Product Goals for Bloggers: The Right Steps to Success

Have you ever wondered why some bloggers seem to effortlessly create products that their audience loves while others struggle to make a single sale? The secret often lies in setting clear, actionable product goals. And, of course, they know their audience.

In this article, we’ll dive into the world of product goals for bloggers. You’ll learn how to define, set, and achieve goals that not only boost your income but also engage your audience and build your brand.

There is a multitude of products that bloggers can create, such as:

• Digital Products: e-books, online courses, printables, templates
• Physical Products: books, soaps, tea, clothing
• Services: consulting, workshops, a membership

By the end, you’ll know exactly how to create goals for your products and have a solid plan to success. Let’s get started!

Understanding the Importance of Product Goals

Have you ever had an idea to create a product for your blog but felt lost along the way? Initially, you wouldn’t think about setting goals for products, right? But actually, setting clear product goals can be your answer to how to go about this. Let’s break down why product goals are so crucial for bloggers.

Why Set Product Goals in the First Place?

There are a few very good reasons. Setting goals gives you clear direction and helps you stay focused on what really matters. This is no different from creating products. Knowing exactly what you want to achieve helps you stay focused and motivated, like having a GPS to guide you through unfamiliar territory. Without clear goals, it’s easy to get sidetracked or lose sight of your destination. 

Well-defined goals also keep you motivated and on track, showing you exactly where you need to go. Plus, they let you measure your progress. When you set specific, measurable goals, you can see how far you’ve come and celebrate your wins along the way. This also helps you figure out what’s working and what needs tweaking. 

And guess what? Clear goals make you more productive, too. They help you prioritize your tasks so you can work smarter, not harder, by focusing your efforts on what truly matters, achieving more in less time along the way.

Did you run out of time to read the blog post right now?
No worries, pin it to your favorite Pinterest board to read later!

Aligning Your Goals with Your Blog Strategy

Setting product goals is awesome, but here’s the thing, they need to be in sync with your overall blogging business and strategy. 

Your product goals should support your blog’s bigger vision and mission. That way, everything you create fits perfectly with your brand and resonates with your audience. It’s all about consistency and creating a cohesive experience that your readers can rely on. When your goals and strategy are aligned, it builds trust and loyalty with your readers.

Plus, aligning your goals helps you create products that your audience actually wants and needs. You’ll understand them better and be able to engage with them in a meaningful way. And engaged readers? They’re more likely to become raving fans who stick around for the long haul. It’s all about building those lasting relationships.

So don’t just set random product goals. Make sure they’re part of your bigger game plan for blogging success. Your readers won’t get confused, and in fact, they will thank you for it because it’ll be the product they need and are waiting for.

Defining Your Product Goals

Now that you understand why product goals are so important, it’s time for the next step. But where do you start? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.

Community Growth and Engagement Goals

To create a product for your audience, you need to know them. When you understand what products they are looking for, you are able to set the right product goals for your blogging business. 

That’s why part of creating product goals is setting community growth goals. Growing your community and engaging with your audience is important. After all, you need readers, so they can join your email list, and that’s where your potential buyers are…on your email list. 

A product goal could revolve around creating free products that increase interaction and loyalty with your tribe. For example, you could aim to grow your email list by 20% with a new freebie. 

Perhaps you are looking to add new products to your TeachersPayTeachers shop because you would like to increase your product sales to help out your customers.

The possibilities are endless, but the goal is the same: building stronger relationships with your readers. When you prioritize engagement, you’re investing in the long-term success of your blog.

Money-Making Goals

Let’s be real, making money is probably one of your top priorities as a blogger. That’s where financial goals come in. These goals are highly related to product goals and focus on creating products that bring in income.

You might want to create a low-content book, such as a planner, journal, or workbook, that generates $1,000 in sales within three months.

Or perhaps you want to launch a low-ticket, members-only community where you can provide additional coaching and teaching, and that’ll become a steady stream of passive income.

