Ten Tips for Making Money On the Side — Multiple Revenue Streams

Ever wonder why some Internet entrepreneurs are making money in this tough economy while others are struggling? Pretty simple, at least in theory. By creating multiple revenue streams, no matter how small they may seem, you minimize your risk of being affected in a bad economy. And wouldn't it be nice if you had many different businesses setup and in place that generate income? Because job security is hard to find, it is more important than ever to generate multiple revenue streams in order to build financial stability. The only way to guarantee a little bit of stability is to take matters into your own hands and setup a business — or two!

Top ten tips for making money on the side.

Here are a few tips that can help you to generate multiple revenue streams.

1. Blogging

While bloggers do not usually get rich through their writing they can, however, often accumulate enough online content to generate a nice monthly check from Google Adsense. Additionally, a blog is an excellent way to promote your other businesses or services effectively through online content. So once you set up shop, do not forget to write about it. Read more about how to Make Money with WordPress and Google Adsense.

2. Start a small business.

Look for a unfilled niche in the market. Is there a product or service that you wish were available for sale online, but is not? If you are serious about launching a gourmet food shop or a dog walking business, get the word out with a web site and begin offering key clients free coupons. Then, post their endorsements on your site. Consider advertising in web forums, including Craigslist.org.

3. Affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing refers to the act of displaying ads from companies like Verizon, for example, for which you get paid each time a site visitor clicks on one of those ads and performs the most desired action. With affiliate marketing, there are pay per click (PPC ) programs in which search engines place ads on your web site designed to appeal to your market.

4. Donations

By offering "value" to your web site visitors and politely soliciting contributions, you can receive donations from your audience. If your visitors like what you offer and like what you have to contribute, they might send donations or gifts. Make an Amazon "wish list" of items that you want but are not able to buy for yourself, then post the list to your web site. You will be surprised at how many people will consider buying you something from the list. Do not be afraid to ask for donations or gifts from your wish list. Even if you ask for a small donation, such as $5, it may seem like a small amount but if many people send you the small donation, then it can add up. Be nice about it and never go overboard when asking for donations.

5. Subscription revenue

If you create a web site that has many users in the forum or other community, it is very possible that people will pay you to become a "premium" member. You can offer a premium membership for people and those people are able to gain access to a special part of your forum and a special avatar. The reason people will sign up for a subscription is because there is an extra value that people want. You can also offer special video posts or newsletters that only members of the club can receive. By setting up a PayPal account, it is very simple to receive payment.

6. Contextual ads

Google Adsense is an example of a contextual ad program. Yahoo and Microsoft also offer similar ad programs. These ads blend in with the content. If you see a newspaper listing with an ad that looks like it is part of the content, it could be a contextual ad. Google, for example, will examine the content and place very targeted text ads that are relevant to what the site is about in order to obtain the highest return. The amount of money that you can ultimately make is dependent on how much traffic your web site receives. The more visitors that see your ads, the more likely that someone will click the ads, which in-turn generates commission for you. Many publishers place the ads on their pages at the bottom or on pages where there are zero search results because that is the place where people are going to leave anyway and the way that contextual ads work is "one click and the visitor is gone". So if they are going to leave anyway, you might as well make money on them as they are leaving your web site.

7. Direct ad sales

Selling ads directly is a possibility for small publishers who have time, dedication and the right approach. You can sell ads to your competitors or other businesses who are interested in getting their banner in front of your web site visitors. Again, the amount that you can charge for these ads is dependent on the amount of traffic that your web site receives.

8. Sell products relevant to your blog.

Setup an eCommerce site and sell products that are relevant to the topic of your site. For example, if you have a blog that focuses on mobile phone products, you can sell chargers or cords for mobile phones.

9. Become a web hosting reseller.

Reseller web hosting programs are an excellent way at which work-at-home entrepreneurs can make extra income. And because reseller web hosting programs usually come with 24/7 technical support assistance from the up-stream provider web host, you can become a reseller without a lot of technical expertise.

10. Facebook advertising

Did you know that you can make money with Facebook? No only is it possible but it is growing in popularity because it is such a simple way to make money through something a lot of people use already. To get started making money with Facebook advertising, sign into Facebook, click Advertisers at the bottom, and get started making your ad. You will need a web site promotion page, a fan page or something else that is owned by you. People can come and visit and learn things about your site. You need an ad that says what you want and need to say. Keywords are important here but not the only consideration. Choose titles that are short and to the point. Use powerful and upbeat wording for the ads.

Making money online and creating multiple revenue streams is not difficult, if you have the time and the drive to work at it every day. In time, you can build successful revenue streams by following the previous ten tips. You can do one or all of the above. It might seem a little intimidating in the beginning, but as you begin to build your web site or blog with a web hosting provider, the different ways of which to build multiple revenue streams will come into play. As your web site establishes a following of consistent visitors, you will notice that your revenue streams will become more successful.