So it turns out that the
internet is good for more than just porn and video games – you can make
money off it too! Think of the internet as a giant country called
Imaginationland. By playing your cards right, you can make some easy
money online doing things you’re already doing. Here are some lifehacks
to start you off:
1. Website Building
If the internet is a country, then websites are like real estates.
I’m hoping by now you have a general understanding that real estates are
valuable in the physical world – digital real estates work the same
way. By building a website, you’re creating your own plot of online
“land.”
You can fill this land with whatever you want, but you have to
promote it through social media (and anywhere else you can think of) for
this to be successful. When you build traffic to your land, you can
sell people whatever you have to offer. In order to build a website, you
need a host (i.e
GoDaddy), a template (i.e
WordPress), and content.
The first two parts are easy to find, and content is only as
difficult as you make it. You can post blogs, items for sale, pictures,
videos, or whatever you want. Opening up your own website gives you the
potential to make money from the avenues I’m going to mention.
2. B2B Marketing
An online business model I love is utilized by
GetVoiP,
an affiliate marketer based in New York. GetVoiP acts as an agent for
business communication providers. They maintain updated listings of VoiP
providers, including ratings, comparisons, consumer reviews, in-depth
knowledge of market and end-user trends, and expert opinions from
business professionals on a variety of topics related to business
consumers. By not only keeping abreast of news, but providing detailed
analysis of products being offered, GetVoiP is able to generate traffic
to their site and increase their clout with businesses.
The more online clout you have as a business, the more money you’ll
make. If you’re known for making lasting connections (as is the case
with GetVoiP above), then you’ll have no issues building your online
brand. You’ll be recognized in your community and begin to build a buzz
in your industry. Tracking your numbers (how many people view your site,
click each ad, and make a purchase from that click) gives you the
leverage to expand this part of your business, enabling you to continue
building your online rep.
If that sounds like too much technical information for you, there is
an easy button – Google’s advertising platform is as simple as signing
up, enabling (on Blogger) or pasting a small code on your website, and
allowing the advertisements to automatically roll in. The problem with
this program is that you don’t get any commissions – and you don’t get
to control the ad content. This is useful for some, but powerful users
will want something a little more robust.
Amazon has an Associates program for site owners and bloggers. They
offer a search tool to find the right products and services from their
site and a variety of ad styles to display on your site, including
text-based and banner images (digital billboards) like this:
Each item purchased through your Amazon links give you a commission.
It doesn’t take high volume traffic to achieve results, either. I began
making money with the program when I only had 1,000 hits per month on my
site. They can apply your earnings to your Amazon account balance,
issue you a check, or direct deposit into your bank account. If you love
Amazon, you’ll love their associate’s program.
Click here for another Lifehack dedicated to Amazon Associates.
Amazon and Google are far from your only options for online
advertising. Rakuten Linkshare is a great place to search for other
affiliates for your ads. Through their program, you can get customized
ad links, email links, and banner ads for Starbucks, Walmart, iTunes,
and a slew of other popular brands. With this program, you can also find
smaller companies, regional or specialized brands, and more. I run a
combination of Google, Amazon, and Rakuten’s programs, and my monthly
income is approximately $150 from these programs. It’s not a lot of
money, but it’s also not a lot of work for residual (it means
recurring…since the ads are permanent…) income.
6. Company Referral Programs
Speaking of the benefits of permanent ads, banners and links aren’t
the only ways to earn a little bit of dough off your online endeavors.
By having a website, you gain the power of emailing companies to ask
them for things. I have no shame in letting the yoga company whose mat
I’m looking into purchasing know that I have a blog and write for yoga
publications – it sometimes gets me discounts.
Other times, I gain a valuable business contact in PR, advertising,
or other aspects of corporate sales. Sometimes I just get a free drink.
Either way, money in and of itself is worthless. Ditch the middle man
and use the internet to barter what you have and can do for what you
need.
If you have a social media account, try out Klout. The company tracks
your social media usage, determines how big and what type of audience
you draw based on the subject matter of your updates and posts. Using
this information, you’re qualified to receive free items, tickets, etc.
Check their website often to find ways of earning free stuff by doing
what you’re already doing online…boring the rest of us…
8. EBay
If you have anything you want to sell, then EBay is the place you
need to seriously consider doing it first. Personally I’m not a fan of
the site because of the work it takes to build up a reputation. If
you’re willing to grind through that process, you’ll be rewarded with
many privileges – people have gotten rich selling books about how they
got rich selling everything on EBay:
Click here for a few tips from the pros.
