Many people struggle with how to earn money online, looking for the perfect "thing" that will help them gain more flexibility and improve their personal finances.
These people don’t need more time to make more money — they just need to monetize what they’re already doing. We'll use this step by step tutorial to show you how to earn money from your daily routines.
If you want to reach a level of freedom that removes the pressure that comes from a lackluster career or the lack of flexibility that keeps you from reaching your goals, this might be the post you're looking for.
Side hustles have typically had a long list of barriers for regular people who want to make extra money. They either seem too hard, they take up too much time, or they cost too much money to start. Some seem too "techy" or overwhelming for the average person to start. So many smart people stay stuck, wondering what is possible.
We know and understand that getting started can be the hardest part of starting an online business. The reasons discussed above, fear of the unknown, and those nagging thoughts, and limiting beliefs can be significance.
So we put together this article that shows you how to start earning from things you're already doing. Those daily routines and activities that can help you start earning online.
Let's Start with an Example of Daily Habits and Routines You Can Earn From
Here are some common activities you might overlook as a way to earn money on a full or part time basis. Yet savvy business owners are earning from these activities every day!
If any of these ideas sound interesting, read on to learn how to build a business that you can earn from as you perform everyday tasks.
1. Gaining Momentum and Direction
The best way to start is with something you do each day that you enjoy. Make a list of 5-10 things you like doing and pick one activity that you would like to earn from.
- Think of why you perform this activity each day and what it brings to your life. For example, How does it improve something or help you achieve a goal?
- What problem does it solve that makes you want to spend time on it?
2. Selecting and Researching a Niche
It's very important to select a niche because it will help you understand the people most likely to buy products like yours, and create products those folks actually want and need. A niche also gives your business some much needed direction from day one. Here are a few business related questions you should answer to help you get started.
- What niche does your selected (favorite) habit fall under? For example, most niches fall under at least one of these big umbrella categories: health, wealth (personal finance) or relationships.
- How can you break down the umbrella niche even further? The more specific you are in "niching down," the easier it will be to earn money from your habit. Here's a video that shows you how to use ChatGPT to find your perfect niche.
- Are people currently buying products in this niche? If so, what types of products are currently selling well?
3. The Research You Perform Today Will Help You Earn More Tomorrow
Research is about helping you earn as quickly as possible, focusing your business on the right people at the right time, in the right places, without wasting time on products (solutions) that no one wants.
- It's important to find answers to the questions above by performing research using free or paid keyword tools like Google Keyword tool, or Ubersuggest, and here's a video on how to perform business research.
- Use ChatGPT to drill down on the problems you can help with that will help you monetize your habits. Here's a video that shows you how to use ChatGPT to find your perfect niche.
To get started, open ChatGPT and enter the following prompts:
1. What niche most closely matches my daily habit [fill in the blank with your habit], health, wealth or relationships?
2. What are some additional sub-niches that fall under the niche identified in prompt 1. Choose one of the sub-niches from the list provided in the answer. This will become your niche.
3. What are 5 [problems] faced by [people/groups] you want to help in [your niche]. For example, enter: Please give me 5 problems [areas of focus] for women aged 25 - 45 [people you want to help] are facing related to personal finance [your niche]?
4. Please give me a list of 5 products people in this group [women aged 25 - 45] are currently using to solve each of the 5 problem areas identified in the prompt 3.
5. Please provide 10 keyword ideas and hashtag suggestions related to the [problem/group/niche] identified in the previous prompts.
Take the products, and keywords you've found, and place them into a keyword research tool to determine the search volume.
- If the search volume and competition is high, that means it's a popular term that people are looking for. And even though the competition is high you don't want to completely rule this term out. This is an area (topic) you should keep on your radar until you've had a chance to check out the competition.
- If the search volume is high and the competition is low, that is an area you should definitely pursue. This could signal a gap in the market. You should place a star next to those items.
- If the search volume is low and the competition is low, that is an area you should avoid.
From your research did you find any products with high search volume that you are currently using? If so, this is an area that you should focus on as well. Make a list of the products you use in your daily routine to solve these problem areas.
Did you notice that there were areas were current products did not address in any of the problem areas?
If so those "gaps" could be opportunities that you could address with a product. Make a list of any gaps you find during your research.
A Diagram: How to Monetize Your Habits
4. Information You Need to Build Your Business
You can't start a business flying in the dark with no sense of direction. With that said, there are so many new entrepreneurs who are doing just that. They don't have goals, they have no plan and no sense of where they are or how to get to where they want to be.
We don't want that to be your story, so we recommend performing market research from the beginning and throughout your business building journey.
It's smart to begin your business journey armed with information that gives your business the inside scoop on your market (niche), your ideal customer and your value proposition. Your value proposition is the value you provide to your customers that sets you apart from the competition. Grab 5 free value proposition formulas and other resources here.
At the end of your research you should have lists of the following:
- A specific group of people in your niche you want to help
- Your unique value proposition
- 5 common problems they are facing
- Your why - why your daily activities add value to your life and why you got started
- Popular products/tools/resources people are currently buying and using (based on search volume) to solve the problem
- Any gaps that are not currently addressed during your research
- Products that are selling well in your niche, that you have personal experience with, that help you solve the problems you've identified.
- Popular keywords based on search volume.
It's not necessary to have all the answers from the beginning. You can always add to the lists and revisit things you aren't clear on right now. This list gets you off to a great start, but it's a work in process.
How to Avoid Your First Instincts
Now that you know who you can help, problems you can help people solve, and the types of products people are currently buying, you'll need to select one product that ties in with your niche, and daily habits.
Armed with information from your research, and one product selection you have a better chance of staying the course and reaching your goals.
