166: What If Business Got to Be SIMPLE?
Welcome to a special edition of our podcast! I'm excited to share an episode that originally aired on the Simple Marketing Podcast hosted by Tish Collins, where I had the honor of returning as a guest.
In this conversation, we dive deep into simplifying digital product businesses. I discuss how I've structured all three of my brands to create sustainable revenue streams without being chained to my desk or constantly navigating the ever-changing social media algorithms.
We talk about these businesses, including my work with HobbyScool and my personalized coaching methods using tools like Voxer. This episode is packed with actionable advice for anyone looking to simplify their business operations while maximizing their freedom and flexibility.
Join Tish and I as we share our strategic approaches to digital products, offering tools and inspiration to help you simplify your own business.
Mentioned In This Episode:
Simplifying Digital Product Businesses
Today, I’m sharing a really engaging discussion from the Simple Marketing Podcast hosted by Tish Collins, where I had the pleasure of being a guest once again. We dove deep into the topic of digital product businesses—a field I’m really passionate about.
Structuring Sustainable Digital Product Businesses
1. Automation and System Integration
The backbone of any successful digital product business is its ability to operate on autopilot. Automation tools and software are essential in managing repetitive tasks such as email marketing, customer onboarding, and sales funnels. For instance, by setting up automated email sequences, businesses can nurture leads and convert them into customers without manual intervention.
In the podcast, I share how leveraging tools like Voxer for coaching has revolutionized my interaction with clients. Voxer, a walkie-talkie-like app, allows asynchronous voice and text communication, making it easier for me to coach clients globally without the need for real-time phone calls or video meetings.
2. Diversification of Product Offerings
Diversification is vital to mitigating risks and increasing revenue streams. In my case, I manage three distinct digital product businesses, each catering to different market needs:
HobbyScool: Focuses on providing virtual summits and VIP passes that cater to hobby enthusiasts.
HelloContent: Offers ready-made digital products that help other businesses in their marketing efforts.
Destini Copp (personal brand): Through which I offer specialized online courses and one-on-one coaching.
Each venture is designed to target specific audience segments, ensuring a broad market reach and multiple income sources.
3. Leveraging Partnerships and Collaborations
Partnerships have been instrumental in growing my businesses. By collaborating with other entrepreneurs and industry experts, I've been able to co-create content, cross-promote products, and expand my audience reach. During our podcast discussion, I highlight how these collaborations have not only helped in scaling my businesses but also in learning from peers and integrating best practices.
The Role of Marketing in Digital Product Success
Effective marketing strategies are crucial for the success of any digital product business. In our conversation, Tish and I explore several key marketing techniques that have worked well for my businesses:
1. Content Marketing
Creating valuable content that addresses the pain points of your target audience establishes credibility and authority. Blogs, podcasts, webinars, and free resources are excellent ways to engage potential customers and build trust.
2. Email Marketing
As one of the most effective digital marketing channels, email allows direct communication with your audience. Through carefully crafted newsletters and promotional emails, I've managed to keep my audience engaged and interested in new offers and products.
3. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO plays a pivotal role in ensuring that your digital products are discoverable online. Optimizing website content and product descriptions for relevant keywords helps in attracting organic traffic, thereby reducing dependency on paid advertising.
Maximizing Freedom and Flexibility
One of the main attractions of digital product businesses is the potential for significant freedom and flexibility in how one manages their time and resources. In the podcast, I emphasize how setting up the right systems and structures has allowed me to enjoy a fulfilling work-life balance. This balance is not about working less but working smarter—by automating processes, delegating tasks, and utilizing time efficiently.
Conclusion: A Journey of Empowerment
Our discussion on the Simple Marketing Podcast serves as a testament to the empowerment that comes with owning and operating digital product businesses. As I shared with Tish, the journey involves continuous learning and adaptation, but the rewards are immense.
For entrepreneurs aspiring to carve out their path in the digital space, the insights from our conversation provide a solid foundation for building a business that aligns with their personal and professional goals.
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Transcript:
Tish Collins [00:00:00]:
We have a returning guest to the podcast today. I don't think we've ever had a guest on the show twice, but I know you have so much value to share, Destini. So it only makes sense to have you back on the show to share even more of your brilliance with our listeners. Listeners. So for those who need a reminder and those who may have missed your first episode, can you just introduce yourself and let everyone know what you're all about?
