How To Make Money Online

Dorien Morin-van Dam

Dorien Morin-van Dam has been working in the social media industry for nearly 10 years. Dorien is a community and content manager at Social Media Pro, as well as a social media strategist with More In Media. She is a certified social media manager, receiving her certification from Social Media Pro®, as well as a Certified Agile Marketer.

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In her spare time, Dorien loves to cook and try new vegan recipes, trains for the next marathon and spends time with her husband and four kids on the slopes of Vermont, or is out for a hike with her four dogs.

Updated August 3, 2020

Despite what you may think, making money online is not quite as simple as offering a product or service, and yet… it is! 

The best way to make money online is to have multiple income streams from your online ventures. That includes looking at ways of producing a passive income. 

Who doesn’t love some extra cash?

As we navigate a global pandemic which has rendered 30 million people unemployed in the USA alone, who wouldn’t want to earn ANY cash? 

Today we will be lifting the curtain on how people make money online, and how you too can earn extra money, or a full income, online.

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What Is Required To Start Making Money Online?

There are only a few limitations to making money online, and these include

• Mindset
• Wifi internet connection
• Technology

You have to have all three to make things work.

Mindset is most important. You have to understand that the internet is an avenue to making money – you actually have to be involved in the set up, start up and maintenance of the ‘work’ you chose to do. 

Without a reliable internet connection, you will be reliant on other people’s wifi – which means you’d have to be ‘on location’ somewhere to make money, not in your own home. It’s not impossible, but requires a larger commitment. 

Technology includes devices like computers and tablets, as well as phones and social media tools.

Most opportunities to make money online arose from the desire to work from home. As we are in this global pandemic, the desire to work from home and make online has turned in a need!

Using The Skills You Have To Make Money Online

Next, let’s look at the skills you already poccess as a way to make money online. 

If you have a unique or desired skill set, you could make money by

• Teaching what you know
• Selling what you make

Examples include teaching English online to children, and adults, or creating an online course in calligraphy or any other skill you have. 

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Skills To Acquire To Make Money Online

If you currently feel you do not have any marketable skills that can translate into making money online, now is the time to invest time (and a bit of money if needed) to acquire those skills. 

Ask yourself what you’ve always wanted to learn or what skills would compliment the work you are doing now. 

Learn those skills and start making money! 

Learning How To Make Money Online

Almost everyone with the right mindset, an internet connection and a device can make money online. 

The best way to get started is to do a bit of preliminary research on what it is people are looking to buy, and what you have to ‘sell’. 

Creating a genuine online business requires the same mindset as starting a brick and mortar business. There are many ways people make money online.

Keep in mind there really isn’t ‘an easy way of earning money online'. 

If it was simple, we’d all be doing it, all of the time. 

A Word About Passive Income from Online Ventures

While passive income is attainable, it does take time to set up, and it takes effort to launch. 

Two fairly simple ways to get started earning passive income are with Google adsense and affiliate marketing.

While these are passive ways to make money once they are launched, you still need a website and content to get you started. These are options to earn a lot of money but each requires you to do front work before you can start earning that money. 

How You Can Make Money Online

As a freelancer social media manager, I've been making money online for nearly 10 years, helping support my large family. It's been a fabulous opportunity and I am grateful for my career. Now is an excellent time to start a career in the social media industry!

In case you haven’t grasped the opportunities in front of you; there are literally 1000’s of ways you too can make money online. For the sake of this article, I am dividing the opportunities into FIVE major categories. Note this is not a complete list, but a guide to get you started thinking about ideas for yourself.

1. Make Money Online By Selling 

Selling a product or service online is a great way to make extra cash. 

Here is a list of things to sell

• Items You Buy (reselling)
• Items You Make (think Etsy store)
• Items You Sell (Facebook Marketplace & Ebay)
• Digital Products You Make (online courses)
• Digital Product Other People Make (affiliate selling)
• Products Other People Sell (Amazon affiliate)
• Opportunities/Investments (invest)
• Multi-Level Marketing (most if not all MLMs sell products or services online)
• Affiliate Programs

Selling products is a great way to make cash and it is probably to quickest way to make money online.

2. Make Money Online By Offering Services

Offering in-person services, or online services include

• Web Design
• Graphic Design
• Copywriting
• White-labeled Services
• Social Media Manament
• Computer Repair
• Accounting
• Tax Services
• Legal Services
• Consulting
• Coaching
• Facilitation

…and much, much more! 

3. Make Money Online By Teaching

The possibilities are endless if you can teach. 

Let’s take our social media marketing industry as an example; what can you, a social media manager teach to others?

Here are just a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing

• Digital Marketing
• Social Media Marketing
• Facebook Ad Strategy
• Basic Graphic Design
• Video Editing
• Photography for Social Media
• Content Creation Process
• Search Engine Optimization

If you know how to do a skill well, and you are willing to teach, you could

• Create online courses
• Start an online membership site
• Teach in a private Facebook group
• Conduct online workshops
• Webinars
• Virtual Summits

Why not leverage your expertise by teaching what you know?

4. Make Money Online by Completing Tasks

If you are looking for ways to make some quick cash by working online, here are some ways you can do that.

• Data entry
• Customer Service
• Online Surveys
• Investing 
• Copy writing
• Ghost writing

Then there are those tasks that do require you to do most of the work offline, but the signup & payments are virtual.

Included in this list are:

• Mystery shopping
• Instacart shopping
• Driving Uber or Lyft
• Airbnb
• Call Center Operator

Again, this is not a complete list, but might give you some ideas on how to get started!

5. Make Money Online By Moving a Brick and Mortar Store Online

Last but not least, move (part of) your brick and mortar store, restaurant, business online!

During this COVID-19 pandemic, it has become obvious to small business owners that in order to survive they have needed to adapt, pivot, and change. That includes their mindset and way of thinking about doing business, as well as adjusting their actions. 

Many small business owners previously resistant to online sales, have had no choice BUT to take their business online. 

If you own a brick and mortar store, restaurant, gym, or business, consider moving part or all of your inventory or services online to start making online sales! 

Adding an eCommerce store to your current website, or upgrading your website to an eCommerce platform will take an investment of both time and money but in the long run could yield great results!

Last Words of Wisdom

There is no quick fix to going from 0-60, but earning extra cash online is possible and can be done in a reasonable amount of time!

Our own online course, Social Media Pro, can be completed in 45 days or less and will have you ready and set up with everything you need to start taking on social media clients.