Brand Building Goals

Last but not least, let’s talk about brand-building goals. These focus on enhancing your authority and credibility in your niche. Maybe you want to launch a paid podcast series that establishes you as an expert. Or perhaps you’re dreaming of opening a shop with all kinds of digital printables for your readers and becoming the go-to in your niche.

Whatever your brand-building goals may be, they should align with your overall blog strategy and vision as well. After all, your brand is the foundation of everything you do. By setting goals that strengthen your brand, you’re creating a cohesive and trustworthy experience for your audience.

Making Your Goals SMART

Whatever your goals may be, make sure they’re SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound). That way, you’ll know exactly when you’ve hit your target. And don’t forget to celebrate those wins. Treating yourself is a great way to stay motivated.

If you want to read more about how to set SMART goals read my blog post: A Practical Guide for Setting SMART Goals for Blogging Success.

I do want to show you some examples of SMART product goals:

1. Launch an E-book

Goal: Write and launch an e-book that generates $1,000 in sales within three months.

Why It’s SMART: This goal is specific: write and launch an e-book, measurable: $1,000 in sales, achievable: with the right marketing, relevant: it fits your blog’s niche, and time-bound: within three months. 

2. Grow Your Email List

Goal: Increase my email list by 500 subscribers in the next two months by offering a free printable planner.

Why It’s SMART: This goal is specific: increase email list, measurable: 500 subscribers, achievable: with a valuable freebie, relevant: email lists are crucial for bloggers, and time-bound: two months.

3. Create an Online Course

Goal: Develop and launch an online course on time management that enrolls 50 students in the first month.

Why It’s SMART: This goal is specific: develop and launch an online course, measurable: 50 students, achievable: with effective promotion, relevant: time management is a hot topic, and time-bound: first month.

4. Start a Membership Program

Goal: Launch a membership program that attracts 30 members in the first three months, offering exclusive content and community support.

Why It’s SMART: This goal is specific: launch a membership program, measurable: 30 members, achievable: with valuable content and promotion, relevant: builds a loyal community, and time-bound: first three months. 

These examples show how setting SMART goals can turn your product ideas into reality. Take a moment to think about your own goals. Are they specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound? If not, it’s time to tweak them and set yourself up for success.

Steps to Create a Successful Product

When you have your SMART product goals written down, and you’re ready to work on them, it’s time we look at the actual creation of a product. Are you ready to create one that your audience will love? Let’s break it down step-by-step. 

Step 1. Idea Generation

First things first, you need a great idea. But how do you come up with one? Start by brainstorming topics that you’re passionate about and that your audience cares about. Think about the questions your readers frequently ask or the problems they need solving. 

Tip: If you run a fitness blog, maybe your readers are always asking for quick, healthy recipes. You could create an e-book filled with easy-to-make meals.

Affiliate Disclosure: This article includes affiliate links. This means that I might earn a small commission without any extra cost to you when you buy something through these links. It helps me continue creating helpful blog posts for you. Thank you!

Step 2. Market Research

Once you have an idea, it’s time to validate it. This means making sure there’s a demand for your product. You don’t want to spend time creating something that no one wants, right?

• Survey Your Audience: Ask your readers directly what they need. Use tools like Google Forms to create a simple survey. You can do that by emailing your list or asking in your blog posts.
• Check Competitors: Look at what similar bloggers are offering. If they’re successful, it’s a good sign there’s a market for your idea. Get inspiration without copying their products.

Tip: If you have a decluttering blog and you’re thinking about creating a course around “how to organize your kitchen”, see if other bloggers have similar courses and how well they’re doing.

Step 3. Product Development

Now comes the fun part, creating your product! This step will vary depending on what you’re making, but here are some general tips:

• Outline Your Content: Plan out what you’ll include in your product. If it’s an e-book, create a table of contents. If it’s a course, outline each module.
• Create High-Quality Content: Make sure your product is valuable and well-made. This might mean investing in good design or using professional tools.

