Having a legitimate online income source is becoming easier by the day. The internet and constantly improving technology have made it possible to automate almost everything these days, including making money.
Just a few years ago, if you wanted to make money, you had to use your hands and be present physically. You had to endure an unfulfilling 9 to 5 job, get out, exert yourself and create something of value. And even then, your earning potential was severely limited. Well, not anymore.
The internet has truly changed the world in more ways than can be described. It has connected the world and expedited all kinds of business activities. This, in turn, has created all kinds of opportunities for income generation. While you could only do business with people in your area before, it is now possible to reach billions of people from the comfort of your home, opening you up to newer markets and more opportunities. And the best part is that these opportunities are diverse and numerous.
This article will outline some of the best legitimate online income opportunities . Let us begin!
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1. TAKING ONLINE SURVEYS
This is one of the easiest ways to make some extra income. A survey is a form of market research that allows responders to influence trends, brand design and service quality of the companies and products they care about.
Taking surveys is an online activity that perhaps requires the least exertion on your part. You do not even have to leave your home to do it. You can take surveys from any place, and at any time when you prefer. Notice that the emphasis is on you. With surveys, you have some control over your financial life.
Some of the most common survey sites available in the market at the moment are platforms like Swagbucks, Survey Junkie, InboxDollars and Prize Rebel. These offer traditional surveys together with other novel services that help you make more cash. Survey platforms like InboxDollars and Swagbucks allow you to play games, watch videos and add their search engines to your browser, giving you the chance to earn more from your daily routine activities.
Most platforms will pay you in points. These points can then be redeemed, converting them into cash or gift cards.
You should also note that the money you make from survey sites will not be enough to replace your regular income. It will just be extra income. You can however maximize your earnings by joining several different survey programs and using them concurrently.
2. FREELANCING
Freelancing has become more and more popular in recent years as people continue switching to work-at-home jobs. If you are dedicated and can spare the time to do it, freelance work can be very lucrative.
As a freelancer, you will be working for online clients who request your services on specific tasks, such as creating written content for blogs, generating online courses or designing an app or a website.
Taking the example of freelance writing, you can see that the opportunities are nearly limitless especially when you specialize in a particular niche. As long as websites continue being created, there will be demand for fresh content, and that only means more work for you as a writer.
So what qualifications do you need to have? Well, this is the best part about freelancing. As a freelancer, you take advantage of your existing strengths and make money off that. What are you good at? If you enjoy writing, make money as a freelance writer. You do not need any additional qualifications. As long as you are passionate about something, you are good to go!
That being said, you will still need to work hard, persevere, and be very dedicated in your work because freelance work often takes some time before it can take off. Treat it like you would a regular brick and mortar business.
3. VIRTUAL ASSISTANT
A virtual assistant is an off-site secretary. Virtual assistants do not need to be in the office. They communicate with the bosses via chat, FaceTime or any other real-time service. Services offered by the virtual assistant manager include everything from content creation, bookkeeping, email management, social media, graphic design and more.
4. GET CASHBACK
While this is not really an “income opportunity”, I feel it is still relevant to the subject. Saving money is much easier than working for it. The results are the same: money in your pocket!
This a great way to save extra money you would have otherwise spent on your shopping trips. Earning extra cash this way is especially possible if you shop regularly. If you only shop from time to time, your overall cashback income stream will also be slow.
There are several platforms that currently offer this service. Some of them include Drop, Dosh and Ibotta.
Whether you do your shopping online or you like to go out to get your stuff done, then cashback is for you. All you need to do is to buy goods or services at participating stores. Some cashback platforms even go one step further to make it easier for the customer with the integration of the use of apps in their services.
The sites are simple to operate and interact with. They are linked to online retailers like Amazon and some physical retailers like Target, Walmart and Uber. Each time you do your shopping at the selected stores, you will earn redeemable points which can be converted directly to cash or gift cards.
Most of these sites offer free sign-ups which means you will not have to spend anything to get started. You may have to provide your credit card information if you want to be paid directly into your bank account. However, this should not worry you as these sites are all trusted platforms that handle privacy and personal information with care.
