In the past few years, the world of online marketing has exploded, and a lot of people are now making a living from the practice. All you need to do to become competent is learn a few best practices, implement them, and then scale your operations. There are a variety of ways to make money online, but the most popular ones are:
Selling and marketing affiliate products
If you’ve ever checked out amazon.com, you’ve most likely seen ads that look like this. These are affiliate ads, and the large image is often followed by a small description and a hyperlink to the product. When a person clicks on the link, they get redirected to the amazon site, where they can learn more about the product and make a purchase if they’re interested.
The most effective way to make money with affiliate marketing is to find products that are highly complementary to your target audience. If you have a fitness blog, you can sell running shoes, gyms, and nutrition plans. If you focus on women’s fashion, you might promote skincare products and makeup sets. The key is to find a product that your audience wants but does not yet know about. Since your affiliate sales come from a third party site (usually Amazon for eCommerce stores), you don’t need to worry about shipping charges or taxes.
Selling and marketing digital information products
In addition to traditional products, people are also purchasing digital information products online. A digital information product is information, in some form, that is stored digitally. This could be a PDF document, list of best websites for selling [niches], blog posts, or anything else that is written and stored on a computer or mobile device.
To get started, pick a niche and build a list of blogs and websites focused on your chosen topic. Once you have a good sized list, start marketing and selling your products. You can use free tools like GMaps to find the nearest physical location for each blog or website on your list and create flyers to distribute in person. You can also take advantage of Facebook’s reach to target audiences within specific locations.
If you’re looking for a more automated way to get a product that is already created, check out automated eCommerce software that can take care of the heavy lifting from a marketing and sales perspective. For example, HubSpot’s automated email marketing platform can help you create and send out branded email campaigns based on previously set email templates. Once you’ve created a campaign, you can measure the success of your email blasts based on lead conversion rates and customer engagement metrics.
Selling and marketing physical products
Although most people consider the internet to be a place for information, many shoppers still prefer to learn about products through physical means (i.e., through brochures, billboards, commercials, etc.). Since brick-and-mortar stores are a key component to any retail business, it’s important to ensure that your brick-and-mortar locations are advertising and attracting customers. One of the simplest ways to do this is through flyers and posters.
If you have a small business and you’re looking to advertise, consider using local print shops that can help you design and print flyers to distribute in your community.
Selling and marketing services
If you’re looking to create a successful marketing business, you might consider trying your hand at selling and marketing services. The advantage of services is that you can provide a valuable asset to your audience (e.g., you’re helping them solve a problem or helping them reach a goal they couldn’t do on their own).
When selling and marketing services, you’re usually selling something that will make their life easier or better. For example, you might sell SEO services for small businesses so they can have their websites appear more often in search results. Or, you might help them grow their social media presence so they can engage with their audience more effectively.
Which kind of online marketing business are you planning on starting?
The first step to building a successful online marketing business is determining what you’re going to do with it. Do you want to simply make some money off affiliate marketing and digital information products? Do you want to start a retail business and need a website to do it? Or, do you envision yourself becoming the go-to person for your chosen topic and wanting to build a brand for yourself?
Once you’ve decided, the next step is to learn the ropes. You can do this by registering with a reputable source like the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A’s) or the International Advertising Federation (IAF).
Even if you decide that you’d like to pursue a career in marketing, there are plenty of other options that you can explore. To name a few: