An Ultimate Guide On How To Make Money On Social Media Today

Do you know someone who does not have a social media account? Probably very few if any.

With about 3.48 billion people that are using social media today. it has cemented its role in our lives. But over the years, social media has evolved. From a platform where you can connect with your friends and families and share a little piece of your life, to a venue where businesses and individuals can now monetize their knowledge, relationship, connections, products and services.

If you want to understand the various ways people have made income using social media and see how you can also profit from this internet gold rush, grab yourself a cup of coffee and find a comfortable chair. This ultimate guide on how to make money on social media can take you to places you’ve never thought you could reach.

I. History of Social Media

How did the term “social media” become such a household name?

Below is a brief timeline of how it evolved into a massive social platform that it is now.

1978 – This is the year of birth of social media. Randy Suess and Ward Christensen created Bulletin Board System (BBS), a virtual community platform used to share information and announce meetings.

1995 – Beverly Hills Internet (BHI) launched Geocities, a web hosting service that allows users of the internet to create their own personal websites.

1997 – SixDegrees was created which allows users to create their profile and list of friends. This early social media service was a hit that it had 1 million users.

1999 – Livejournal and Blogger are born. Users can create their own journal or blog and share their stories with the world. They can even communicate with friends on these platforms.

2002 – A popular social networking group, Friendster, was launched. Aside from the ability to create their own profile, users can also connect with people around the world.

2003 – 3 of the biggest social media platforms were launched this year: WordPress, LinkedIn, and MySpace. WordPress was used as an open-source content management system, LinkedIn catered to the business-oriented users while MySpace was a massive hits for bands and musicians.

The Start of the Social Media Revolution

2004 – “The Facebook”, a social networking site created for college students, was launched by Mark Zuckerberg.

2005 – Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim launched YouTube. This social sharing network allowed its users to freely share and upload videos.

2006 – Twitter, a microblogging and social networking site was launched. Users can send tweets which are short messages that don’t exceed 140 characters.

2011 – Google plus was launched by Google. This platform allows its users to share information and have video chats with friends.

2012 – Pinterest was launched and it made history when it became the fastest social media platform to gained 10 million users. It works as a social scrapbook site where you can pin photos to your board.

On top of many of these, there are new and older social media platforms that are trying to take a larger stake in the industry (such as Instagram, What’sApp, snapchat, skype, wechat and smaller sites like Meetup and more). China has their own large social media networks such as WeChat, Weibo, QQ, Youku, and many more.

Billions are being funded into these businesses and these businesses are producing billions in returns for investors. What we know for sure is that Social Media is here to stay.

Before we discuss the various approaches and strategies you can use to make money on these platforms, let’s cover the platforms themselves so you can choose the one that best maps to your goals.

II. Social Platforms That Pay

It’s great that so many social media platforms exist but if you want to monetize one of them for yourself or your business, it is important to select the one that best fits your brand, your audience and what you’re trying to accomplish.

Below are social media sites that have clear and proven ways of to earn money.

Facebook

With more than 2 billion active users of Facebook every month, the opportunity to get your message out to he masses and earning serious money is huge.

Because of its popularity and reach, it is no surprise that many businesses utilize this platform to reach their target market. Facebook marketing has become one of the most cost effective ways to gain new customers and most companies large and Facebook as a cornerstone of their digital marketing strategies.

Regardless if your goal is to be an influencer, a business owner, or simply someone looking to create some side income, this is probably the best place to start.

Facebook has created one of the most accurate and cost effective ad systems out there with their incredibly finite targeting capabilities. Whether you are selling physical goods, digital downloads, training programs, boosting your blog or even elevating your personal brand as an influencer, Facebook Ads allows you to connect with your perfect audience quickly, cheaply and in many different ways.

Since Facebook also owns Instagram, you can leverage that same ads on that platform as well which extends your reach. And as Facebook continues to create new capabilities like video and messenger, the opportunity for your ad to connect with multiplied greatly. The tool is incredibly versatile and flexible which allows you to test hundreds or combinations to see which performs the best.

Understand your target audience is critical and really the starting point for this process. Be aware that Facebook has clear terms around what types of ads and audience you can reach so review their terms and conditions before spending too much time generating creatives to ensure it’s the right fit for you.

Instagram

Instagram originally served as a platform for photo sharing. Users take a photo of almost anything – food, shoes, outfit, hangout spot – and post it for their followers to see.

While it still serves as a photo-sharing platform, it has also evolved into a business platform. Being the second most engaged social network, there are various ways to earn money through Instagram such as:

• Affiliate marketing and selling products of other brands.
• Become an influencer and gain corporate sponsorship
• Sell your direct products (physical or digital) or your services.

As the platform grows, so does the ways of utilizing it to earn money.

And as stated above, you can leverage facebook ads to reach the right audience. The best strategy is connect with your ideal audience through an offer of some kind and have them become followers of yours. This will allow you to connect with them for free in the future as regularly as you wish.

LinkedIn

Many folks believe that Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook are “fun social media platforms” while LinkedIn is more the “serious, stiff and professional” platform. And that’s probably true as you won’t often get memes and humorous posts on LinkedIn.

However, if your target audience is more centered on businesses and professionals, it is the perfect monetization platform for you.

Large brands have been using it for blog post and information about their firms for years to help drive brand recognition. Sales people have leveraged the platform for social selling which is to connect to new clients by leveraging their contact network.

How can use the platform as “the little guy” to make big money?

The same way the big firms do it. You can start you own business profile and post information, videos, images and detail offers about what you do (services) or what you sell (products). You can leverage your contacts and create new contacts that can provide you a robust mailing lists to offer discounts or coupons to followers. You can also leverage the platform to advertisers directly to your target base.

Similarly to other platforms, understanding your audience is critical. It will allow you to search for job titles you want to connect to, join groups that your target audience are members of and create highly targetted ads and promotions.

Twitter

This news and social networking platform popularized the term “tweets”. Tweets are short messages used to communicate in this platform. Because there is a limit of 280 characters in each tweet, users need to be clever in selecting their languages to be able to convey a clear and concise message.

Though there is a size restriction in sending your messages, it does not mean that there is a limit to the possibilities of earning money on Twitter.

Here are some ways of earning money on Twitter:

• Boost your sales through Twitter Ads.
• Promote your products to followers.
• Get paid to tweet by using SponsoredTweets or PaidPerTweet.
• Build a mailing list based on your followers to monetize them over time.
• Utilize Twitter to drive more traffic to your website, blog or online store where you can sell physical/digital products, training, or generate leads for businesses.

Twitter now boasts 335 million active users, and can drive much opportunity to create a revenue stream.

Youtube

Fun fact: There are about five billion YouTube videos watched around the world every day.

This figure clearly speaks to how much time people spend on the platform. And what better way to use a website that a lot of people spend so much time on than make money off of it?

Of course, we have all heard the YouTube sensation make millions through their followers. And while it is a clear money making strategy, the road is highly competitive and difficult to get there. You need a unique video styles, strong presence, a captivating story, to constantly develop interesting new videos, market to grow your followers and hope that something goes viral.

So unless you’re the next Justin Beiber or a member of the Kardashian clan, this may not be the best way to earn a living.