Dr. Destini Copp [00:00:27]:
So, Tish, first of all, thank you so much for having me. I am super excited to be here today and to have this conversation with you. Honestly, I feel like I could talk with you all day long because we have so much in in common here. But, I own and manage 3 different digital product businesses, and one of my key passions is helping online business owners create consistent revenue from their digital product businesses without the need to be glued to their desk, constantly live launching, or even worrying about the social media algorithms. And I know we're gonna dive into how I have done that even when we even though I have a brand like HobbyScool where we are doing virtual summits, basically, throughout the year. So I definitely wanna dig into how I have kind of made my business in my life so that everything is convenient for me and for the people that, are in my audience. So, Tish, I can't wait to dive into this with you.
Tish Collins [00:01:31]:
Yeah. I absolutely love that. And I know that like me, you are a huge fan of digital products, and they are a huge part of your business. So I would love to start just by getting to know why you have made digital products such a big part of your business.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:01:49]:
Well, first of all, I I really got into this years ago because I love teaching. Like, I've been teaching online way back in the dark ages, in 2,005, when people didn't even know that you could actually teach online. So I was teaching online as a university marketing professor, and I had people coming up to me and say, can you really do that? When I say teaching online, back then, it was asynchronous too. Meaning, we I wasn't doing, like, live lectures with my students even way back then. We had the discussion forums. I would record lectures. We would post them in the classroom. So everybody was basically, you know, going through the course material at a time that was convenient to to them.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:02:32]:
Now fast forward many, many years later, everybody understands how this works. Right? So so that's really how I got into digital products. But, you know, really, I I think my core value in how I have ran my life for many, many years, way back before I even started teaching online is I love the freedom and flexibility that digital products provide us. Now, Tish, that doesn't mean that I'm not working hard. It doesn't mean that, you know, business owners out there who have courses or memberships, it doesn't mean that they're not working hard. It just means that they are basically, they've designed a business if they've done it right. Now there's there's ways that you can do it that won't give you this freedom and flexibility, and we can talk about that too. But if they have done it right, you can have that freedom and flexibility to work when you want to or work at a time that's convenient for for you and allow your students to participate and, learn when at a time that's convenient for them because the reality is they're very busy also.
Tish Collins [00:03:44]:
Yeah. I I love digital products as a way to serve your audience without having to be glued to your desk 247 because that like, when we start our businesses, that is just not what we want. We want freedom. We want flexibility. We want our lives back. And so they are such a great way to actually get that freedom and also to serve a broader audience as well. And I personally love that because they are usually quite low ticket. It gives people in your audience who aren't quite ready to work with you 1 on 1 the opportunity to still learn from you, and they can still be really valuable as well.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:04:20]:
So absolutely. And even the and the low ticket items. Right? I mean, that you can definitely have that freedom and flexibility with that also. But I would even suggest that even with, online course or a membership, you can still design those type of digital products so that you still have that freedom and flexibility in your life. And I'll I'll give you some examples there. So and and this isn't even a digital product. This is my, you know, 1 on 1 coaching. I offer 1 on 1 coaching where we do it via Voxer, And, you know, my clients get unlimited coaching, and they can sit in their, you know, their questions, their request, any, you know, any marketing audits that they wanna do.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:05:05]:
They can send them in. We do all of that via via Voxer or they have a form if they wanna do some type of marketing audit, and they do it when it's convenient for them. So if they have a question at 3 AM 3 AM on a Friday night, they can send it in. Doesn't mean I'm gonna respond right that right that particular second, but I will respond within the time that I promised to them. So the same, like, with your online courses or your memberships. You can set them up so that you're still supporting your students so they can achieve that transformation that you have promised them in that course or whatever you're promising them, you know, for that membership too so that you have that freedom and flexibility so you're not having to do, you know, a constant Zoom call or, you know, even having a a Facebook group that you're constantly having to manage and and wrangle? Because I know that those can get out of hand too.
Tish Collins [00:05:57]:
Oh my god. I love Voxe mentorship. I made this part of my business model. I think I did it first in 2020, and it has just been a core part of how I worked with my clients since then. Like, no calls or anything. And I love the freedom and flexibility it gives, not only you as the business owner, but also the client as well. So I love that you have implemented that. And then I am curious.
Tish Collins [00:06:21]:
So when we're talking about digital products, what kind of offers do you do you actually sell?
