When you want to make money online, it’s not just about earning a few dollars. It’s about making the most of your time and resources to make more in less time than ever before. After all, there’s no point in investing so much of your time if you will end up making less than what you will initially earn in a traditional job.
However, suppose you’re aiming for online opportunities in order to make extra cash on the side. In that case, the Internet can be a great option even before the idea of becoming an entrepreneur with a full-time income stream.
What about if you want to become both? If you think about it, everyone starts very low, and then, you can start noticing how much money you can earn with the right method or job you choose to perform.
With so many opportunities (however), you must be wondering where to even start. This is when everything is covered since below, you will find 25 ideas to begin your journey on the web and guarantee that either if it is some extra money or a future career with great revenue, you are able to succeed.
1. Affiliate Marketing
If someone ever asks you about the most popular way to make money online, answer affiliate marketing without a doubt.
While its popularity has been fluctuating over the years, it has remained a steady way to make money, which is why most people decide to give it a try as a first or second method.
Affiliate marketing’s best feature is that you can affiliate virtually for almost any company, which increases your rates to make more money and faster.
How does it work in specific? This marketing option allows you to earn a living by promoting other brands.
A savvy marketer can earn a commission by selling software, products, and apps. Even though a commission may seem small to you, it is possible to be an affiliate for multiple brands, and if you mix it with vlogs or blogs, you can earn much more based on the link you will be provided for your audience.
Of course, this would include two ways to earn money in one, but we’re just leaving this extra here.
The big question is, can you make a lot of money in the process?
You can’t expect to gain many brands in terms of being their affiliate, but starting with one and two is more than enough for having some extra money every month or week.
The more reputation you earn and the better you do your job, it is possible to make more money after finding new brands and continue adding to your list.
2. Freelancing can be the solution.
If you have some skills you know are worth selling or offering as services, or maybe you’re already working somewhere else thanks to them, what are you waiting to be smarter and make more money?
You can sell your skills online and find clients willing to pay for them. What skills can you offer? Depending on your skills, such as graphic designer, writer, teacher, or administrative assistant.
Many websites offer freelance jobs in every sector.
Freelance writers, for example, can apply to jobs on boards that specialize in writing and general freelance sites like Fiverr, Upwork, and Freelancer. You can also look into other skills that you might have if your job does not provide direct income streams.
But before deciding to take this step, you must build a portfolio to make it easy for your future clients to decide if they want to work with you or not or if you have what it takes for a project.
This may require you to do some free work for reputable brands at the mid-tier level. After building a solid portfolio, you can begin reaching out to potential clients for more money online.
3. You can become an online tutor.
Online tutoring is a great way to make money and work your own hours without no one pushing you or having to follow certain standards.
You don’t have to be a genius or licensed teacher, or professor to start working in this area. Instead, you just have to be well-versed in something and guarantee you are able to teach it properly. Otherwise, your reputation will go downhill in no time and say goodbye to this way for the rest of your life.
If you don’t know where to start, English is very popular with international students, despite the high demand for tutoring jobs in sciences and maths. This doesn’t mean the latter aren’t good options, but rather alternatives if you can choose or just letting you know you can bet for them as well.
Although you don’t need to be a professional, do your best to show your degree and high grades in courses or any other evidence that you are qualified to tutor this topic.
A teaching degree may make you more attractive for a tutoring job. You might be eligible for online tutoring, teaching, or mentoring jobs if you have spoken at conferences or events on the subject. Concentrate on tutoring in the area you are most familiar with.
4. Twitch Streamer? Great idea!
Twitch streaming became quite popular in 2020 due to lockdowns and the entire situation with the pandemic.
Although it was initially a gaming platform, it has been rapidly evolving to include other types of content as a result of people spending lots of time in it, not only watching gameplay but also chatting with others in live transmissions.
What worries people the most is how hard it can be to make money or if it is possible for them to start right now.