While top YouTubers earn millions of dollars because of their million subscribers, you can still monetize your channel even if you don’t have a million followers. The amount of money that you’ll be earning is not solely determined by your views and subscriber’s statistics.

Here are several ways that you can make money on Youtube:

• Make money from ads. This will be dependent on viewing time and quantity so it does help to have a large following
• Sell your merchandise or products by doing product reviews or explanation videos
• Attract sponsorships by having a unique show in a specific niche.
• Drive affiliate sales by review products or recommending them as a trusted source.
• Develop a brand around your expertise to attract live speaking engagements or seminars

Having a successful YouTube channel does not happen overnight. You need to have tons of creativity and patience to make this endeavor work.

Also note that YouTube is owned by Google. Advertising is a huge part of the way that Google and YouTube make their money. Leveraging YouTube advertising is a great way to attract customers to your channel or products. Often these ads do not convert as well as Facebook or Pinterest ads do however if your product is best explained or sold in video format its the ideal platform to leverage.

Pinterest

You probably first came across Pinterest because you were looking for some ideas on how to decorate your home, create your own accessories or find the latest workout to target those abs.

But Pinterest is more than just a search engine where you can find inspiration or solutions to your problem. It also serves as a money-making platform and has become a source of income for many small entrepreneurs and “side hustlers”.

One of the most popular ways of earning money on Pinterest is through a blog, especially if your blog topic is highly visual. By creating captivating images and small video clips, you can use your pins to drive traffic to your blog where you can then monetize those users (through advertising, direct sales, capturing emails for future offers, selling products, etc) .

It’s not necessary to have a blog to earn money on Pinterest though. You can use the platform to promote and sell your products directly. Image can lead to purchasing pages or explanation videos on your product. You can also leverage Pinterest sponsored post feature and pay to have your pins targeted to the perfect audience.

It all start with generating stunning pins that will capture your audience and it’s up to you how to monetize them once you get them (affiliate program related to your niche, lead generation for other sites, webinars signup, etc)

Skype

Skype is a convenient tool that allows you to speak with your loved ones, not just via chat but also through a video call. It connects friends that are thousands of miles apart. It also creates many opportunities for businesses to collaborate on projects.

Not many people know that you can use this platform to generate real cash. Let’s talk about the two primary techniques that can help you make money on Skype – Skype Affiliate and Skype Prime.

Skype Affiliate Program is a free registration affiliate program that provides an opportunity for webmasters, online entrepreneurs, internet developers, and online site owners to earn money using Skype promotion. When you joined this program, you earn a commission for every successful referral to use Skype.

How does it work?

When a customer clicks any of the links on your website, a referral cookie will be tagged on his browser as an indicator of your site. You will receive a commission when he revisits Skype and makes a purchase within 30 days from his initial visit.

Obviously this works best if you have a blog already tied to the field so that you can direct your existing traffic to Skype to generate commissions

Skype prime, on the other hand, enables you to charge someone for calls. You set the fees that you want to charge, whether is a per-call or a per-minute basis. It’s a pretty cool feature that allows you to charge your clients for your service.

For example, a tech consultant can use the platform to offer support sertvices to small businesses over video chat. A trainer or tutor can leverage the platform to teach their students.

With the advancement of technology, so does the social media evolves. Skype is no longer limited as a tool of communication. Utilizing its features such as Skype Affiliate and Skype Prime can help you earn money.

WordPress

Ok so you’re probably saying to yourself, wait, wordpress is not a social media platform. Why are we talking abou this.

Well the platform is so versatile it it’s ability to create income that we wanted to add it to the list in consideration to our readers.

Sure there is the simple, let’s create a blog or site and gain affiliate revenue or product revenue from it. But there is also some additional use cases that can generate handsome income levels:

• Create and sell plugins. You don’t need to be a programmer, just hire someone off Upwork or freelancer.com and walk them through your ideas on the plug in.
• Develop themes for WordPress. If you have strong PHP programming skills you can do this yourself or again leverage an offshore programmer to assist
• Use your expertise and offer consulting services. There are millions of small business with terrible websites out there who have no time to create a dynamic site that works on desktop and mobile. You can even just sell the service and hire someone on fiverr to build a site for them and make the profit yourself
• Offer theme adjustment services for small businesses that just want to make small changes and dont have the expertise to do so.

Snapchat

Snapchat is one of the most utilized social media platforms when it comes to branding and marketing because of its more than 187 million active users daily. If your target market is the younger generation, then Snapchat is definitely your go-to.

First, you need to gain followers to create awareness for your brand and start earning revenues. From there, you can use the app to reach out to a wider target market or become an official brand ambassador.

As an influencer you can speak to the benefits of the brands that sponsor you. You can provide coupons and show sample of products.

SoundCloud

SoundCloud is one of the most famous streaming platforms for songs. It enables performers to upload and communicate their songs with their supporters and fans.

Unlike Spotify, SoundCloud initially did not offer a monetization method. The primary purpose of the site was to create a bigger fanbase for musicians. Several years later though, SoundCloud did introduce a monetization function that created the ability for musicians to earn cash from their songs.

If music is your passion, you can turn it into a money-making endeavor. Below are some effective methods on how you can earn money on SoundCloud.

• Monetize your tracks by creating a SoundCloud Premium Account.
• Create a notable profile and impressive list of tracks.
• Use social media marketing to attract an enormous fanbase.

As we discussed before there are a lot of platforms to choose from and we only covered a few of the more popular ones. It is important when selecting a platform that you consider where your target audience spends their time and how that platform is leveraged

If your product or services is tailored for kids, the LinkedIn would not make sense. If your product is focused on get rich quick schemes then don’t use Facebook as it’s again their terms. If you have a product that is best communicated through video then pinterest may not be your best starting point.

However there are usually a few social media networks that will work for what you’re trying to do. Our recommendation is start with one and get really good at it. Make sure it monetizes before moving on to the next. You don’t want to spread your efforts too thin by trying to become an expert at a few of these.

It’s best to focus on one and ensure the ads and processes are optimized.

III. 25 Ways to Make Money on Social Media

Now that we’ve seen which platforms we can leverage to make money and discussed in broad terms how to monetize those platforms, we want to do a deep dive into the best monetization technique in general. Many you can use across multiple platforms.

1. Become a Social Media Manager

More than 90% of businesses use social media to promote their business, though only a small portion of them are confident that they can drive results. Aside from the skill factors, most entrepreneurs simply don’t have the time to manage their social media accounts. This has opened a lot of opportunities to freelancers who want to earn a living through social media.

Social media manager has become a very in-demand role. But what exactly does a social media manager do?

In it’s simplest terms, you manage all aspects of a companies brand on social media to help promote it and drive sales through social selling.

This can including suggesting which platforms to engage with, researching viral content for sharing, creating and scheduling social media posts, managing the creation of creatives, responding to customer inquiries and issues, setting up social media pages and profiles, managing paid advertising, managing community growth and outreach.

For larger companies, these are roles that can be brought in house where you’d be hired to work with them part-time or full-time but for smaller companies or solo-enterprises it tends to be outsourced to firms or contractors. This gives you a lot of opportunity to choose from based on the way you like to work.

