With the housing market crushing us and energy bills going through the roof, the cost of living is rising, and there’s now more need than ever for a little side hustle. And in the digital age, that has become easier than ever. Starting a little side business is more accessible and affordable than ever, and over time it could turn into something big, maybe even a full-time gig.
Think about that. No more middle managers breathing down your neck. No more mid-week Zoom meetings. No more fake laughing at bad water cooler jokes. Instead, you’re your own boss, working when you feel like it around other responsibilities, making only as much money as you want.
So, how is it done? Well, it might surprise you to find out that it’s pretty much done by doing the job that you’re doing now, or anything else you want to, just in a different way. Take a look at our ideas for how you can make extra money at home.
Influencing
We’ll start with influencing because there is an element of it is included in any venture where you are working for yourself. Influencers are basically marketers, simply marketing themself. You can take their tactics and apply it to your new side hustle.
But being an influencer is nothing to scoff at in itself. It can be very lucrative and takes a lot of transferable skills to do day-to-day. You, as a user, might only be seeing the photo of an influencer in their yoga pants, but to get that shot, they had to be photographer, editor, site director, make-up artist, costume designer, etc. And if they are making other forms of content, that requires direction, filming, editing, audio, writing copy or scripts, etc.
But that’s only the side we see. Behind the scenes, influencers have to learn to be businessmen. They have to find and acquire brand deals and affiliate deals as a means of income for their influencing. That means a lot of networking and negotiating so that they can get the best deal.
However, there are simpler ways to get into it, without the laborious photoshoot every week. For example…
Affiliate marketing
Starting an affiliate blog is a great way to get into the influencing hustle without all the bells and whistles of influencing. Affiliate marketing is the best and easiest way to make money online today and is simple enough that anyone can get involved.
The point of affiliate marketing is to be paid to drive users to the target site. So, for instance, you might have an Instagram account with a lot of followers. If you were to post a picture of an item or share a link in a story, you would get paid for how many people click the link and visit the site.
You can get paid in affiliate marketing no matter the format of your content, but the simplest way to do it is with an affiliate blog. You can build a blog made up of posts of items you would like to showcase and add an affiliate link to each one. Affiliate programs are easy enough to find, usually at the bottom of a brand’s website, but you might need to reach a certain threshold of followers to qualify for them. However, it can offer you a full-time payment for a couple of hours of work.
Podcasting
Podcasting is by far the most lucrative place for marketers right now, which is something you can take advantage of. Podcasting is exploding, becoming as mainstream in the zeitgeist as TV or film. If you’re not listening to a podcast, you’re starting one of your own.
And why shouldn’t you? You can give your two cents on a topic that interests you, give a little shoutout here and there, and call it a day until next week. Unlike content like videos, it takes relatively little work with a lot less editing and planning involved, and you can gain from affiliate marketing commissions as you go.
Freelancing
But all this doesn’t answer the question of where to start. Now you know how to do it, what are you going to do?
Well, the simplest thing would be to look at the job you are currently in, ask yourself if you want to do it of your own accord, and see how you can fit that into a freelancing situation. Chances are you can turn just about any job into a freelancing gig, with all the perks of working for yourself, as much as you want, around other responsibilities, etc. It makes for a simple way to transition into a side hustle that could potentially become a full-time gig.
If you are looking for more affiliate marketing content, take a look at our blog, or book a free call with a member of our team for more personalized advice. Or join us at our Elevate Summit in July for the most cutting-edge affiliate knowledge.
