To Make Money Online, You Need to Know Business and Marketing
Maki at Dosh Dosh asks readers, “What’s the best way to make money online?”
One of the things I like about Dosh Dosh is that it really covers just about every method you could use the internet as a source of income. It’s not just about blogging for money, but includes things like: membership sites, selling your own product, eBay, affiliate sales, and leveraging an existing business. It really is a site about making money online.
Maki went on to ask:
If someone came up to you and said that they wanted to know the best way to make money on the internet. What would you tell him or her? Let’s imagine that the individual in question is eager and willing to learn what is needed for real results.
He asked readers to respond as if “talking to a friend who trusts your opinion and experiences.” The “Best” way to make money was defined as, “the method that brings the greatest amount of potential income, while being practical, cost-effective and do-able.”
My response deals with the first two parts of the question. As for the last part, I don’t think I’m in any way qualified to offer advice on the “best” way to make money online. I know that I intend to use blogging as an avenue for various means of income. I’m sure the many readers will share their advice on the topic. I’m also sure that everyone will overlook a key piece of advice.
If you want to make money online, you are planning to run a business.
Why is that so often overlooked? Is it because the expert response would be, “Well, duh?” I don’t know, but I do know that there are millions of people buzzing around the internet trying to find a way to make a buck, without ever once considering the notion that what they intend to do is start a business.
Just even acknowledging that can do wonders for your perceptions of managing an online career. It takes your mind away from the “easy money, pyramid scheme, get rich quick” mentality, and puts it in a more tactical, calculating mode. It makes you see “making money online” for what it is – a tool that can be leveraged as a means to generate income.
You need to know business and marketing.
If you don’t have a degree in business, you really either need to get one, or absorb the equivalent amount of knowledge and experience. It’s not the formal degree that matters as much as learning and understanding the concepts involved.
Not everyone learns best in an institutional setting. Some people learn best by doing. If that’s the path you wish to take, that’s fine. The important thing is to understand that you won’t be doing anything quick, unless you’re already a genius in your field, and have a lot of contacts to leverage.
You need a business plan.
You wouldn’t start up a retail service, open it’s doors, and then just sit there going, “OK. Where is everybody?” Then run to the cash register to check how much money you made, when you know that no customers have shown up, because no one even knows your business exists.
Don’t laugh. That’s exactly what millions of bloggers do. Start up a blog, slap some Adsense on it, then sit around checking visitor logs to see that no one knows they exist. Why? Because they fail to percieve what they are doing as a business. Whether they know business or not, they fail to apply the concepts of business and marketing. They don’t have a business plan.
To be fair, the business plan doesn’t need to be 300 pages, professionally printed in a binder. There’s no banker to get a loan from that needs to see if you seem like a safe investment. You do need to have some sort of plan though. You need to have an ultimate objective of selling a product of your own, affiliate advertising, a membership service, or something.
Be creative.
Using your creativity, doing what you love, and pursuing your dreams with a passion is one of the things that the Politics of Empowerment is all about. It’s about believing in Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Making money online is all about taking what you love, what you are passionate about, and what unique skills you have, and capitalizing on them.
The “best” way you can make money online is will be determined by your own creativity. What will work best is the thing that you do because it’s a source of joy and fulfillment, not because it’s a source of income.
Before all that, you need to see that what you are doing is running a business, and use or acquire your knowledge accordingly. Then you can use your creativity to do what you love, and tap into the same creativity to leverage the principles of business to make yourself a success. That’s empowerment.
If I had a friend, who trusted and valued my opinion, and he wanted to know what I thought he needed to do to make money online, that’s where I would start.
Editorial Note: I know that’s 2 non-humorous posts in a row. Don’t worry. I have some funny stuff. I just viewed this particular post as a time-sensitive issue with respect to the Dosh Dosh Reader Survey.
Subscribe to Radioactive Liberty – Humor and the Politics of Empowerment.
Category: Empowerment
2004–2012
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
I am not sure one does have to understand marketing at all.
All you have to do is offer information that people want, and sign up for google ad sense.
Forget marketing,
Information is power,
Of course one has to worry about anything published being stolen.
Or, if you are really clever, take other people’s information, put it on your site, add some cute graphics, pick up a following, and you are on your way.
It has been done.
The 17 year old who owns the http://www.whateverlife.com site has made millions of dollars already.
But I do agree with the creativity part.
I am considering advertising on my blog.
I used to think it was tacky.
But I get thousands of hits a day.
