Notionet

Do you ever wonder how somebody earns a living by simply sitting behind a computer screen on a sofa at their home?

Don’t be surprised that you are asking yourself this question. The online world is quite a tricky one and if you were to ask some of how they make money online, you are likely to hear all sorts of stories. Some are true, some are twisted while some are far from true.

However it seems, some people are still making money legally through the internet. Some its through their blogs, other E- commerce sites, others through freelancing sites, YouTube and so on. The sites this people are using have been there and are open to everyone. The question is, how do they make it?

1. Patience

Talking of patience we simply mean patience as it is, nothing more or less. Its just like you plant a seed and wait for it grow. Of Course during this time you will be checking how it is doing, for it to grow faster and yield more, you will be watering it more often and providing it with the best environment it needs to grow but that time between investment and profit has to be there.

The problem with some if not most online investors is that they invest and expect immediate results. That’s because they don’t understand the internet as a market and how it works.

The online market is owned and controlled by famous social networks like facebook and search engines like google, bing and yahoo. Unlike the outside world where you can pay a small fee to the city council and set up a business somewhere with good traffic (many people), search engines own the online traffic. This means you need to be verified by search engines as a valid and honest business selling the kind of products/services that people are looking for. This might take time. Organically, the least time it will take to get in the limelight is 2yrs.

2. Marketing

We are not new to marketing, right? Probably we have heard of this term a million times but what kind of marketing is needed to succeed in the digital world? First, the basic kind of marketing is needed. This is where you upload and publish your content/products online for everyone to see, that might include sharing on certain social networks. That one is easy,

The kind of marketing that will probably boost sales is where you pay ad networks and social networks to market your products. A $100 investment for advertising can be a good start. Some adnetworks one can use are google ads, Facebook ads or Medianet.
One can also employ other ways of marketing. The point is to choose one that works well with your target market.

3. Networking

This is simply where you scratch someone’s back so they can scratch yours. It doesn’t have to be the scheming kind of networking where one takes advantage of other peoples problems to climb the ladder. It also doesn’t have to be so crafted like where one follows a blog they will never read or buys a dress they will never wear all because they want someone to buy their products too. This kind of networking is there in the internet but does not help in the long run.

The kind of networking that helps is where you identify people of similar interests and goals as yours then make those people your partners, clients, suppliers and friends too. By so doing, you are able to have a constant supply and market for your products.
An example is where a blogger follows other blogs he/she likes or where a client encourages sellers to buy products they are interested in because he is selling them.

4. Team work

Online businesses are time consuming! By the time you set up your site, you realize a week or two are gone. yet you still need to do marketing, production/content creation, delivery and other important activities.

The team doesn’t have to be big, 3 or more people can do. with a team one can work faster, better their services and have the strength to overcome unexpected challenges.

5. Partnership

To add on the team’s part. The kind of team one needs is that one made of partners not employees. This are people who are self reliant, skilled and self driven to the point where they can deliver good results without much supervision.

If you do web design, someone who does web hosting can make a good partner. For someone who has an online shop, in their team they can have a webmaster to maintain the site, a content creator, a supplier and a delivery driver / company to deliver their products.

6. Innovation

Incorporating new ideas and strategies to better performance and increase sales is needed from time to time. That’s coming up with new ways of doing business that are different from competitors and good  for clients. It just like how businesses are turning their websites into apps, giving free delivery and branding their products to suite clients needs and preferences.

What helps you make money online, which ways do you use? You can share in the comments to help with more answers.