Tips on How to Become a Good Social Media Manager

With many young individuals enjoying the field of social media, there is definitely competition for these roles. You must possess impressive knowledge and skills and show proof of you capabilities. It is often best to start working for a firm to get your experience up to par and then venturing out on your own once you can showcase your accomplishments.

However, here start with this:

Know your social channels

You must be an expert on your social channels if you want to become a successful social media manager. You must understand how to use each channel effectively and how to set goals specific to each social media platform. For example, if Facebook is one of the biggest drivers of traffic to your website, then you must know the major engagement on this platform and how to capitalize on that.

Study your competitors

Aside from studying your own social channels, you must also know what your competitors are doing. Are they driving more sales through paid ads or are they reaching out to a new market by using campaigns? Understanding what they are doing is important so you would have a sense of how you will streamline your own marketing strategy. Of course, imitating your competitors is a big no-no.

Set bold yet realistic goals

Constantly study the performance of your social channel and use these facts to develop goals. Make sure that your goals always aim at reaching out and engaging to as many followers as possible.

Effective use of analytics

You must understand the “what’s” and “why’s” for your campaign to be successful. There are so many options to explore and experiment with in social media campaigns. To optimize every experiment, you must track every test you run and utilize analytics tools like Facebook Insights and Google Analytics to get metrics.

Have basic graphic design skill

Though graphic design is really not a “compulsory” skill for your position, learning the basics can certainly go a long way in executing your role more effectively. Use tools like Buffer or Canva in creating content that will promote awareness of your brand.

These are just a fraction of the tools you’ll need. If you are serious about following a career in social media management try this book.

2. Write LinkedIn Profiles

LinkedIn is one of the best social media platforms where professionals connect with other professionals. This platform is also commonly used by recruiters in seeking a potential employer. A lot of job hunters got hired using this platform. It’s no wonder having an impressive LinkedIn profile is a must if you want to attract a lucrative job position.

If you have a knack at writing and know how to create a LinkedIn profile that would stand out against thousands of job seekers, then you should use this skill in earning a reliable source of income. You can offer your service to anyone who wants to maximize LinkedIn in reaching their career goals.

Here are effective tips on how you can create a compelling LinkedIn profile that will attract potential employers or business partners:

Use keywords and search terms in the “Skills” section

This may not be shocking news to you, but employers and recruiters find people by running many searches every day. If you want your client to be found, then you must know how to use the keywords wisely.

Skills are counted as keywords so when you put the keyword “customer service” as a skill, your profile will show up when a recruiter uses this phrase in his searches.

If there’s a place where you can put as many keywords as you can, it’s the “Skills” section. LinkedIn allows you to add up to 50 keywords. Take advantage of this feature and put as many keywords as possible to drive more traffic to your client’s profile.

Optimize the photo and headline for more clicks

Here’s what’s happening when someone runs a LinkedIn search: 10 people per page appears in the search result. They are not going to click each of these 10 people, they would only click those who seem interesting based on the few pieces of information.

Recruiters always look first at the image and headline, so make sure that these two areas are great. Though it’s a must that you choose an image that looks professional, it’s equally important that it also convey warmth and friendliness.

Now that you have chosen a great photo, the next area that you must work on is the headline which appears right beneath the name in search results. Be specific and add more keywords so recruiters can find your client and would know exactly what they do. Here’s an excellent example of a great headline: Technical Associate in Software and Information Systems

Create an impressive profile after they click

Now that you get recruiters to actually click your client’s profile, your next job is to make them stay interested. One of the best ways of creating an impressive profile is by adding some recommendations. You should get at least two or three recommendations to build credibility.

3. Affiliate Marketing

Can you possibly earn money while you sleep?

With affiliate marketing, the answer is a big resounding YES.

Affiliate marketing is not only one of the most popular methods of making money online, it’s also one of the most common sources of passive income.

So what exactly is affiliate marketing and how does it work?

Affiliate marketing is a business strategy where an individual makes a partnership with a business or brand. They promote the services or products of these brands to their readers and in return, they get a small commission when a purchase was made through their referral link.

Affiliate marketing, just like other business ventures, does not guarantee you a rag-to-riches life. Though there are a few who became rich, we can’t dismiss the fact that there are still tons of people out there who are not making any money at all.

So how do you become successful in affiliate marketing? You may follow these tips and start earning money.

Find your niche

Finding your niche is beneficial in so many ways. First, it helps you focus on your business plans. It also makes it easier for you to target a specific market and design campaigns. Not only that, but it also helps you in creating great content.

Choosing your niche should not be difficult and complicated. Select something that you are passionate about. It makes it a lot easier when you are familiar and passionate about your chosen niche.

Create great content

Having a website is important in affiliate marketing. Some programs or networks even require a certain percentage of monthly views, site traffic and established content before you get accepted as an affiliate.

Creating interesting and informative content regularly can help you increase the traffic on your website. As lots of readers are beginning to see the value of your content, you will soon get more followers to your site. When you have already built your reputation and credibility on your chosen niche, it’s easier for your followers to patronize the product that you are promoting.

Aside from creating great content regularly, it’s also important that you reach out to as much wider audiences as you can. Share your blog posts on social media to get more exposure.

Grow your email list

Digital marketing still values email as the number one channel of communication. If you want to grow your business, it’s imperative that you must grow your email list as well.

There are several ways on how social media can help you increase the growth of your email list. First, you can use your Facebook page header to insert a link to your landing page and promote your company. Also, you can pin your lead magnet so this is the first thing that followers see when they visit your Facebook page. In addition, you can optimize your Pinterest, Twitter or Instagram bio section to promote your company. Make sure that you include a quick link that will direct to your website. Lastly, attract more followers and encourage loyal supporters by running a social contest or promotion.

4. Sell Your Own Products

Gone are the days when you patiently wait for customers to come by your shop and purchase your products. When you can’t bring your followers to your product, why not bring the products to your followers instead? Thanks to social media, you can now reach out to a wider target audience and sell your products more people.

Below are some of the most popular social media platforms that you can use in promoting and selling your products:

Facebook’s Marketplace

A lot of Facebook users were utilizing the platforms to buy and sell items and so Facebook has designed and launched Marketplace. This platform was created for users to buy and sell items in their immediate area. Posting your products on Facebook Marketplace will help if you want to increase your sales within your immediate geographic area.

Instagram’s “Shop Now” button

People are more drawn to visual images this is why Instagram has become a massive hit. It’s easier to convince your followers to purchase your product when they can visualize what it looks like.

Adding a Shop Now button to your post can help convert the likes into real purchases. When your followers click that button, they are routed to your website where they can purchase the item.

Buyable Pins

Just like Instagram, Pinterest is a platform that also hugely relies on visual presentation. It’s a smart move to use this platform if you want to improve the visibility of your physical products.

Buyable Pins are pins that will take your customers directly to your website to purchase the product that they are interested in. Since this feature is fairly new, it is only available to sellers who have websites via Shopify, Magento, Demandware, IBM Commerce and BigCommerce. If you have your online shop on one of these platforms, you can sell on Pinterest by adding Buyable Pins.

Chirpify

Regardless if you’re selling a digital or physical product, customer engagement is one of the most effective ways to increase your sales on social media. Chirpify can help you engage more with your customers and establish loyal followers.

This platform uses social media loyalty programs to promote engagement and drive brand awareness. Your followers are rewarded as they post or share something about your brand. Rewards can either be in the form of coupons or loyalty points.

