Kristen Doyle 0:00
Hey, y’all! Ever created what you thought was an amazing digital product, but the sales just aren’t reflecting how great it is? If you’re nodding your head right now, you are definitely not alone. In today’s episode, we are diving into the five most common reasons that your digital product might not be converting and more importantly, how to fix them.
Kristen Doyle 0:23
Whether you’re selling your products on your own website or a marketplace platform, or both, these tips will help you turn more of those browsers into buyers.
Kristen Doyle 0:36
Are you a digital product or course creator, selling on platforms like teachers pay teachers, Etsy or your own website? Ready to grow your business, but not into the kind of constant hustle that leads straight to burnout? Then you’re in the right place.
Kristen Doyle 0:51
Welcome to The Savvy Seller. I’m Kristen Doyle, and I’m here to give you no fluff, tools and strategies that move the needle for your business without burning you out in the process. Things like SEO, no stress marketing, email list building, automation, and so much more. Let’s get started y’all.
Kristen Doyle 1:13
So the first issue that you might be running into is that your product presentation isn’t clear enough. See, first impressions are everything. When somebody lands on your product page, they really need to know what they are getting within seconds, because our attention spans are so slow, we’ll click that back button in a heartbeat.
Kristen Doyle 1:35
So make sure that your product is presented above the fold, that means before people start to scroll in a way that really highlights what is being offered. Now, if you’re on a marketplace platform, you might not have much control over the layout of that product listing page, so make sure you’re taking advantage of whatever is visible before people need to scroll.
Kristen Doyle 1:59
Typically, that’s going to be the title and at least one product image. So take advantage of those and make sure you’re being really clear with what people are going to get in this product, so that they’ll want to stick around and learn more. One of the biggest mistakes that I see is people assuming that buyers already understand why they need this product or what’s included.
Kristen Doyle 2:21
Remember, if they are seeing this product for the first time, they might have been searching for exactly this, or they might not really be sure what they need. So when you start presenting your product, break it down. Start with that big picture. What is this and who is it for? Make sure you are covering what problem it solves for them. And yes, every product should solve a problem, even if it’s a really small problem, and then walk them through exactly what is included.
Speaker 1 2:51
You don’t want people to have any surprises or to assume something was included that’s not because that’s just going to result in refund requests. So make sure to walk them through exactly what’s included in your product so there are no surprises or questions for them. If you can use real photos or really detailed screenshots in your product images or your product previews.
Speaker 1 3:12
I know a lot of times people worry that they might give away too much by doing this, but the truth is, you really can’t ever give away too much unless you’re letting them print the entire product for free. You want to make sure it is really obvious what people are getting, so that they feel confident making a purchase.
Speaker 1 3:31
Now, the longer your product descriptions get, you need to make it really easy to skim by including clear sections and headers. You can do this with bolded text if you’re on a platform that doesn’t allow true headings in your product descriptions, and you can use things like bulleted lists and shorter sentences to make it easier for people to skim as well.
Kristen Doyle 3:53
Little tip for you, the more expensive your product is, the more detail you’re going to need to include, and the longer your description probably needs to be. So keep that in mind when you’re creating descriptions for those bigger, more expensive products.
Kristen Doyle 4:06
So here are your fixes for that problem. First look at your product page through the eyes of a brand new buyer who has never seen this product before and doesn’t know what it is. Ask yourself if I knew nothing at all about this product, would I understand exactly what I’m getting?
Speaker 1 4:26
When you first land on the page? Ask yourself, would I understand enough to want to scroll down and learn more? Make sure as you’re writing, you’re using clear headers and bullet points to keep your text skimmable, and be sure that you’re including lots of images that show your actual product as well.
Kristen Doyle 4:43
All right, problem number two is you might not be doing enough to build trust with potential buyers. Here’s the thing about digital products that’s a little different. Buyers can’t pick them up and look at them like they would in a store. So if I go to the store to buy a blanket, I can pick it up, I can feel the fabric. I can tell how heavy it is, how soft it is, how warm it’s going to be. I can see the actual colors. But buyers can’t do this with our digital products.
