5 Steps to Build a Profitable Digital Planning Business
Have you thought about starting an online business selling digital products so that you can make passive income as a stay-at-home mom or a free spirit traveling the world? Starting a profitable business all from a laptop can seem too good to be true, for a lot of people, but it is possible! The key to building a digital business is to create solution-based products for a specific target market. The process of starting a business selling digital planners and similar products to organize your life and increase productivity can be broken down into five simple steps, each of which we're going to talk about in more detail in this blog post! Here's a brief overview of what we're going to consider...
Strategizing
Planning
Development
Marketing
Consistency
Now let's get started!
Creating a Strategy for Your Digital Planning Business
Building a successful business isn't done overnight. Before we even start developing products or choosing a platform to sell products on, we need to start with one simple concept - your why. Your why is the simple mission behind your business.
At The PinkInk, our mission is simple. We are here to help other busy moms and business owners simplify and start planning without clutter piling up around you. Our mantra is simple: to help aspiring designers and entrepreneurs create, launch, and market a digital planner business so that you can transform your knowledge into income and design a life you love.
Develop a mission statement for your business. Once you know your why, we can choose an ideal client avatar. The goal of a clear ICA is to help you attract and convert the right kinds of customers with your products and brand messaging - or the way you speak as you market your business. Need help choosing a niche for your digital planning business? Click here to take a quiz to uncover who you should serve!
Outline your goals. How much money do you want or need to make in your digital planning business? How many hours do you want to work? How much money are you willing to invest into the success of your business? When you know your goals, you can create a plan of action that will help you take steps that carry you closer to your goals. These five areas help you create a brand strategy that will help you take aligned action to build a profitable business selling digital products to make passive income.
Planning the Next Steps of Your Digital Planning Business
When you were creating a strategy for your brand, you created a plan of action. Now, we're going to bring that plan to life. We're going to create a list together and outline the following elements of your business:
The struggles of your ideal client - depending on the industry you choose to serve, your customers may have different struggles. For example, mothers may struggle to stay organized at home while entrepreneurs may struggle to create a high-end customer experience.
The problems your products solve - running a digital planning business, your products likely help people stay organized and increase productivity. In addition to these general solutions, what niche problems do your products solve? Do they help people develop good habits? Do they help business owners generate more income?
The kinds of products your customers need - now that you know the struggles of your ideal customer and the solution you provide, create a list of digital products that solve this problem in a unique way.
Your branding - branding is the way you market your business and establish a presence in the eyes of your target market to increase brand awareness and sell your products with a unique perspective. Your branding is made up of two parts - you and your ideal client. Make sure that your brand isn't all about you, but appeals to the people you're hoping will purchase your products.
Developing Your First Digital Products
Now that we've done all the work behind the scenes, it's time to finally create a digital product based on the research we've completed up to this point. Now that you know the kinds of products your customers need and the branding you're going to use in your digital products, you can create your first digital products with ease.
When I create a new digital product, I suggest doing these three things…
Start with a mood board of the vision you want your products to bring to life through your products and the branding you use.
Next, sketch each page and product. Creating this visual representation of your digital planner can really help you decide how you're going to organize your product.
Look for guidance to help you create your first digital planner. I have a free workshop that walks you through the 6 steps of designing a digital planner. If you'd rather start from a template, take a look at my various digital planner kits that equip you with everything you need to create a variety of digital products specifically for your niche.
Marketing Your New Online Business
Now that you've created a product suite for your digital planning business, it's time to create content that will put your products in front of your ideal client. To do this intentionally, you need a marketing strategy. Where will your ideal client be most likely to come across your brand and want to learn more? This could be Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Etsy, or elsewhere. Your marketing plan will include where you're planning on marketing your business, the kind of content you're going to produce, how you're going to engage with potential customers, and how often you're going to share content with your audience. Don't be afraid to try new things when marketing your business, you may have to try a few different places before business really starts to increase!
Consistency is Key to Success
This last step is overlooked a bit too often when it comes to starting a business. Not only do you have to be consistent in promoting your products, but you also need to be consistent when using your branding to create a cohesive experience that helps build brand recognition amongst potential and returning customers. Consistency can help to increase customer retention, meaning that the same people keep buying from you because they love the products you produce!
Consistency also means that you release new products to keep people engaged. Coming up with new products and expanding your business can be difficult and require a lot of creative thinking that we don't always have the brain space for. This is one of the main reasons why I created customizable digital planning kits for various niches. Whether you want to target mothers, entrepreneurs, teachers, or are going to start with the basics, there's a kit for you! Click below to shop our kits that come with all the guidance and promotional marketing materials you need to build a profitable digital planning business!
Creating and scaling your dream business completely virtually has never been easier, so get started today by putting these five steps into practice and investing in a digital planning kit to start creating products! If you're not sure which kit is right for you, click here to take our fun quiz to help you uncover the answer!