5. Market Your Skills

The possibilities of making money online are simply endless. Your skills, along with great creativity, can take you to many places and opportunities. And thanks to social media, marketing your products or services has been made easier. The advancement of technology has also revolutionized employment. It’s now easier to hire people with great skills and work ethics to do the job for you.

If you have a skill that you think can be useful to other businesses or employer, don’t be shy in marketing it and earn money from it. There is a great demand of skills out there – from graphic designs, transcribing, translating, writing to even painting.

But with thousands of people who possess the same skills, how can you stand out and get noticed? Below are some of the useful tips that you can apply:

Choose a skill that you’re really excellent at

Though it’s good that you have several skills in your portfolio, it’s better if you focus on one skill that you’re really excellent at. A graphic design guru is more impressive than being a Jack of all trades, master of none. Narrowing down your skills will help you target your prospective client faster.

Continuous Learning

Sure, you have spent 2 years writing blog posts and website content. But this does not mean that you stop learning or taking online courses since you feel that you are already confident with your experience. Regardless of how skilled or experienced you are, you should still have the hunger for learning.

Show your portfolio on your social media profiles

Showcase your works on your social media profiles. If you’re a photographer, post your best shots in your Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest account. Your social media profile should serve as an online portfolio of your work. Clients are more likely to use your service when they see your impressive portfolio.

Ask recommendations from previous clients

As a buyer, I always check the review section first before purchasing a product. If the product received more positive reviews, then I’d be more confident that it can deliver the results that it promises.

Word of mouth still remains as one of the most used methods to test credibility. If you want to attract more clients, several great recommendations on your social media profile will go a long way. Ask your previous clients how they feel about your services. Positive reviews from people you have worked with before will cement the trust of your new clients.

6. Promote Affiliate Products

Affiliate marketing has been one of the most effective methods of increasing sales. From its conventional methods, it has now branched out to social media platforms. This is why a lot of brands tap into social media influencers to reach a wider target market and increase their revenue.

If you are active in social media and has developed a loyal following, it’s time to monetize your time spent online. You will earn money as you use your social media platforms to promote affiliate products.

If you want to earn as much money as you can, follow these tips religiously.

Promote in your niche-specific groups

Social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Facebook are the best platform to reach out to a wider organic audience and promote your products. Search for groups that are likely to be interested in your niche. When they see the potential value of your product to their life, it’s easier to convince them to purchase through your link. Searching for groups or communities within your niche is an effective way of promoting your products to the right audience without having to spend any money.

Be an influencer

Once you have found the community of your niche, slowly build your influence over this group of people. Your success as an affiliate marketer majorly depends on your reputation and credibility to market the product in both your online and offline community.

Deliver quality content

Good content does not just limit to a good sales pitch. Though we can’t dismiss the importance of a convincing sales pitch, you should also provide other avenues of content that will be useful for your readers. Create an engaging blog post that will provide updates, news, and solution about the industry of your product. This will attract the right audience to your website, hence you also have the opportunity to promote your product.

Your job does not just end after creating good content. Share your blog content to your social media posts to reach out to a wider audience. Don’t forget to add a share button to your posts too. And lastly, engage with your readers. Make an effort to reply to every comment and direct messages.

Use a URL shortener tool

Lengthy URLs don’t just take up too much space on your post, it’s also less appealing to your audience. Use a URL shortener tool to cloak your affiliate links and URLs. It’s an easy way of making your affiliate links more attractive and concise. Plus, it’s easier to share your post if you have shortened URL.

7. Create and Promote Your Own Information Products

Selling information products is a billion-dollar industry, in fact, it is one of the most profitable ventures of making money online. Many business owners, bloggers, and freelancers have started earning passive income by selling digital products on their blogs, websites, apps, and other digital platforms.

If you’re still new in this business venture, creating your own information products is one of the easiest ways of making money online. It does not require you to hire any staff or deal with suppliers and manufacturers. All you need is a laptop and creativity in starting your digital product. In addition, it requires zero to little cost to create an information product. The worst thing that could happen to you when no one buys your product is to lose your time but you’re not necessarily going bankrupt.

What kind of information products you can create and sell online?

eBooks – This is probably the best digital product that you can sell online. Think of something that you’re passionate about and write an eBook about it. Sell your eBooks on Amazon and other eBook retailers like Google Play, Apple iBooks or Kobo.

Books – Another brilliant idea of maximizing your revenue is by selling your ebook as a physical book. Printing your own book can be tedious and overwhelming so you can use print-on-demand services such as Createspace or Amazon. All you have to do is create a book cover and upload your book file. They will take care of the rest of the work for you.

Magazines – While creating a digital magazine requires careful planning and more allotted time, the finished product will make every milestone worth it. Get more social media attention and reader engagement with the help of your digital magazine. It’s also a clever way of positioning your business as an influencer or authority in your niche.

Other Digital products that you can consider are membership sites, seminars, Webinars, eCourses, Video tutorials, audio recordings, stock photos, and reports.

Utilize your social media profile to promote your product. You can put a link to your product on your pinned post or bio section to reach out to a wider target audience. You can also create a promotion where you ask your followers to share your product and in return, they get the chance to win a copy of it.

8. Offer Coaching Or Consulting Services

Coaching and consulting services have been getting a lot of attention recently because this business venture is not only easy to start with but it also presents a huge opportunity of earning money.

A lot of people have earned plenty of money with coaching and consulting businesses even though they don’t have a lot of experiences. It’s a fun and rewarding business models because the feeling of improving other people’s lives is just priceless.

Many people mix the two up though so it’s important that you know the difference between a consultant and a coach.

Consultants vs. Coaches

Consultants are experts in the field who help their client through in executing something. They provide specific ideas and plans on how to make a person or company become better. Consultants help their clients in a more active way.

Coaches, on the other hand, help their client accomplish something by improving their mindset. They help their clients in making the right decisions that will lead to success and victory.

Here are some tips on how you can start your online business as a consultant or a coach.

Determine your target market

Once you have identified what specific expertise that you will offer in your service, the next step that you should do is to determine who you want to serve. Choosing a specific target market can help you tailor-fit your service.

Select a specific problem and offer a solution

Choosing a specific problem to help your clients can benefit you in two ways. First, you become an expert when you narrow down your service to a specific problem. You don’t need to waste your time learning unnecessary things as you give your focus on learning a specific problem area. Second, you can create materials that directly speak to your audience.

Constantly put your idea to the test

You should constantly evaluate if your service is working. Offer a free 15-minute consultation to put your idea to the test. Provide tons of value on this session and then later ask your participants for feedback. Ask questions that will gauge clients satisfaction and create better plans to improve your service.

Grow your business

Social media can help grow your coaching or consulting business in so many ways. It can help you reach out to a wider target market. Also, it can help in establishing your credibility. Ask your previous clients if they can post reviews and recommendations on your profile. Get testimonials about how you were able to improve the life of your clients. Lastly, with platforms like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, you’re just a message away from your potential clients.

9. Promote Your Crafts Using Visual Media

Promoting your business is an integral part, regardless if you’re selling your products online or offline. Social media has been the key player when it comes to creating brand awareness and promotion of services.

