If you’re looking for an easy way to make money from home, you’ve probably considered exploring the lucrative world of online marketing. Though the idea of generating income through online activities might seem far-fetched, the opportunity is actually very real. Thanks to the digital nomadism that emerged as a byproduct of the pandemic, countless people are finding ways to make a living online. In fact, as of April 2020, more than 452 million American adults are now working remotely, more than double the 215 million working in the office.
While the income potential is there, carving out a spot in the crowded online space can be difficult. That’s why it’s crucial to develop a game plan before diving in headfirst. In this article, we’ll walk you step-by-step through the ultimate guide to making money online.
The Growth of Online Marketing
You might be familiar with offline marketing, which ranges from radio ads to billboards and magazine spreads. Well, online marketing is simply everything about marketing done online. It might include email marketing, search engine optimization, or content marketing. Basically, any activity that generates economic value from a marketing perspective is considered online marketing.
Though the distinction might seem semantic, online marketing is a huge growing field. According to HubSpot Blogs research, businesses worldwide are expected to spend around $16.46 billion by 2020 on online marketing.
And that doesn’t even include the various subscription fees and other one-time costs associated with operating a (more or less) professional-looking online presence.
Why Should You Start An Online Marketing Business?
If you’re looking for a way to make extra cash, you have a variety of opportunities right under your nose. Working online as an online marketer isn’t specifically easy, but it is definitely lucrative. In fact, according to Business Insider, you can expect to earn around $16.46 to $32.81 per day from home. Not bad for a few hours of work, right?
On the other hand, if you’re looking to pursue a career in marketing, you’ll find plenty of opportunities in traditional and digital marketing agencies. Not to mention the ever-expanding world of social media. If you have a knack for getting people (and brands) to talk, you can develop a lucrative side-hustle as a social media influencer. Though the gigs are mostly inconsistent and depend on your niche, follower count, and engagement rate, you can usually expect to make a few hundred to a few thousand dollars per month. If you can find a way to grow your following, you can easily scale up your income.
Marketing On A Budget
For those of you on a tight budget, online marketing might not seem like a viable option to make money. After all, you’re essentially paying for each ad you run in order to gain potential customers. But with a little bit of planning and strategizing, you can still pull off a successful marketing campaign without breaking the bank.
The key is to determine which are the essentials and which are the luxuries. Without a doubt, an awesome website is essential if you want to attract potential customers to your online store or blog. But you might not need a fancy camera or a gold-plated telephone to connect with your audience. And although it’s tempting to go overboard with the bells and whistles and brand extensions, they aren’t necessarily essentials. In fact, a simple and elegant website will do just fine.
The Importance Of Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
If you’re new to the field, don’t worry, you’re not alone. According to HubSpot Blogs, only 18% of marketers are experienced in SEO, and 80% of marketers say that it’s quite difficult to explain to non-specialists what SEO is and does. For the most part, SEO is the process of optimizing your website (or blog) in order to appear on the first page of search results for relevant keywords.
If you’re looking to make money online, SEO is undoubtedly one of the most important strategies to employ. Why? Well, according to Search Engine Land, SEO can drive up to 50% of website traffic.
Since SEO is so essential to the digital nomadism economy, experienced SEO marketers can expect to earn significantly more than $16.46 per day. That’s why it’s worth joining a competitive bidding platform, like Google AdWords or Bing Ads, to get access to professional SEOs.
Content Marketing Is Key
Though SEO is critically important to the success of your online marketing campaign, so is content marketing. In fact, in 2020, HubSpot Blogs research found that businesses worldwide are expected to spend $16.46 billion on content marketing.
Put plainly, content marketing is the process of creating and distributing content, usually in the form of articles or videos, which are designed to attract, engage, and convert potential customers into paying subscribers or buyers.
To successfully implement a content marketing strategy, you’ll need a solid foundation of brand awareness, brand loyalty, and customer satisfaction. Though you might think that growing your blog audience would be enough, ultimately, you want to engage with your readers and draw them into action, whether that’s signing up for your newsletter or buying your product.
The Dangers Of The Digital Nomadism Trend
While it’s certainly lucrative to pursue a career in online marketing, you need to be mindful of the many pitfalls that come with the territory. To start with, the industry is highly competitive and always evolving. Though it’s likely you’ll land on a steady career trajectory, you might not be able to predict exactly what will become popular and profitable in the future.
Another important consideration is the remote nature of much of the work. Though it might be exhilarating to be able to hit the keyboard and immediately start generating revenue, you need to be mindful of the amount of time you’re spending working online. According to 2020 Gallup data, around 44% of American workers spend more than half of their day working remotely, which has serious implications for your health and well-being. Whether it’s the stress from constantly having to perform at a high level or the uncertainty of what will happen tomorrow, the digital nomad lifestyle isn’t for everybody.
Navigating The Online Marketing Jungle
With all the talk about making money online, it’s easy to get distracted by the many lucrative opportunities that exist. But it’s crucial to remain focused on the big picture, which is generating sustainable income streams.
To help you stay on track, the Make Money Online team has put together this comprehensive guide to give you a clear idea of what you’ll need to know before you start your online marketing adventure. With everything from the basics, like web hosting and domain registration, to the more advanced strategies, like SEO and content marketing, this article is a must-read for anyone interested in learning more about online marketing and how to get started.
An Intro To Web Hosting
The first and most essential step in launching an online marketing business is choosing a web host. Like it or not, you’ll be working online, so you need a place to park all that content. And what’s the best place for content? A website, of course!
When it comes to choosing a web host, you want to be sure that they offer high-quality service at an affordable price. Also, make sure that they offer support for the platforms you’re using the most, like WordPress and Shopify.
Forbes has ranked the top 12 web hosting companies based on customer satisfaction. Out of the 12 companies, 11 offer a money-back guarantee, so you can try them out with no risk to your wallet.
Choosing A Domain Name
After you’ve selected a web host, it’s time to choose a domain name. Though you might be tempted to grab the first available domain name that seems professional, this isn’t necessarily the case. To ensure that your domain name is as ideal as possible, you should consider registering a few different variants of the name.
Why? Different parts of the web address (also known as the domain name or web address) have different weightings. For example,.com,.org, and.net are all considered ‘top level domains’.
According to Namely, a domain name registrar, a premium account holder can expect to rank between the 1st and 3rd positions of a domain search. What’s more, they’ll also secure you a spot in the top three results for any relevant keywords that you may input. Simply put, the better your domain name, the better your online marketing results will be. And isn’t that what you’re looking for?