For most people, their job is their main source of income, and that’s great. Having a job means not having to worry about where to get money for everyday necessities. It also means being able to afford some luxury every once in a while. However, with the price of everything going up all the time, it should come as no surprise that many people are looking for side jobs that will allow them to augment their current earnings.
Luckily, getting a side gig that won’t interfere with your day job isn’t as difficult as it used to be. Gone are the days when side hustling meant bringing stuff to the office to sell to your co-workers and, if you’re desperate, your boss (yikes!). Today, you can earn extra money by just going online and doing a few things or performing a few tasks. Below are some of the ways to earn extra money online legitimately.
OPEN AN ONLINE STORE
If you never liked the idea of hard selling to your officemates, online selling is a great alternative that you can try. What can you sell online, you ask? Anything! If you are low on cash and have low or no capital, you can sell used clothes and things that are still in great condition or you can sell some of the brand new things around your home that you haven’t already used like makeup, perfumes, clothes, accessories, appliances, etc. It’s a great way to earn money and declutter your home at the same time.
You can also sell handmade stuff that you can make on your free time. If you have a bit of cash stashed away, you can use it as capital to buy products by the bulk. Buying wholesale entitles you to larger discounts so you can still earn a profit from re-selling or retailing. If you love cooking or baking, you can sell your goodies online as well.
To get started, take photos of your products and upload them to your social media profile. If you don’t want to mix business with your personal account, you can always create a separate account or a page for your side gig instead. Share your photos from time to time and tag your friends to let them know about your small business.
What’s great about online selling is that you can reach more customers. If someone wants to buy your product and they’re miles away from you, they can pay you through PayPal, money remittance channels like Western Union or bank deposit and you can ship the product to them.
BLOG
If you love to write, blogging might be the perfect side gig for you. Of course, you have to understand that you won’t be earning the big bucks right away. You have to build your reputation and obtain loyal readers first before you can earn from your blog. The most common way to earn from blogging is to sign up for affiliate marketing networks or sites. Some of the popular affiliate networks are mentioned below. Another way to earn money is by partnering up with companies or brands and featuring them in your blog posts through ads or product placement deals.
Most blogs insert display ads. One of the most popular ad serving Google AdSense. It has definitely helped website owners to earn extra money. How this works is that you sign up as a member of one of these programs, then insert a few simple lines of code into your web spce. The program does the rest by placing ads on your web space that are directly related to the content in your site. Your visitors are seeing ads that are relevant to their interests and every single time they click, you earn extra money. This method is only hugely profitable for very high traffic sites, but even if you earn extra money in very small amounts, considering there is absolutely no start-up cost to you, this is still an excellent method to earn extra money.
DO SOME FREELANCE WORK
Some jobs don’t require much from the employee, even if it is a full-time one, but you can’t expect these kinds of jobs to pay too well. If you have a full-time job that leaves you with lots of free time / downtime, why not do some freelance work online? There are lots of jobs that you can take on including article writing, social media managing, email response handling, being a virtual assistant, an audio transcriber, a web developer and more. There are even jobs that you can perform and deliver using only your mobile phone so you can totally do it while you’re not doing anything in the office.
One thing you should note about being a freelancer, though, is that it is not uncommon for clients / employees to offer very low pay in the beginning, especially if you are applying without experience. But, don’t worry because as you stay longer in the industry, you get to build up your reputation and once you become a reputable freelancer, you can demand for higher pay and, if you’re really good, they might even be the ones to run after you.
BECOME A YOUTUBE PARTNER
Love going on YouTube? Why not make the most out of it by monetizing your videos? Of course, you have to make sure that your videos are original and fresh. Competition is tight on Youtube. Everybody wants to be a somebody so they go out of their way to produce great content and if you want to get noticed, you have to top off your competition.
PARTICIPATE IN SURVEYS
Yes, there are websites that pay you to partake in surveys online. However, most of these sites only work for people in the United States so if you’re outside the US, this may not be an option for you. Online survey sites pay anywhere from $2 to $10 per survey. Some of these will require you to input personal information while other will just need you to watch a certain video and comment on it.
TURN YOUR HOBBY INTO A MONEYMAKER
Some hobbies are very profitable. Photography, for example, is something that you can use to earn extra money online. Take beautiful photos and upload them on stock photo websites where people can buy them. Other hobbies that you can turn into a moneymaker include drawing, wood carving, gardening, sewing, crocheting and collecting unique items such as toys and memorabilia, to mention a few. You may also offer services from your hobbies like singing and songwriting and painting.
Create your own blog page or a website, even if it’s a very basic and simple one, and showcase your products or services there. If you have pictures, recordings or samples of what you can offer, make sure to include those, too. This will increase your chances of selling and/or being hired.
Tools and Resources
- Online marketplace
An online marketplace is a website operator that lets independent businesses or private retailers sell their goods or services. eBay is one of the largest online auction and shopping websites that operates worldwide. People and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services on eBay. It lets you sell your stuff without worrying about setting up your own virtual store. eBay charges sellers when they have sold or listed any items. Other online marketplaces that can sell your goods or services include Amazon, eBid, ArtFire, and SaleHoo.
- Website Builders
If you prefer to take control of your online store or if you are a blogger wanting to make money from writing or affiliate programs, building your own website is the way to go. There are free and premium website builders or content management systems that could help build a website from simple to a more complex one such as WordPress.org, Weebly.com, Wix.com and Yola.com.
For photographers, a good way to make extra money is by selling own images online. You can use managed sites like Smugmug or stock image libraries such as Shutterstock, Fotolia, Dreamstime, and iStockPhoto. Other photographers have sold their services simply by showcasing their work on Flickr or Instagram.
- Social media
Even without a website, one can sell products or services online by using social media such as Facebook Page, Instagram, Twitter or Youtube. Our article How to make money with social media contains handy tips in using social media to earn extra money online.
- Affiliate Programs
Many online companies offer affiliate programs. If you’re a blogger wanting to monetise your website, you’ll find an affiliate programme that suits your particular niche. An affiliate program can be managed by its owner or by using an affiliate network such as Clickbank, Commission Factory, CJ by Conversant, Amazon, Avangate, and eBay Partner Network.
- Online advertising networks
There are several alternatives to Google AdSense that bloggers and website owners could sign up to earn extra money from display advertising. These include advertising networks like Chitika, Infolinks, Clicksor and SwitchAds.
- Freelance marketplaces
Freelancers and part-timers offering professional and creative services could join outsourcing marketplaces that match buyers and sellers of services provided via the Internet.Some of the popular outsourcing sites include Freelancer, Upwork,People Per Hour, Fiverr, and 199Jobs,
There are so many ways to make extra money online. However, beware of the so-called get-rich-quick schemes. Sales pitches enticing one to make a lot of money quickly without the hard work is often too good to be true. These Internet marketing programs will just lure you into buying eBooks, DVDs, and membership subscriptions that do not work and just cost you money.
Have you tried any of the above money-making tips? Do you have some ideas of your own that you can share to our readers? Share your own experience by leaving a comment below.
