"How are you making money online?,” an online marketing friend asked recently.
I had fun answering because I realized there are so many and varied ways to have a profitable online business
In my case, I have four income streams:
Providing Services
This is my bread-and-butter. The biggest proportion of my income comes from providing services as a copywriter, content creator, and marketing consultant.
Affiliate Marketing & Direct Sales
I lumped these two together because they’re very similar: I receive commissions on sales I refer for other people’s products.
Product Sales
I sell my own digital products on The Extraordinary Academy. I’m also planning to create other types of digital products (such as Kindle books) and physical products. Watch out for those 😀
Advertising
Other business owners pay me to place links from my site to theirs
No matter what the income stream, one thing is essential: my blogs
Consider this ….
My marketing blog is how potential clients get a taste of my skills and expertise.
Since I offer writing services, my blog is my best portfolio and resume. The same goes for other service providers, whether you’re a graphic artist, VA, business consultant, life coach, health coach, etc.
My blogs are my main platforms for reviewing and promoting products I’m affiliated with.
The best thing about a blog is how you can refer affiliate sales without being salesy at all. For example, I recently published a post about my childhood that naturally ties in with a product I’m promoting.
My blog is also the perfect place for me to drum up interest for my own products, whether digital or physical.
In my work with clients, we also use blogs to attract prospects and to educate their customers after they’ve purchased their products.
And finally, because of my blogs, I have my own platforms to offer advertisers.
Sure, you can also get advertising income by building huge audiences on places like YouTube or Instagram. But I prefer to build my own platform and audience.
Aside from advertising revenue, having moderately successful blogs has made it possible for me to get free stuff — everything from software to organic clothes, to silk pants for my son’s eczema.
Free things are fun, and they’re not taxable!
Moral of the Story: If you’re looking to make money online, it’s a good idea to build a decent blog.
It’s your online resume, portfolio, and platform where you can attract and engage people who are interested in what you have to say.
If you’re looking to make money online, it’s a good idea to build a decent blog. It’s your online resume, portfolio, and platform where you can attract an engaged audience.
Fair warning, though: Blogging takes work!
I’m reaping all the benefits I talked about above only because I’ve been blogging since 2008. I've poured thousands of hours into my blogs.
Today, it’s easier than ever to get started blogging … but harder to get and keep people’s attention.
Today, it’s easier than ever to get started blogging … but harder to get and keep people’s attention.
That’s why in the next few days, I’ll be sharing some tools that will help make blogging much easier and effective for you.
Keep an eye out for them!
PS. I don’t normally buy content creation apps because I don’t find them useful, but I recently invested in one called Frase. It’s helping me discover blog topic ideas, do research for posts, and figure out how to optimize old posts. Frase is normally $44/month but you can get lifetime access for a one-time payment through Appsumo.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. This means I earn a commission when you buy through the links on this page. While I only recommend products I myself use or have vetted, you should always do your due diligence before making any purchases. (Full Disclosure)