Interesting start to my day today as I went to the Global BC1 studio. I was expecting initially to be on last like usual but it was decided that I would be the first one up on the show today. A few people were even poking fun at me how that it means added pressure. Early there I was and it was kind of interesting seeing the set empty before going on air.
Because recently I saw a news bit about how apparently a large chunk of people here have absolutely no savings at the end of the day it kind of made me think of the topic of trying to make some money on the side. For many people who do have their finances in check it seems like all they really need is an extra say $200 a month or so which could probably go a long way. As a result we decided to talk a bit about making money online.
The first item we dived into was things like Google Adsense where people can essentially use it to monetize their self published content whether it be in the form of words like on a website or videos on places like Youtube. Just to get the point across I showed an old Adsense cheque that you all may have remembered that I showed before here.
In my opinion, this is probably one of more simple and straight forward things to try if you are like a stay at home parent or an artist of some sort. It’s more about simply finding something that you are passionate about which inspires you to create content on a regular basis.
The next item was a bit about affiliate marketing where you are essentially getting a commission from sales made based on your referral. I decided to use the Amazon Associate Program as an example as it was a site that most people are familiar with and at the same time everyone can relate to shopping for everyday needs and entertainment. So as I mentioned why not get paid when you suggest items to people that you would have anyways? It’s like a winning situation for all parties I think.
Stock photography and photos was something I thought most people could do as well. For example purpose and I know some of the more established ones is Istockphoto and Shutterstock shutterstock. Even from what I see so many people own things like a DSLR nowadays and many people do things like photography as a hobby. No reason why you can’t potentially make some money out of it too as there are usually a lot of people like graphic designers who constantly need good and unique shots of virtually everything.
Lastly we talked about how people can literally sell things online through sites like Ebay and Etsy. I was even saying that Ebay started with people selling beanie babies for those who remembered. Nowadays you can find almost anything. At the same time, some sites like Etsy are more specialized in terms of focusing on things like handcrafted material. Selling things online can be a great way too for those that say they have no savings yet they have like a closet full of unused clothes or items they bought because they were on sale and have yet to even use. If anything it will reduce your clutter and keep you organized.
Now these sites do charge you a fee to have your items listed or that they take a percentage of what you make from the final sale price. So with that in mind there are of course the free options such as Craigslist and Kijiji. It can work just as good if what you are selling is in demand or is at a price that is very tempting. Of course the drawback is that you pretty much have to do everything yourself in terms of the actual transaction and the marketing to get people to even see your listing. But if you are really tight on a budget then it’s an option.
All in all, I feel that there is something for everyone and it’s just a matter of choosing which one works best for your lifestyle and passion. I’m sure everyone out there has different suggestions that have worked for them as well. Even I am am still learning everyday on all the neat and unique things people do online to generate an income.
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