If you start getting too big for EBay or decide you want to try a
different flavor, Amazon has a marketplace as well. I prefer using
Amazon because I can depend on their shipping, have a Prime account, and
trust their reviews (overall, not usually singularly, although
occasionally that as well). Learn more about Amazon’s marketplace by
clicking on this Lifehack, and delve into the marketplace.
The difference between Amazon and EBay is that EBay (though still
filled with new items) is seen as a used marketplace between individual
parties, whereas Amazon (which is filled with offers for new and used
merchandise from the 3
rd parties) is viewed as a
Wal-Mart-type superstore. As a consumer, this difference leads me to use
Amazon, so it only makes sense to target on my own demographic.
If you’re crafty (and I mean that in more than one way, wink wink),
you’ll enjoy Etsy. Handcrafted items are the bread and butter here.
Plenty of people make decent side money on the site, which is basically
an EBay for crafters and artists. Set up a sellers account with Etsy,
and you’ll be asked to set up your virtual storefront and put up at
least 5 goods for sale.
Once you have this down, you’ll be a budding Etsy entrepreneur.
Provide great quality to your customers, and they’ll often return. Many
people are willing to pay a premium for quality handmade designs. Etsy
(like EBay and Amazon) takes a cut off the top for selling items through
their site. PayPal takes another cut, and you have to be careful with
taxes on all income, so be diligent while building your online business.
Craigslist is the modern equivalent of the classified ads that
dominated the days of newspapers. These quick ads are easy to navigate
and use, and they’re geographically linked. Whether you’re selling
something or offering a service,
this lifehack is a great place to start learning the intricacies of Craigslist.
Posting ads on Craigslist is technically easy, but people often have
fears about posting their personal information on the site. I
communicate mostly through email when doing business on Craigslist, and
I’ve never run into any issues. I’ve never been ripped off, nor have I
been murdered or raped for using the site. It takes common sense, so use
your best judgment, but don’t assume someone is a thief just because of
their preferred communication method. For an extra bonus, google “funny
Craigslist ads” to see some delightful examples of guerilla and
grassroots marketing.
Maybe what you need is a job. It doesn’t matter which job search site
you prefer using (even Craigslist) – Indeed tracks them all, and then
some. You can find jobs posted on company websites, through temp
agencies, and more at Indeed. If money is something you really need,
Indeed is most definitely the place you want to visit to browse career
opportunities.
Where Indeed excels at finding job postings across the web and acting
as a search crawler for employment, maybe a full-fledged career is too
big of a commitment at this point in your life. Elance is a site to find
freelance work of all types. I’ve used it for quick writing, editing,
copywriting, resume building, and other odd jobs and temp gigs. The
experience has been great.
Elance offers a wide array of technical, data entry, accounting, and
other freelance and temp gigs. If you’re just looking for something
short and sweet, log in, input and showcase your marketable skills, and
begin searching through their job database, using any parameters you
desire. Once you submit a bid, you’ll receive an acceptance or denial –
you may get a few rejections, but don’t sweat it. Negotiate the terms of
your bid, and get to work. You have money to make.
If you’ve heard of crowdsourcing (and even if you haven’t), Amazon’s
Mechanical Turk program is a great place to get involved. Much like at
Elance, you input your info and skills. You then are able to search for
different menial tasks ranging from identifying inappropriate web
content to transcribing audio recordings to basic data entry work.
Just like at any other job, the more work you do, and the better your
quality, the more opportunities you’ll have to make money. The payouts
are often small, and your payment is received in Amazon credit, but
Mturk is a great place to make mindless money while veg’ing on the couch
watching TV.
LinkedIn is a social media site for professionals. This isn’t a
direct way to make money, but it’s a great way to connect to your
current and potential peers, customers, clients, vendors, and more here.
You’ll build a reputation and get in the loop on important developments
in your chosen career path and/or industry. One day an old college
buddy may hit you up for a dream job you never considered at the exact
moment you are looking for a new vocation. Whether you like it or not,
keeping your LinkedIn profile current is a great way to get surprised
with new work opportunities out the blue.