(don’t go read it, no one here would be interested, trust me on that one. I no longer even put it in the website field when I post here.)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Marketing is just letting people know you exist. But if you don’t have any interesting content, visitors won’t return.
That was my problem. Only a few people knew I existed, and I had crappy content resulting in another dead blog.
If someone is serious about making crazy blog money (I never really was), they need to treat this as a business. It takes just as much effort and creativity in real life as it does on the net.
Or just post lots of really dirty prOn.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Having a good business sense and background is important. A good example is the arts. Anyone who is talented in that area succeeded not because of their ability but rather because of their business acumen.
My biggest concern as a blogger however is not monetizing or acumen. It is how do I reach those people not in the blogsphere.
The only thing I can think of is use traditional means of advertising or by pushing your content to your readers.
If people won’t come to you, then the only other option is take the content to them.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Bloggers can also earn money with online music stores that offer free music as a part of promotional program. This way you attract traffic, get more returning visitors and get paid if your visitors register with music sites. So as you can see it’s slightly different from ordinary affiliate program.
Click on my name to visit my blog where I described how to start this and earn good money.
Full vesion blogger-earn-money.blogspot.com
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
“talking to a friend who trusts your opinion and experiences.”
If only Fmragtops was still around . . .
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
ok,
Maybe the business knowledge (or sense) does make the difference.
That is why people like me, will never really make it big, although others will find our content, re-publish it, and themselves make money.
But my guess is that the 17 year old who made millions is not a business expert.
She does have art talent and an ability to combine it with other people’s work to produce something people want.
I didn’t even realize until very recently that I should put any sort of notice on my site indicating that people had permission to use my content, but not to re-publish it.
As a result I have had at least one person ask if they could re-publish my content.
If I were going to advertise on my site, is google ad sense a good choice?
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
There is so much spam, pop-up banners, and tacky splash pages out there that I associate the term “making money online” with something a little sleazy. But I used to think the same way about internet dating and I ended up meeting my husband online. So who knows, I may change my view. It’s just that I have never associated the great content some blogs have with a sales pitch of any sort. Even with the Adsense. I just figure that the adsense is just something to defray the costs for the blog owner who’s delivering to me “free” this great content. But now you have me wondering, how do bloggers make money?
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Money is made via advertising.
As tacky as it may seem, that is what is driving the internet right now.
My guess is that most don’t make much at all.
But a few really do.
I think it has way more to do with creativity than business sense. If people like the content they come back.
If people like the content they are more likely to link (although one of the ads I clicked on, on FIAR’s page, was an add to buy links, I found that interesting).
If they link that helps rankings, which helps more people find the site.
The more people the more likely someone who actually clicks an ad will find your site.
I rarely click on advertising.
But now I am starting to do it more, not because I am interested in the ad, but if I like the page, why not help the author collect money from others?
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Not that I wouldn’t want to make a huge amount of money, but my blog is MY outlet. It’s not a money maker and never will be. I don’t draw that much traffic, and even if I did, I still wouldn’t want it filled with ads.
I like the simplicity of my site and the clean lines. I’d hate to ruin it by throwing ads everywhere. I don’t have the patience for it either…
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
My goal is not to monetize my blog but to expose my writing to as many people as possible, have fun entertaining readers, be a role model for the blogsphere then seeing what opportunities open up for me professionally.
As I said before above, I am looking for ways to get out into the real world with my content. It could be syndication, it could be publishing, who knows.
If you want to monetize you are a marketer not a writer. There is nothing wrong with that, just that if you think you are one thing and promote like it’s something else you will have marketing problems.
Definition of a product or service is part of the foundation of the four p’s. price, product, place, promotion.
Structure and consistent posting are also very important for marketing. How can a store attract customers if people don’t know when it opens or they close at weird hours?
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Eileen I agree that the 17 year old probably doesn’t have a ton of business experience, but there are some people that just do things the right way naturally. However, I can see right off the bat ways to make money with that idea aside from ads, for example, doing custom work for a fee.
One thing about those templates is that each one is a backlink to the site of origin. That’s good for the SEO juice. Every time a person uses one, it’s another link to the creator.
It’s not that using Adsense is wrong. That’s not what I meant to imply, but it’s effectiveness can vary from site to site. Ben Cook, on the other hand did say he hates Adsense. I think that or something similar might work for what you’re doing. I don’t think it will work well for what I’m doing. There’s also direct advertising. I could say, pay$x to run a 125×125 ad for a month. Then there’s affiliate sales, selling your own service, and plenty of other things you can do. The only limitation is really your own creativity.
