In many ways, selling digital assets online is more accessible than selling physical products. Since you do not have to worry about physical production or the manufacturing and shipping process, creating a digital asset is an effective way to generate a passive flow of income for your business. Digital assets are also fully scalable, making them the perfect option for small-scale companies and professional brands who want to create a reliable passive income stream.
This article will cover the steps you need to follow to start making money from digital assets.
What are digital assets?
Digital assets are essentially virtual products that can be sold on the Internet. Unlike physical products, digital products do not require physical manufacturing and shipping, making them an ideal option for most businesses to generate profit using the Internet.
For example, you can create multiple content lessons and sell them to students as a bundled online course as a one-time purchase. Similarly, you can host virtual events and create a memorable customer experience in exchange for a ticket fee.
To better understand what digital assets are, let’s go over some of the most commonly sold types of digital products on the Internet:
- Online courses. Online courses offer high-quality content that’s bundled and organized into multiple lessons. Online classes let you provide high-quality content to users and are a great way to share your expertise regarding a specific topic. For instance, you can create an online course like “Improve your productivity in 10 days”. This way, users who face issues with productivity can go through your online course and learn some new tips or skills.
- Memberships work by offering your target audience continuous value over a specific subscription period. For example, you can create a membership program called “VIP subscription” for your blog site. Users who subscribe to your membership plan must pay a monthly fee to access “members-only” or premium content on your site.
- Plugins or themes. You can create plugins and themes as a digital asset if you’re a developer. Plugins and themes work by adding more functionality or design features to a website. The most commonly used platform, WordPress, already has a vast repository of plugins and themes that are useful in various ways.
- Virtual events. Virtual events are also an excellent option for creating a digital asset that can be sold to hundreds and thousands of people online. You can sell tickets to your virtual events and host an online experience for people who buy your tickets.
Making money from digital assets
Let’s look at the five steps required to start making money from digital assets according to your brand’s unique goals and requirements.
Step #1: Research your target audience
Knowing who you will sell your digital products to is one of the most critical steps in creating a digital asset. Knowing your ideal buyer, customer, or student is crucial for creating a high-value digital asset that’s easier to sell for your business.
While you can create a digital asset suitable for all types of people, focusing on a specific group of niche customers is recommended if you want your digital product to stand out from other competitors. This way, you can cater to the needs or problems of your target audience rather than trying to make your digital product more appealing to everyone. The more you facilitate your target audience, the higher the chance your business makes more sales by providing solutions that people are actively looking for.
A COMPLETE STEP-BY-STEP CHEATSHEET
TO CREATING, LAUNCHING & GROWING A SUCCESSFUL MEMBERSHIP WEBSITE
When researching your target audience, remember a couple of questions to help you identify the ideal buyer for your digital asset. For starters, you need to know the benefits your digital product will provide your target audience or the pain points your product will help them with. Similarly, you also need to consider the demographic of your target audience and how much they will be willing to pay for a solution similar to the one you’re offering.
Asking these essential questions when researching your target audience can help you find the right customers for your digital product. This also means you don’t have to worry about whether your target audience will purchase your product, so you can divert all your focus on creating the best possible digital asset.
Step #2: Evaluate business goals
Once you have a solid understanding of the people you want to sell your digital asset to, you must figure out the type of digital asset your business wants to create. Whether it’s creating an online course or starting a membership program, you need to decide on a digital asset that best works for achieving your business goals.
For instance, if you have a team of expert content creators, setting up an online course or membership content is a great way to utilize your brand’s capabilities. Similarly, if you have tons of live streaming and video equipment already purchased, hosting virtual events or live webinars might be the ideal digital asset option for your business.
You also need to think about whether the digital product you can create easily helps achieve your brand’s major goals or not. If you want to create a sense of community around your brand, setting up a membership program might be the way to go. But if you want to share your knowledge on a specific topic, selling online courses is the better option for your business.
You need to use your skills and abilities to create a solution that helps with your target audience’s major pain points. This is crucial for the success of your digital asset and enables you to offer more value to your target audience and prospective customers.
Step #3: Choose a solid platform or software
Depending on the type of digital asset you’ve decided to create, you will need to ensure you have the right software or platform. For example, if you want to create online courses or start your membership program, you must use a dedicated platform like LearnDash or LifterLMS and host it on your WordPress site.