Tip: If you’re creating an online course, use a platform like Subtrio to host your content and make it look professional.

Step 4. Testing and Feedback

Before you launch, it’s crucial to test your product and gather feedback. This helps you catch any issues and make improvements.

• Beta Test: Offer your product to a small group of people for free or at a discount and ask for their honest feedback.
• Make Adjustments: Use the feedback to make any necessary changes. This might mean adding more content, fixing errors, or improving the design.

Tip: If you’re launching a new printable planner, give it to a few readers and ask them to use it for a week. Their feedback will be invaluable.

Think about your own product ideas. Have you brainstormed and validated them? Are you ready to start creating? Take some time to reflect on these steps and how you can apply them to your own projects.

For more tips on creating (and validating) successful products, check out this guide on product creation. It’s packed with practical advice to help you every step of the way.

Marketing and Promotion Goals

You’ve set your product goals, created an amazing product, took it for a test drive, but now comes the real challenge: getting it in front of your audience. That’s where marketing and promotion goals come into play. These goals will help you spread the word and ensure your hard work doesn’t go unnoticed. Of course, knowing your audience is crucial for effective promotion, so be sure to leverage the insights you’ve already gathered.

Blog Posts, Social Media, Email Subscribers

When it comes to Promotion Strategies, content marketing should be at the top of your list. Write and incorporate informative blog posts that highlight the benefits of your product and provide valuable content related to it into your blog content calendar. 

Then, share your blog posts with updates, teasers, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of your product on your social media channels. 

And, of course, keep your email subscribers in the loop by sharing your blog post, all the details about your product, and exclusive offers just because they are your biggest fans. 

For example, if you’re launching an e-book on meal planning, create a blog post with healthy recipe ideas and promote your e-book as a complementary resource. Offer your e-book to your subscribers and make some Pinterest pins and Facebook posts to attract readers to your blog post, where they can find your e-book.

By the way, if email marketing is a challenge for you and it’s hard to come up with what to write to your subscribers, check out Liz Wilcox and her Email Marketing Membership. You’ll get weekly templates to use as a jumping-off point for only $9 a month. It’s so handy, really, go check her out! 

Search Engine Optimization

Your SEO is a powerful tool in your marketing arsenal as well. Your blog posts and social media posts need to have the relevant keywords that your target audience is searching for. On your website (or selling platform, like Etsy), you need good SEO to optimize your product pages.  

For example, if your product is a course on starting a blog, optimize your pages with keywords like “blogging for beginners” and “how to start a blog.”

Collaborations

Don’t underestimate the power of collaborations. You can reach out to other bloggers in your niche and see if they’re interested in featuring your product in an email to their subscribers or social media channels. Ask if you could promote your product to their audience and offer to write a guest post for their blog to explain the benefits and features of your product. Once they have a product, you can pay back the favor. 

For example, if you’re launching a printable planner, collaborate with a productivity blogger to offer their audience a special discount on your product.

With a solid understanding of your audience and a well-rounded promotion strategy, you’ll be well on your way to achieving your marketing and promotion goals. Remember, consistency and creativity are key to standing out in a crowded market.

Did you like this post?
Pin it on your favorite Pinterest board and share it with others!

My Final Thoughts

By understanding the importance of product goals and how to define them, create them, and promote your products, you’re setting yourself up for success and ensuring they reach the right audience. A properly set goal keeps you focused, motivated, and on track because it provides you with a detailed plan for the future. 

So, what’s your next move? Take a moment to reflect on your own product goals. Are they specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound, in other words, are they SMART? Are they clear and aligned with your overall blogging strategy? If not, it’s time to tweak them and set yourself up for success. Your audience is waiting for the amazing products you have to offer.

Now, go ahead and start setting those product goals. What product goal will you tackle first? Let me know in the comments below!

For more insights, check out my article on the benefits of goal setting. It offers a deeper dive into why setting goals is so powerful and how it can benefit you as a blogger.

Sharing with others!