Rich True. If people don’t like what they see when they get there, they’ll be gone, and that will be that. I do wish you would give yourself more credit, though. I see flashes of brilliance from you sometimes.
Chris I see what you’re saying. I would still consider that making money online, because you hope to use the internet to generate publicity for offline ventures. It’s indirectly using the internet to make money. Like I said, the internet is just a tool. It can be used many ways to generate income, not all of them by direct means. You could also look into getting some gigs as a blogger, where the host actually pays you to guest post.
I agree with what you say about consistency too. My biggest barrier is time constraints. I don’t work on a computer, or near a computer. I can only write when I’m at home. Plus the things I have to do then too. I have other responsibilities. I’m trying to get things set in a framework so that it’s like I’m going to work, with a schedule. So that I can do what I need to do without being interrupted for things like “Get my purse out of the car,” or “can you get me gas?” And the always enjoyable, “Come look at Isis!” That’s a downside to working at home, trying to get others to perceive what you’re doing as work, and important.
Wyatt I hope he show up somewhere soon. I miss his condescending rants. It’d make a great addition if he would come back from where ever he is.
Laurie It’s really going to vary from person to person, and site topic to site topic. That’s why I emphasized creativity. That’s the limitation. There are 3 major things I see that people get stumped on: What makes me unique? How do I get traffic? How do I make money?
That’s the order those questions need to be answered in too. First you need to really find what it is about you and your site that is special. Don’t go saying that the answer is “nothing” either. That’s incorrect, but I can’t tell you the answer, only you can.
It’s a tough nut to crack. It took me over 2 years to answer that one myself. In all 3 cases, I think the answer can be found by visualizing the end goal, and then staying alert to signs, and opportunities. The answers will come. When you focus on the goal, the signs will become visible. If yo just focus on how impossible it seems to solve, then it remains impossible to solve.
Kate By no means do I think everyone needs to advertise. The whole purpose is to do what brings you joy. It seems to me, based on your comment, that you get that from Kate’s Kafe with it just the way it is. Who could ask for anything more? I certainly wouldn’t encourage you or anyone else to do something that would sabotage their joy.
This is really quite the discussion. I couldn’t reply to it all. If I missed something or glossed over it too much, please let me know.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Yah, I am in a sense. All of us market something in some way all the time. Maybe it is yourself in a job interview, or maybe it is a concept or an idea.
I will find a way to tap into an underfed casual internet market that doesn’t read blogs and has to be held at gunpoint it seems to get them to read your stuff lol.
I love the blogsphere, the people here in it are awesome. But there’s a whole world out there of people that miss out on all the great content our community has to offer.
I want them to read our stuff too. I think this one is the topic for another essay. I call dibs on writing it. hehe
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
[...] Fiar – Radioactive Liberty (Link to Blog Post) You wouldn’t start up a retail service, open it’s doors, and then just sit there going, [...]
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
“You could also look into getting some gigs as a blogger, where the host actually pays you to guest post.”
have that one on the list, a great idea. From there you can go newspaper or magazine syndication as well.
I would also recommend people network in real life for writing jobs. A lot of small businesses need content or interview pieces perhaps. Copywriting for local ads as well.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
oh there also is the Tucker Max approach. Shady way to do it but now he is a member of the NY Times bestseller list.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Chris, I tried to email you about that post and got a message that your inbox was full.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Yah some asshole used my email address to spam some loan service. I called the company that was spamming but all they said was that I was ‘off the list’ and hung up quickly. My box was full from the kickbacks by the various spamblockers.
It’s cleaned up now, and I am reporting the company to the proper authorities.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Thanks to the inspiration I received here, I am going to attempt to make money online.
I just added advertising to my blog.
I earned TWO CENTS yesterday.
But they have my funds on hold until I provide my tax information.
I think I will keep my Day Job for now.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Eileen There are a lot of things you can do. Ads are just one part of the equation, and usually the least effective part, unless it’s direct advertising. That’s one of the reasons I suggested custom work for a fee. It seems like that would work without straying too far outside of your comfort zone.
I wouldn’t quit the day job just yet either
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
I agree with all your talks. While are young boy and girls like to involved there selves in something that will rule their life.
There a lots of way to generate money in internet or every where in the world (in repective of the feild the person is into.)
Dear I will like you to publish more article base on these issue.
I love it and keep it up.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Marketing is just letting people know you exist. But if you don’t have any interesting content, visitors won’t return.