The 4th Industrial revolution is not just a buzzword for marketing campaigns and government press conferences.
The shift to a “more” digital world has very practical implications.
You should take time to consider how you can benefit more from the time you spend on the internet.
To make money online you need to understand Capitalism, Sales and how to use the Internet.
How to make money on the internet?
“What Is Capitalism?
Capitalism is an economic system in which private individuals or businesses own capital goods. The production of goods and services is based on supply and demand in the general market—known as a market economy—rather than through central planning—known as a planned economy or command economy.” – Investopedia
If you are reading this you likely live in a Capitalist society.
The best way to make money in these kinds of systems is to make sales.
To make sales you’ll need to either sell goods or provide services.
The internet has improved your ability to make sales in the following ways:
- You can pretty much sell from anywhere around the world.
- The internet can easily connect you to your potential buyers.
- You don’t need to necessarily make the things you sell, you can buy them from somewhere else or buy the components of what you need to make your product.
- You can sell other people’s products (Reselling for profit or affiliate marketing).
- If you’re a knowledge worker or content creator many companies sell digital tools which can help you make stunning products (e.g. Canva, Adobe Creative Cloud, Doodly, Photoshop, etc).
People have always struggled with acquiring capital goods.
Capital goods are the things you need to have first to produce the goods you want to sell later.
Capital goods used to be big, expensive, physical things that most people couldn’t really afford.
Using the internet you can easily find smaller more affordable capital goods, pretty much anywhere in the world.
The internet has also helped ordinary people monetize content and it has turned content into a product in its own right.
Why you should make content?
You can think of content as anything that can be consumed digitally or in print format.
It’s what people read, watch and listen to.
It’s also really easy to create. The real trick is creating content people want to consume.
You should strongly consider making content because there is likely a market for the content you will create.
People out in the world share the same interests you do. You just have to find them.
If you’re good at creating content you will likely be able to sell something that relates to that content. There is a market for your content and a market for the actual goods you want to sell.
The real open secret to making money on the internet is getting good quality traffic to your digital assets, and this is what good quality content does best! The more traffic you get the more likely you are to convert customers.
Tools like AdSense and similar ad networks can help you monetize your content and traffic easily. Read this article for more information about making money in South Africa using AdSense.
Tools like Canva, Adobe Creative Cloud, Doodly, Photoshop, etc, help you make great content!
Bonus: How to use what you’ve learned!
You should buy and play with small capital goods to create content and make sales.
Examples:
- Pay for Canva pro, practice making ads and posts.
- Start a WordPress.Org website.
- Buy a high-quality camera, shoot and sell stock photos.
- Buy a Heat Press, print, and sell T-shirts.
- Create and sell a course.
- Start a photography business online.
- Teach cooking lessons online (show them where and what you shop for!).
- Teach people how to garden and grow their own food on Youtube.
- Get a vehicle to transport goods and people, advertise your service online.
And anything else you think of you should definitely try!
Key to success:
You need to be consistent with the time and effort you put into your venture.
Before you start, define your goals and write down what success looks like to you.
You need to seriously commit both your time and money into achieving your vision of success.