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When it comes to making money online, there are two main things you want to focus on. The first part is the product or service that you will provide to your customers. This is the easy part. I firmly believe that you can make money by selling anything. This includes things like rocks, NFTs, and bath water. With tons of no-code platforms that make it easy for creators to monetize their audience, the barrier to entry for creating products/services is low.
The second (and most difficult) part of the process is finding and building the audience to sell these products and services to. If you prepare your bid correctly, there will always be a buyer ready to buy. The challenge is to let them know you exist. In this article, we’re going to discuss how to build and market your personal brand so you can start earning your first few bucks online!
Related: 5 Steps To Build Your Personal Brand From Scratch
Part 1: Platform Selection and Configuration
One of the most important decisions to make when starting your personal brand is the platform you will use. There are thousands of platforms, but to keep it simple, let’s stick to the big ones:
Before you select a platform, you first want to define your target audience. Once this is defined, you should then ask yourself, “Which platform do they use the most?” I’ve developed communities on most of these platforms, and from my experience, I’ve found Instagram and YouTube to be the best for most niches. Once you’ve got this figured out, you’re ready to move on to part two!
Part 2: Content Creation
With the rise of online money making and sideline activities, chances are someone else is offering the same product or service as you. The best way to overcome this and build trust with your prospective customers is through content creation. Good content tells a story, is authentic and full of value. Making sure your content includes all three of these elements will not only get you sales, but you can also charge more money.
Of the platforms mentioned above, I specifically love YouTube. The longer you can let people consume your content, the easier it will be to sell them over time. YouTube is the perfect platform to do this on because you can hold people’s attention for longer.
Another tactic I like to use that gets viewers engaged with my content is my Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook stories. Maintaining your stories is an easy way to showcase your life. If you have defined your target audience well, you can even show your life in a way that is recognizable to the viewer. Uploading stories is a great way to build trust and make your personal brand stand out.
Part 3: Sell and be consistent
If you were to ask an online course owner where most of their revenue comes from, most will tell you that those people came from their free content looking for more information.
It’s easy to turn on ads, but it’s hard to convert this cold traffic because of the lack of trust. The easiest way to sell to your audience is through the free content you provide. Since you’re providing this free content, you want to make sure you consistently challenge it along with your upsells.
After you’ve made your first few sales online, you’ll quickly learn that it all comes down to timing. Sometimes people are not in a position to buy anything today. But if you’re consistent in your content creation, you’ll eventually catch that same person at the right time and bring in the sale. I like working with clients who come this way because they already know what I’m doing, the trust is established and they have the desire to buy. This is one of the many long-term benefits of having a personal brand.
Related: How Entrepreneurs Can Grow Their Personal Brand and Actually Make Money From It
When it comes to making money online, there are no shortcuts. Sure, you can buy ads, but again, it’s going to be hard to convert that cold traffic due to the lack of trust. If you want to make serious money online in the long run, you need to have a personal brand, otherwise you will probably be behind.
