How to Make Money Online

If you're broke, unemployed, underemployed or just want so some more cash, you've probably wondered how to make money online. It seems like every other I internet ad these days promises the secret of how to bring in the bucks: make money online taking surveys or make money online from home or make money for free! I have spent the last few years making (some) money online as a teacher, consultant and writer and would like to offer my take on how you can put the internet to work for you. Take my take for what it's worth!

Don't Sweat The Small Stuff
Your credit cards are overdue. Your spouse's salary is coming up a little short. You need some extra cash. So what do you do? Most people I know who have looked into "online money making" have done so in moments of these sorts of financial crises with this mindset: "I just need MONEY!!" They go to the quickest, seemingly most simple thing: sites that in fact say "Make Money Online!". If I were to advise a friend how she can actually make some money online, I would advise against these "home survey" taking sites and their off-shoots (answer trivia for money, go to free web product ads for money, etc. ) for a variety of reasons.

First, these types of sites just fundamentally don't make sense. I've never signed up to take surveys or do online data entry, so I can't speak for all the companies out there offering this type of work; I'm sure some of them are quite legit and nice. However, I can say, as could anyone who has managed any kind of money from a business to a personal budget, that it's really bizarre that any company would offer a person $75 to take one survey. Why would they do that? In fact, it's not just bizarre, it's somewhat INSANE. It reeks to me of get rich quick scheme. If something seems too good to be true, it usually is.

Second, there's a ton of gambling involved that doesn't seem to make it worth the effort. For instance, most of these survey companies are simply offering databases of "clients" who need surveys done. That means, until you give the company some of your personal information or, even worse, pay them, you have no idea what you're going to get out of the deal. It could be no one in the database needs any surveys taken this month. It could be they all pay three cents a survey. It could be none of them pay 'til you make $50 or over or only pay you once a month. You have no idea the number of potential surveys, the pay rate, or the pay policy. So, the company gets what they want, your info and/or your money, but you start off by gambling. You know what they say about making money by gambling? Don't!

Third, this is not how people get out of the hole. Trust me, as a teacher and freelance writer, I have spent most of my adult life broke; I know what it's like when every dollar counts. But, to make money online to help get yourself or your family out of that cycle of scrounging for $3 survey taking deals, I advise people: don't waste time scrounging for $3 survey- taking deals! Instead, think about how real money is made. Real money is made when people work hard, provide a quality good or service, invest time into their product or service and deliver. You want to make money online? Make a plan, make an investment of time and effort, and make it happen. Will you be the next Amazon.com? Probably not. God knows I haven't. But do you even want to be? Probably not. But, can you make decent-ish money and maybe even enjoy yourself instead of doing grunt work for some online scammy lou's? I think yes. Which brings me to point #2.

Find Something To Sell
To figure out how to make money online, think about how you spend money online: you give people money for stuff they have that you want. If you want to be on the other side of this money equation, consider what you have to sell. This is how it's worked for me. I've made money online in a few ways, each of them involved selling stuff other people wanted. In some cases, the stuff I sell has been information, either through my online teaching gigs and consulting work or through selling articles on subjects people want to know about. Other times, what I've sold has been actual stuff, as in random items I've had that I've sold to other people on Ebay or other place. In either case, I had something and I used the beauty of the internet to get paid by someone who wanted it. Of course, this isn't easy. The first step though, is to figure out what you have to offer and them, how you can use the web to offer it.

Answer these questions about yourself to see what stuff you can sell:

1. Do I have a special skill or advanced education people
might be in need of?

2. Do I have material items people might want: crafts
I've made, collectibles I don't want anymore, etc.

3. Do I have a pre-existing business I could promote on the internet to gain more exposure and business?

4. Is there a "sellable" angle to my favorite hobby? For
instance, if I love fishing, could I offer one-on-one fishing tutoring to novices? Don't knock it: weirder things have happened.

Ask these questions and come up with what you can sell. Again, we're not looking for a billion dollar enterprise here, just a way you can make some decent, honest money online with something you know, like, and can offer other people.

Find Your Market
Once you've decided you've got something to sell, you need to know where to sell it. This is where research comes in. Everything can't be sold to everybody. You need to find a nice cozy niche. I call upon the example of EBay. A lot of people think you can sell anything on ebay. Annnnything. The truth is though, a lot of times, selling stuff on ebay is difficult because a lot of people are flooding your market. If thirty people are trying to get rid of their copy of "Children of The Corn Part 6" for example, and only one person wants it, you're not going to have much luck making money off that. So, what do you do, throw in the towel? No, you find out what everyone on Ebay does want and see if you have that. Disney DVDs. They love Disney DVDs on Ebay. OR, you go somewhere else where that first item may be wanted, like a Horror Movie Collectors website, or something. In either case, you have to match what you have with people online who are in the market to buy.

Another example? I'm a writing consultant. I don't advertise my business on OrangeGrowersOfAmerica.com; I advertise it on a writing site. I post my services on message boards for writers. I email people I know who may have writing students. Okay, that last one I didn't do, but, now that I think of it, it's a good idea. The great thing about the online world is it's diversity. If you look around, you will find someone or some group that needs what you have and will be willing to pay (at least something) for it.

So, search the "web" in the truest sense: the web of groups, businesses, forums, clubs, etc. connected to your "salable" product or service and see what sales may come.

Take Care of Business Like It's A Business
Organization is key if you want to make money online. Not only do you have to find something to sell and people to sell it to- but you actually have to sell it! That means figuring out a ton of stuff: pricing, shipping, payment policies (check, paypal, credit card, cash?) , return policies, getting the word out to your potential buyers, keep tracking of websites and email addresses, knowing how to get repeat business. It's usually simple stuff, but still, you need to be on top of things to maximize what you get out of things.

To be organized and optimized, budget. I don't mean just money (if you have any) I mean time and effort, too. Know how much time and energy you can devote to making money online. Some people can afford to spend a little cash on a website, and a little time on designing it (it's so easy!). Other's can't. Some people can spend time making crafts to sell to online buyers, others can only afford the time it takes to sell the ones they already have. Do a cost-benefit analysis. Is it worth spending time setting up an Ebay store if you only have three items to sell? Probably not. Know what you have to offer and what you have to invest and budget your time and resources accordingly.

I'll use myself as an example here. I spent less than $5 a month on my consulting website and less than $8 a month to list it on a relevant website for writers. I charge $40-100 for my services. So it pays off. Cost-benefit analysis made simple.

Also, to be organized, I suggest you get a computer file set up especially for your online selling, whether it's a list of places where you've submitted freelance articles, addresses of web forum's you've posted your services on or ebay listings you've got running. I also suggest you look into a free or cheap website for purposes of advertising and conveying all the necessary information. (I use Homestead which is not only cheap but has the easiest designing system in the universe. You basically point and click.)

For example, I have students and clients from different schools and sites; I need to keep track of who goes where. With a website and a couple of MS Word files, I've got my online money making world under control. Well, most of the time. And the last thing a broke person needs is chaos!

Be Persistent In Pursuit of Reasonable Goals
Judging from what you have to offer and what you can afford to invest in time and money and effort, be reasonable in your expectations. It could be that you're on your way to a longterm business-ish enterprise that will grow over time, or that you have found a source of ongoing freelance income. On the other hand, maybe you just have a few items to sell on ebay or to a collectibles store. In either case, don't expect to break the bank right away - or even ever- online. And keep at it if it doesn't work right away. Build connections, ask people with experience in your niche for advice, and don't look for short cuts. You can make money online the same way you can make money anywhere: with a confluence of hard work, ingenuity, and luck!