Earn money online – 7 genuine methods. Earning Money was by and large, based on offline methods for a long. But with the increased 4G and 3G penetration, the opportunity to earn online has grown manyfold off-late.
The internet user base in India is rapidly growing and is expected to double to 600 million users by 2020 from the current 343 million, according to data estimations calculated by the Atlas VPN research team.
So with India’s netizen population increasing day by day and as more people are spending time on the internet, everyone is connected together regardless of their income status or geography. This has helped online entrepreneurs to find more customers easily especially in this COVID 19 pandemic era.
Table of Contents
Online Business - the order of the day
Irrespective of being rich or poor you now have the ability to share your skills and connect with people all over the world for free.
The greatest advantage of online businesses is that an online business generally has lower overhead when compared to an offline traditional brick-and-mortar business, translating into less of a financial commitment. This allows younger entrepreneurs to chase their dreams right out of college or even skip college altogether.
Why start an online business?
Online businesses are the best option for youngsters who want a steady income even during the pandemic. It is very easy to start an online business, you just need a computer(or even a smartphone) to run your million dollar internet empire from anywhere around the globe.
We are going to discuss the 7 credible ways to build a strong income source in the long run. Remember, famous internet billionaire’s like Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg didn’t become billionaires overnight. They became billionaires because of their effort and hard work.
So let’s get started
1. Create a blog/website
One of the easiest and traditional ways of making some extra bucks online is by starting a blog or a website. A blog is a type of website that focuses mainly on written content, also known as blog posts. In popular culture, we most often hear about news blogs or celebrity blog sites, but you’ll see in this guide how you can start a successful blog on just about any topic under the sun.
Should you start a blog?
Blogging can be quite lucrative if done properly. The top bloggers in the world obviously earn quite a bit, but even a part-time blogger can expect to make a nice profit in the long run.
Blogging is not rocket science and everyone can do it.
Now you can create your own stunning website within a few minutes with a few clicks and that too at a very low cost. You don’t even have to write a single line of code to get your website or blog into action. You can build websites easily by using Google’s Blogger or WordPress.
Many successful bloggers write in a very informal and conversational style. You don’t need to be an expert on your topic in order to have a successful blog.
For example, readers of a cooking blog don’t want to read a textbook from a food scientist, they want to hear the experiences of someone who has actually cooked some real meals, mistakes and all.
To be successful as a blogger there is really just one requirement, a passion for your topic. Choosing a topic that you are passionate about makes the process of starting a successful blog so much easier. Writing about more than one topic is totally fine. As long as you are writing about things that you are genuinely interested in, your passion will shine through and keep your readers interested.
For example, one of my cousins who is an avid football fan has created a football-related site called IndiaKicks.
How do you make money from blogging?
So let’s go to the million-dollar question, How do you make money from a blog?
The easiest way to blog for money is to get paid for showing advertisements on your blog by joining Google’s AdSense.
Google AdSense is a program run by Google through which website publishers in the Google Network of content sites serve text, images, video, or interactive media advertisements that are targeted to the site content and audience. These advertisements are administered, sorted, and maintained by Google.
How Adsense work?
The process is very simple you will be given a code to add to your blog. This code will automatically display advertisements on your blog from companies that are part of Google’s advertising network. The nice thing about AdSense is that you have thousands of advertisers bidding to advertise on your blog.
You can also use affiliate marketing which we will discuss later in the post.
2. Become a social media influencer
Most of us spend a lot of time on social media like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. This has made social media a booming market for advertisers. It has opened up a new way to earn money online. You can write or post about anything you like on your social media handle, then you can earn money by increasing your social media audience online.
If you are able to build a strong social media following on a platform like FB or youtube, you have become a social media influencer. Now big names in the corporate world will be after you.
Who is a social media influencer anyway?
At its heart, a Social media influencer is a person who has the power to affect another person’s buying decision based on their online presence. They have this effect on people because of their knowledge, skills, or experience in a particular niche. Bloggers, celebrities, and industry leaders are considered examples of social media influencers.