As social media is continuously evolving, what used to be a platform of limitless words has now been narratively reduced to just images. Take Pinterest and tumblogs as an example. And so, most social media platforms have now embraced the popular saying “a picture speaks a thousand words”.

So how do you use visual media in promoting your crafts?

Here are some tips to get you started:

Choose your sites

Choose your platform carefully as not every one of them will be relevant to your business. Your target market plays a huge role in selecting which site to utilize. For example, stay away from Snapchat if you’re trying to attract middle-aged customers. Pinterest and Instagram an excellent platform to show off your crafts.

Take great photos

Since you’re utilizing visual media, then it’s imperative that you must know how to take great photos. High-quality photos that are interesting can attract more customer engagement. In fact, Facebook posts accompanied by photos have 87% interaction rate.

Taking great photos does not require over the top camera and equipment. It is indeed possible to take captivating photos using just your phone. You can use filters to make your photo more interesting. When in doubt, always remember that a plain background makes your subject stand out.

Craft Your Visual Media

Visual media comes in several forms – photos, infographics, memes, Instagram images – and it’s crucial that you know how to tailor and leverage them to the value of your brand. Knowing how to effectively craft your visual media can bring success to your marketing campaign. Here are the most popular visual media forms that you can use in promoting your product:

Infographics – They promote the value of your brand, bring awareness of a pressing problem to your target audience and help drive traffic to your website.

Memes – The Cheezburger network built a massive online brand simply by leveraging memes. If you want the same success for your business, check 4Chan and Reddit regularly as these platforms are crawling with new memes every day. Utilize these popular memes into your marketing campaign.

Images – This is a broad category that covers basically everything, from an ordinary image of a cat shared through Facebook to a detailed Instagram photo of a well-crafted antique vase. It may seem hard to find the perfect photo but the trick here is creating an image that represents your brand.

Cartoons and Comics – A number of businesses have utilized comics and cartoons in growing their online presence.

10. Join the YouTube Partner Program

As most of us know, the more followers you have on your YouTube channel, the bigger your earnings are. Many video content creators will agree that YouTube’s Partner Program can turn their hobby into a source of income.

What Is the YouTube Partner Program?

This program enables YouTubers to monetize their video content through ads. To meet the eligibility requirements, the YouTube Partner Program should be available in your country, you should have at least 1,000 subscribers and your channel should have at least 4000 watch hours in the last 12 months. You will receive a notification from YouTube once your application has been approved. Just be patient though as the entire application process could take several weeks.

Once you’ve been accepted in the program, work on these things to increase your followers and earnings.

Produce contents that are high-quality and unique

What is the purpose of your video?

For it to be useful, it should fall into these three categories: awareness, engagement, and education.

Knowing the purpose of your video can help you create a better plan. This plan should include all factors to help you create a killer video – from pre-production, during production to the post-production stage.

With thousands of videos under the same genre, you must add a unique element to your content that will make yours stand out.

Upload regularly

Before you start your YouTube channel, it’s critical to choose a theme first. It helps create a picture of what your channel is all about and what do you want to accomplish.

Aside from posting great content, you should also upload videos consistently. YouTube followers appreciate consistency so if you’ve been uploading your videos every Monday night, then you must stick with it.

Utilize keywords in your video tags, descriptions and titles

If you want your videos to be seen, then you must use good keywords in the tags, description, and title. You can use keyword tools to know the most popular searches of the viewers.

Engage with your viewers

Your viewers play a huge role in the success of your videos so make an effort to always engage with them. Encourage them to leave their questions or suggestions in the comments section. Though receiving troll comments is inevitable, you can still find useful feedback that you can apply to improve your video content creation strategy.

Network with other YouTubers

Just like with other social media platforms, networking is still a key player in expanding the reach of your channel. Connect with other YouTube creators and like or comment on their content. You expose your brand to a wider audience when you follow other content creators, especially those that have massive followers.

11. Become a Brand Representative/Ambassador

Being a brand ambassador is an interesting side gig that generates a decent amount of money. Is this the perfect side hustle for you? Let’s first take a closer look at the roles of brand ambassadors.

Brand ambassadors are the people hired by brands or companies to promote their products across several platforms. The foundation of visual advertising is built on having someone relatable to represent their product. If you’re mindlessly flipping through your newsfeed and you see an advertisement where a young woman is taking a huge bite of that mouth-watering cheeseburger, a part of you would probably wish that you have the same cheeseburger in your hand right now.

Brand representative or ambassador is a promising job as more companies are now hiring people to represent their brands. Here are some helpful tips on how to be an effective brand ambassador:

Network, network and more network

If you want to become a brand ambassador, then networking should be your middle name. Network to as many people as you can, whether it’s online or in person. Strengthening your social circles and increasing your exposure will increase your potential of becoming a good brand ambassador.

Find your passion

It’s hard to promote a product when you don’t particularly like it or believe that it can add value to your life. Search for companies that provide products or services that you genuinely find interesting or would like to incorporate in your daily life. Other buyers would be more likely to purchase a product that you promote when they can see how you trust and believe in that product.

Be creative

Creativity is one of the most common traits that most brands are looking for in their ambassadors. What value can you bring to the brand? How can you make it stand out? There’s just too much room for creativity in this job.

12. Profit from Your Selfies with Stylinity

Can you turn your selfies into cash?

Thanks to an app called Stylinity, you can now take as many selfies as you can and make money off it.

There are several ways of making money with Stylinity. First, the app works with 180+ retailers including Urban Outfitters, Nordstrom, Ann Taylor, and others. You can purchase an outfit from any of these retailers, wear the outfits and create shoppable selfies using the app. In addition, you can take your selfies then tag the brand. Share your post selfies on your social media profile or blog. When someone purchased the item that you promote, you will earn reward points. You can save these points and redeem them at a later time.

Here are the steps on how you can earn money for taking selfies:

1. Shop at any of the affiliated retailers

Stylinity app is free for Android and iOS. Once you have downloaded the app, visit any of the 180+ retailers. What’s even more fun is that you don’t necessarily have to purchase an item from these shops to start making money.

2. Scan the barcodes

Most of the barcodes can be found at the clothing tag. Use the app to scan the barcode for each item. If you want to maximize your earnings, you have to scan all items before you can post them in your Stylinity LookBook.

3. Take a selfie (or several selfies)

The app is designed to make your selfies easier to take. There’s an in-app timer so that each of your selfies is perfect. You can take as many as you can until you get the perfect selfie that you can post online.

4. Share your selfie

You need to share your selfies before you can start earning money with Stylinity. Use your social media accounts such as Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to gain more exposure on your selfie post. Each selfie post contains a description of the item that you’re wearing and a shoppable link.

5. Get rewarded when people purchase from your link

Every time someone clicks on your selfie post to purchase an item, you earn rewards in return. You can even use affiliate marketing and post your selfies on your blog. You earn a commission for every click-through purchases.

13. Monetize Your YouTube Channel

YouTube’s advertising program is making it hard for YouTubers to monetize their content. Aside from having to meet the minimum requirements, YouTubers need to get as many views as they can in order to earn money. Another burden that they have to endure is YouTube’s 45% cut on advertisement revenues.

It does not mean that you have to give up your YouTube channel despite the struggle of earning your passion into a source of passive income. Aside from YouTube advertising, below are additional ways on how you can monetize your videos.

