How to Make Money Online as a Beginner

According to stats, more than 6 billion people are using the internet today. This technology has opened up opportunities for millions of young people to make money online, doing what they love, irrespective of their location.

From Lagos to Accra, London to Delhi, young people are taking bold moves, offering services, creating products, setting up enterprises and reaching clients around the world, including those, thousands of miles away.

As someone planning to make a living online today, you’ll find that there are even a lot more opportunities, incentives and customers but sometimes, getting the right ideas, strategies and growth options can make it really difficult for beginners.

In this guide, I’ll be sharing with you some of the practical business ideas that has worked with a lot of beginners, including insights and tips on how you can use these ideas to build your own business from scratch and start earning a living online.

Become a Content Creator

Content creation is one of the most popular ways to make money online, irrespective of your locations or skills. Think about high profile content creators like Kim Kardashian, MrBeast, Linda Ikeji and others like Peller, Nons Miraj etc. with a widespread popularity and audience.

One advantage about content creation is that it gives you leverage, a platform, an audience and options to create a very diversified kind of content on your platform of choice. So, you don’t even have to prefer a particular kind of content.

If you prefer video content, you can build and grow your platform like Mr.Beast. if you’re more interested in live streaming, you can consider leaning towards creating content like Kai Senat, Peller, Carter Efe etc.

And if writing and blogging is your thing, then creators with massive platforms like Gary Vaynerchuk, Linda Ikeji, Noble Igwe etc.

Thing is, content creation gives you leverage and plenty of money-making options to choose from. For example, you can make money directly from running advertising on your platforms like your blog, YouTube etc.

You can also opt to make money by becoming an influencer, brand sponsorships, partnering with brands, promoting products, getting gifts

Additionally, content creation allows you the chance to build a platform you can leverage to start a bigger brand or business. Think about people like Kim Kardashian, Gary Vaynerchuk etc. and how they have leveraged their platforms and influence to build globally recognized brands.

Start a Digital Marketing Brand

Digital marketing involves the use of digital platforms like apps, websites, social media etc. to sell products or services. It is one skill that can give you a lot of leverage or options to make money online, irrespective of your location.

For example, professional digital marketer, you can earn a living online, offering any of the following services:

• Paid Advertising: Creating, executing and managing ads for clients across platforms including social media, search engine platforms like Google, websites etc.
• Search Engine Optimization: Provide search engine optimization services that enables clients to get visible and make more sales on search engines.
• Email Marketing: Creating email strategies, managing campaigns and setting up emails that enable clients to connect, engage with their audiences and make sales.
• Affiliate Marketing: Helping clients to sell their products as an affiliate marketer via your platform while earning a commission for every sale.
• Content Writing: Writing content, news articles, blog posts etc. for brands to use on their websites, social media and other platforms while getting paid.

There are a lot of benefits and avenues to earn an income online as a digital marketer. Outside all what we previously listed, you can also decide to work as a digital consultant directly with clients.

Offer Web Development Services

Web development is one of the skills that is currently high in demand. It is a solid option to make money online from any location, depending on your specific skills.

One important thing about web development is that it gives you some very good working and earning options. For instance, you can work as a paid employee, an independent contractor; freelance web developer or you can start your own web development company.

What this means is that even if you’re a student looking to earn a living by the side, you can evolve flexible working options as a web developer while still undergoing your studies.

Also, even if you’re not a student but a working-class person in need of a side hustle, its flexibility allows you to work part time or as many hours as you’d wish while keeping your other job.

Now, even if you do not have web development skills, it’s a skill you can learn either by yourself or by attending a paid training as a web developer.

Additionally, as a web developer, you can learn different programming languages or choose one that aligns with your goals. You can also work with a specific industry like finance for example, to grow your expertise or you can diversify. You choose.

Run an Ecommerce Website

Starting your own ecommerce business is a great idea if you want to make money online from any location, especially if you’re already selling some products offline.

Even if you don’t have your own products, you can run an ecommerce store, selling products for other businesses that are still offline and getting commissions for every sale made from your store.

