How to sell your freelance services using ConvertKit.
What is ConvertKit?
As one of many on the market today, ConvertKit is my preferred email marketing platform, one that I've been using for a few years.
Started in Boise, Idaho in 2013 by Nathan Barry, it was his frustration with Mailchimp that incentivised him to take the plunge into the SaaS (Software as a Service) world and create an alternative that would be powerful in features yet simple to use.
Amongst its ever-growing list of features, you'll find the ability to;
- Send email broadcasts and automated sequences
- Create landing pages to collect new subscribers
- Create opt-in forms to embed on your website
- Automate drip-fed campaigns to your subscribers
- Sell your products and services via their Commerce platform
In this article, it's the last feature on that list that I'll be focusing on - selling freelance services.
Services you can sell via ConvertKit's Commerce
Inside ConvertKit, every product or service you create is referred to as a 'Product'. You can create Products for pretty much whatever you can think of - here are some examples;
- A digital course
- A coaching session
- A downloadable document
- A membership
- A 1:1 Zoom call
- A done-for-you service (e.g. design, writing, development etc.)
- A paid-for newsletter
You get the gist, all the usual offerings from a freelancer.
If you wanted to, you could also use it to sell physical products, however, I wouldn't recommend it as there are many platforms much better suited to that type of transaction than ConvertKit.
How to create a 'Product' in ConvertKit
Before you can sell anything via Commerce, you must connect your bank account to the Stripe payment merchant so that ConvertKit can process your payments from your clients.
To start the process, click on the ‘Settings‘ menu option; (set up time about 5 mins)
Once in the ‘Settings’ screen, click on the ‘Commerce‘ link;
Now you’ll see, on the right-hand side of the screen, a button entitled ‘Set up payments‘;
Clicking on the button will bring you to this screen, where you’ll be asked to provide information about you and your business. It’s a click-along process that you can’t get wrong – just answer each question with the relevant answers and you’ll be set up in no time!
Choose the appropriate answer for your business; the ‘Individual‘ applies if you are a sole trader, and the ‘Company‘ option is for you if you have a company registered.
Next, complete the form with your personal details.
After completing all the steps, you’ll see in your Commerce Settings, your ‘Bank Statement Descriptor‘ – this is what will show up in people’s bank statements as the provider of the product/service.
Depending on your circumstances, it can sometimes take a day or two to have your details verified, however, in most cases, it happens more quickly than this.
Okay, that’s the painful part out of the way, and the good news is that you won’t be asked to do that again! (unless you change bank accounts!)
Now it’s time to create your first ‘Product‘.
Creating ‘Products’ in Commerce
Start by clicking on the ‘Earn‘ -> ‘Products‘ menu option;
On the ‘Products’ page, click on the button entitled ”
On the Product creation page, start populating the details of the product or service that you want to sell.
Add a name for your product, select a product type (a one-off payment product or a recurring subscription), add a price and currency, and how you want to fulfil the sale (i.e. downloadable product, delivery of a service, membership etc.).
Here’s an example of a Product taken from my Convertkit account; it’s a 1-2-1 Zoom call with me where I accelerate freelancers through the learning curve of email marketing with ConvertKit – it’s called “ConvertKit: 60-Minute Accelerator Session“.
When people buy this service, everything is taken care of by Convertkit and Stripe for payment, and the delivery of the service is then left to me to fulfil.
I have my ConvertKit configured to automatically email an invitation to my clients and they can choose a 60-minute slot that works best for them from my calendar.
Within the Commerce platform, we can also personalise the receipt for payment and the email that is automatically sent to the client after the payment has been processed.
Once created, ConvertKit publishes a URL that you can then share with your audience, taking them directly to the link to buy it.
If you wish, you can also embed your Products on your website and inside your emails (both broadcasts and sequences).
Note: Payments for Products via the Commerce platform are normally processed each Friday by ConvertKit, so should arrive in your bank account shortly thereafter.
How to embed your Products in your website
If you have a website that you wish to embed a button for visitors to click-to-buy, ConvertKit provides the code snippet that you can copy and insert into the web page you want it to appear.
If you decide to run a promotion(for any reason), ConvertKit provides an option to include a discount code that can be configured to match your requirements (see example image below);
When you choose to include a discount code, ConvertKit appends the promo code to the URL; when clicked, the discounted price is shown to the website visitor.
How to embed your Product in your emails
For convenience, when you're sending out emails to your subscriber list, you can insert 'Products' into your emails, as shown in the example below;
Click the '+' icon inside the email editor - and click on 'Product';
This will then present a drop-down list (in the right-hand side-bar) showing you all your Products from which to select the one you want to include in your email;
Once selected, the Product will appear as an embedded item in your email that your subscribers can click on to buy;
⚡️Summary
If you haven't already, create a free account with ConvertKit (everything I showed you in this article can be done on the free plan).
Create your Products and connect your ConvertKit account to your Stripe account (don't worry if you don't use Stripe as ConvertKit will walk you through the set-up as part of the process).
Begin to share your Products with your audiences - both on your social platforms and via your emails.
You can share using the Product URL, embedded on your website (a button) or inside your emails as embedded links.
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John Bellingham
Email marketing strategist for aspirational small business owners.
If we haven't already done so, let's connect on LinkedIn.
The Beginner's Guide to Email Marketing gives you everything you need to know to design, launch, and run an effective email marketing system in your business.
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