This makes sense since to earn money fast on Twitch, you’ll need to grow your following. If you’re consistent and stay true to yourself, you can build your audience quicker than you think.
So that your content is easily found, you will need to find a game or specific topic that is not overly popular, and remember this: you will need to have a consistent style. The question is, will it be entertaining, educational, or funny?
Now, Twitch has a chat feature that allows you to interact with your viewers. Chats are a great way to make friends. But, you’ll also want to engage with other chatters on your streams.
Finally, talking about numbers, there are five primary ways to make money with Twitch:
- Twitch ads.
- Twitch products.
- Twitch brand sponsorships.
- Fan Donations.
- Brand sponsorships.
You should make sure you tap into all five monetization methods to maximize your financial gains as a Twitch streamer. Other options can also be included based on the partnership program the platform offers.
5. Create a YouTube Channel
Many think, “it is too late.” However, if others can make money from YouTube, why would you believe you can’t?
Besides, if you think it is an extra cash option, you just have to think about some YouTubers like Jeffree Star.
He’s earned more than $18million on YouTube and owns a cosmetics company that sells approximately $100 million annually, all thanks to his early career in the platform.
Creating a channel comes with income, but the benefit is that you can use the fame you gain from it later to work around other projects and finance them.
If you give it a try, remember that your YouTube channel should focus on a single niche so you can build a solid and loyal audience that will follow you. Inconsistency or including more than you should, mix everything, and more people will be leaving than staying.
The secret to making money on YouTube is to create content people want that either educates or entertains.
A headline can be clever to get people to click your link or optimized keywords for a YouTube search. Once you’ve reached the 1,000 subscriber milestone, you can start to monetize your channel with YouTube ads.
6. You can sell or rent second-hand items.
Another way to quickly make money is by renting or selling second-hand goods. This method can generate revenue from the sale of unused products, and it is great for clearing out the clutter in your home.
Besides clothes and accessories, the market also values furniture, cellphones, and other working tools and hobby items like sports equipment and general tools that are not only useful but rather collectible.
If you want to follow this way, start by making an inventory of the items you will rent or finally sell. Once done, list them on online marketplaces, and you won’t even have to hold any physical sales.
If you plan to make a living off of renting out items, consider building a website to host your own online store for greater reachability.
However, some marketplaces can help you do just fine unless you’re aiming for a larger project.
For the first option, consider eBay, Gadget Salvation, Facebook Marketplace, and Reverb.
7. If you love writing, start a blog.
Back in 2009, blogging was starting to see most of its origins, and many people decided to give it a try.
Till this point, you would think it is way too old to do it as well, but despite all the years, it remains to be one of the best ways to make money online.
However, you must be smart and choose a niche that isn’t only popular but also something you enjoy.
You can start a blog on various platforms, like Shopify, but remember to remove the checkout feature, so you don’t have to pay a subscription as you build it out, the old yet amazing option of WordPress.
Start your blog by focusing on specific keywords. As you grow, expand into more relevant categories so you can build a large blog over time.
If you’re wondering how to make money after your blog has grown a bit, affiliate links can be included in your posts.
Place ads strategically on your website to make AdSense work for you; sponsored posts are a popular way to make money with specific brands, and bloggers can also sell physical or digital products through their websites.
8. Publish an eBook.
With Amazon KDP, people don’t have to struggle to publish a book, whether they are professionals or not.
You simply need to write an ebook, format it, and create an ebook cover to start selling your creation.
Once you publish it, it is about waiting for it to go viral by pushing it a bit with marketing and other aspects.
If you’re a writer, it won’t be too hard to take your time to write it. Just think about it; you’re already working around this profession or killing some time with your hobby. If you take some time to go over the details, it should be easy to get things done at some point.
However, to reduce the amount of work required to create your ebook, you can hire a freelancer that can assist you in the process or even handle most of the work involved.