Engage with your viewers and get paid through Worthyt

Your audiences are always looking for value on your content, whether it’s for entertainment, teaching or simply showing a special talent. When you capture their interest, they are more likely to engage with you. Some of them are even willing to pay just to engage with you and get insights or answers to some of their questions.

Worthyt allows you to do that exactly. Once you have signed up with the app, you can set your price for every question answered. Direct your viewers to your Worthyt account by putting a link to your profile in your video description section. You get paid when you answer each question sent through this app.

Use Famebit to get sponsorship

You don’t really have full advertisement control with YouTube advertising. If you want total control on what ads are placed on your video, Famebit is your perfect alternative. This platform allows you to use find sponsors outside of YouTube ads. These sponsors are willing to pay you money just to promote their brand to your viewers.

Sign Up for Amazon Affiliates

Amazon Affiliates is one of the best affiliate programs that you can join to monetize your YouTube channel. Since Amazon has more than 300 million active users, it is more likely that your viewers have already an existing account with Amazon. Once you have already signed up, you can create affiliate links for different items and add them into your videos. Viewers can then purchase the said item using your affiliate link.

Promote your own product on YouTube

If you have your own products to sell, why not sell them directly on YouTube? Some of the most popular items sold on YouTube are clothing, ebooks, and classes. You can utilize a tool like Clickfunnels to direct your viewers to your landing page and purchase your product.

14. Build an Email List

If you haven’t paid much attention with your email list yet, it’s about time that you should. Your email list is one of the biggest assets of your business. It does not just increase your sense of community and engagement but it also increases your sales revenue too. Of course, you still need to be value-centered, strategic, and a little more savvy for your email list to bring home the bacon.

Now that we’ve established that email list is the holy grail of your business, how can you make it grow? Social media can play a huge part in building your email list.

Host a twitter chat

Hosting twitter chat is the easiest way of bringing like-minded individuals together. A Twitter chat about how to make money online, for example, will bring potential customers who want to earn money using the internet. When you start a conversation around a topic of common interest, you’re also starting to create a group of potential email leads. Give away a free relevant resource during your Twitter chat and use a chat hashtag. Users who are interested to take advantage of this value would then need to sign up for your email list.

Generate leads through Facebook Ads

Spending a little money on advertising is one of the fastest methods of getting email leads. Facebook Ads help you target the right demographic and get you the results you want.

Utilize LinkedIn Groups

LinkedIn is not only used to bring employers and potential employees together. You can also use this platform to bring potential clients to your brand. Join LinkedIn groups that are similar to your niche and engage with these professionals in marketing your product. Establish credibility on this group by regularly sharing great contents and start a discussion among the members. It may take time and tons of hard work in building the group but you will eventually offer a lead magnet in exchange of joining your email list.

15. Collaborate with Other Brands

Partnering with other brands can benefit both parties. It gives both companies more exposure plus it can also generate more leads. The possibility of success is greater in collaboration compared to working alone.

Collaborating with the right brand is a key-player to ensure that both joint efforts create high-quality content. In choosing a partner, make sure that this brand represents similar values and goals. Choose brands that are also established and well-respected. Also, do your research first before finalizing the partnership. It’s important that the other party creates engaging content and interact with their followers in the same way you would like to.

Here are some ideas on how you can collaborate with other brands:

Cross-promotions

There are several ways that you can use cross-promotion for collaboration. You can share a booth at a trade show, create a joint advertisement, mention each other on social media or send out a joint promotional mailing by combining your email subscriber lists.

Create an Ebook or webinar

This collaboration is ideal for co-marketing ventures. A joint effort like this does not just broaden the exposure of both companies but it also bolstered their expertise and credibility.

Special offers

Who does not want a discount or special offer? You can partner up with another company when you’re running a special offer.

Co-branding

This unique type of marketing combines the expertise of 2 or more companies and creates a more valuable product. Examples of a successful co-branding partnership are BMW & Louis Vuitton, Taco Bell & Doritos, Levi’s & Pinterest and Nike & Apple.

16. Create an Online Instagram Shop

Instagram Shop integrates your product catalog with your Instagram profile. This feature provides many ways of promoting your product to your Instagram followers – Explore tab, your Stories, posts and in a special Shop tab on your profile. Instagram Shop features everything that a user should know before making a purchase, including product’s name, price, product description, images, a direct link of the product to your website and even other related products.

If you’re a business owner and has not used Instagram in marketing your product, below are the key benefits that will convince you of setting up your own Instagram shop.

Makes the whole shopping experience easier for your customers

It’s inconvenient when a customer would need to leave Instagram and visit your website to view the product they are interested in. Instagram shop brings your store to your customers. While still on Instagram,  your followers can browse your catalog and learn more about your products. Once they ready to purchase, they will be directed to your website’s product page with just a single tap. So easy and convenient!

You can directly promote your product

It was difficult for individuals to promote their product on Instagram because of the restriction in adding clickable links to Instagram post descriptions.  You would need a call-to-action and point your followers to the link in your bio when you feature a product in your post.

With Instagram shop, you can smoothly integrate your store with your Instagram content. Now you can directly promote your product and don’t have to annoy your followers by referring them to the link in your bio.

Your products get wider exposure to users who intend to purchase

Your post is automatically added in Instagram’s Shopping Explore tab when you tag a product in your post. This is great for your business because most users who view the Shopping Explore tab has the intention of purchasing.

17. Share Your Referral Links

Brands understand the importance of social media presence in the success of their business. They utilize social media channels to reach out to their customers and establish a more personal relationship.

A lot of brands get the help of industry influencer to persuade new customers to try their products or services. Influencers are ordinary people who managed to establish credibility and a strong following on social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube or Pinterest. Engaging the help of influencer is a win-win for both parties. While brands widen their exposure and possibly increases their sales, influencers get monetary rewards, loyalty points or free products.

When you have already established yourself as an influencer, you can earn money from social media through referrals.

How does it work?

After you have signed up with a good referral program, you will be provided with a tracking code or URL. You need to include this tracking code or URL in every referral that you send. The difference between those who earn a six-figure income through referrals than those who have not made a single earning yet is in the brand that they refer to.

Successful ones know who to refer. Choosing a brand does not need to be complicated. Refer a program or product that you and your loved ones will most likely use. Doing so would make your referral honest, credible and personal.

Here are some tips that you can apply when doing your referral:

Share your story

You can’t just post a picture or a URL and expect your followers to purchase it. When you’re promoting a product, make sure that you’re also creating good content around your referral. Share your own experiences, tell a story about how this product made your life easier and better.

Research your product

You don’t need to know all the specifics on the product that you’re promoting. However, your expertise is needed to educate your followers properly. Before you start the referral, visit the product’s website first and get to know the values and goals of the company. Take note of the good selling points of each product and relay them to your customers.

Conduct a Facebook Live session

Video contents hold more authority and persuasion than any other form of contents. Conduct a live video on your Facebook page and engage with your customers. Answer each question and share your personal experiences of using the product.

18. Get Paid to Pin

Can you get paid to pin on Pinterest?

Absolutely Yes!

