Looking For An Online Income Program?

How many times have you dreamed of harnessing the power of the web to work for you?

Unless you already have a product, service, or project in mind for developing into an on-line business, you will need to do some research into finding the best online marketing program for you and weigh the pros and cons of each opportunity.

Potential opportunities

Passive income is that which is received regularly and with little effort to generate or maintain it.

Pros: This form of an online income program offers the greatest freedom to choose when, where, and how much you want to work. Theoretically, the money flows in 24/7/365 and you are the boss. Affiliate marketing, online advertising, and multi-level (aka network) marketing are examples of passive income.

Cons: Passive income can be very challenging to develop and developing profitability is often a very slow process. Passive income building can also be a solitary endeavor requiring many long hours to build to a sustainable level.

Maybe You Have Expertise in?

Another approach to developing online income is to utilize your expertise and market it.

You can develop a course for access and distribution on another company’s web site and the income from it becomes a passive income. Or, you can market your course on your own web site and incorporate affiliate marketing relationships with other web businesses that have a logical relationship with your product(s).

Market your freelance writing, copy writing, and blogging services through various web sites or join one (or more) of the freelancing platforms and bid on projects through their job postings. Just about any work that can be outsourced can be found in on-line staffing web sites. Most of these platforms have general interest and skills- or industry-specific categories. Build your skills-specific profile and place bids on projects.

Pros: Skills such as software, web, and mobile apps development are in high demand and generally pay well. Marketing your expertise through your own web site and linking to other like-services or products sites utilizing affiliate marketing relationships can provide income and often tremendous emotional satisfaction. Freelancing can be a satisfying career or additional income opportunity that is relatively easy to enter.

Cons: If you are focused on the technical areas such as software development, you do need to be highly skilled. Freelancing through staffing websites may not be as lucrative as many of these types of specialized opportunities are also highly coveted by overseas/lower labor cost bidders.

How About Freelancing?

Freelancing through staffing websites can evolve into a career but you must learn the ins and outs of creative bidding. Many other freelancers will be bidding on the same jobs you covet. You’ll win and lose some. Sometimes, you will have an impossible-to-please client. On occasion, a client may skip and leave you with a completed project and no payment. (Some staffing websites have better protection against defaulting employers than others).

You may find that you quickly build a relationship with “employers” and become one of their reliable go-to contractors for many projects. But there also is an ebb and flow of jobs. It helps to keep refining your skills and using the staffing website tools to market yourself as effectively as you would on your own web site.

If you are trying to develop your own blog be aware that it takes a much longer time of writing and promotion to reach a steady readership. Blogging for mainstream publications can help you become identified as a skilled blogger but the pay can be extremely low and the competition is fierce. This is not considered a reliable or stable income.

Although affiliate marketing can be considered passive income, it also can be a significant income stream. (All depends on how much time and work is invested into your new business)

Pros: Usually, little or no start-up capital is required to begin an affiliate marketing business. You can determine your own budget and use paid advertising to help draw business to your marketing website. Affiliate marketing does not require technical savvy other than signing up with affiliate companies to promote their products through on-line stores. Using the above freelancers is a great way of getting pages or posts written for your affiliate web site if help is needed.

Cons: Developing steady (buying) traffic to your website takes work and time but anything worthwhile is not achieved overnight. There is a lot of affiliate marketing competition but if done right can create a very substantial income, Newbie or Expert. There is absolutely no end of affiliate niches  for you to market, choose one that you are familiar with or you have a passion for.

They may sound trite, but these maxims hold true for on-line business opportunities:

1. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is! Beware of web sites that promise you can quickly and easily generate substantial income. Almost any on-line enterprise takes focus, dedication, and time to develop. This is where your 2-to-5-year plan enters: it may take you that period of time to generate a steady online income.
2. Be wary of opportunities that use the phrase, “As seen on…” and names major news organizations and talk show hosts. If the big name celebrities and news broadcasters reviewed all the on-line businesses that claim to have been “seen on…”, there would be no time for news or talk!
3. Question business opportunities that state that you can create a major income stream with little or no start up investment, but if you pay for constant Up-Sells to the Deluxe Packages, you will receive expert mentoring, access to additional business-building resources, etc.

Try a no up-sell program with 2 Free web sites, you can review all behind the scenes workings, 24/7 live chat help from owners and members alike, all here at Wealthy Affiliate.

Developing a successful online income requires the same kind of commitment that you give to your employer, only you are the employer. Treat yourself like an employer – with respect and commitment. Best wishes for your online business success.

 

What do you think of affiliate marketing? Any questions?  Please leave your comment below and I will get back to you —