You've heard that people are making full-time incomes from their websites, right? But have you wondered how the heck they are actually bringing in the money?
You might be thinking that you have to create and build a product, invent something, or open some kind of online store and invest in inventory.
But you don't have to!
There are far easier and less expensive, ways to profit from your website. I don’t care if you’re writing about cake decorating or playing poker, you can turn your website into a money-generating machine!
Let's talk about the top 2 ways I monetize my blog that generates 7-figures a year.
Make Money By Selling Your Own Digital Products
One of the best ways to make money as a blogger is by creating your own digital products. This could be in the form of ebooks, video training, worksheets, checklists, printables and more.
One of the things I learned while creating a 7 figure website was that creating digital products was a great way to generate income and help people in the process!
You might consider yourself “only” a blogger, but don’t stop there! There’s a lot you have to offer your readers that they would be willing to pay for.
Consider your topics; certainly, there are readers who want to know how to do what you’re doing or where to find more information on a given subject.
Start By Finding The Thing You Find Easy That Other's Don't
I've found that the best trainings are teaching the thing that is the EASIEST for you to do. The thing that you could do in your sleep! It's often the one thing that feels the weirdest to charge for because it seems “So Easy.” But that is when you know you've got the right thing.
What is comfortable for you, is not so easy for someone else. If you could make it easy for them to understand, then they are willing to pay for it!
I have a ton of digital products. These include ebooks, video courses, lists and more.
The great thing is, all of these can be created very inexpensively. You can do it yourself using just your computer.
Find A Teaching Style That Works For You
These products are hosted online – your ebook can be emailed in pdf form, and your video trainings can be accessed through your website with a private link.
If you prefer to teach by talking or showing, then a video course would be best for you. If you are better at explaining things in written words, then ebooks are the way to go. Or if you are creative and like to make printables that are fun to fill out or have a specific purpose, that can be your product!
I have a course showing you the processes I use to create my ebook courses, and you can use the method to help you create, write and sell your very own ebook. And we aren't talking about $3.99 Kindle Ebooks either! I'm talking about ebooks that can be sold for anywhere between $17-$97.
You can check out The Blogger's Guide To Creating Your First Ebook Training guide today and have your first course written in no time.
People Will Want To Promote YOU As An Affiliate
And as you create products and build a following, you can have people be affiliates for YOU, instead of just what I'm talking about in the next way to monetize your blog.
As you grow and network, you’ll meet more and more like-minded business owners and develop a circle of people who you trust and can do business with. It can really grow into an extensive referral network.
More about affiliate marketing below 🙂
Make Money By Being An Affiliate For Products You Love
With affiliate marketing, you are paid for sharing products with your following, and then them making a purchase.
When someone clicks through one of your “affiliate links” and then actually purchases a product or service, you get a commission. You are basically getting paid a commission for the sales that you refer to someone else (be it an individual or company). Sometimes this is a fixed fee, and sometimes it’s a percentage of the total sale.
I currently make money as an affiliate, as well as run an affiliate program where affiliates promote my products.
How To Start As An Affiliate
You may need approval from the business to join their affiliate program, and you’ll find some broad ranges as far as what percentages different companies pay. As you become more established and can show higher sales conversions, you can sometimes negotiate higher commission rates.
One affiliate program that is easy to use and works for almost all blog types is the Amazon affiliate program, called Amazon Associates.
You are able to share products that you like on Amazon, and if the reader makes a purchase on Amazon within 24 hours, you will earn a commission on the sale. The commissions are not very high, which turns off many bloggers, but I find it so easy to use that it is worth it.
For example, we recommend our top tools that Amazon sellers should have on hand when selling on Amazon FBA. Whenever a reader clicks one of our links to Amazon and buys that product, we earn a small percentage of the sale. This is one of our top visited pages and overall we are able to bring in about $1,000 a month in commission from Amazon.
If you are interested in the Amazon Affiliate Program, I have a guide where I walk you through the process of making money with the program from your blog. You can check it out here:
Choosing The Right Affiliate Programs To Promote
One great thing about affiliate marketing is that you can share products/services that you are already using / love and get paid to do it. I don’t partner with anyone whose products I don’t like or wouldn’t use myself. It is so important to only recommend products that you actually believe in because by sharing it, you are giving your stamp of approval. As you build more of an audience, you find just how important this really is!
I am very picky about the types of affiliate programs that I am willing to join.
Although it's not all about the money, the commission offered is a significant factor in what I will promote.
If someone is offering a tiny commission on a digital product, I will not join the program. That tells me they don't understand the benefit of having awesome affiliates! For digital products, I am looking for commissions of at least 40%, in extraordinary circumstances, I will do 30%, but rarely.
If it is a service, I am looking for at least 20% recurring commission or a one-time lump sum that equals at least a months worth of fees.
With my own affiliate program, I offer a 40%-50% commission for my digital courses. If you have an audience that would benefit from our products, definitely consider joining our affiliate program! We LOVE our affiliates.
Starting With What You Already Know & Use
The best way to start out with affiliate marketing is by checking the products and services that you are already using and see if they have affiliate programs. If they do, sign up and then write a blog post sharing about your experience with it.
Another way is to do a book review for one of your favorite books on Amazon and then link to that book using an affiliate link.
Affiliate marketing doesn't have to be hard! You are sharing things that you love, so it should really be easy.
There you have it! These are my top 2 ways to monetize your new website!
