One of the top questions asked today due to the pandemic and lock downs is, “How can I start an online business for free” ? It might surprise many not familiar with what is available to you online this very second. In this article I will go over some of the choices and ideas that I have come across online and know to be legitimate ways you can get started with today.
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Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is probably one the easiest and most lucrative to get started in. With this method it can be done without a paid website but you need a middle man to be the most effective and the potential to build a long term business.
What do I mean by a middle man ? You need some source in the middle that acts as a bridge to get your visitors to opt in to an email subscription where you giveaway a free report, eBook or free training and your affiliate offer.
This is how all successful affiliate marketers funnel their audience to their offers and the reason is two fold, firstly you have a subscriber that you can continue to build a relationship and potentially be a long term paying customer and the second reason is because it is the most effective ROI (Return On Investment) for your marketing campaigns.
Simply put, you pay for that customer only once to get them to be a part of your email list and then potentially becoming a long term customer. If you look at Amazon’s affiliate model because they are such a large affiliate people trust them to give their emails in the checkout process. If you’ve ever purchased anything on Amazon pay attention to the funnel process they use to transition you with ease through the sales process and then before final checkout they suggest some more related products on an up-sell to get you to buy more stuff. Their website is the bridge between you and the product.
If you do not use this method the chances of you having any kind of success with affiliate marketing is slim to none. When I first got started doing affiliate marketing it is exactly what I did and wondered why I was not achieving any kind of success.
Now, saying all this you need a bridge to funnel your potential affiliate product buyers and I want to share two options you could use to do this:
- Use a Landing Page to get visitors to subscribe and redirect them to your affiliate offer. A Landing Page can be created with free email marketing software’s like Aweber. Aweber offers a Free email autoresponder service plus landing pages you can create to funnel and get your subscribers email all-in-one. It’s an awesome tool and I’ve personally used it for over 11 years.
- For a website you can use a well reputable service like WordPress.com. WordPress services hundreds of thousands of website users and it is a simple and easy to use platform. Using WordPress you would build a page to act as a Landing Page to capture visitors emails and then send them to your affiliate product.
If you would like to learn more on how to get started with Affiliate Marketing go here to read the full review.
Print On Demand
Print on demand requires little to no upfront investment to getting started. Here are three services you could sign up for free and started selling your designs.
- Teespring.com – Teespring is free to sign up and uploading your designs. Just like all Print On Demand services each have their own criteria of Design dimensions for different products ie. TeeShirts, Leggings, Phone Skins and other merchandise offered. So it is important that you read the requirements before getting started so you don’t waste your valuable time.
- Redbubble.com – Redbubble like Teespring has its own requirements for dimensions of designs for specific merchandise. It is a great place for hosting your artwork and designs on merchandise.
- Merch by Amazon – How does it work? Simply upload your artwork, choose a product type and color, and add a product description. We’ll create a product page on Amazon and when customers buy your product, we’ll handle production, shipping, and customer service — all with no upfront costs.
Very Important: One area I highly recommend you are cautious about is Trademark. If you are using text on your graphics, images or just plain text it is wise for you to do a Trademark Search before you proceed with your design. Go to USPTO.gov and to do a Basic Search.
First go to the top of the page and under Trademarks you’ll have a dropdown menu select Searching Trademarks. On the next page under the first paragraph Search Trademark Database click on Search our trademark database (TESS). On the next page under Select A Search Option click on Basic Word Mark Search (New User). On the following page enter the Search Term and click Submit Query.
This will give you a list of Trademarks for that Search Term whether Alive or Dead. If Alive you want to click on the right hand column to view the Trademark and what they are using for under Goods and Services. This will let you know if you can use for what you plan to use the Search Term for in your design.
If it comes up with no listing under Trademarks you are free to use anyhow you wish. If you want to learn more about Print On Demand I wrote another great article covering, How to make money with Print On Demand.
Photography
If you love photography then you’re in luck because many in this field are making a side hustle out of it and you can too. Keep in mind that each has their own criteria and recommend read all requirements and terms and conditions as well.
Here are 5 top websites you can sell your artwork and photographs:
- 500px – Get immediate exposure with your first upload. Our Pulse algorithm surfaces new photographs and photographers, ensuring your photos are seen by the community so you receive valuable feedback on day one.
- Redbubble – This website is a quirky one but in case your images are more Instagram and VSCO friendly rather than studio lighting or fake smiles, you can easily find the right audience on this website which is more interested in photos you wish to sell. They not only sell photos online but also sells products too. For example, you can sell canvases with your own images.
- Crestock – Its good and easy to sell photos at Crestock. It allows you to open an account for free and by following few steps you can earn a royalty on any image they sell for you.
To get started, you have to upload the images by following the instructions and keyword your images. Once the pictures are uploaded, they are evaluated by the editor. If your images are approved, they are added to your portfolio for selling, and you’ll earn the royalty. - Flckr – Flickr and Getty images entered into a partnership in 2010 to devise a platform to allow users sell their photographs as rights managed stock and royalty free images. This led to the creation of image sharing as well as stock sales in one particular place. Just submit your best work to the site and wait for an approval from the editors. After this, you’ll start earning a royalty of 20% for your bought images.
- One place you can have complete control of your photography, display and how you market your photography is by creating a website of your own to display your gallery of photos, prints etc. You could use several free platforms like WordPress.com, sites.google.com, Wix.com, or Weebly.com.
Freelance
If you have a Trade or Skill you can teach other people or provide services by becoming a freelancer and offering your services to start an online business for free. You can provide services like Writing, Website Development, Creating Logos, Writing Blog Posts, Creating Videos, Doing Voice Overs, Social Media Marketing or even Translations among the thousands of opportunities available.
Visit the sites below to see if any of these services fits your skills. Here are 4 sites to consider using for your Gigs:
Another service you can provide is by teaching others a trade skill you might be an expert in. For example if you have great experience in Plumbing, Carpentry, Tiling, Painting, Boilers/Heating, Air Conditioning, Copyrighting, or how to write essays, hunting, fishing there are people actually looking to learn these skills.
How do you know if there are people looking for your service or skill ?
Simple, Do a Google Search for your skill or trade. Simply enter a topic people would search for related to your expertise and you’ll be surprised at how many people you might be able to help with your training, course and educational information you could provide and earn a side income or potentially a full-time income.
You can also use free tools like Google Keyword Planner and WordTracker to find your audience and search terms associated with your niche. One thing to keep in mind when creating your content it should be targeted specifically to your market. For example if you are a Plumber, maybe your course could be “How to fix a leaking pipe”. This drills down to the specific problem people might have related to your skill or expertise.
The point is that anything you are an expert in any area of expertise then your product could potentially be an eBook or a Course you can create and sell online on places like:
- Intructables.com – Instructables is a community for people who like to make things.
- Teachable.com – Create online courses and coaching services. Transform your experience and know-how into a thriving knowledge business.
- Udemy.com – Create an online video course and share with people around the world.
If you would like to learn more about: How to Get Started with Affiliate Marketing with NO MONEY! Go here to Read full article…
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Step 1 – Discovering Your Passion