Dr. Destini Copp [00:06:29]:
So that's a great question. So in our HelloContent shop, that that shop has online courses in it, but it's mostly low cost digital products that online business owners can use in their marketing, or in their online courses or membership. So we have a lot of ready made type products that they can take and customize and include it in a online course or include it in a membership program. So I have that particular brand. I have my HobbyScool brand, which we run, virtual summits. And in that, we sell our VIP passes. So when somebody go you know, signs up for the free summit, in that, we have a funnel on the tripwire page. We have our VIP pass.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:07:13]:
And then if they, you know, click to purchase that, then we have a funnel after that with order bumps and upsells. And we have done very well with that in HobbyScool. In addition with HobbyScool late in 2020 3, and we're still working on it. We have it set up. Haven't really totally optimized and done everything that I want to there, but we also have a Shopify store for HobbyScool. And just to give you idea of some of the things that we sell there, Tish, like our coloring books. You know, who would have thought our coloring books on that store would have been so popular? So we have that Shopify store that we're continuing to build out. And then, of course, in my personal brand, I have some online courses there.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:07:56]:
But, mostly what I focus on there is my 1 on 1 coaching.
Tish Collins [00:08:01]:
All of that sounds so great. And how are you marketing these digital products in a way that generates consistent sales?
Dr. Destini Copp [00:08:11]:
So another great question. And I would say that an effort that I put a lot of emphasis on is visibility. So I am constantly seeking out opportunities, like like what I'm doing right now. Right? Being a guest on somebody's podcast, you know, a lot of times the podcast host will allow you at the end to offer up a free gift so you can drive, you know, new people into your world there. I, you know, speak at virtual summits. I do lead magnet swaps. You know, we do sometimes I host my own bundle. I might do some virtual I've done over the years and, you know, and I've done other things too.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:09:00]:
I've done some service work, also. But I do believe that when you are a digital product business owner, your marketing strategy is different from then from when you were a service provider. You know, I have, some of my business best friends or service providers. One of them, she does websites for vacation rental owners. So that's part of her business. Part of her business is a digital product business. And she was like, Destini, when I post on Instagram about one of the websites I have done or, you know, I post a testimonial. She goes, I can just get business from that.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:09:36]:
She goes, but I can't do that with my digital products. You know? It's it's just not the same. And I think with digital products, you have to really focus on, you know, lead generation, getting new people into your world, but also email marketing. Email marketing is critical, and I have placed a major, major focus on my email marketing to get that consistent revenue coming into my business. The other thing that I've done and, you know, HobbyScool is an example of this because HobbyScool is fairly new. Right? I've only I've only it's only been out there for a couple years. And right now, kinda where we are with that business, because I've done some presentations on this recently to kind of walk people through how we would have grown it. We have around 16,000 people on that email list.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:10:26]:
It might be a little bit more because we're in the middle of, summit promotion right now and, over a 100,000 in revenue. And that has been mostly through partnerships. Right? The speakers that are coming in, they're promoting, the the summit. So we've been growing our email list. We've been getting, you know, revenue from the VIP pass sales. The other thing that we're doing to monetize that brand, I've done some email sponsorships. Right? Because my email list has grown. Some of our past speakers have come to us and said, will you promote this event? Like, one of the, people that we've worked with in a previous summit, they own a calligraphy a calligraphy, membership, and they've come to us to promote people to get them into their workshop where they were promoting that particular membership.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:11:14]:
So we've done some email sponsorships. We do some sponsorships of and VIP spots for the summit, so we get some revenue there. We also do affiliate promotions because we know that that audience loves events. So if we can find, a summit or some type of event that's happening when we're not doing one of ours, we'll definitely promote it. So we're doing a lot of things like that, Tish, to kinda monetize and get that consistent revenue in the business. Like I said, it's not that I'm not working, because I'm definitely working hard. I'm just I just basically work on my own schedule. Like I was saying before we started recording, I only have 2 meetings on my calendar this week, and one's for me personally because I'm working with a copywriter to update my website, and then I have, you know, this interview with you.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:12:03]:
But my calendar is fairly blank.
Tish Collins [00:12:06]:
Yeah. Those were some really great examples, and I agree. Audience growth is such an important part of growing your business. And you shared with me before that your that you have grown your email list to over 16,000 subscribers in the space of 2 years. So can you tell us how you were able to do this?
