In today’s world, the ability to make money online can change your life. All you need is a laptop, an Internet connection, and the willingness to learn. While it’s easy to point fingers at the growth of online commerce and the subsequent rise of online freelancing as the cause of this digital money phenomenon, much of today’s success can be attributed to seven different ways you can make money online. Let’s take a look.
1. Affiliate Marketing
If you’ve ever bought a product or service and felt grateful to the vendor for allowing you to make a small commission or reward without having to spend much effort, you’re familiar with affiliate marketing. This is where you promote a product or service that another company owns, but you get a commission when someone clicks a link or buys a product that’s promoted on your site.
Products or services for sale that you promote to trick people into buying them are known as passive income generators. While it’s preferable to develop these products or services yourself to ensure you get the full commission, you don’t need to. There are hundreds of thousands of affiliate marketers worldwide who will work hard to earn you money with their fantastic skills. In fact, you can literally start a business with just one affiliate sale a month. It’s that simple.
2. Blogging
Blogging is a fantastic way to make money online. The only requirement is that you must have a fairly large audience. When someone clicks a link or buys a product that’s been recommended by an authority figure on your blog, you’ll earn a small commission.
The beauty of blogging is that you can quickly and easily set up an account and begin earning money online. Once you have one or two blogs that are earning you money, you can easily scale up and establish yourself as an authoritative voice in your niche. Just remember that quality will always trump quantity when it comes to making money off your blog. Don’t expect to become a best-selling author overnight just because you have a huge following.
3. eBay
eBay is the world’s largest online market, and it’s still growing. If you’ve even considered selling your own products or services online, you’re on eBay. With all of its restrictions and regulations, working through an online marketplace to sell your products can be a viable source of income. The key to making a profit on eBay is to utilize marketing and shipping strategies, as well as to find the right niche.
You’ll need to build up a solid inventory of products that you can quickly and easily sell to your audience. The best way to do this is by creating a store within eBay. This gives you complete control over the listings that appear on your store’s product pages. When someone clicks a product, they’ll be taken to a landing page for that product where they can see your pricings and be directed to the shipping information.
4. Etsy
Etsy is the world’s largest online marketplace for creators and small businesses to sell their products. Much like eBay, Etsy is easy to set up an account and quickly expand your inventory of products. Another fantastic thing about Etsy is that you can use the platform to launch your own products and brands. There are many success stories of Etsy merchants creating and growing billion-dollar businesses.
The key to making money on Etsy is to find a profitable niche and utilize marketing strategies to attract potential customers to your store. Etsy also offers a wonderful “buyer protection” policy, which protects you as a seller from fraud and improved margins. If you want to succeed on Etsy, you must treat their policies and procedures with the utmost confidence.
5. ClickBank
ClickBank is one of the biggest and most established online marketplaces for merchant accounts. If you’ve ever shopped online, you’ve probably heard of ClickBank. Like PayPal and many other online payment services, ClickBank allows online shoppers to make purchases with their credit cards and get paid via direct deposit or check.
While ClickBank is a fantastic option for online sellers, it’s almost impossible to make a profit as a consumer. The key is to sign up for an affiliate program and promote a product or service that you believe in and can make money off of.
If you’ve got a blog or website, you can find affiliate programs that will pay you to promote a product or service and gain credibility with your audience. Just remember to do your research before joining an affiliate program to ensure you’re connecting with a reputable company.
6. Live Streaming
If you’ve got a large enough audience, live streaming can be a viable revenue source. People will pay to watch you perform, whether it’s a concert or sports game. Think about using GoFundMe or Patreon to establish yourself as an independent content creator and make money off of memberships, merchandise sales, and live chats.
Establishing a business model that relies on live streaming is fairly simple. You’ll need to convince people that you are a trustworthy figure and have their interests at heart. When someone watches your stream, they’ll feel as though they know you and can have complete trust that what you’re presenting is, in fact, genuine.
You’ll need to learn how to use live streaming software like Meerkat, TikTok, or Periscope to get started. Once you do, you can easily set up a profile and begin establishing yourself as a go-to source for any information related to your niche.
7. Sign Up For A Freelance Writing Business
To become a freelance writer, all you need is a laptop, an Internet connection, and the willingness to learn. Once you’ve done that, you can easily find jobs through online freelance marketplaces like Fiverr or Upwork. If you can prove to employers that you have a sizable audience, you’ll have an opportunity to pitch your writing services and earn some money.
As a freelance writer, you’ll need to become competent at researching the topic, pennying pitch-worthy articles, and producing creative content for businesses worldwide. While it’s preferable to find established brands who need someone to work for them, you can get your foot in the door through freelance writing and establish yourself as an independent contractor. In many cases, clients will even offer you full-time employment once you’ve proven yourself.