Every time you shop, you will earn redeemable points. You can then convert these points to cash. Some cashback sites like Drop do thing a bit differently. With this site, you first have to link your credit or debit card, then choose the stores you will work with. You can only work with up to six stores, so choose wisely. Each time you shop at these stores using your credit card, your linked cards will accumulate points which are then added to your Drop app.
5. PROOFREADING
Proofreading is the process of finding and correcting mistakes in written works before the final copies are printed. This is the final step that must be taken before a document can be considered complete and ready to be submitted.
If you have always had an eye for grammar errors and spelling mistakes, this might be the perfect job for you. Proofreaders are in very high demand and the job opportunities are endless. Plus, if you are completely new to it, there are several short and free online classes that you can take to get started.
6. TRANSCRIBING
Transcribers listen to an audio file and type out what they hear. They convert audio files to texts. Transcribing needs a person with a patient ear who is relatively fast at typing. Luckily, these are all skills that can be learned on the job. Transcribers get paid in audio hours, meaning there is a set fee for the particular length of audio file you transcribe. It can take you anywhere from 2 to 4 or more hours to transcribe a one-hour audio file, depending on your level of experience.
7. AFFILIATE MARKETING
If you have been following this site for a while, then you know that this is one of the methods that is very close to my heart. I particularly love affiliate marketing because it is a simple and straightforward way of making money online. Let me elaborate:
What Is Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate marketing has been around for quite some time now. It is a performance-based marketing strategy where the affiliate marketer earns a commission for every customer he/she refers to an online retailer. This referral can only be complete when a customer purchases a product from the said retailers or performs an action in favor of the retailer.
How Does It Work?
The concept is very easy. The affiliate promotes the product and the retailer pays a commission based on the number of referrals he gets from the affiliate. This is all tracked using a referral link. All that the customer has to do is to click on the links to the retailer that the affiliate adds to his/her content about the product.
The idea behind this type of marketing is better understood when broken down into its components. The three different parties involved are:
1. Seller and Product creators
This may be a solo entrepreneur or a large enterprise. The seller is a merchant or a retailer with a product to market. The product can be a physical object like household appliances or a service like cooking tutorials.
2. The affiliate or advertiser
The affiliate is also known as the publisher and can either be an individual or a company that is charged with marketing the seller’s products. The affiliate will do this in the most appealing way possible to increase sales.
3. The consumer
These are the silent drivers of affiliate marketing. They get access to information on these products through social media, blogs and websites. When the consumer successfully buys a product from the vendor, the affiliate gets a cut of the profit through a commission.
How Do Affiliate Marketers Get Paid?
Affiliates make their money without the actual hassle of selling the product physically. Because of this, it is irresistible to people who are looking to increase their online income. It is perfect because it means that the affiliate does not need to own any product of their own.
So how exactly do they get their compensation? Well, the first thing you need to note here is that consumer does not always need to buy the product for the publisher to get paid.
The affiliate may be paid in the following ways:
1. Pay per Sale
This is the standard for most affiliate marketing programs. Here, the merchant pays the affiliate a cut or a percentage of the sale price of the product after the consumer purchases a product as a result of the affiliate’s marketing efforts.
2. Pay per Lead
The affiliate is compensated based on the number of leads converted. This means that the consumers must complete a certain task on the merchant’s website. For instance, signing up for the vendor’s newsletter or downloading software.
Affiliate Marketing Channels
There are several different marketing channels that the affiliates may use.
1. Blogging
This is one of the most widely used avenues. The affiliate spreads the word about the product through his/her blog. Links to where the products can be bought are added to the content. When these links are clicked, and the items are bought, the affiliate earns a commission which part of the profit that the merchant has made.
2. Influencers
An influencer is an individual who holds the power to influence the purchasing decisions of a large section of the population. Influencers are in a good position to benefit from affiliate marketing since they boast a huge following. They can do this through the use of social media posts among other interactions.
3. Email Lists
Email marketing has been with us for some time but is still a viable source of affiliate marketing income. Building an email list means that the affiliate will have a steady stream of customers.
FINAL THOUGHTS
As you can see, generating an online income is no longer the stuff of fantasy. All you have to do is to consciously decide to be your own boss and to take the first step towards self-employment. Then everything will eventually work out.
However, before you can start down this path, you need to get all your facts right. Do your research and be sure to build a good foundation for your potential business. Once you do that, the sky is the limit!
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To your success,
Mike Aha