Dr. Destini Copp [00:12:28]:
Yes. So that that was for HobbyScool, specifically. I have a separate email list for my personal brand. But for HobbyScool specifically, it has primarily been through collaborations and partnerships. So we have done some lead magnet swaps. So that's one of the one of the ways that we have done that. But, primarily, that growth has been through speakers, right, who have spoken at one of our events. They have promoted that event to their audience.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:13:00]:
Their audience signed up for that event, and then, you know, they're on our email list. And I will tell you that we have people in our audience that come to every single event that we do. They absolutely love it. They buy the VIP pass every single time. The other thing that we've done with that brand, and I don't do a lot with social media. In fact, I do very little with social media. But with HobbyScool, for our summits, we have a pretty engaged Facebook group. So, you know, that's another way that we continue to nurture that audience, and I know that people are finding us too from that Facebook group.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:13:44]:
And they're getting, you know, they're attending our our events, and they're getting on our email list. But I would say that's really the only social media consistent social media that we're doing for that brand.
Tish Collins [00:13:56]:
Amazing. And some more great examples because I know that for a lot of people, it can be harder to know how to grow your list. So thank you for sharing that. And then what's your strategy once these people are on your email list? How are you using it to sell your digital products?
Dr. Destini Copp [00:14:16]:
So we have a weekly newsletter that goes out. And in that weekly newsletter, we might highlight a specific offer that we have going on there. So I have an email marketing plan. I actually have it mapped out for almost the entire year that has our promotional calendar on it. So we're we're promoting for that particular brand, whether it's, an affiliate promotion that we're participating in or one of our products. So let's say we've launched a new product on Hello Content Shop or in HobbyScool, so we'll put together a a promotional plan for that. The other thing I, you know, I would be remiss if I didn't mention this. One of the things that I have found, and I didn't actually realize this until I kinda got into the weeds of it, For the Shopify stores that we have, what we have found is the best way to get people to that store and to promote the digital products that we have in that store is to focus on a single product.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:15:19]:
So, like, is when we have a new product that we're launching that we know people are gonna be super excited about, we'll highlight it in our email promotion. And that tends to drive more traffic when we're very specific about here's what we're doing, here's what you get, and we might even throw in a, like, a coupon code or something just to encourage people to go check it out. Then go to the shop, and you get 30% off on the tire shop. That hasn't been working us. What's been working for us is sending people to a specific product, sometimes a collection, but, a specific product tends to work best. So to answer your question specifically, we have a very detailed email marketing calendar that has all of the promotions that we're doing throughout the year. So every single week, we have, like, the educational content that we're gonna have in that email. In our promotional content, we have it all mapped out.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:16:14]:
And, actually, I should probably share that with some time with folks so they can see, you know, how very detailed that email calendar email marketing calendar is.
Tish Collins [00:16:24]:
I love that you are so organized. But I I just wanna put a side note here because when it comes to digital products, there is a bit of a misconception that we need a huge email list and that you need to make thousands of sales to see a return. I mean, I have an email list of 7,000, but I was still seeing huge benefits from when I was selling digital products to a list of 700 people. And I'm sure that when your list was smaller, you were still seeing really great results as well. So what would you say is the minimum that you need to be able to sell digital products? And how can you use them to bring more profit into your business even if you're not making thousands of sales from your digital products themselves?
Dr. Destini Copp [00:17:12]:
I would say to start selling to your list as soon as you have a list. Oh, yeah. So I don't care if you only have a 100 people on your list. It takes that marketing muscle to start selling to your list. It takes time to develop. So I would say start selling immediately. It's not I'm not saying every single email that you sent out, you're selling, and I'm not saying that at all. But definitely get into the, you know, just get into the habit, I should say, of selling to your list.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:17:45]:
And you I agree with you, Tish. You don't need a huge email list to profit and make money from these digital products. Now I do believe that you need to focus on lead generation and continuing to grow your list, and I think I've, you know, definitely made that clear here. But you can get started immediately and start making money from digital products.