Here are some of the ways of making money on Pinterest:

Become A Pinterest affiliate marketer

If you want to be a Pinterest affiliate marketer, you must start from setting up your own blog. It’s more effective to promote affiliate pins when you’re a blogger. It’s easier to promote a product when you have already built followers that trust your credibility.

Drive traffic to your website with Pinterest

Pinterest is a great social media platform to drive traffic to your sales pages, blog posts, and free opt-ins.

Here are some helpful ideas on how to get more traffic.

• Create pins for your affiliate products
• Make pins for your products and services pages
• Create graphics that are optimized for Pinterest for your print-on-demand, digital or physical products.
• Use pins and landing page for your best affiliate products.
• Add mockups of your freebies to your pins.

Become a Pinterest virtual assistant

When done right, Pinterest has a full potential of generating tons of revenue. But managing Pinterest requires a lot of effort, energy and time. Most business companies don’t have much of these resources. This is where you can come in.

You can help brands perfect their Pinterest account and use it to generate more revenues for their business. Here are some of the services that you can offer as a Pinterest VA:

• Setting up a new Pinterest account.
• Creating boards that follow the image of the brand.
• Searching for groups boards to join.
• Making unique pins by utilizing free tools like Canva.
• Utilizing schedulers like BoardBooster to automate Pinterest accounts.
• Finding, following, and unfollowing boards and fellow Pinterest users.

Set up your own shop and start selling buyable pins

Did you know that you can use Pinterest to sell your products without ever having to leave the platform?

Buyable pins turn your creations, art, and designs into pins that your followers can click on and purchase your product. You can use Shopify to turn your designs into buyable pins.

19. Become a Social Media Auditor

Social media strategy is an important part of every business. Knowing how to channel platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Pinterest to create brand awareness and reach out to a broader target market can contribute to the success of your campaign.

Many business owners don’t have the time and knowledge on how to sit down and analyze their current social media strategy. This is where your expertise should come in.

What does a social media auditor exactly do?

As the name implies, a social media auditor conducts a social media audit. A social media audit is a process where you review your social media strategy and you check what is working, what is not and what can you do to improve your social media impact.

Here are some helpful steps on how you can improve the social media strategy of your client and drive more engagement and revenue.

Have a complete review of all the existing social media profile

Tools like Knowem or Namechk can assist you in finding all of the existing social media profiles, not just those of the big ones like  LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. Once you have listed all of the current profiles, decide which platform you would like to work on first.

Study each social media profile

Use data to see the performance of each social media profiles individually. You can check on impressions, real traffic, shares, link clicks, engagements and more to determine if the profile is performing or not.

Identify posts that get the most engagement

Review all the past contents on each profile and see which ones are getting the biggest impact. You can utilize tools such as Sprout Social to figure out which Instagram, Facebook or Twitter posts are receiving the most engagement.

Identify the most shared content

Don’t forget on checking on your website’s content too. Check which particular blog post is getting the most shares. You can use tools like Google Analytics to find out which social media platforms drive the biggest traffic to your website.

Evaluate your branding

Check your branding and see that it’s consistent amongst all of your social media profiles. Bio, graphics, URL and the about page should be the same. It’s hard for followers to distinguish your brand’s social media official page when there is a disconnect amongst the platform.

Audit your followers

Your client’s brand has a picture of their target market when they created their social media page in the first place. But sometimes, you just don’t attract the right kind of audience. Audit your audience to see if they fit your target demographics. If there is a disconnect, check the contents that you are sharing and see why you are attracting the wrong target market.

20. Sell on Facebook Marketplace

More and more people are interested in making their purchases online rather than going to the stores. It’s quite understandable. After a long day at work, you’d rather sit on your couch comfortably and scroll through your mobile phone than go to the mall to shop.

Facebook has been an important force when it comes to reaching out to target market and driving brand awareness. A new feature has been created to make it easier for both the sellers and buyers and that is Facebook Marketplace.

What is Facebook Marketplace?

Facebook Marketplace is a one-stop-shop destination where users can search, buy or sell items. They can filter the items by price, category, and location to find what they are looking for.

Selling your products on Facebook Marketplace can benefit your business in so many ways. Here are some that should really make you consider using this platform.

• Your product gets exposure to a wider target audience. It offers personalized customer experience and increases the opportunity of making a sale by attracting the right kind of audience.
• There are no set listing fees so the revenue is all yours.
• The whole process of selling your products on the marketplace is easy.

21. Copywriting

A great copywriter is always a good business investment. Creating a great copy – regardless if it’s a button text or for a landing page – will increase conversion.

Whether you’re creating copies for your own business or working for a client, below are some of the tips that you must apply to become a better copywriter.

Understand the latest trend in social media, SEO and other forms of digital marketing

Over the past years, the demand for copywriters has increased since digital marketing requires great content. It’s a must for companies to have websites that are well-written. It does not attract potential customers but it also makes it easier for your website to appear on Google searches. Internet marketing is always evolving and you will have an edge against other copywriters when you understand the latest social media trends as well as SEO and other digital marketing forms.

Set realistic expectations

Though your main objective is to create compelling copy to increase sales, you can’t just expect that you will achieve this overnight. You need tons of experience and trial-and-error methods to be able to create contents accurately and quickly. Start small and slowly build up your portfolio.

Research, research, and more research

The best copywriters are the ones who never stop learning. The value of research is so important in all advertising and copywriting endeavor. You are more likely to create a great copy when you have as much information that you can use.

Convey the brand’s personality

Every brand has its own unique style and voice. Before you publish a copy, make sure that it demonstrates the personality of your brand – including values, word choice, style, and voice.

Simplify your content

Imagine reading an article full of jargon and technical words. More likely you will be out of that page in 5 seconds and move on to more interesting content. Make sure that you simplify your content. Write using easy and simple words. This way, it’s easier for your audience to understand the values and benefits of the product that you’re pitching.

22. Become An Amazon Associate

The Amazon Associates program enables you to earn a commission by putting a link of Amazon product on your website. Amazon gives you a small commission every time someone purchases an item through your link. Becoming an Amazon associate is one of the easiest ways of earning a passive income. Below is a detailed guide on how you can become one.

Create your blog or website

A website address is a must in applying for the Amazon Associated program. Create a blog that targets a specific niche audience and produces useful contents to attract more followers.

Visit the website of the Amazon Affiliate program and create an account.

Then, go to the website of Amazon affiliate program and click “join now for free”. Enter needed information such as your name, email address and create a strong password.

Build your profile

Compile a list of mobile apps and websites that you are planning to display your Amazon associates links, ads, and banners. You can list up to 50 apps or websites.

Wait for the approval

Take note of the unique Associate’s ID number that was generated during your application. You will hear from Amazon within 1 to 3 days if your application has been approved.

While you’re waiting for your approval, study several ways of making money with your Associate’s account. You can also share product links on your social media profiles to promote the products to your family and friends.

23. Sell Your Arts

The advancement of technology has made it easier for artists to market their work of art. Displaying their work and attracting potential customers are no longer limited to art exhibits or auctions.

Social media has paved the way for artists to showcase their talent to a broader market. Utilizing social media strategies can take your career in art to greater heights.

Here are some helpful tips on how you can use your social media account in selling your arts.