More often than not, products or services endorsed by influencers will be patronized by their audience should they have a need or desire for it. If a particular blogger swears about the benefits of a certain makeup brand, some members of their audience might tend to follow the recommendation and buy the product.
How do social media influencers make money?
Basically social media influences make money by promoting the products of different brands through his social media handle. You get paid according to the engagement you have for each post.
Sponsored social media posts are one of the most popular ways for influencers to make money on social media. It’s when brands or marketers pay you to promote a certain brand or product in a social media post. You could create review posts, informational posts, or simply feature and tag the products.
How can you establish your value as a social media influencer?
Getting the basics right can help you gain more credibility and lp the trust of potential partners. Some of the basics will also make it easier for you to get on the radar of brands that are looking for influencers The best part is that you don’t need a million followers to start making money as a social media influencer.
All you have to do is to post high-quality content on a social media platform like Facebook or Instagram consistently. If you are worried about how could you create high-quality content all by yourself. Don’t lose heart, there is still a way out.you can still make money by posting quality content that you find on the internet on your Facebook page or Instagram profile. In short, you can make money from being a social media influencer even if you don’t create your own content.
But remember these two points
- Whatever content you post on social media should be of high quality. Invest in a decent camera if possible so you can produce better images. To improve your text content, I recommend using Articoolo or Grammarly.
- Make sure you use witty captions that will appeal to your target audience. Try to upload vivid, vibrant, and high-quality photos.
Engage Your Audience
Brands also consider the engagement rate when searching for influencers to work with. That’s why it’s crucial that you build an engaged and loyal audience if you want to make money on social media.
Instead of simply creating content about yourself, you need to engage your followers in a two-sided conversation.
For example, you could ask questions such as…
- Have you used it before?
- What do you think about it?
Or you could encourage them to create content in tune with what you’ve created and ask them to tag you in it.
Join an Influencer Network
Whether you’re just starting out as an influencer or you want to further monetize your influence, joining an influencer network can be a great way to find brands to work with. It’s especially beneficial for micro-influencers who haven’t yet received a lot of proposals from brands and marketers.
These influencer networks match you with brands that are in search of influencers fitting your characteristics. So, this is one of the best things to do if you want to make money on social media and make your mark as an influencer.
I personally recommend using the Influencer.
This platform is specially geared towards micro and nano influencers, so there’s a good chance that you’ll be able to get connected with a brand with ease.
3. Create a YouTube channel
Next, we are going to look at the most common way to earn money online, starting a youtube channel. With the rise of the video blogging culture, it’s completely understandable for any tech-savvy millennial or young adult to be enticed by the idea of starting a YouTube channel.
After all, it’s a fun and interactive hobby with the potential to turn you into a popular online personality—with the added benefit of helping you meet new people, get free stuff from companies, and of course, you can earn a pretty impressive income making attractive and informative videos on youtube.
Compared to the other two methods discussed above, it is very easy to get started at zero cost. But it is not so easy to earn money (earningmoney is never easy by the way) Owing to Google’s strict criteria for monetization like 1000 subscribers and 4000 watch hours.
But once you are on track you would be able to earn a substantial amount of money from YouTube. You should treat a YouTube content strategy just like you would treat a content strategy on any other channel. Your content should be created for the targeted audience. The more you define your niche, the more your content will resonate with viewers.
Your Youtube channel name is the first thing people see. So, to gain subscribers and entice people to watch your videos, it has to have the right appeal. You want to carefully consider your target markets, and think about what you want your channel to achieve, and try to keep it short, unique, and simple.
At this point, there are three main aspects you need to determine.
For whom you are creating this channel. You can often narrow your audience by being more specific about their knowledge level of your topic and location. A narrow audience is a good thing because it allows you to make your content just that more targeted.
What do they want to do? The second part of defining your audience is to specify their main goals. Determine the things they care about the most.
How do they want to consume It? Finally, you just want to do a common-sense check and determine whether the audience you’ve nailed down actually wants to get their solutions in the video form.
