Does the phrase Make Money Online seem like a total come on?
Good. I’m glad you’re skeptical, because my BS detector goes crazy whenever I read a spammy marketing message about getting rich quick or making a million overnight. That’s just clown stuff.
All that said, there’s still a simple way to make money online if you’re willing to work and have an ounce or two of creativity.
Content (In Large Enough Volume) Is King
Social Media Commando contains over 260 blog posts now, and those combined with other custom content, I have over 300 pages built on this site…and I feel terrible about that.
The ‘problem’ is I already make a good living from my online marketing career and have less and less time to build new content, but if you have the time and not as much cash in the bank as you’d like, here’s how to make some:
- Write Hundreds of Pages (The Poor Man’s SEO)
This may seem ridiculous, but it’s true. If you want to rank for a term like ‘Boston Carpet Cleaners’ because that’s your business, then start creating new pages that focus on that term. It’s like the voice says to Kevin Costner in the movie Field of Dreams, “If you build it, they will come.”
Don’t go keyword spamming, of course. Just start with a simple WordPress site like mine and begin writing. One page each day equals 365 new pieces of content by years end! - Make Friends with Facebook
Facebook pages rank incredibly well, especially when you have a specific purpose in mind. Choose a keyword phrase you wish to optimize for and get enough fans to grab a custom Facebook URL.
Make sure to include links back to your site from this space, but don’t go crazy linking every damn update back to your blog. Google will recognize this as spam and potential fans will be turned off.
Incentives help, too. Creating a Facebook Ad with a killer reason to become a fan will help you build a base of people to market to.
I recommend giving away free guides that show people how to solve their online marketing (or carpet cleaning, or home construction) problem. Lots of people will take this info and solve their issue, but a small percentage will call you out in search of help.
Which brings us to… - Collect Contact Information
You don’t stand a chance to make money online if you aren’t communicating with your base of targeted customers and fans regularly. What most people don’t realize still is how easy it is to automate a large part of this process.
For example, building an email list is as easy as heading to Aweber (not free) or Mail Chimp (free) to set up your marketing campaign. All you’re really doing is saying to people, “Here’s some cool free information. Since this is free, all I ask for is your name and email address so I can send more free stuff in the future and, at some point, offer my services for consideration.”
This strategy is called ‘Freemium’ and it works because you’re building a relationship based on value, not a slick TV ad. - Content + Volume + Creativity = Money
That’s the formula.
My friend Brian jumped on board by offering free music to people who sign up. He’ll give you free music and in exchange shows you where to buy a CD if you like what you hear.
You can do the same by dedicating an hour each morning to building some new content. Create Facebook and Google ads that focus on creativity over budgets, and finally offer something of value before asking for money.
More on advertising with Facebook to come, but in the meantime let me know how you’re making dollars on the web by helping people reach their goals (Leave a comment below).