Kristen Doyle 5:12
They are essentially purchasing something that they can’t see, and so that means that we have to work extra hard to build trust with them and make sure that they are confident to make a purchase. So you want to make sure that you’re showing your expertise in some subtle ways in the product description. Why should they be listening to you if you’ve got relevant background experience or some results that you can share from real customers that can go a long way.
Speaker 1 5:41
When you’re picking out testimonials to share, make sure you’re using things that are really authentic and descriptive of your product, not just those generic “This is great. I love it so much” kind of feedback, but things that are really clear. When it comes to testimonials, a lot of times, we can assume that people will click on a Reviews tab if they want to see the testimonials, but that is a big mistake.
Speaker 1 6:05
Make sure you are taking some of your best testimonials and highlighting them all over the place. You can put them into the images you create. You can add them to your product description. You can add them in your product previews, put them as many places as possible, because lots of people won’t take the time to go through those product reviews even if they do click on them. They may just look at the most recent few, and you probably have some really great reviews that they would never see. So pull those really good ones and highlight them so that people pay attention.
Speaker 1 6:39
Depending on your product, another thing that can be really helpful for building trust is creating a video, maybe a quick tutorial on how to use parts of your product, or maybe even a detailed walkthrough of the product. Will everybody watch the video? No, absolutely not. They won’t. I can tell you right now I probably wouldn’t watch the video, because I am one of those people who just doesn’t.
Speaker 1 7:01
But for people who really want to be sure that this is a good purchase, they will watch videos and they will look through them. It’s a great way to show the product, because people know that if you have created a video, you are actually showing this product. They hear your voice and all of those things. It’s a lot harder to fake the video than it is to fake some mock ups or something like that.
Speaker 1 7:25
And especially in this world of AI where almost everything can be faked, you want to make sure that you’re using as much real content as possible, real photos of your product, real videos with your voice, not ones that you made with animations and things, so that you are really just showing off the product, but also reassuring people that you’re a real person who has created a real product, and that they really are going to get the thing that they think they are.
Kristen Doyle 7:51
All right. Some tips for you on how to build trust. First of all, display those testimonials prominently throughout your product listing, you can also be really clear on how they are going to get the products. This is a lot more important on your own website than it is in a marketplace where maybe they’re already familiar, they already know how to access products.
Speaker 1 7:51
But if you’re selling on your own website, be really clear about how they’re going to get the product, how long they have access where to go to download things or to log into your platform, make sure all of those things are super clear. And if you are selling something like a course or a really big product bundle or something like that, I would encourage you to include a section about you.
Speaker 1 8:37
You really want to build some no like and trust factor by putting your face on the page, if you can, by talking about your experience and why you’re a good person to deliver this content for them or to teach them this thing in this course. So consider including an about the creator, about the author, type of section in your product listing, especially for bigger products.
Speaker 1 9:04
Problem number three is that you’re not sharing enough about the value of your product. See, people buy solutions to their problems, but they only buy them if they think they’re really valuable. So don’t just tell people what they are getting. Tell them why it matters, why it is important, and how it’s going to help them.
Kristen Doyle 9:27
See, most of the time, potential buyers are asking themselves, why should I buy this instead of just creating it myself, or instead of just Googling or watching YouTube videos, or whatever the alternative to your product or your course is. They are asking themselves, why should I buy this one instead of this free alternative? So the way to combat that objection is to really focus on the benefit and the value that your product or your course offers people.
Speaker 1 10:00
So focus on the transformation. What problem are you solving for them? How is their life, their job, their business, whatever it is, how is that going to be better after they use your product? And believe it or not, this even works for little tiny products. Little products might solve little problems, but they do solve a problem, and they do create a transformation for people. So lean into that and think about how you can show people that transformation, that change that’s going to happen for them when they use your product or buy your course.
Kristen Doyle 10:34
Think about the time and the energy they’re going to save, and clearly articulate that on your sales pages as well, and be specific about what kind of results that they can expect. For bigger products, especially if you’re selling something like a big bundle or a course, consider adding a value stack. This is where you list out everything that they are getting with a dollar amount value attached to each one, and then show them that how by purchasing it all together, through this offer, they are saving whatever amount of money that they are saving.