Video is great for certain types of content:
- Tutorials
- Overviews of strategies
- Education on a specific topic
- Demonstrations
- Product reviews
Quality always comes first:
One aspect that really impresses your audience is the quality of your video. Make sure your videos have good lighting, isn’t blurry, and looks like someone invested some time and effort in them.
Classic white backgrounds not only look professional, but it keeps the focus on you rather than some random things in the background.
The other kind of popular video is the whiteboard video, where the narration is done alongside drawings on a whiteboard.
Good editing allows you to make the video flow nicely from one section to another to keep the viewers’ attention. Video editing is not a problem because you can do it with ease using Apps like kinemaster, Camtasia, viva video, etc. You can also use animated videos by using toonly. To sum up, If you post high-quality videos consistently and promote it well you would be able to make a decent income through YouTube.
4.Affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing can be said to be one of the cheapest and quickest ways to make money online since it involves no product creation of any kind.
To set up your Affiliate Marketing in India, all you need to do is to link up a buyer and seller. Once the sale is made, you earn your commission. It’s essentially classic advertising in a less intrusive way. Rather than promoting a product on your website with visual advertisements.
How does affiliate marketing work?
This is how affiliate marketing works
- You recommend a product or service to your followers through your website, blog, or email list
- Your followers purchase the product or service using your affiliate link.
- You get paid a commission for the sales made using your affiliate link.
Do You Need Qualifications To Be An Affiliate Marketer?
The truth is anyone can become an affiliate marketer, and there are no standard qualifications. However, knowing how to write a blog post, string a great review together, or do a video are all a big plus because they mean you don’t have to pay for content in the beginning.
Also, any existing marketing knowledge you have will be a great advantage to you. You can be an affiliate in Amazon or a blue host. It is a great way to earn if you are able to promote your blog well and you have a huge readership.
5. Dropshipping
Dropshipping is when a vendor fulfills orders from a third party and has them ship directly to the customer. In other words, the vendors pass on the sales order to the supplier, who then fulfills the order. The vendor does not store its own inventory or ship items directly. You don’t have to own a single product.
Overall, there are three parties involved in the dropshipping business model of e-commerce—You the retailer, the customer, and the supplier or manufacturer.
Dropshipping has become a popular business model because it makes starting an eCommerce business simple. Shipping is taken care of from the get-go, and adding new products to your catalog is as simple as a few clicks. Your risk is minimized because you don’t have to pay for inventory or warehousing. And if the products you sell ever lose popularity you can simply change them out.
However, contrary to popular belief, dropshipping is not a get-rich-quick scheme. Sure, it seems like easy money- you sell other people’s goods and take a cut for yourself – but when you factor in all the drawbacks, obstacles, and day-to-day management, it’s far from easy.
6.Sell your products online
If you have a product or create a product like handicrafts or paintings then online selling is a great way to earn money online. There are a couple of ways to do it. But the easiest way to do is to sell products using amazon.
This is a very easy process…
First, you list the products that you want to sell on Amazon.in marketplace. You deliver the product to the customer and confirm shipment or let Amazon fulfill the order for you through FBA or Easy ship. Amazon will deposit the funds into your bank account after deducting our fees.
You can also start your own e-commerce website as we have discussed earlier. Squarespace E-Commerce is a top of the line solution for online store design. Its sleek templates put the emphasis on your products, and are easy to customize – meaning any layout can be tweaked to match your brand.
7. Become a freelancer
Simply put, Freelancing or a freelancing job is when someone offers his/her services for an agreed period of time in return for a fee. Freelancers are independent of the business or individuals who hire their services and are free to take up multiple freelance projects at one time. Freelancers typically get freelance projects online – via freelance websites like Fiverr, Upwork, or Kool Kanya Marketplace, or even through their own social media.
The best thing about freelancing is that, whatever your skillset may be, there’s sure to be a job that you can find online.
Final Word
The Internet is a hub of opportunities. If you use it smartly, you can even make it a full-time career. If you are willing to put in a few hours consistently, you can earn an impressive income out of it.
