Sometimes content marketers forget that content isn’t only a game for wordsmiths.
In fact, there’s a thriving community of visual content creators who have built robust businesses around what they do. And one of the most scaleable ways to do that is to craft high-quality premium WordPress themes.
But there’s a lot more to it than “build something beautiful and the customers will show up.”
In this post, I want to talk about what it takes to succeed as a WordPress theme designer in today’s environment.
Once upon a time, all WordPress themes were free. The robust open-source CMS (content management system) attracted enthusiasts of all kinds, who made themes that looked good and suited different tastes.
Today, WordPress has grown to power a quarter of the world’s websites — and premium (paid) themes are the norm for professionals, businesses, serious bloggers, and even passionate hobbyists.
That wealth of premium themes poses a new challenge for designers: the sheer number of great-looking themes out there. There’s more competition than ever, and a lot of them are gorgeous
But : there’s still room for someone with solid design skills to make a name (and a great business) as a theme designer. And it starts by thinking as a business owner first.
Here are five points of focus on your path to building your premium theme empire …
#1: Business know-how
No matter what kind of digital business you might want to build — and WordPress themes fall squarely into this category — you can’t ignore the business part.
You may think of yourself as a design professional who “isn’t into the whole business thing.” But business is just a set of skills that can be learned — and upgrading those skills can open the door to making a great living doing what you love.
Sites like Digital Commerce Institute and podcasts like Unemployable and Confessions of a Pink-Haired Marketer can help you pick up the core business skills you need — without compromising your integrity or making you feel like a creep.
In my experience, 90% of business ability is mindset. Once you get your head in the right space, you’ll be able to readily pick up the skills you need to make your business a success. You might also choose to partner with smart people who will complement your strengths.
#2: A targeted audience
Because it’s beautiful is no longer enough to find an audience for your WordPress theme.
Themes today need to solve specific problems for well-defined groups of people.
In other words, it’s not only about design — it’s about design thinking.
Virtually any type of business you can think of needs beautiful, thoughtfully designed themes.
Think:
- Real estate professionals
- Law offices
- Restaurants
- Medical offices
- Schools
- Artisans and “small batch” producers
- Coffee shops
- Online publishers
- Coaches
- … you name it!
Successful theme designers today know precisely who will be using their themes. And they use smart design thinking to solve real-world problems with those themes.
If you build themes for a particular group, decide how you’ll uncover that group’s needs and desires. If you’re not a member of that community yourself, work closely with the types of folks who will be using your theme, so you can come up with innovative and elegant solutions to their needs.
“Niching” down your offer this way might seem like it would narrow your audience of buyers — but in fact, it opens all kinds of doors to reach the right buyers.
#3: A way to reach that audience
It’s not enough to build a gorgeous solution to the needs of a well-defined audience — you have to be able to get the word out!
The web today provides incredibly focused tools for targeted advertising to precisely the kinds of buyers you’re looking for.
You can also partner with well-known experts in that space. For example, you might work with a popular blogger who has the audience you’re trying to reach.
And if you build your frame within an established “ecosystem” (like Genesis, which we’ll talk a bit more about in the next point), you get the benefit of a community looking for the solutions you have to offer.
#4: A commitment to security and clean code
WordPress sites are astonishingly common. MarketingLand reports that WordPress powers about 25% of all of the sites published on the web around the globe.
In fact, its next two closest competitors (Drupal and Joomla) power fewer than 5% of the planet’s websites — combined.
WordPress is robust, it’s amazingly flexible, and it’s everywhere.
And because it’s so popular, a WordPress theme that ignores security best practices can find itself vulnerable to hackers. Which is no fun at all for your buyers, or your reputation.
Fortunately, there are excellent tools available to manage...
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