, your lead to a blog post about how someone “hired a consultant or joined a membership program that changed their life”. No real insight. I have been reeled in by those several times with their bait and switch post. It intrigues me to learn how people make a living. However, today I want to really give you some insight.
In November 2014, I was making $8K a month. By December 31st 2014, I had made $15K in sales for that month alone. I’d like to share with you what I did.
Expertise
You don’t have to be a top guru in the market to be an expert. Insert whoever you thought of when I mentioned that. Every expert was once a novice. However, what is important is, that you know what you’re talking about. Be extremely knowledgeable about what you talk about, as well as, what you’re trying to sell to your audience. I prefer talking about eCommerce, payment gateways, customer acquisition (with small audiences), and building companies on small budgets. All my digital products were created out of a need.
An expert that uses social media and blogging has more creditability than someone who only uploads their products to Amazon, in hopes that they create sells. They will make sells for the most part, but, it will take more work to prove that they know what they’re talking about. Due to the lack of expertise behind their name.
Audience
ICB Consults has less than 4,000 followers on Instagram. When I made $15K last December, it was less than 3,000 followers. I am very proud to say that my audience has been built off word of mouth. This is HUGE when you really think about it. One of the best untapped resources small businesses skip over is their current supporters. They are already in your corner. Leverage them. Reward them endlessly for sharing your business with others. I have given away free consults, $100 gift cards, Starbucks gift cards, flowers, and much more. I love seeing comments that say, “this is the page I told you to follow”, “she knows her stuff”, or “you need to hire her”.
Be consistent with building your audience. You don’t need millions of followers to make millions. You need a tiered pricing strategy that works. Your audience will come, as long as, you’re doing what you’re suppose to do. My Instagram averages 20 new followers a week. Might seem small, but that’s 20 new people learning something about me. Thus, giving me the chance to turn them into loyalist.
Multiple Channels
Nobody knows you, so don’t expect to sell $10K worth of products on your site, right out the gate. Etsy has brought in a tremendous amount of traffic to my business from people who I don’t know. I love seeing people show favoritism towards my products. To then come back and buy said products. In addition, doing preorders on Gumroad has helped me connect with my audience; before products are released. Try these 13 online platforms designed to help you sell digital products. In addition, now 6 of my digital products are on Amazon, opening me up to, even more customers worldwide.
Diverse Portfolio
One of the biggest mistakes that limited me from making $10K+ sooner, was the release of my product. When I first launched, I released How To Get Started, Kick Start Your eCommerce, Branding For Success, Business Growth Planner, and SEO For Small Business; all at once. Yes, I did preorders for the eBooks, but I didn’t have a consistent product coming out. Last November, sales started increasing because I became strategic with my product releases. From November to April of this year, ICB Consults has released at least one digital product per month.
This has given my audience something new to look forward to each month. They knew either, the 1st or the 15th of the month, there would be a new product. Products range from: Getting Started in Business to Passive Income: Making Money In Your Sleep.
Pricing
I personally don’t have a huge price strategy, per se. I tell people to ask themselves what are they REALLY willing to pay for their products. That’s what the price should be at, with maybe a 15% increase added to it, depending on your audience. If the product is not worth it, trust, thousands of people will know it and you will end up losing money. I would rather be a little bit cheaper than overpriced and unable to deliver.
Building Buzz
Showcasing the behind the scenes of me designing all of the digital launch kits, step by step guides, and other business components, helped me connect with my audience. I was providing my audience with a peek into the process via social media; they could get a peek through my company’s newsletter, too. I told them exactly what the product would do for them. Highlighting benefits that were important. I even sold the first 20 product orders for .99 cents. You can barely buy any thing for .99 cents now a days.
Honesty + Transparency
I can’t harp on this point enough. People support people they trust. You build trust by being honest and transparent. If you’re only doing it to make a buck, it won’t work. People will figure you out. I wasn’t planning on writing an eBook on passive income until Krissy emailed me on the subject. I had a couple of post on here about creating digital products. I didn’t think I had another eBook in me. I was kind of stressed from creating content. I had told my audience this numerous times. They weren’t forcing me to write content. However, when I mentioned I was planning to write an eBook on how I made money while I slept, they were drawn in and ready to support. To be upfront, there was $3K worth of preorders.
Consistency
Your message and voice need to be the same on your blog, social media’s, and products. That is something I pride myself in. You’re getting Tasha no matter where you find me. I’m talking about investing in your business, being knowledgeable, and connecting. Have the same message on all of your platforms.
Community
All it takes is one person outside of you, who believes in your business and is willing to tell others. Social media’s are FREE platforms that you can build communities on. After they start engaging you on your various platforms, bring them to your website or blog. Let them know they matter. I try my hardest once a month to host an Ask Tasha Anything Q&A on Instagram. This allows me to connect with my audience and to build my community. The reason, the one person you thought about earlier when I said guru is on top, is because they have a community. They have followers who started with them that told others. They watch the videos, read the blogs, attend the workshops, and buy the products.
This is what I did to increase my passive income. However, this wasn’t just an OMG epiphany moment that happened over night. I started blogging in 2012, and in 2013, I launched my consulting company. I was putting in the work, in order to, reap the benefits. It’s possible to make 6 figures in passive income by teaching the basics. It’s very possible to also succeed with a small audience. It’s all about being strategic and knowing what you want to achieve.
Create a plan, but don’t spend all of your time planning. Get to working on what you want to put out. You can refine the products later by updating them. My first eBook design wasn’t that pretty. I have since learned along the way how to better my products.
