Finding employment in Uganda right now is a tough call, many young people are out there lounging on the streets in pursuit of possible employment opportunities. This doesn’t save day, as they are still required to possess unbelievable experience to get hired. What options are there? The Internet! The internet has offered us a myriad of opportunities and these include earning a living off it. Billions of people spend time on the internet, internet penetration in Uganda is at 16.4% (2013 study) and is expected to hit 60% in the next 5 years. I’ll be honest, earning money online is tough, you must be persistent and patient.
Here are 7 super smart and legit ways to earn a few bucks on online.
1. Affiliate marketing
Here you get to market products on behalf of another company. If someone buys the product through your unique link, you get a commission. You’ll need to own a blog or website to earn through affiliate marketing, however with some e-tailers, you can use your facebook or twitter, if your following is big. The start is usually slow, but it’s always worth the patience. Jumia has an exciting plan which you can check out here.
2. Web/ Online publishing
Some media pundits says print is dying, I don’t agree with them to some extent, but that’s a win for web publishing. Open a website or web-magazine and offer news and information on the go. Internet penetration is growing by the day and internet bundles are cheapening. I would advise you to do a niche website on something you are most passionate about, it could be sports, entertainment, gardening or food. You can then monetize the site, and sell ad space to Google and local brands. You’ll have to be patient and persistent, readers online are hard to impress, and yet you need a really big following to score some ads. Some Ugandan sites such as Howwe,biz, Bigeyeug and Campubeeug rake in over a million unique visitors in a month. So, don’t give up.
3. Sell Merchandise online
Opening an e-shop might be a tad complicated, so I would advise you to stick to your own social media platforms. Post shoes, bags, makeup or clothes on your timeline or through groups such as Tradelinks, and ask followers to talk to you if they want to buy. Start by selling stuff you don’t need anymore like gadgets or clothes, before you know you’ll be earning big.
4. Social Media Influencing
Marketers are shifting a big portion of their marketing spend to influencers on social media. A social media influencer is a person with an active and responsive social media following. Influencers don’t just create awareness, they drive action. So you must have a following, whereby if you told them, this is the place to be this weekend, they’ll show up. Facebook has a number of them; Ritah Kaggwa, Ashburg Katto and many others. You need to be patient, and have a really good sense of humor to gain that much following. Please note, it shouldn’t just be a big following, but ‘active and responsive’ as well. Brands will come calling to tap into your audience.
5. Blogging
This is the commonest money making avenue on the web. Start a blog on a subject you are most passionate about, and update it as often as possible. Engage your followers on a personal level, create an emotional relationship with them. You still must gain a big following, then monetize and sell advertising or publish sponsored content.
6. Vlogging (Video blogging)
The hunger for video content is growing by the day, most media brands are already spending big on video. A Vlog is a blog that contains video content. Youtube, Facebook and Snapchat are some of the free video publishing platforms you can use. Youtube used to be the number on in this space, however it has been taken over by Facebook with over 8 billion video views a day. So, yes you can publish your videos on facebook. You can then monetize after gaining a big following. You need to be patient, and also own some basic video editing skills plus a good video camera.
7. Instagram influencing
It is reported that many bloggers have quit using their wordpress sites in favour of just instagram. This is the perfect platform for all creatives, and yes you can make money with your Instagram. Marketers are gaining higher conversions when they partner with Instagram influencers than when they place an ad on a site or in a magazine. You must have a huge following as well, in order to attract brands to work with you. Local celebrities such as Bettinah Tiana, Sheilah Gashumba and Kleith Kyatuhaire are already reaping big thanks to their Instagram photos.
Are you earning money online? We want to hear your story.
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