You should focus on keywords based on Amazon searches to guarantee your ebook doesn’t get lost in all the options available on the platform.
Keyword Tool, which allows you to find the words people use while searching, will allow you to craft your title around it and even change a few words that fit better in your ebook for more sales later.
A market strategy to allow your ebook to gain some relevance? Your ebook can be given away for free for a period of time.
This will help you rank higher in search results and generate reviews which can lead to better-paid listings.
9. Sell your art and designs on social media.
Artists can make extra income online by selling digital products. It isn’t required to work around big pieces or wait for your talent to be discovered somewhere else when you have the Internet and many marketplaces that allow artists to sell digital products, such as DeviantArt or ArtStation. They can display your work and even facilitate any print sales.
However, if there are places artists use the most, those are definitely social media. Not only to sell the designs and art but also to gain more attention and new audiences.
Just remember that each social media platform is unique, so tailor each marketing campaign accordingly.
Facebook, for example, is well-known for its group and close-knit communities. Joining groups with a niche aligned to your art and promoting your work will let you interact better with potential customers than with Facebook ads.
On the other hand, it is crucial to build your Instagram audience since visuals are important.
If you take the time to look at some accounts on social media, you will notice many artists showcase their work and guarantee some commissions thanks to their followers.
People with thousands of followers are more trustworthy than those who have a few followers. You can grow your audience by engaging with larger channels and following other users who share similar interests.
10. Create an online course (easier than you think).
You can make a course that combines your knowledge with your expertise and then sell it to others for many years.
While it takes a lot of effort to build, launch, and market an online course, the potential earning potential is tremendous, especially when compared to many of the other online methods to make money.
Passive income is what courses and other knowledge products such as ebooks are.
This simply means that after you have invested the initial effort and time, you can continue to make money with them for many months or years by just doing a little bit of marketing and upkeep.
How do you put together your course? We can give you a few steps you can follow to have success in the process:
- Look at other courses or workshops to have an idea of how they are structured.
- Choose a niche in which you’re well-informed and knowledgable, and remember to check its demand.
- If you need collaborators, some friends or professionals in your area could help, and you would split the earnings of the course.
- Take your time to build the course with videos, a good material to download, and guarantee people can follow it easily.
- Promote it on social media and remember to handle marketing.
- Enjoy your passive income after your course has gained relevance.
Many platforms like Udemy and Coursera can come in handy to publish your course and leave it open at a specific price.
11. Bet for podcasts.
Podcasts are a hot topic right now, and if you’re not “abusing” them, you’re a bit out of the league in making money online.
Because of how busy we are, people are increasingly looking for passive ways to consume content, which leads most of them to the ones they can just play and listen to while driving or doing any other activities.
However, we won’t lie; it will take time to build up a big-enough audience to attract advertisers and other ways to make extra income from your podcast, but the opportunity is there, and even when you don’t see income in the beginning, you will notice how worth it is in the long run.
Two years ago, podcasting wasn’t a big hit. Despite people loving the type of content it offered, it wasn’t the best idea or preference compared to listening to music or other programs.
But right now, listeners are always looking for quality and new content, which makes it easier than ever to get started in podcasting.
Like a blog or YouTube channel, a podcast is about telling compelling stories and building an audience.
You may be sounding a bit stale, but you must find a niche you are interested in and that there is a demand. Make a list of topics you want to discuss, and next, search iTunes charts and Google Trends for other podcast research sites.
12. Test and review websites.
You likely have an idea of what makes a website great. If not, it is pretty simple.
Does the website look clean, and is it easy to use? Is the content clear and understandable? Do its pages charge properly or take too long? What would you add to make it more user-friendly or improve in search? These types of questions are the ones you will be trying to answer during your tests.
Many people would love to hear your opinions. They’ll even pay you decently for it since it is crucial to have a website running not only decently but rather perfectly if they want to make income or obtain the best results from their time and investment.
