If you’re reading this, I assume you’re looking for ways to make money online as a side gig or full-time job. Maybe you’ve tried freelancing, but found it difficult to secure paying projects. Or maybe you’re looking for a better way to make money passively while you sleep.
No matter what stage you’re in, this article is for you. Here are some of the best ways to make money online as a technology consultant.
1. Start A Blog
Blogs are one of the simplest ways to make money online. It doesn’t even require a lot of expertise to start a blog and begin monetizing it. If you already have a blog, then the simplest way to make additional money is to simply put money into advertising or affiliate marketing on your blog. In 2018, affiliate marketing made up nearly 45% of all online advertising revenue. If you can develop a small audience of engaged readers on your blog, you can make a decent amount of money online simply by sharing and promoting reputable products.
2. Start An Online Store
E-commerce is another great way to make money online. If you’re in the market for a particular product (e.g., electronics, clothing, furniture, etc.) then you can create a store on a marketplace like Shopify or WooCommerce that allows you to sell that product online.
Shopify has over 500 million monthly active users and over 2 million active merchants, which makes it the #3 largest e-commerce platform globally. What’s more is that over 90% of Shopify’s business comes from outside the US, which indicates a global audience.
WooCommerce is owned by WordPress and was initially designed to allow users to easily set up an online store without needing a lot of expertise. It has since become one of the most popular e-commerce platforms globally, with over 1.7 million unique monthly active installs and 26 million active stores worldwide.
These platforms can take the hassle out of running an online store, allowing you to focus on converting traffic into paying customers. Plus, these types of products and services allow you to make money online without having to have a physical product to sell.
3. Start An Online Store From Scratch
If you’re looking to create an online store from scratch, then you’re in the right place. This is one of the simplest ways to make money online as a technology consultant because all you need is a web browser, an internet connection, and some creativity (e.g., to come up with a unique and compelling business name, a catchy slogan, etc.).
To create a store that’s completely unique to you, take some time to brainstorm and outline the vision for your store. Then, find a domain name that’s both memorable and describes your brand. Next, find a way to monetize the site. It doesn’t have to be affiliate marketing, but that’s probably the simplest and most popular way to make money online when you’re just getting started.
Once you have a monetized site, you can really start to grow your business. In the early stages, your main focus should be on gaining trust and credibility with potential customers. To do this, you can post in forums like Reddit to answer questions and provide valuable information. You can also create blogs and articles to provide useful tips and tricks for others.
4. Start An Affiliate Marketing Campaign
If you’ve been eyeing affiliate marketing as a way to earn extra money, then this is the right place to start. With affiliate marketing, you essentially set up a sales page for a product that you’ve had verified to be of high quality (e.g., a reputable brand such as Apple, Adidas, Jeeves, etc.). When a user clicks an affiliate link (e.g., an ad on a social media site), they’re taken to the sales page where they can learn more about the product and make a purchase.
The main advantage of affiliate marketing is that you don’t necessarily need to have a huge audience to succeed. In fact, you can put together a small e-commerce store with a few thousand dollars in affiliate earnings alone. The more you put in, the more you’ll potentially get back. You can literally make money online with this strategy without having to grow an audience.
There are countless high-quality and reputable products that you can promote and make money online with affiliate marketing. To start, you can always use Amazon’s affiliate program, which is both easy and trusted.
Over 75% of Amazon’s revenue comes from affiliate sales. Furthermore, you don’t necessarily need to promote a brand that you’re already affiliated with. There are plenty of opportunities to make money online without having a negative impact on your personal brand.
The key to making money with affiliate marketing is to find products that you’re genuinely passionate about and that you think will be valuable to your audience. If you can develop a passionate following around these products, then you can integrate your affiliate earnings into your personal finances.
5. Start An Online Store With An Attractive Bonus
If you’re looking to make money online, then you’re probably aware of the importance of establishing a reliable source of income. One of the best ways to do this is through a sign-up bonus. When you set up an account with a brand new e-commerce store, then they’ll typically give you something valuable for free. These can be in the form of discounts, freebies (e.g., discounted or free shipping), or access to exclusive content.
The key is to find a way to present these incentives that will compel people to try out your product or service. In the early stages, you should focus on creating value for your audience by providing quality content that’s both educational and entertaining. Once you can establish yourself as an expert in your industry, you can start to integrate these bonuses into your pitches.
6. Monetise Your Tumblr Blog
If you’re a Tumblr user, then you’ve probably heard about the platform’s incredible potential to generate revenue. Essentially, a Tumblr blog is like a personal Instagram account—only it’s restricted to images and text and allows for a greater degree of content customization.
Due to its highly visual and interactive nature, a Tumblr blog is a great place to promote products. If you can get creative and figure out a way to integrate product placements into your content, then you can really start to make some cash. Tumblr’s open API makes it easy to integrate their platform into your own. For example, if you want to create a blog about fashion, you can use information from the Open Data Explorer to creatively insert products into your content.
The best part about a Tumblr blog is that it’s fairly easy to setup and can be monetized simply by putting a few ads on your page. Plus, it’s a place that people are already coming back to time and time again for more content. If you can get creative with your content and integrate products into your blogs, then you can really start to make a name for yourself.
In conclusion, these were just some of the best ways to make money online as a technology consultant. No matter your experience or expertise, there’s a way you can make money online without having to have a full-time job. Simply find a way to get your name out there and start creating value.