Making money online is easier now than ever before. If you can provide a product or service that is valuable to someone, they will pay to acquire it. The first thing you need to ask yourself is what you have to offer to solve someone else’s problem.
Once you have identified what that is, you’ll need to decide how to sell it. Some people choose to blog as a starting point. You can sell products or services using a blog or directly through another site.
Blogging
Would you like to learn how to make a profitable blog? To get started with blogging, you will first need to choose the topic. Then you can start creating content for it and finally, decide how you will market the blog. Today With Jay offers some very useful tips regarding this topic.
Marketing your Blog
The way you market your site will depend on its topic. However, the following suggestions are useful for most types of blogs.
As you get started, you’ll need to do your research. Find out as much as possible about other sites, blogs, and forums connected to your topic. This will give you ideas and help you engage in conversations that can lead to marketing opportunities.
Developing relationships with reporters is also essential. Getting a link from mainstream media can be a huge advantage for your blog. You can use Google Alerts and Google News to find reporters who are writing on topics that relate to your content.
Once you’ve found these reporters, try to help them with information or ideas for a story. You might also want to sign up for the Help a Reporter (HARO) service. Daily emails link reporters with sources like you who can provide expert information on a subject.
Publishing a guest post can also help give your blog greater visibility. A guest article is one you write for another website or blog. You provide free content, and in return, the webmaster of that site includes a link to your site.
Monetizing your Blog
How can you make money using your blog? There are three common ways of monetizing your site:
Contextual ads, selling other companies’ products, and selling your own products or services.
Contextual advertising presents ads for products and services that are relevant to your content. There are several contextual ad networks you can choose from. They include Bid Vertices, Chitupa, Google AdSense, Info links, and Contra.
When a blog reader clicks on an ad on your page, you receive a stipulated amount. The amount can range from a few cents to upwards of $20 per click. If you have managed to develop a large readership, they can add up quickly and bring significant income.
Affiliate marketing is another way to earn money from your blog. It involves selling products to other companies. You can join affiliate programs related to your subject matter and include links to products in your posts.
Amazon also offers an affiliate program through which you can link to books related to your topic. This enables you to offer resources relevant to your posts and receive income for those recommendations.
When one of your readers clicks on a link and purchases the product, you will get paid a commission for that referral. The higher the traffic to your site, the more money you’ll make.
You can also use your blog to sell your own services or products. For example, you may write eBooks or develop courses to sell.
Selling Physical Products
If you have physical products to sell, such as books or crafted items, you have a few different choices. You may choose to sell through a platform like Etsy or Amazon. Using an established one may be a good choice when you’re just getting started until you’re sure your products will sell.
The other option is to start your own online store. If you have a blog, the store can be part of the same website. Just search online for reviews of eCommerce platforms to help you decide which to use.
Some online stores also sell other companies products. To make this work for you, you’ll need to find a source of products with low enough prices that you can make a profit.
This type of business can tend to have a lot of overhead costs and competition issues. You will need to think about things like shipping, inventory, and storage. If you’ve got these bases covered, you can start thinking about making a profit.
Selling Digital Products
Digital products have a much lower startup cost than physical ones. There are many different kinds of digital products you could sell:
- eBooks
- Fonts
- Music
- Print Tables
- Online courses
- Photoshop templates
- Sound effects
- PowerPoint templates
- Research papers
- Stock photos
- Video animation intro
- Lesson plans
- Apps
- Video courses
- Games
- Recipes
- Short films
- Web design templates
The possibilities are endless. To get started, you’ll need a good idea for a digital product that people will purchase. Then you can start selling it on the platform of your choice.
Selling Services
When you sell services, your focus is on solving problems for other people. You market your skills as services that others are willing to pay for.
You can also sell other companies’ services as an affiliate. You provide links to their services on your site and receive a commission when the sale comes from your referral.
If you’re selling your services, you can do so from a website or blog or work with a freelance platform.
These sites are especially helpful when you’re getting started and building up your base of clients.
There are loads of different ones out there. Some of the most popular platforms are listed below:
- Upwork
- Fiverr
- People Per Hour
- Freelancer
You can market your services to individuals or businesses. Here are some ideas of services you may choose to sell to individuals:
- Resume Editing
- Music Lessons
- Fashion consulting
- Interview prep
- Finding a job
- Art lessons
- Relationship counseling
- Interior design
- Wedding planning
- Tax services
- SAT prep
- Sports lessons
- Travel planning
- College application review
- Foreign languages
- Financial planning
Many businesses are also in the market for services you could provide:
- Graphic design
- Digital advertising
- Content writing
- Social media marketing
- Translation
- Legal services
- Web design
- Accounting
- Project management
- SEO optimization
- Public relations
- Tax services
- Video editing
- Human resources or payroll
To get started selling your services, you’ll need to identify what you have to offer and get your name out there. There is no shortage of individuals and businesses who could use your services.
The Takeaway
If you want to get started making money online, the opportunities are endless. You can start a blog and use it to earn a living. You may also choose to sell physical or digital products.
Selling your services is also an excellent way to earn money. With a good sense of what you want to do and some determination, you can make a full-time income with any of these online businesses.