Of course, they will pay you as long as you can provide relevant and crucial information to them in order to fix most of the issues.
Now, can you truly make money with this? When starting, it will be kind of a side hustle more than a method to make a lot of money, but when you get used to the process and handle everything, you will be able to work with different websites in which most of them pay about $20 to $30 per hour.
You will be asked to visit these sites and note your thoughts and reactions as you go.
Sign up for the most popular services such as UserTesting.com and Userlytics. TryMyUI, Userfeel, or TestingTime.
13. Narrate audiobooks
Even though the audiobook market is booming, only 7% of books are narrated since not many people invest time in this project.
You can earn extra money by recording audio versions of popular and independent books if you have experience in acting or voicing other projects. If you don’t, it isn’t impossible if you take the time to learn a bit about voice work and how you can do it properly.
Of course, unless you’re a professional, you will lack in several aspects. However, it isn’t impossible to make money with this as long as you are hard-working and take the time to get enough equipment to work around it.
A proper microphone, software, and space without noise will be your tools from now on (if you decide to invest your time in this way to earn money).
Now, ACX is a site that connects audiobook performers with authors if you have no idea where to start.
You can also sell your services online, whether you are an author looking for new ways to market your book or an actor/voice actor looking for additional income.
14. Sell on Etsy
If you make crafts or handmade goods, what are you waiting to sell them?
Many believe it is a waste of time to take their time and sell their products, but you would be surprised by how worth your items are as long as you can offer certain quality and unique results.
When considering to give it a try, Etsy is the best place to make money with this.
People are always looking for unique items, which you can provide simply by making use of your time and hobby while getting additional income from it at the same time.
To make this work, you will need to learn how the site works and ensure your prices are competitive.
You don’t have to feel limited about what you can sell or not either since bracelets, rings, furniture, and anything that can be made by hand is usually in the store.
If you’re creative and good at handmade creations, you won’t struggle too much until your store booms or at least allows you to make some extra cash.
The best way to boost this option is to use social media and the usual marketing channels to guarantee more people know your Etsy store besides the ones browsing the site.
15. Sell stock photos.
You can make more money online if you are a talented photographer or have a passion for photography.
Actually, allow us to take back part of our statement: you can sell photos as long as they are good enough for it.
Many believe it is about being way too good on the task or having many to offer. However, selling stock photos is about what you can offer, even with a photo you took with your phone while going for a walk.
If you believe it is something people would pay for, why not give it a try? By the time you realize, you will end up selling more than a few for more than just extra cash.
How do you make more with this? Every time someone licenses an image that you submit, you will receive royalties. You can build your own website for photography to show off your work and get more private-sector jobs.
Or use the usual restock platforms like Shutterstock to have more audience in the beginning.
16. Proofread articles (if you can!)
Editors are more important than you think despite all the options you have available to proofread any text.
Why? Because even if you use software, you don’t know how perfect the edition is. If you think about it, even options like Grammarly have real-time editors that can help you with your text when needed.
For now, computers aren’t perfect, and although humans either, the latter is more accurate when it comes to editing any type of content.
When you are able to handle this kind of job, give it a try and decide to do some proofreading by freelancing. It will make you a decent income in terms of hours or how many projects are done and open more opportunities in the future.
Since both companies and individuals require proofreaders, you won’t have to struggle to find offers or jobs. However, competitors are always present, and you must make sure you’re not missing some changes that can boost your income in no time.
17. Website developer.
Besides being an excellent way to make money, it is also easier to learn than you think.
The common mistake most people make when going over this opportunity is that they don’t know where to start or focus on every single aspect of web development.
If you didn’t know, you have to choose a web development specialization to save time and money in learning the required skills. Otherwise, you will be covering too much, and nothing you will do initially and while getting used to the process will be of high quality. Instead, you won’t be able to offer your services until you’re a complete professional.
When deciding what specialization you want, start learning how to code with some websites like Coursera, Udemy, CodeAcademy, and Bitdegree that offer options to learn how to work around websites.
