In a country where the rate of unemployment keeps rising and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down, you have to think of legal ways of making ends meet so that you are not part of those that ask ‘What’s next?’
If you have a smartphone, you are in luck because we are focusing on you and providing you with ways of using your Samsung Galaxy or iPhone (and other brands) to earn some money instead of just using them to take photos in front of the mirror to share on Instagram. Your only investment is data.
Influencing for brands
In this digital era, every serious brand will want to reach as many people on the internet as possible and although they have their own platforms, they can always need a person potential customers can relate to, to deliver their message.
You have 5000 ‘friends’ on Facebook or you own a page with 20,000 likes and followers and a you have over 20,000 followers on Twitter and a sizeable number of followers on Instagram, and the collective reach and engagement of your tweet or post is 50,000. You can use those numbers to pitch to these brands and become an ‘influencer’ for their products.
Of course things like engagement and quality of your content will come into play but you don’t just get those numbers with mediocre content.
Blogging
Some of you write creative stories on your social media platforms and you get hundreds of reactions and comments. You could open up a blog and let out your creativity or musings onto it, and see where it can lead you.
When you get the following that comes as a result of being consistent and creating good content, Google will monetize it by putting ads on your blog and pay you a little something something.
The real money though will come when clients want to feature their products on your blog by you creating content about them like book reviews, music album reviews, and travel information among others.
Utilising YouTube
Just because you are not a musician does not mean you cannot make money off YouTube. If you have a skill you want to pass on to others but make some money while doing it, YouTube can be just the right platform for you.
You have a phone with a great camera, you have data, and you have the content. All you need are subscribers (and views). YouTube will need you to have at least 1000 subscribers for your channel to qualify for YouTube ad placements, but do not be overwhelmed by that number; if your content is good, that will be just a walk over.
You’re probably asking yourself, “What should I share on YouTube?” Ask no more. You can share how-to videos, sell merchandise, teach skills, and share your comedy skits, among others. The more views you get, the more money you’ll get.
If you have a google account you already have a YouTube Channel, but you will need to sign up for AdSense.
Betting
With a smartphone in the palm of your hands, you do not need to walk into a betting shop to place your bets. Almost every betting company has an app or is accessible online so you can use your Smartphone to bet all you want.
Although betting is seen by many as an unconventional way of making money, you can have it as a side income-generating avenue. Students, make sure you do not stake your tuition however much you see a ‘sure win.’ Please.
Marketing your products
It is true that with the advent of the internet, more people got lazier when they realised they can get almost everything they want with a click of a button. There are multitudes of people who prefer buying everything online, even though sometimes what they see is not what they get.
If you do not have a physical address for your business, you can establish it purely online. Create a page and populate it with whatever you want to sell, share and advertise, then see ‘lazy shoppers’ flock to you.
Pro tip: Make sure your response time is quick, and delivery prompt.
Online surveys
First things first; if any survey site asks you money to send you surveys, please do not sign up, it is a scam.
There are legitimate survey sites where all you need is your email address to sign up, then start taking surveys and give opinions on different topics. You are rewarded with points after every survey and when you reach a set threshold, you redeem them for cash or a gift card. Payment can be through PayPal or the bank. All this is done on your Smartphone, with data of course.
Social media management for companies
As we mentioned earlier with the brand influencing, serious companies, government departments, hospitals, etc., all run social media pages and the demand to have a dedicated person to do this job is high. You will need to have vast knowledge about the products of the company you are applying to, and even vaster knowledge about digital marketing and the ins and outs of maintain a brand’s presence online.