Speaker 1 11:07
Keep in mind, again, the higher the price point, the more you need to justify the value of your product. So this is more and more important, the bigger your products get. Make sure that you are clearly stating the problem that your product solves, you’re showing off the transformation or the end result that they’re going to get. You’re highlighting the time or the energy or frustration that they save by getting this from you instead of doing it themselves. And you’re also highlighting how yours is better than any free alternatives that might be out there.
Speaker 1 11:40
Mistake number four is using the wrong words to describe and sell your product. Let’s talk about those actual words that you’re putting in a product description or on a sales page. One of the biggest mistakes I see is people listing out the features of their product and stopping there. Features are important. They tell people what’s included. But when it really comes down to it, it’s the benefits that sell the product, not the features.
Speaker 1 12:09
Most of the time, people don’t want a certain number of pages or however many video lessons you might have. People aren’t really looking for specific numbers of features, what they’re looking for is the benefit they get out of those features. So see if you can translate every feature of your product or your offer into a benefit.
Speaker 1 12:33
When I do this, I like to list the feature first and then use a little transitional phrase to get me to the benefit, something like so that, to help you, to create whatever… Turn those features into benefits, by using a little transitional phrase, so that you really are highlighting not just what they get, but why it’s important. Before you ever start writing your product description. Think about your ideal customers, pain points.
Speaker 1 13:01
What are the things that really frustrate them that your product or your offer is going to solve? If it’s a bigger problem, think about things like, what keeps them up at night? What are those thoughts that roll around in their heads at 3am because they just can’t sleep because it’s bothering them so much, and when you start writing, make sure you’re using the language that your customers would use, those thoughts that they have, the way that they talk, not any industry jargon or fancy words.
Speaker 1 13:30
I know we all want to sound like an expert, but use the words that your people use. That way it’s easy for them to understand, and they don’t feel like you are just talking above them and trying to sound fancier and smarter than you are. When you are creating your product description, if this is a digital product that they’re going to download and use, make sure you’re including specific examples of how they’re going to use this product. Maybe include lots of options. If your product can be used in a variety of different ways, you want to highlight that, because that’s a benefit.
Kristen Doyle 14:00
So make sure you’re including those specific examples. Another thing to do is make it crystal clear who your product is for, and this is the part people don’t like to do, who it’s not for. I know it can feel a little stressful to specifically call out this isn’t for you, if, but a lot of times our refund requests and our unhappy buyers who leave bad reviews were just a bad fit for this product. It wasn’t what they needed. It didn’t fit their problem, and as a result, they’re not happy, and none of us want unhappy customers and refund requests. So just make it crystal clear who this product is for and who it’s not for. That is a really great way to keep the wrong people from making a purchase.
Kristen Doyle 14:46
And last but not least, make sure that you address any common questions or concerns that people might have, maybe in an FAQ section, if your platform allows that, or you can even just type out an FAQ section in the main product description as well. This is a really good way to make sure that people fully understand what they’re getting and that they don’t have any lingering questions where they’re thinking, Well, I would buy this if I knew that.
Speaker 1 15:14
And problem number five is you are not using social proof effectively enough. Now I know we already talked just a little bit about how important it is to put testimonials in your product listings, but social proof is like word of mouth marketing on steroids. When people who have bought your product make good comments about it and leave you good reviews and testimonials, these can go so much further in terms of getting other people to trust you and to make a purchase than you just saying how great your product is.
Speaker 1 15:50
So if you aren’t including lots of social proof on your sales pages and in your product descriptions, you should be. Now there are a handful of different types of social proof you might want to look for, and you may not have all of these for every type of product that you sell, but look for detailed testimonials that share specific results. If you ever have anyone leave you a testimonial with numbers in it, grab that screenshot, save it somewhere and use it to sell that product. You really can’t beat a testimonial where someone says this increased my sales by 50% or this increased my students test scores by 10%.