Learning will be the long phase of the process, so the sooner you decide to invest your time in this, the better for you to start making money.
18. Social media manager.
Social media managers are responsible for planning and executing marketing strategies that will improve brand recognition and community interaction.
If you are a social media enthusiast, managing others’ accounts is a great way of making money.
The first step is to learn social media management skills since you must be skilled in the topic to keep up with current trends, identify the target audience of a brand, and track social media data to improve campaign results.
Although this road is usually better for people who really love social media and have an idea of how algorithms and other factors work, it doesn’t mean you can’t learn.
The best part is that learning doesn’t take too long nowadays, especially if you sign up for a course that is valuable and can teach you beyond the simple fact of using software or specific apps.
When you’re ready and know how to run campaigns and handle the job (trust in yourself), you can start working with small businesses, individuals and take the time to manage your account as well.
You can also offer your expertise in social media on marketplaces or apply for jobs as a manager at companies based on your experience and knowledge.
19. Start creating apps.
It doesn’t matter if it’s an iPhone, Android, or another device; apps are always needed in them. Otherwise, would they be as valuable as they are now? We don’t think so.
Believe it or not, many developers aren’t from big companies or even professionals in designing. Instead, they are beginners trying to make some money to either finance other projects or finally gain some income after learning.
Therefore, if you have a light bulb moment that addresses people’s needs, then create an app that meets it.
If you aren’t a programmer, don’t be afraid to try and take some time to learn. Many developers start today, and you can bet that they will be creating an app in a month.
Another option is to be the person who invents things. It’s possible to hire people to build it, and you can find programmers at affordable rates on sites like Upwork, but the complexity of your app will determine the amount you pay.
Your app should be compatible with both Android and iPhone smartphones. This will allow you to maximize your customer base and the success you can achieve with it.
20. Fill online surveys
Online surveys became very popular with students that just wanted to make some extra cash to pay their expenses or finance a few outings and personal buys.
However, this way has become quite popular among any person who is looking to make extra money.
Companies that offer research services are constantly looking for new members to fill out surveys and test out new products, which allows them to sign up as one of their platforms or websites and start earning a few bucks.
After completing a form, you will receive a couple of quid that can be used to get or rewards. For some surveys, you can get up to $5.
The problem with this method is that you cannot expect to make a lot of money. It doesn’t matter what others say or what you read; completing surveys is an income that only generates a bit more every month; it isn’t a way to become rich.
Based on the time you invest, you will make easy money. To start, you can try these websites: Toluna, Branded Surveys, LifePoints, and InboxPounds.
21. Fiverr Gigs
Fiverr is the largest marketplace where people can make money by selling small services (known collectively as gigs).
You could offer anything from translations, writing, teaching, playing pranks, voiceovers to music creation, voiceovers, and short video clips for people around the globe.
The default price is $5, but you can add extra services to make more money. Although it may not seem like much, it adds up quickly, and there are many examples of people who make a good living off the site.
Essentially, we like to focus on the gigs you can take and make income based on them. However, there is another way to make even more money with Fiverr that more people are starting to do: you simply resell gigs elsewhere.
You find someone good on other platforms (a freelancer that will do the job), and you can set a budget based on the job you’re taking from Fiverr. You pay the person, and you have some income without doing much.
However, this latter option is a bit dishonest and can backfire quite easily. Thus, you better focus on doing the job yourself.
22. Wealthy investors pay you to source for properties
Although we all know the value of a property, you may not realize how good of an opportunity it is due to how prices divert your attention.
Many people can make a lot of money by finding suitable properties for wealthy investors.
You can find properties below the market value (BMV) without using estate agents. Instead, flyers should be sent to your local area offering to purchase houses, and on the Internet, you can find many alternatives by just doing some research.
Next, approach investors and offer to share details of low-priced property in return for a %.