Tish Collins [00:18:06]:
I am so glad you said that. It's like that analogy. If you're in a room with 10 people, would you wait for more people to arrive before you start selling, or would you sell and show up for those people who are there to hear what you have to say? So definitely agree with you 100% there.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:18:24]:
Yeah. And I I would say that I'm not a salesperson. I'm a I'm a, you know, decent good marketer, but I am not a salesperson. And there's difference between being a salesperson and a marketing person. And I would say that I have definitely had to work on, you know, selling to my list because I I don't wanna feel, you know, sleazy or anything like that. But the reality is a lot of people aren't viewing your emails like that. They're not they're not saying that, you know, oh, I can't believe she's selling
Tish Collins [00:18:57]:
to me again. You know, I'm just gonna go unsubscribe. That's just not gonna happen. And I had that was a mindset, Tish, that I really had to work on myself. Myself. Definitely. But the more you practice, the better at sales you will get. And, also, you will just develop a way of selling that not only works for you, but also works for your audience and just feels good.
Tish Collins [00:19:16]:
So it's just about getting out there and experimenting and trying new things.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:19:22]:
I couldn't have said it better myself. And I I will say that I feel like I'm still working on this. Right? I haven't necessarily perfected it, but, definitely working on it every single day. Mhmm.
Tish Collins [00:19:34]:
So I have one last question. I know that like me, you are a big believer that business gets to be simple. It doesn't have to be complicated, and you don't have to be working 247. So other than what we discussed earlier with regards to digital products, how do you keep business simple? And what advice do you have for anyone who wants to create a simple business that doesn't keep them glued to their desk?
Dr. Destini Copp [00:20:03]:
So we've talked about a lot of it today, and I think a lot of it has to do with how you set up your offers and your systems in your business. Now, I'm a huge fan of marketing funnels. So, like, when somebody signs up for one of my lead magnets, for most of them on the next page, not every single one of them, but for a lot of them on the next page, on that thank you page, you know, what we consider to be that thank you page, I will have a tripwire offer. That will be one of my low cost digital products. And then from there, I have, you know, sales funnels on the back end of that. And all of that's automated. So somebody comes into my world, like, I had a few sales yesterday, not a lot, but definitely a handful that came in and people bought you know, signed up for my lead magnets and bought my, low cost digital products from, you know, going through that funnel. So I would say systems are critical.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:20:57]:
Systems in your marketing, systems like what I talked about with my email planning, you know, kinda setting setting that up and makes it so much easier to go in and and write those emails. I I think that is critical. And then going back, and we touched upon this earlier, but going back and being a little bit more details In your offers, like your online course, even it's like a signature course or a membership, How you set that up, I really would encourage everybody to think about their core values. And not only what works for their customer, but what will work for them long term. Because if you set up a a course or a membership where you're having to do constant Zoom calls or you're having to constantly manage a Facebook group or you're constantly on the hook to answer questions day in and day out, that's probably not gonna work for you long term. And I can tell you that there are ways to still support your students and make sure that they achieve their promise transformation for your offer by setting it up in a way that works for you and, you know, and and your core values. So you aren't glued to that desk. So you're not constantly on Zoom calls.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:22:17]:
And, also, you know, kinda touching on what we talked about with social media. I don't want people to have to be constantly worried about posting on social media. There are ways that you can set up these businesses. So if you if you love social media, that's fine. I have I have students and clients out there that love to constantly post on social media, but a lot of them don't. So if you don't want that for your business, you don't have to have that with these digital product businesses.
Tish Collins [00:22:46]:
Yeah. Absolutely. And circling back to your first point, we actually spoke about automated sales funnels in-depth in your first episode. I can't remember the episode number off the top of my head, but I will put the link in the show notes for anyone who wants to go and listen after this. But it was a great episode. Right? So I would say definitely go and have a listen to that if you want to learn more from Destini. But first, Destini, where can everyone go to connect and learn more from you?
Dr. Destini Copp [00:23:20]:
So definitely my personal brand website is destinicopp.com. That's destiny with an I. I do have a free gift, Tish, if people would like to go grab it. It's destinicopp.com/freedom. And that is my 3 part private podcast series. I call it the freedom formula, where I go in a little bit more detail about, you know, what I mean by that and also how people can design these digital product business business or businesses as in my case, so they're they're not constantly constantly glued to their desk or live launching or worried about that social media algorithm.
Tish Collins [00:24:00]:
Amazing. And I will link to that and your website and socials in the show notes. But thank you for being our first returning guest. It has been really great to chat with you again.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:24:11]:
Thanks so much for having me. This was so much fun.