If you’re an experienced nanny or babysitter,
Care.com
is the place you want to make money. By listing yourself on the
Craigslist of Childcare, you’ll broaden your reach and increase your
odds of finding the right gig at the right time. You can be pickier with
what kids you watch when you have the reputation and traffic to pull in
more customers. Join
Care.com and start making money by investing in the future of our youth.
I support bootlegging – I don’t see it as being immoral or unethical
in any way. I used to bootleg quite a bit in my youth, and I still do on
occasion today (although not yet today in particular, I more meant “in
the present”). If you want to hustle for your money, do what you must,
baby. Download some software, music, movies, or other assorted digital
goodness here and start slangin. It’s not an easy life, but sometimes
you gotta do what you gotta do.
18. iTunes
If you’re a musician, writer, artist, tech nerd, pundit, or can
produce any type of audio, video, or text worth consuming, you may be
able to sell some stuff in Apple’s flagship iTunes store. By selling
your work here, you’re able to stand next to the marketing clout of big
business. You can make a healthy living off the iTunes store, and
there’s no better time than now.
Learn more about iTunes with this lifehack.
If you have a business, you want to get listed on Yelp! You may not
use the software, but some people do, and they use it religiously (and I
don’t mean they’ll kill you over it). By listing your business on
Yelp!, you’re putting yourself on the map. From here, you also need to
start using Yelp! Write reviews of places you go. It’ll be worth it in
the long run.
Soon, you’ll have a dozen or so reviews under your belt and can hire
yourself out as a Yelp! reviewer. There are ethical and moral questions
to doing this, but the title of this piece is “ways to make money,” not
“ethical ways to make money,” and I am a former Bank of
America/Countrywide employee, so what’d you expect?
Another seemingly free site you can make money from is
Wikipedia. People who say it’s easy to edit Wikipedia have clearly never
tried editing Wikipedia – it’s a pain. Thankfully it’s a pain for
companies as well, so many of them are willing to pay editors to assist
them in the editing process. You’ll become a bounty hunter in a way,
choosing your own lines to cross and keep. If editing is something you
like to do, and you’re willing to put in the work it takes to learn
Wikipedia’s dispute process, roll up your sleeves and try this one out.
I make the bulk of my money from blogging. In addition to the
advertising revenue streams mentioned above, I also receive flat rate
payments for blogging from various blogs throughout the web. I’m paid to
write as a whistleblower, financial analyst, reviewer, commentator, and
more. Writing for other sites builds traffic to my personal blog. The
traffic for this blog gives me clout to present to advertisers.
To create your own blog, you don’t even need a web domain. You can
start a completely free blog on either WordPress or Blogger. Each of
these sites has its ups and downs, but you can’t beat the price. You
generally want to keep blog posts between 150-500 words until you have a
few dozen under your belt. Links between your blog posts encourage
people to stay on your blog once they find it, increasing traffic. Once
your blog is up, promote it on social media for the greatest effect.
If you have a passion project, Kickstarter may be exactly what you
need to get it off the ground. Celebs like Zach Braff and Melissa Joan
Hart have used this site in attempts to fund their movie projects. Some
crack dealers in Canada inspired a “crackstarter” campaign from Gawker
for pictures of the Toronto mayor smoking crack with them. All you need
is a dream, a goal, a budget, and a great pitch to convince people to
come to the site and donate to your Kickstarter campaign. Panhandling
isn’t dead – it’s gone digital…
23. Extreme Couponing
If you’ve never heard of extreme couponing, check out
this lifehack on the subject.
Once you’re versed on the idea, what you have to do is a bit difficult
at first, but it’s a great way to both save and make money: go to
hip2save.com and get a feel for the types of deals that are out there
(both online and in the physical world). Once you’re comfortable with
the process, start searching for the best deals in grocery, retail, and
online shopping. After a month or two of extreme couponing, you’ll have
enough cleaning, hygiene, and food supplies stocked up to save a
noticeable amount of money. Now maybe you don’t need to make as much…?
24. Social Media
No matter what you do to make money online, promote it on your social
media accounts. You have a base of people who are already interested in
you and have a vested interest in your brand – why would you not want
to take advantage of that? By promoting yourself and your projects on
your social media accounts, you’re greatly increasing the chances of
people actually giving you money in exchange for your goods and
services. Stop being shy and get out there.