Many cities have monthly events for property investors and landlords, but this wouldn’t classify as an online method, would it? This is why you could start on LinkedIn and Twitter to make your first contacts and even conduct your entire business remotely.
This is not a fast way to make money, but if you have a few investors in your phone book, it could prove to be very profitable in the long term.
23. Start dropshipping.
For some, it is hard to believe, but dropshipping’s popularity is rapidly growing due to its viability and simplicity.
There are many examples of dropshipping being a viable way to make money online, including success stories like how an entrepreneur made $4k in 8 weeks and how shop owners make six figures from selling one product or only a few.
If you don’t know, dropshipping is a business where you sell a product, but the supplier packages it and ships it to your customer. This means you don’t have to worry about handling inventory or all the stock and work from waiting for the products and sending them later.
However, it must be done right if you want to ensure that it isn’t a waste of your time and investment.
Some workshops allow you to learn how to make money around this method, but keep in mind that many of the ones found online are only scams.
Go over reviews and take your time to learn. It will be ten times better than diving in and losing everything in the process.
If you started and didn’t know how others are being so successful, keep in mind that a majority of entrepreneurs have focused on a few marketing strategies, including running Facebook ads and having influencers promote products, and sending Direct Messages (“DMs”) to potential customers through social media. Therefore, you might want to give them a try to see if this boosts your chances as well.
24. Provide online consulting services.
Consulting is involved with providing expert advice to clients in a professional setting, and it is usually needed in many fields or working areas to guarantee a business or individual is going in the right direction.
It is all about offering constructive criticism and feedback to clients by using your knowledge.
The consulting industry is one of the most important global markets in the professional services sector. Since it doesn’t require any face-to-face meetings, its online market is one of the most popular online businesses nowadays.
It can be a lucrative way to earn extra income, but you also have the freedom to start your own online business. In the process, you gain other benefits like being your own boss, and you don’t have to invest hundreds of dollars in starting and choose your working hours.
You can grow your audience by contributing to social media platforms such as LinkedIn and posting on a blog regularly. This will make you more trustworthy.
25. Be a lender if you can afford it.
Crowdlending is another example of how the Internet has shaken virtually every sector of the economy.
In the past, anyone looking for a personal loan needed to visit a bank, credit union, or payday lender. If the applicant didn’t have great credit, they would have to pay high interest rates if the loan was approved (and it was very likely that it wasn’t going to be approved).
Peer-to-peer (P2P) lending websites now match borrowers with regular people just like you.
A loan can be taken from multiple lenders instead of one lender thanks to those platforms, and the way you will make money is by getting a portion of the investment back, and interest as the borrower repays the loan.
Prosper, Perform, and Upstart are some of the most popular P2P lending platforms you can start in or where you can definitely make some extra cash and then have more than a simple income.
There are risks involved in P2P lending, just like any investment. You and other lenders could be left in the dust if the borrower defaults on the loan.
However, crowdlending is a great way to earn passive income if you have spare cash or a savings account. To be honest, it doesn’t happen too often (the issue with the borrowers), so it isn’t a significant limitation.
Which One Is the Best?
What if we tell you there’s no wrong answer? Every method we’ve shared with you works, and it is a matter of choosing the ones that fit your needs and skills the most, or you can bet for several ones until you find the right one.
It is a matter of several opportunities, and we’re confident you can either make some extra cash or a lot of income with only a few exceptions, like online surveys.
Don’t know where to start? Freelancing is the most appealing in this case!
The Local Lead Generation Process for Your Business
All right! So, everything is about building properties and generating leads. But how does the process actually take place? Are there other steps I need to know?
The steps I mention below are what students from our local lead generation program follow to generate leads for businesses like yourself. So I’ll help you see what we do. And how if you join our program, you can simply generate leads for your own business (unless you want to start a side hustle and build a laptop lifestyle business).