Let your audience get to know you

Aside from the art itself, most collectors also consider the artist before making the purchase. They are more likely to purchase from an artist that they know. Use your social media presence to give your audience a glimpse of your lifestyle and personality. All of your social media accounts should include a bio and portfolio to let potential buyers know what kind of an artist are you.

Display wins and accomplishments

Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn allow their users to celebrate success and wins immediately. Don’t be shy in sharing every commission, awards or media coverage right when they happen. You don’t want your followers to be turned off with this idea of “bragging” so use subtle tactics in sharing your success.

If your art is something that can be put on mugs, tshirts and other items, consider selling them on redbubble and then leverage social media to drive traffic there.

Market your product

Pinterest is one of the best platforms in marketing your artwork. Add your latest or best works to your Pinterest board. You can also pin them on your LinkedIn or Facebook page so potential buyers can see your finish products.

Search for inspirations from other artists

What’s even cooler about social media is that it exposes you to other people who share the same passion and interest. Engage with other artists and enjoy each other’s works, share trade secrets, swap success stories and even find motivation. The inspiration and knowledge that you will get from other artists will drive you to create better pieces.

24. Drive Traffic to Your Website

Social media is not only helpful in creating brand awareness and engaging with your customers. Another important role that social media contributes to businesses is its ability to drive traffic to your website.

A website that does not attract the right amount of traffic is like an ice cream store situated in the middle of nowhere. It’s hard for customers to know your products and services when they can’t even find your online store in the first place.

So if you want to increase your sales, taking advantage of social media in driving traffic to your website is a smart move. If you’re still at a loss on how to make this work, below are some effective tips that you will find helpful.

Make sure that the URL of your website is visible

Make sure that the bio and about section of your social media profile includes the URL of your website. This will direct your potential customers to check out your website to learn more about your products.

Share your blog posts on social media

Sharing your posts on your social media channels is one of the fastest ways of attracting people to view your post. This also helps improve content engagement and search engine optimization (SEO).

Refer your followers to your website

Whenever your followers post a question on your social media, provide the answer and at the same time refer them to your website. For example, if they ask if you have a certain product available, comment with the link of your product page.

Engage with your audience consistently

Social media is a powerful tool to get to know your followers better. Consistent customer engagement can help drive traffic to your website. Join Twitter chats, respond to comments and tweets that mention your business, answer as many direct messages as you can, contribute to relevant forums.

25. Dropshipping

You must have come across the term “dropshipping” several times.

Dropshipping can be a little intimidating for those who are new in the e-commerce or online business world.

What is dropshipping though?

It’s a type of business model which enables a businessman to operate without owning a warehouse, maintaining an inventory and shipping the products to the customers.

Sounds complicated?

Not really. Here is how dropshipping operates:

1. A customer purchases a product on the online store of the retailer.
2. A retailer forwards the customer and order details to his supplier.
3. The supplier ships the product directly using the name of the retailer.

And there’s no better way of promoting your dropshipping business than using social media marketing.

Instagram is one of the best platforms to promote your dropshipping business. Since visual content is more effective, you would be able to convince a customer to purchase using a picture of the product rather than writing a 300 words product description.

IV. Social Media Sites That You Should Try

The world of social media is always evolving. What’s trending now could be a thing of the past in the next few years. Developers are always on the lookout on creating a new social media platform that will sit next to the giants like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Snapchat.

These new social media sites certainly look promising.

Anchor

Relaunched in 2018, the Anchor transmitting tool allows consumers to capture and widely share a valued podcast. Take your visitors ‘ speech posts and attach their requests and suggestions to your next show. Visual event constructors make editing and rearranging of sound simple in your games. Distribute your show efficiently with only one click on all significant television systems (including Apple Podcasts). Users can explore fresh podcasts and, while watching, submit speech signals to podcasts. Track how many individuals watch every segment and which sections play the most.

Facebook For Creators

Facebook for Creators is a new group that helps film developers create Facebook material. It’s a helpful all-in-one app that enables you to create video content for your brand, chat with your community and get fresh ideas for your content. To develop stronger clips, unlock ideas, and relate to supporters, download the Facebook Creator app.

Lasso

Lasso is a new personal press application that uses filters and effects to produce and deliver brief clips. Developed by Facebook to cater to young people, Lasso is similarly designed as the Chinese phone TikTok. Support developers, explore and find common patterns in a viral video. Lasso helps you understand which hashtags are trending or prompt and which are likely to be famous. Once you find a trendy clip, use the in-app camera to make it unique with special effects, songs, picture messages, and production instruments. Add your posts to your Facebook straight ahead.

Foursquare Swarm

Foursquare Swarm is a personal application for mapping and tracking the locations you go to. Share areas with mates and associates. If a customer is nearby, companies can show as a check-in alternative. To view suggestions, pictures, place information, and other information about a business, a customer can click on the Foursquare City Guide to display the complete catalog. Foursquare Swarm inspections will continue to record for the total trips indicated in the register and client statistics.

Caffeine 

Caffeine is a cultural radio and interactive amusement society, gaming, and interactive art medium. With Caffeine, you communicate with broadcasters or spectators in real-time. Your feed demonstrates what your partners create. Broadcast from a computer or iPhone using the Windows software. Users can also gain cash without a cooperation program.

Mastodon.social

Mastodon.social is an example of the decentralized, open-source personal media network. Mastodon is not a business network. No ads, information mining, and wall parts are available. Instead, it is designed for discussions in real-time with messages up to 500 letters. The website also seeks to create ethical decisions to tackle the abuse of social media.

Facecast

Facecast is a personal application that mixes brief clips, live streams, and select live audio conversations. The concentrate of Facecast focuses on personal enjoyment. The random video chat function helps you meet individuals with prevalent concerns in the vicinity or discover casual one-on-one conversation. Short clips and live broadcasting can collect supporters and donations. Facecast has exclusive groups of partners, too.

Vero

Vero is an ad-free and algorithm-free social network with the tasks to be “without the press and more cultural.” While Vero introduced the website in 2015, it was noted this year when it saw Apple’s App Store as the world leader in friendly applications. The content feed of Vero works similarly with Instagram though users can post almost anything under the sun. Unlike Instagram and Facebook that are algorithm-based, Vero’s content feed is shown in chronological order.

Steemit

Launched in 2016, this platform has already reached nearly 1.2 million users. It works similarly like Reddit where you get “Steem” coin if your post is doing well. Also, post engagement is possible by commenting, sharing or upvoting them.

While it has a smaller fanbase compared to other social media platforms, Steemit is slowly making its noises with WIRED, TechCruch and other publications buzzing about it. It has also earned its title as the leading social platform in the world of cryptocurrency.

Google My Business

This promising app is a must-have marketing tool for any type of business. It gives several features for your business such as appearing on Google Maps, updating your business information on Google and engaging with your potential and existing customers. Owning a Google MyBusiness page is an essential asset for any business owner as it lists your business on Google multiple times.

V. Conclusion

The role of social media in our life has immensely increased over the past few years. From being a venue to express ourselves, it evolved into a platform where you connect with people thousands of miles away. And just because technology is evolving, social media has transcended to money-making opportunities.

Social media offers a vast opportunity to earn a steady income. You don’t need to be Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg to earn your share. You just need to be creative and always on the lookout on learning new things and incorporate these learning to improve your craft.