The Internet offers many opportunities to turn your time into hard cash, but where do you start if you have no entrepreneurial skills? Luckily, you don’t have to be a business tycoon or a social media star to make money from the comfort of your own home. All you need is determination, some basic insight into your niche and a willingness to learn some new skills.
Do you often spend time on your laptop and wish you could be making money while you’re at it? Here are five ways you can actually be earning an income online.
Become an affiliate
There are plenty of opportunities for you to make money by advertising another brand’s products online. In some cases, you will need an active website or blog, in others, you can send ads directly to affiliates. Your income will vary according to experience and subscriber base, but if you already have an established platform then becoming an affiliate is a no-brainer. Affiliate Programs has some excellent money-making guides and tips to help you get started.
Start a blog
Starting a profitable blog is by no means easy, but it can drive some serious revenue if you know what you’re doing. A blog can also help to drive traffic to an existing business or e-commerce site, especially when you participate in SEO and content marketing.
Online training
Do you have a background in business leadership or coaching? If so, you could be using your hard-earned knowledge to make money online. There are plenty of platforms where online tutors can sign up. Alternatively, you can set up your own business using Skype along with a simple website and email form. If you want to offer coaching services, you can learn how to host a webinar, create an email subscribers list and have people pay to hear you speak.
Sell products
Want to create a virtual shopfront? With an e-commerce website, you could earn money by selling your own or somebody else’s products. You will need somewhere to keep stock, an SSL certificate for your website and a way to process payments, but once you are up and running as an e-commerce seller, you can start making money immediately.
Sell services
Most people have a special skill that could be earning them money in their spare time. If you’re a great editor or you have an eye for graphic design, you could leverage your skills and turn them into a fully-fledged business. All you need to do is work out your payment structure, set up a website and pitch to clients. You’ll also need to use social media (or hire a Social Media Manager) to promote your business via popular channels.
They say everyone has an entrepreneur in them – in a market populated by online businesses, this is proving to be true. If you want to join the thousands of people ditching the 9-5 and work remotely, why not try one of these five ways of making money online today?