Essentially, our lead generation can be divided into four steps:
The first is prospecting. You need to take the time to do market research on a niche (industry) and determine how many phone-driven businesses are there.
Keep in mind that this is local research as you need to know how many companies need leads. For example, you may search for “plumbing services Youngstown OH.”
You will find dozens or even hundreds of businesses trying to get themselves in front of the customers by ranking on Map Listings, organic results, and even Ad.
The second step, building. When you find a niche (plumbing, tree services, a software company, real estate…), you will need to start building your digital properties. You don’t need to be an expert in HTML or coding. It can be easy with the right tools.
The third step is now taking time to rank your lead gen website. With the site done, you need to work on SEO strategies and start dominating those Google search results. If you’re new to SEO, it stands for Search Engine Optimization.
To keep it simple, it consists of the entire process of growing a company’s visibility on search engines like Google and generating organic traffic. And remember this, local lead generation is part of the strategies.
Moving on to step four, once you rank the site, you will start getting your ROI and profits. You only need to rent it out to a local business interested in the leads the site generates. You can offer a couple of free leads to their move on with the actual pay per lead.
To review steps 1-4 above, I described it to a normal student who is building a lead gen business to help local service providers generate more calls. But replace the student with you as the business owner. And replace sending the leads to a business to simply siphoning the leads to your personal business.
By the way, fun fact, about 20% of our students in our local lead gen program are actually business owners who went through the program. And they use the skillsets we teach to generate leads for their own business.
An Example of Lead Generation: Home Advisor
You must be thinking, “if lead generation sounds so good so far, how come I haven’t seen any company?” That’s the thing; there are many out there. You just don’t know they are dedicated to it.
HomeAdvisor is one of the best examples you can find on the Internet as it is a top lead generation company that has spent millions building its brand but also earned even more zeros for this same reason.
They started small as everyone else but invested in building their brand awareness to make people who are looking for home services go to their website and find what they need. They are over 75% of people’s first choice when they need those services.
If you don’t get HomeAdvisor that much or need a refresh, users need to submit their information to request a service and get a professional or expert who can provide it.
HomeAdvisor’s job is to share your information, which makes you a lead, with local companies so they can contact you and offer the service you’re requesting. For sharing this lead information, HomeAdvisor gets paid by the companies. This happens for every single lead they send to multiple businesses.
Business owners who don’t have marketing skills or don’t even know how to have any online presence will always rely on those pages to list their services. They will save time and effort, but companies like HomeAdvisor can make them spend lots of money as leads aren’t exclusive (one lead is sent to multiple companies after all).
Using Facebook Ads aka Paid Ad Platforms: Do They Generate Leads?
They DO generate leads. If not, no one would use them.
However, you need to remember two facts:
- Paid ads or platforms can be expensive.
- They don’t generate “natural” leads.
Whenever someone sees or clicks in one of those ads, over 80% of them did it by accident or are trying to close/report it.
Why? Because they aren’t looking for those services. At least not at the moment.
What those ads do instead is interrupt their time on the platforms. Users aren’t there to find companies or businesses unless they are searching for a specific company’s user, and for that, there’s a search bar. This is why it is hard to convert them to actual customers who will show interest in the companies’ services. Also, you’re limited by a budget.
When using lead generation, everything is organic. You aren’t forcing others to pay attention to your business but rather being there when they need you. This is why Google’s organic traffic will always beat paid ads, and the reason companies continue investing in it, which is a lot cheaper as well.
What Is Local SEO?
Don’t worry… I didn’t get it at first either. Following the short explanation, local SEO focuses on scaling businesses’ visibility on search engines. However, this is only for those who serve their communities face-to-face.
What does this mean?
Experts and professionals like painters, plumbers, and dentists (but not only them) offer their services to their local customers. Why? Because they can’t deliver them unless they are located in the same area of their customers.
To make sure those businesses get more leads, you need to rank them locally by claiming the business listing on Google to place them on Map Listings. Local SEO also involves online reviews, citation management, and how you manage your entire online presence in the local area.
