If you’re looking to make some extra cash, you’ve probably considered the many ways that online shopping and freelancing offer lucrative opportunities to people who are looking for a way to make some extra money. But what about those of us who want to make money online without the hustle and bustle of a full-time job?
Although it’s relatively simple to make money online through shopping and freelancing, a newer and potentially more flexible way to earn money that is picking up popularity is through mobile marketing.
Here, we’ll explore how to make money online with a mobile phone by presenting you with ten ways to earn quick cash without any special training.
1. Take surveys.
You might be familiar with the concept of taking surveys online. For those of you who are not, surveys are a quick way to gain insight into the minds of strangers and potentially make a few bucks along the way. Simply sign up with Survey Junkie, Swagbucks, OneOpinion, Ipsos iSay, Volcanoes, Neurons Inc., Swagbucks CDM, Ipsos iSay and Survey Junkie and you’ll be able to complete a variety of surveys that pay quickly and can even pay a little bit more than you would if you completed them online. Keep in mind: The more surveys you complete, the better chance you have of earning money.
You’ll be able to choose between taking surveys for businesses you’ve heard of and don’t mind spending money on, or taking surveys for businesses you’ve never heard of but believe in. The keys to making money online are to find a way to make money quickly and consistently. Surveys can help you do just that. Additionally, many of the businesses that you’ll be asked to complete surveys for have a considerable amount of money to spare and will definitely appreciate your efforts.
2. Start an online store.
Owning an online store is similar to taking surveys in that you’re essentially creating a product and then selling it online. The major difference is that with an online store, you’re not just selling an input (i.e., a product you created); you’re also providing a service. For example, if your store specializes in selling clothing for women, you’re providing a service by taking the hassle out of shopping for women and making it more convenient.
The fact that you’re providing a useful service leads to another option. If you’re the sort of person who feels more comfortable providing a service rather than selling a product, you might consider doing so in a way that makes money. For example, if you’re the most prolific writer in your town, you could create a blog that combines your writing skill with the clothes you sell. Whether through a hybrid blog/online store or through a straightforward online store, owning an online store can be a quick way to make some extra cash.
3. Start an online store in a niche.
As easy as it is to create an online store, it’s not necessarily easy to make a profitable one. Like with most things in life, there are specific guidelines to follow and a formula for success that you can use to ensure you’re making the most out of your online store.
To start, you’ll need to pick a niche. Niches are often highly competitive and have a limited amount of customers, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t some room for you to establish yourself as someone who’s knowledgeable in that particular area. For example, if dogs are your passion and you’re already familiar with the breed, you might consider becoming an expert dog breeder and establishing yourself as someone who can help others establish their own dog breeding businesses.
Once you’ve chosen your niche, you can move on to deciding on a name for your online store. Ideally, you want something that’s simple but memorable. In the example above, we’ve used the phrase “Doggie Diamonds” to refer to our online store because we chose to specialize in breeding miniature diamonds for dog owners. We chose this name because it’s both simple and memorable and refers to our main service which is providing diamond jewelry for dogs. Essentially, we’re providing a service to a niche market and have established ourselves as the go-to source for miniature diamonds for dogs.
4. Start an online tutoring business.
If you’re an expert at something — whether it’s teaching English as a second language, math, or any other subject — you can make money teaching people online. Simply sign up with Varsity Tutors, Tutor.com or SmartPatent and you’ll be able to connect with potential students who are looking to gain some extra help from an experienced tutor. Many of these businesses will even pay you to tutor their students, so you’re essentially getting paid to teach people things you’re an expert at.
It’s a win-win situation because you’re providing a service to people who need it while also making money online. Although this is a fairly passive way of making money online, if you can connect with someone who needs your help and pays you enough, it could be a lucrative side business for you.
5. Start an online store that sells affiliate products.
A few years back, affiliate marketing was a way of making money online that people tended to ignore until they realized that it was an easy way to make money online and could potentially be highly profitable. Essentially, when someone clicks a link or buys a product that’s promoted on your site, you get a commission from that sale. Some of the most profitable and popular affiliate marketing websites earn millions of dollars per month solely from affiliate sales, so this is definitely a way to make money online that doesn’t require much effort.
If you’re looking to make extra cash through affiliate marketing, you have a couple of options. You can launch an affiliate marketing site that’s designed to make money off other people’s products (i.e., affiliates) or you can create an affiliate marketing program where you promote and sell your own products (e.g., Amazon affiliate marketing program).
6. Start an online store that sells candles.
Yes, starting an online store that sells candles can be a quick way to make money online. Simply go through the motions of selecting a product to sell (e.g., paraffin wax or soy wax candles), finding a supplier (most candle companies have their own suppliers that they work with directly), and then creating a store that includes detailed information about the candles (e.g., type of fragrance, where it’s from, and so on) as well as prices.
What’s great about this option is that you can literally start up with nothing more than a domain name and some kind of sales copy for your website. You don’t necessarily need to know how to create a website to do this, as there are many online stores, like Shopify, that can help you with the technical aspects of getting your site live.
7. Start an online store that sells gift cards.
If you’re an astute marketer, you might consider this option as well. Essentially, you’re creating a storefront that sells gift cards for businesses that you believe in. For example, if you’re a marketing strategist and you know that lots of business owners don’t use social media, you might consider creating an e-commerce store that sells gift cards for social media platforms like HubSpot and Hootsuite.
What’s great about this option is that you can literally start up with nothing more than a domain name and some kind of sales copy for your website. You don’t necessarily need to know how to create a website to do this, as there are many online stores, like Shopify, that can help you with the technical aspects of getting your site live.
8. Start an online store that sells scented lotions.
Many people in the personal care and lotion industries are making plenty of money online, and it doesn’t require a lot of expertise to get in on the action. Simply go through the motions of selecting a product to sell (e.g., soybean oil, hemp oil, coconut oil, and so on) as well as prices, and you’ll be able to start an online lotion store that’s designed to make quick cash.
The key to this option is choosing a scent that is both pleasant and familiar to people. If you can harness the power of scent, you can literally sell anything and make some serious coin. We wouldn’t advise you to start an online aromatherapy shop, but you could absolutely sell scented lotions with lemongrass, lavender, or geranium as the main scent.