People have always tried to gain as many resources as they can in the least amount of time. That’s the law of conserving energy. As the digital age emerged, we are now trying to make more money on the side by doing the least amount of work by using the internet.
Whether you are looking to earn a quick buck or searching for a long-term sustainable way of growing your revenue, there are many options available for just about anyone with a good internet connection. Some will be more realistic and lucrative than others, depending on how much time you are willing to spend on investing in yourself.
There is no magic formula to earn a lot of cash online or offline. Anything worth doing takes time and energy, especially when it doesn’t give you the stable income a normal nine-to-five provides at first. So let us show you at least ten different ways to make money on the internet that will supplement your income.
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Selling your products and services online
You don’t have to worry about setting up your own shop, decorating it, providing contact details or delivery. It’s like setting up your table at a well-known digital market where customers browse and buy what they like. These third-party sites, like Amazon, eBay, Upwork, and Shutterstock (to name a few), already have strong sales and marketing channels that traffic millions of customers to their sites. They already have their own built-in search feature and payment features. All you need to provide is high-res images of your products or a good description of your services.
There is a downfall to using some of these sites. Even though you don’t have to worry about setting up your own website or decorating it, in most cases, there is a monthly or annual fee involved in using their platform, or they take a cut from your income when you provided a service. Plus, you’ll find a lot of competition with those that are willing to work for peanuts.
Affiliate marketing
This is typically done by creating your own blog or YouTube channel. You need some kind of web presence and a constant flow of content or videos. You don’t necessarily need millions of viewers, but your platform can’t be a graveyard either.
With affiliate marketing, you sell products of other companies instead of your own products. It’s all about finding the right kind of company with a relevant product or service that will be applicable to your audience. If you mostly blog about traveling, you won’t affiliate yourself with cosmetic companies. However, it’s another story if you market cosmetics when your vlog (a video blog) is about DIY health and beauty.
How does it work? Your readers read your content, you tell them about this product, they click on the link to make a purchase and they’re taken to your affiliate’s site to complete the transaction. And you get a sweet commission. No need to deal with client services or shipping. Selling products as an affiliate may not be easy, but with the right audience, it can provide a good substantial amount of income.
Dropshipping
This term has taken the e-commerce world by storm. Dropshipping is a business model where a store doesn’t store any of the products that it sells, like Wayfair. Unlike some e-commerce businesses, you don’t need a warehouse or inventory of the items you want to sell. When people purchase a product, the site takes them to the third-party site (usually a wholesaler or manufacturer) that actually ships the goods. The profit comes from the difference between the wholesale and retail price. You’re essentially the face of your sales, but someone else is doing the hard work for you. The downside to starting a dropshipping site is the competition. Because many others are jumping on the bandwagon, the margins are quite low.
Crowdfunding
The online beggar’s way of asking for money? Not quite. This is more like a fundraiser for your cause or dream project. But, instead of going around your neighborhood knocking on everyone’s door asking for funds, you can share it globally online. If you set your budget and pitch your project the right way, people will be convinced to donate.
Micro jobs
Some sites and apps like Mechanical Turk from Amazon were created for the sole purpose of asking others to do small jobs for them. This can be as easy as taking a photo of a beautiful sunset with your smartphone to a little more complicated like translating a document into your own language. The thing about micro jobs is that the payment is also on a micro level, which means that you have to do a lot to actually make money.
Rent your place
Sometimes, all people really need is a place to sleep while they’re traveling. List your space on Airbnb. You have the option to rent your whole house or just a room. It’s a simple and effective way to make money in the short term, even though it might prove difficult in the beginning without any reviews. If you’re not sure how much to ask, research other listings in your area on Airbnb. If you have a good destination close to other attractions, provide value and take good care of your guests, your rates will go up and you’ll have better luck in making extra cash. Just make sure you follow the legislation in your area or country. Some complexes do not allow this, even if you own your unit.
Answer professional questions
Do you have a professional qualification that will help other people with their questions based on their individual circumstances? Then perhaps you can join sites like JustAnswer and LivePerson. People may ask how to get over a breakup or seek advice on how to extend their house without affecting the indigenous plantation around them.
Online surveys
This is one of the most popular ways to make money online. Research companies are always looking for people that love doing surveys in turn for cash or coupon rewards. Toluna and MySurvey are only two online survey sites to choose from. Just like micro jobs, the payout isn’t high and sometimes you need to reach a certain threshold before you’re allowed to cash out, which means you have to do a lot of surveys. It’s probably a good idea to sign up for a few sites to broaden the possibility of being chosen for surveys.
Website and app reviews
A few sites, like UserTesting.com, pay people to review certain websites and apps. The average review takes about 20 minutes. You’re basically asked to complete certain tasks on the website while recording your actions on screen and your voice as you speak your mind out loud. Some of these sites sometimes only request people from certain countries though, so make sure your country is listed before signing up.
Create your own website
Creating your own website seems like a daunting task for most people. How do you know which design will work best for you? How do you get the word out there if you don’t have the time or knowledge? What if there are technical problems? What on earth is SEO and where do you get some of it?
There’s no need to panic. You’re the one with the talent and ideas, so why not hire people to worry about the above? You can contact ADSpirine, the one-stop company that can create a website, take care of all the technicalities, and take over the marketing responsibilities for you. Sure, you could take the easy route in using third-party sites, but you are serious about your business ideas. Do you really want to share that profit or let someone else take a cut from your hard work?
It will always be tough to make money, both online and offline. But, hiring the right people to create your website will ensure that you do the hard work in the beginning and let customers come to you as time goes by. Passive income should make up the biggest part of your time. Time waits for no-one.