If you are going to bet on lead gen, you need to adapt yourself to today’s world: The Internet.
Keep in mind that although traditional channels and methods like billboards, warm calls, and pamphlets still work, they aren’t part of your tools. Whenever someone needs a service, they go to Google and search for it.
“Dentist in Miami” or “plumbing services in Orlando,” etc. And you can keep coming up with services or professionals people need and look for. Thus, you need to make sure you’re using Google to get the companies in front of their clients.
Users will always click on the first search results (those near the top), and many of them will be either Ad links (people paid to place their websites there), Map Listing, and then you get websites. Almost all of them are your goal and where you should always aim to place yourself.
Can My Business Utilize a Local Lead Generation Strategy?
If you want customers, you better know you need it. Following the previous explanation, lead gen is all about placing businesses in front of their customers, choosing them over their competitors.
Put it simply – it’s all about closing deals and having clients for those companies to make money. The main difference with the usual methods companies use for this is how lead generation approaches different channels to get them in the right place of the market to get customers.
Those channels are all focused on the Internet as most people are searching for products but also services across the net. The issue is that the Internet is way too broad, and businesses don’t know how to place themselves. They usually try, but they get one common result: losing money and time.
How Powerful Are Organic Leads from Google?
For companies looking for customers, it’s everything. For you? Pretty much the same. When you build a business with digital properties, you get to make thousands of dollars a month.
This isn’t a “get started today and get rich tomorrow” thing, but it is HIGHLY scalable, and ROI + positive results are guaranteed. Learning a fairly decent and very needed set of skills to create your digital properties and start ranking them on Google is required.
I have invested in several online businesses over the years, and if there’s something uncertain, whether you will get your ROI or not, even more than the actual profit.
However, this business moved my earnings from five figures a year to a month in ONLY passive income while sitting comfortably at home.
On my laptop. Anywhere. Anytime.
You can look at one of the first sites I built back in 2016, and it continues making me over $1.000+ every month. The best part is that I don’t need to touch it or the rest I’ve built over the years, just like this digital property.
What Makes Lead Generation SO Alluring?
Here it goes: you can work from home.
The main issue with regular business opportunities is how much you need to invest in staff, equipment, or rent to have a place to sell your products or offer your services.
We all know the hassles of traditional businesses that involve regular expenses, which are extremely high. Can you afford it? I don’t think so, and even if you can, is it worth it? Now, it isn’t only about the money. You also need to put in a lot of work, and it isn’t only during the first couple of months or years. Usually, it is as long as you continue running it.
You can save yourself those headaches and bone-breaking tasks and expenses with lead gen since it is more about generating leads with digital channels—mainly websites.
Websites can be VERY cheap to build, and with many tools online, you get to do it in a couple of hours instead of days. Any virtual or digital business is scalable and won’t need constant maintenance.
So, let’s summarize this:
- You save money in regular expenses with traditional and most online businesses as what you need is yourself and digital properties (websites).
- You can bet on passive income.
- There’s no need to hire more people to get started.
- You can generate leads in multiple industries, which allows you to work on any niche you want.
How Can I Get Started in the Local Lead Generation Program?
Anyone can start and learn. That’s the beauty of this business model. I knew nothing about SEO, Map Listing, and everything I’ve mentioned so far. It is all about learning the skills, gaining experience, and deciding to take the step.
Remember that this business model will never get old as business owners are always looking for leads. They need to do business and scale their companies. Why not do the same while helping others and still making money?
You can start with this local lead generation course highly recommended for anyone wanting to grow in the business. It is a close training that will take you through each step and make sure you are able to get your ROI, profits and take control of your life.
You will be added to an incredible lead generation family ready to help you 24/7 when asking questions on the group. Anyone is welcome who’s willing to put in the work. Click here to watch the lead gen webinar.