Using WordPress has many benefits as it’s a free-to-use CMS that comes with a wide range of customization features and gives you many options for extending your site’s functionality using WordPress plugins and themes. WordPress’s best part is that it lets you create any website, whether it’s for hosting live events or selling online courses, even if you’re not tech-savvy or have prior experience with coding.
In addition, you also need to consider the additional equipment you will need to create your digital asset. For instance, to record video lessons for your online course, you must set up a tripod, camera, and microphone to create content. Ideally, you want everything in place before moving on to the digital asset creation process to ensure smooth workflows for your business.
Step #4: Decide on a pricing structure
Once you have created your digital asset, it’s time to choose a profitable pricing structure for your business. While it’s best to fairly price your digital product for its worth, you still need to have a solid business model to increase your brand’s chances of making a profit.
For example, you can create a recurring payment model for your digital product to generate a steady income stream for your business. This also depends on the type of digital asset you’re selling to your target audience. For instance, you can set up a monthly fee for accessing premium membership content on your site, but it isn’t easy to price a live webinar event this way.
You can also make a decent profit by using a pre-sell business model for your digital asset. This way, you can charge people excited or willing to pay for your digital asset before you launch the product. However, this approach works best for digital assets like online courses or events.
Step #5: Launch your digital product
Now, when it’s time to launch your digital asset officially, there are a few things you want to keep in mind to boost sales and profitability for your business.
Listening closely to customer feedback is one of the first and most important things. This way, you can better understand how well your digital asset works for your target audience and whether it is helping them with their major pain points. Listening to customer feedback also helps enhance the customer experience and encourages your target audience to recommend the digital asset to others.
You also want to keep a vital check on the analytics of your digital asset. This can help businesses better understand improvements that can be made to boost profits, increase sales, and enhance the user experience to promote brand loyalty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What are digital assets?
A: Digital assets are any content, media, or data that exists in digital form. This includes ebooks, PDFs, digital artwork, music, videos, NFTs, and more.
Q: How can I make money from digital assets?
A: There are various ways to make money from digital assets, including selling digital products, creating and selling NFTs, offering digital content for download, and participating in the metaverse economy.
Q: What are the 5 steps to make money from digital assets?
A: The 5 steps to make money from digital assets include creating digital content, building a digital presence, utilizing digital asset management, exploring ways to make money online, and leveraging proven strategies to monetize digital goods.
Q: Is it possible to make real money from digital assets?
A: Yes, making real money from digital assets is possible. Many entrepreneurs and individuals have successfully generated income by selling digital products, NFTs, and other digital content.
Q: Can you provide examples of digital assets?
A: Examples of digital assets include ebooks, digital artwork, PDF guides, music files, videos, NFTs, and other digital goods that can be created and sold.
Q: What are some proven strategies for making money from digital assets?
A: Proven strategies for making money from digital assets include participating in digital marketplaces, building a solid online presence, leveraging the metaverse economy, and utilizing platforms like Gumroad, LinkedIn, and more.
Q: How do I sell digital products?
A: To sell digital products, you must create and showcase your digital goods on online platforms or marketplaces. Utilize e-commerce tools and digital asset management to sell and distribute your products effectively.
Q: What are some ways to make money within the metaverse?
A: Within the metaverse, you can make money by creating and selling digital assets, providing virtual services, participating in virtual events, and engaging in virtual commerce and entrepreneurship.
Q: How can digital asset management help me make money?
A: Digital asset management allows you to effectively organize, distribute, and monetize your digital assets. It enables you to streamline selling and managing your digital products.
Q: Are NFTs a viable option for making money from digital assets?
A: Yes, NFTs (non-fungible tokens) have emerged as a popular way to make money from digital assets. They represent ownership of unique digital items and are traded on blockchain platforms, offering the potential for earning significant income
Conclusion
Digital assets present a better opportunity for businesses to create a passive income stream without worrying about a product’s physical manufacturing or shipping process. They are not only easier to develop and sell but also have lower overhead costs involved.
Check out our 5 Most Profitable Digital Products to Sell Online roundup for ideas and inspiration.
What are some digital assets you want to start making money with? Let us know in the comments box below.