Speaker 1 16:34
Anything that gives specific numbers and shows actual data backed results is going to go so far in terms of building trust in your product or your course for whatever you are offering. Look for people who share before and after type testimonials, the ones that start with, I was really struggling with this before I bought your product or took your course, and now I’m doing this. So look for those before and afters.
Kristen Doyle 17:01
And if you have higher ticket items, things like a course or maybe a year long curriculum or something like that, think about getting together some actual case studies. See if you can get on a call or email back and forth with someone who has used your product or has taken and really implemented your course, and get some before and after information, get some of that data from them, and create some case studies for those higher ticket offers.
Kristen Doyle 17:29
Now when it comes to your social proof, I know a lot of times we want to retype the social proof because we can make it look like our websites, and that’s all fine and good. I am a fan of things looking cohesive and branded, but if you can share screenshots of real customer feedback or social media comments or messages, anytime you can share a screenshot instead of retyping something, you are going to immediately increase the amount of trust people have that this is a real review.
Speaker 1 18:01
Another thing you can do to increase that trust in your reviews is to include a picture of the person who left the review. Now, yes, we all know that you could potentially go get some stock photos of models somewhere and throw them on your page, but just having that photo really does help to build some trust if you can’t do a screenshot of the actual feedback.
Speaker 1 18:23
The key with social proof is to make it specific and relevant. Don’t just say people love this. Show exactly how it helps them. And if you’re creating a longer sales page for a bigger product, put relevant pieces of social proof with the sections of your sales page that they go with.
Kristen Doyle 18:41
So if you are talking about how your course comes with an amazing community, and you have some social proof about how much someone loves the community, put that near that same section, so that these things are all together. If you have common objections to purchasing your product or your course, look for testimonials that address those objections head on.
Kristen Doyle 19:04
People, maybe who had that same concern, and then they got in and they found a solution for it, or something like that, where people address those common objections head on. Now one of the best ways that you can do that is to create a system to gather feedback. I know most marketplaces have a review platform, but they are asking the questions there.
Kristen Doyle 19:26
So you don’t have a whole lot of control over what kind of information you get. But if you’re selling on your own website, or you’re selling something bigger, like a course or something like that, then create a system to get feedback. Maybe you create a simple feedback form that you email out to people after they’ve made a purchase, and use that to consistently generate feedback and create the questions that will help you get testimonials with those specific data points, with those objections addressed.
Kristen Doyle 19:56
Ak them point blank, what objections did you have before you bought? Bought this, and how do you feel about those things now, after you’ve bought and used or implemented what you purchased? So one more time, those specific tips for your social proof, create a system to collect feedback on a regular basis. Use screenshots of real customer messages anytime that you can pick out those testimonials that include specific results and display that social proof prominently and in lots of different places throughout the page.
Kristen Doyle 20:32
All right, y’all let’s do a quick recap of these five fixes for the most common reasons that your product might not be converting. First, make sure the presentation is crystal clear. There should be absolutely no guessing games about what’s included, and ideally, people should not have any questions left about your offer after they’ve read your sales page or your product listing.
Kristen Doyle 20:55
Second, make sure to build that trust factor, keeping in mind that they can’t pick up and hold a digital product, so you really need to show them everything that they are getting using pictures or videos, whatever is going to make sense for your product.
Kristen Doyle 21:10
Third, make sure you are clearly sharing the value proposition, showing people what the true value is for your product. This is especially important the more expensive your product is.
Kristen Doyle 21:26
Number four, get those product descriptions working harder for you by focusing on the benefits, not just the features. Use those so that statements to help you transition from the feature to the benefit.
Kristen Doyle 21:39
And then finally, put your social proof to work. Let those happy customers that you have help sell for you and help create trust in your product.
Kristen Doyle 21:49
Here’s your action step for today. Pick just one of these areas and spend maybe 15 minutes looking over your best selling products. Look at them with fresh eyes and make some notes about what you could improve. Then get out there and get those changes made.
Kristen Doyle 22:09
If you’re loving the show, don’t forget to follow on your favorite podcast app and leave a review. It really helps other digital product creators, just like you, find the show, and I really appreciate it. Talk to you soon.