Also, there’s something called drop-shipping. An ecommerce arrangement where you buy products from the owners, and have them ship to your clients after they place an order on your website.

This is a popular strategy to make money online. It is used in the computer gadgets, phone accessories and allied industries. And sometimes these suppliers are directly from countries like China, India etc.

And you don’t have to start out with your own ecommerce website from scratch unless you have the resources. If you do not have the resources at first, you can consider using third party platforms like Shopify to host your retail website.

If you have an offline business as well. Say you’re selling leather products like bags, shoes or clothes and luxury items, you can bring your business online, run an ecommerce store and start earning.

Create & Sell Digital Products

Are you an expert with a specific digital skill like content marketing, data analysis, search engine optimization etc.? you can make money online with your skills by creating an ebook, selling a course, a tutorial, a subscription-based community training etc.

Even if it’s not exactly a digital skill. It could be simple day today things that people are ready to buy like a meal plan, cuisine guide, body fitness membership communities, etc.

One of the key things you need to start creating digital products is to build a brand and get positioned as an expert in the concerned field, create and share content, grow your platform and eventually, you can start creating and selling your digital products to buyers who will be readily invested in getting to the next level with you.

If you’re interested in getting to earn a living online with this idea, it is important to note that you need a decent platform, an audience and valuable content that will drive the interest in your products when you launch them.

So, before you think about creating a product, get your own platform and an audience. It could be a social media, blog or website. You need a place where people can easily follow you, engage with you and stick around.

After that, offer real value with your content. This goes a long way to make your audience know you, like you and trust you while also positioning you as the expert in your niche which automatically makes it easier for people to buy your products when you eventually launch them.

Engage in Video Editing & Photography

Growth in adoption of smartphones, social media and other digital platforms has spurred a high demand for video content, making it one of the top high demand skills anyone can conveniently make a living from.

You can position yourself as a top video content creator and editor and start making money online as a social media video content creator, editor or trainer.

Outside social media, in an era of faceless videos, with the assistance of AI powered content platforms like ChatGPT, you can generate content idea then make and edit video content for creators to be used on platforms like YouTube etc.

Instead of making videos for creators from scratch, you can as well edit their own created videos and get them ready for posting on their platforms.

Furthermore, freelancing platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, Freelancer etc. are also platforms with job offers for video editors. You can work as a freelancer on these platforms

Provide Social Media Management Services

With more than 3 billion monthly users, the social media has become a great platform for brands to connect with, engage and attract their clients across different location. This has pushed a demand for social media managers across different industries.

Considering that most brands do not have the time to manage their social media platforms themselves, you can offer your services as a social media manager, managing the brand’s spaces across the social platforms.

Depending on your goals, you can offer different social media management services including PPC advertising, content creation and posting, video content creation etc.

With the right skills and the right industry, you can earn a decent income online as a social media manager. You can also specialize if you want. This gives you the chance to earn even more.

Also, being a social media manager makes it possible for you to manage more than one social media brand. With social media automation tools, you can manage different social media platforms, automate your posting and get things going without having to be there all the time.

Social media management is a great option to make money online if you’re a student or someone planning to find flexible jobs to support their existing jobs or needs.

Final Words

There are a lot of options to make money online, including the ones I’ve not listed in this guide but starting with these ideas you just learned here today will give you the needed headstart to start earning a living online.

But one thing you must keep in mind is that to earn a living online, you must be able to offer immense value which will get you paid in return. And for you to get started, you’ll need the right skills or product, an audience, a platform, a solid marketing strategy and loads of value.

Furthermore, your first attempt at making money online might not always lead to your first break through. Most people have failed a lot of times before they make their first break. I did too.

I did fail at first too. But I also did realize that sometimes you’ll learn a lot through trial and error before you’re able to perfect a system that can repeatedly work for you. So, the first sign of failure does not always mean you should quit.

And yes, you don’t have to do it alone. You can learn the right skills, gain mentorship and guidance by signing up for Win Media Academy here.

Now, it’s your turn. What are some of the challenges you’ve faced when it comes to making money online? Drop your comments below.