It seems like everyone today is looking for an online side gig. A gig where you can work from home, on your own schedule, and make good money.

The problem with the online side gig is where do you go and what can you do to nail one of these gigs. If you have a particular skill like copywriting or web design, you can get work from sites like Fiveer. But not all of us have those kinds of skills that lend well to online work.

Today we’re going to explore a better option for the online side gig.

Your Goals For An Online Side Gig

The first thing to address with your online side gig is your goals. What are your goals for this side gig?

• Do you have specific income goals?
• How fast do you need income from a side gig?
• Are you planning on replacing your regular income with that of your side gig?
• Is it temporary or permanent?
• Or maybe you’re saving for that big vacation or your children’s college fund?

Identifying your goals will help you zero in on what you need to accomplish and what your approach should be. Crafting your approach is going to be dependent on this.

Your first consideration is going to be whether your need for extra income is immediate (gotta have cash now) or something longer term like building a retirement or college fund. So I’m going to break this out based on need.

Immediate Need

If you’ve got to have an additional income right away there are a few things you can do to generate cash immediately, while also planning for a longer-term income-generating side gig. More on that in the next section.

Here are some legitimate ways to start making some money fast.

• Sell stuff on eBay or Facebook Marketplace. Take an inventory of stuff you have around the house (and outside the house) that you really don’t need or would like to get rid of. Remember the old saying, one mans garbage is another man’s treasure. Put a price on the items and see how much cash you can generate from these things. You may be surprised.
• Take out a loan. If your immediate need is for a large sum of money, a loan may be your only option. Then you can start your side gig to pay off your loan.
• Automatic checking account transfers to savings. While not an online gig, many banks now offer automatic savings features that transfer set amounts of money to your savings each pay period. This can add up pretty quickly. There are also secure apps like Digit that you can use for automatic transfers.
• Become a ChatShop agent. If you can put at least 20 hours a week into a side gig and are a fast typer, becoming a ChatShop agent might be for you.
• If you have marketable skills such as copywriting, web design, graphics creation, virtual assistant, or even the ability to do videos, you can market these services on Fiveer, Upwork, and other freelancing sites.
• Coupon shopping. While not really an online gig, you can generate lots of savings on things you’re already buying. I know people who buy their groceries using coupons in combination with two-for-one deals and save literally hundreds of dollars each month. That translates into more cash on hand. This works best for larger families with big grocery bills, but anyone can do it.

Long-Term Income – Plan B

I would suggest that any effort put into an online side gig should be something that is sustainable, not only for the short term but for the long term as well. Do you have a Plan B if your primary source of income disappears?

While addressing your short term needs are critical, formulating a long-term income plan is just as important. Building an online side gig around a long term income plan, or Plan B might be your saving grace. There is a massive movement taking place to online purchasing. With more people buying online there is less need for a physical presence, which means job layoffs for those affected.

So, having a long-term income strategy not only aids in retirement and college savings but also acts as a Plan B for your primary income.

Best Long-Term Online Side Gig

With the massive shift to online purchasing, it only makes sense to follow the money, right? So, how do you take advantage of this change to online purchasing? The answer is Affiliate Marketing (AM). This simply means selling someone else’s product through an affiliate link that you promote, for a commission.

AM is fast becoming one of the preferred methods of marketing by big-name companies and everyone in between. Why? Because there is virtually no advertising costs at all with this method. Why spend a lot of money on advertising when you can sell your products through affiliate marketers. It’s a no brainer. The affiliates come to you, they market your products, and you just pay them a small commission. These companies keep their advertising costs to a minimum and at the same time, they are able to reach customers they never would have been able to by conventional advertising.

With this, the online side gig takes on a whole new meaning. You can build an AM business for next to nothing. When done correctly, you can make a very respectable income in a respectable way.

Don’t you have to have a lot of special skills? Absolutely not. While there is a learning curve, you don’t have to be a technical genius to build an online business using AM. Websites are created with a push of a button these days, leaving you to build your website content much more effectively and easily.

How To Get Started With An Affiliate Marketing Side Gig

Training is the starting point. Understanding how AM is done and what tools you need are crucial to your success. I believe that anyone with the desire to be successful in this business can do it. It’s a process, and if you follow the process, it works.

The first thing you need to understand is that this is not a get-rich-quick proposition. These things simply don’t exist. You are building a business for long-term financial success and it requires a long-term commitment and drive to be successful. You really can’t fail at this business unless you just quit. There will be times that you’ll want to quit, no doubt, but if you stick with it you will find success.

Are you ready for the ride of your life? Do you have what it takes to claim your stake in this thriving business? Are you willing to do what others won’t do in order to find success? This is truly the road less traveled. Many will start this journey only to give up when success was just around the corner.

If you’re ready, I invite you to start this journey now. Below I have outlined the top articles on this site to help you get started. You can leave a comment on each article if you have questions and I will help you out or if you like, you can send me an email using our contact page.

• Beginners Guide To Affiliate Marketing
• Finding Niche Markets
• Finding and Using Keywords
• Grammar and Spellcheck – Free
• How To Create Content For a Website

If you’d like to join me in an online community of like-minded people where you can get on the fast track to success, come on over to Wealthy Affiliate and sign up as a free starter member. You’ll get two free Site Rubix websites to start you off, access the community for 7 days, get the first 10 lessons free, and more. You don’t even need a credit card to get started. There’s Zero Risk. I’ll greet you when you sign up and we can start your journey together.

Also, check out my Wealthy Affiliate Review for in-depth information on all the features inside the community. Wealthy Affiliate not only provides world-class training but all the tools you need in one place at an unbeatable price as low as $1 a day.

Conclusion

Today, the online side gig can take many forms. From marketing your own services for some quick cash to selling on eBay.

But more than that, having an online side gig that functions as your long term income generator and a Plan B to protect you in this uncertain world, is the smart move.

To Your Massive Success,

Michael

AffiliateCash101.com

PS. Please leave comments and questions below. I’d love to hear from you.