You’ve probably heard of the gig economy by now. Marketers, copywriters, and social media influencers have transformed the way we communicate and are now able to make money online without having to undergo traditional employment processes.
But what exactly is the gig economy? How do you fit into it? What are the best ways to make money online now?
1. Find your niche.
One of the beauties of the internet is that it connects all of us, no matter where we are in the world. Because of this, you have a chance to connect with people from all over the world and find your audience. Additionally, you can find like-minded individuals who share your passion for online marketing and are looking for similar work opportunities.
In the gig economy, you’re your own boss and can determine your working hours. According to the Oxford Research Lab, between 10% and 20% of employees in developed countries like the U.S. and U.K. work remotely, also known as the gig economy. Additionally, around 40% of those workers said they’d rather work remotely than go through an agency recruitment process. Why? Because they want to be their own boss.
That’s a big reason behind why the gig economy is growing, along with the sharing economy and the rise of the “creative class”.
2. Join a community.
If you’re looking to make extra cash, you can do so by joining a community of people who share your same interests. For example, if you love animals and want to make some extra cash, you can join a community of dog lovers and start helping those who need care for their dogs. You could offer your services to neighbors or friends who have dogs, or even members of your own family who may need someone to walk their dog for them once or twice a week.
If you love to cook, why not offer to bake some tasty treats and share them with your fellow community members? You can partner with a local business who needs help marketing their products online or sell your photos to companies who want to use them for promotional purposes.
You might not need to do this to make big bucks, but it can help establish your online marketability and build your reputation as someone who is reliable and capable.
3. Start a blog.
Blogs have been around for a while now and have mostly stuck to just providing content for entertainment purposes. However, in today’s world, bloggers are taking advantage of the internet and its vast resources to establish themselves as digital journalists who can investigate and report on breaking news stories.
If you’re looking for a way to make money online, start a blog. According to the Pew Research Center, 69% of American adults use blogs, and 77% of those people read blogs regularly. Additionally, 20% of American adults have created blogs, with a whopping 88% of those people planning to make money from them.
Start a blog about something that you’re passionate about. If you love to travel, why not start a blog about your adventures? If you’re a fashion fan, start a blog about the latest trends in style. If you like to cook, create a blog about your special recipes. The sky is the limit with this one!
As you establish yourself as an authoritative voice in your chosen topic, others will begin to recognise you as someone who can be counted on to provide reliable information.
You might not want to focus on just one subject. Why not become an expert in several areas? Having a variety of topics under your belt will make you easier to sell as a writer or content marketer. Additionally, you can then use your skills to their fullest and create valuable content that is engaging, informative, and — above all — entertaining.
Blogs are fairly easy to get started with. You don’t necessarily need a lot of technical knowledge to establish yourself as an established digital journalist. However, you should have a good understanding of how blogs work and what makes for a successful blog.
To get started, all you need is a dedicated web space (website hosting), an internet connection, and a laptop or desktop computer. From there, you can begin to establish yourself as an authoritative voice in your chosen topic by creating and publishing content regularly.
Earn Money With These Ideas
So, you’ve got a blog. Congratulations! Now, how can you monetise it? There are several ways to make money from a blog, including affiliate marketing, product reviews, and sponsored posts.
As a blogger, you’ll likely be approached by businesses who want to pay you to promote their products or services. These are known as affiliate marketing opportunities, and there are plenty of companies, such as ClickBank, that provide affiliate programs that can help you make money online. If you’d rather not spend your time selling products and instead want to create content for the sake of it, you can make money from a blog with a sponsored post. For those who want to dive into the world of affiliate marketing, we’ve put together a complete affiliate marketing tutorial, which you can access for free from any page on this site.
If you want to make extra cash with your blog, begin to accumulate reviews of products and services. Some of the best companies out there will pay you to write a product review for them, and if you can accumulate enough reviews, you can potentially earn a decent amount of cash. If you want to make even more money, you can become a product reviewer for reputable companies and earn a nice monthly income. You’ll need to establish yourself as an expert in your chosen topic and have a sizable audience before you can begin to earn cash.
One final option for earning quick cash is to copy and paste special offer snippets from reputable companies onto your blog. Companies like OneOpinion, Survey Junkie, and Swagbucks will often pay you to take surveys, rate products, or enter special offers. You can get paid to take surveys in your free time or when you’re waiting for your bus or train ride home. Just remember to keep your eyes open for these types of opportunities when they appear.
Final Takeaway
There are several ways to make money online, and if you’ve got a computer or smartphone, you can find a way to make money from home without any special training. Plus, you can continue to build your blog and establish yourself as an expert in your chosen field. A digital nomad lifestyle isn’t as far off as you might think.
If you want to make extra cash, start a blog now. You don’t necessarily need to have a large audience to make money from a blog, since you can use affiliate marketing to essentially “earn money while you sleep”. When you have a blog with a sizable audience, you can begin to integrate your writing into larger media publications, such as newspapers and magazines. From there, you’ll be able to build your earnings and create a more stable source of income.