Your first instinct may be to overlook research, guessing which products are best, selecting as many products as possible to make as much money as quickly as possible. This is the fastest way to become overwhelmed and burn out.
Keeping it small and focused helps you reach your goals faster, and gives you a clear direction on next steps.
5. Which Products are Best for You?
When it comes to selecting a specific product, you have lots of options. To start, it's important to focus on one product that solves one of the problems you outlined in your research.
Based on your preferences, you can (1) choose a product you create or (2) a product created by another company.
Products You Create
Creating your own digital physical products is a great option that appeals to your creative side. This option gives you the most ownership and control over your what you offer to business or consumer customers.
Digital products are the best option (in my opinion) for anyone who wants to get started quickly. They are fairly easy to create in less time using free tools and resources. You can create them once and get paid for them again and again.
Hand made products also allow crafters and creators of all kinds to make their own products for sale to the public or other businesses.
The issue with hand made products (issues I faced personally when starting out) is that it takes a while to create these products, and you have the option to (1) create in bulk, (2) maintain inventory (that you may or may not sell) or (3) use a custom model to make products as orders are received.
At any rate you won't get paid until you complete products, and you have to sell enough of them to make it worth your while.
Many hand made creators also sell digital products to balance out their income, earning passively from digital products while creating those physical products that they take pre-orders for.
Discover 100 digital product ideas by clicking the button below.
Products Created by Others
Promoting products created by others can also spark your creative side. For crafty folks, print on demand is a good way to get started. You can create designs that are placed on a number of different products that can be sold on your website or on other platforms.
You don't have as much ownership and control over your what you offer but it's free to get started and you can get started quickly . Read about print on demand products by clicking the button below
Another way to promote products made by others is affiliate marketing. As an affiliate, you are provided with links that you share with your audience, and when your audience use those links to make purchases, you will receive a commission.
When you help your audience solve problems with quality content they will start to know, like and trust you. And when that happens, you can make recommendations that will convert into sales and revenue.
Learn more about affiliate marketing by clicking the button below
6. Where You Send People is Super Important
Your platform is where you will send people who are looking for solutions (products) that will help them resolve issues they are facing. Your platform is also how you will showcase your products or services.
Most importantly, your platform includes a shopping cart that allows you to get paid. You can also create payment buttons (video tutorial for Stripe) that can be placed on any page, that will allow you to be paid by customers.
While keeping your budget in mind, and your overall goals, don't forget about the popular saying. You only have one chance to make a good impression.
You'll also need a place to send your audience to learn about your experience [why they should buy from you] with the problems they face, and the things you do [daily habits and actions you take] with the solutions [products/tools/resources] you use in your daily routine to overcome or combat the issues.
Here are some platforms you can learn about and consider as a way to generate leads and sales.
Not all these platforms give you a way to generate leads or get paid, but they have other great benefits. For example, a video channel or podcast will give you a great way to connect with an audience. But there is no way (other than using links to other platforms) to generate leads or get paid.
Automate Your Email Campaigns
This 62 page printable workbook will walk you through setting up email campaigns that will sell for you on auto-pilot, allowing you to handle other aspects of your life. It's a great way to connect with more of your target audience without sitting in front of a computer all day.
7. Consistent Promotion is the Key to Your Success
Finding a niche, product and a platform are great, but if you don't get your product in front of the right people on a regular basis, you won't reach your income goals.
Keep in mind that people typically search when:
1. When they want general information
2. They are performing general product research
3. They have questions to be answered
4. They are narrowing down choices and comparing products and pricing,
5. They are ready to make a purchase.
These steps represent the stages people go through when they are contemplating a purchase. The content you create should address potential customers at each stage of the buying process.
And the market research performed in the previous steps will give you a head start into the products that people are currently looking for and most importantly, buying. Continue your research to help you in the content creation process.
Next, it's important to post on social media where your potential customers hang out. You'll also need to identify specific goals, transformations and outcomes that you'll help customers make with the products you'll promote.
This is where you get to have fun promoting products that can help you earn from your daily activities.
For example, if your activities include fitness, this is when you can start creating content while you work out, when you're eating a healthy diet, buying workout clothing, equipment and accessories, working with a trainer, reading about fitness, attending fitness related activities, talking about your results with friends and family etc.
Share your daily tasks and activities on your platform and using social media in the form of videos, audio, images, and written stories, testimonials and documents.
Using and repurposing the content you create, you can also make digital products, like eBooks, courses and webinars to upsell your activities.
8. The Process for Monetizing Your Daily Habits
This is where we map out how to profit from your daily habit.
Take your chosen daily or weekly habit, attach a product that is currently selling with an earning tool (platform) or affiliate link, and a payment method.
Each time you take action on your daily habit, create content that pairs your habit with a product and media (video, audio, written, a combination) with a monetization tool (affiliate or product link) that is distributes content to an audience that is most likely to buy products like yours.
Make money from your love of coffee
The Role of Automation
Automation is the way to put your earning on a consistent path that brings in passive income. Set up your sales and lead generation automation once, drive traffic to it using automation tools like Tailwind to earn while you do other things.
One of the best tools for automating your social media posting schedule is by using Tailwind the auto posting tool that also has lots of amazing extras that make attracting new leads and customers easy.
You'll also need a way to automate your ability to generate leads. This involves creating a lead magnet that encourages people to sign up for the resource in exchange for their email address.
When you sign up with an email marketing provider and place lead generation (or opt in) forms on your platform you give visitors the ability to sign up to learn more about aWeber for your business.
Once your email system is set up you'll need to create a strategy to helps you drive traffic to your lead generation landing pages and lead magnet.
We recommend using aWeber because they are a tried and true brand reputation for deliverability, and affordable solutions for beginners, including the automation needed to set up a system helps you build an audience.
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