Christmas is coming quickly and for many people this will be a lean one. The GFC has caused all sorts of financial dramas for people throughout the world but that doesn’t mean that no one is shopping online. During Christmas 2009, online sales grew 15.5% over the previous year. Traditional retail sales, meanwhile, jumped 3.6 %.
Does anyone else see an opportunity in that?
So, this week I thought I would come up with some ways that you might make some extra cash to spend in this holiday season that take advantage of your affiliate skills and online marketing nous.
You might even like to twist a few of these ideas around to match your skills or turn them into an ongoing business.
Idea #1: Popular products for children
Research the most popular products for children this year. There are always lists on these products put out by retailers via press releases so they shouldn’t be too hard to find. Make a list of them with a description and a link to where they can be ordered at Amazon.com or another affiliate vendor. Take this list and send it out to all your friends to save them time. Don’t forget your social media friends!
You could also compile lists of presents for hard to buy for family members, presents for dads, time-saving ideas for moms, books you should read if you’re in business, etc. The list of possibilities is endless…
Idea #2: Quick $5 jobs
Set up your own account on Fiverr.com and start doing quick jobs for $5 a pop. It’s amazing what you can get done at this site. I’m sure there are a ton of quick jobs that you can do for others to make an easy fiver and… a job may lead to an ongoing client.
Many people have used Fiverr.com as a way to meet new clients. Once you build a good feedback list, your stream of clients will speed up because people filter the providers by quality. Obviously, because all jobs cost $5, you have to make a decision on who to hire by their profile and/or example of their work.
Idea #3: Sell unused items
Search the house from top to bottom for items you haven’t used in 1 year. If you haven’t used them in a year, chances are you aren’t going to use them ever again. Go to eBay and get rid of them. Sell them off to the highest bidder and get some cash in your pockets rather than dust on your shelves.
If you don’t know where to start, there are heaps of sites online to help you. One quick tip: Get a light colored sheet, tack it to the wall and pull it out over a table or the floor to create a blank backdrop. Take some floodlights or desk lamps and light the object you are going to photograph. Take a front on, side on, and close up shot and upload all 3 (minimum) to better display your item.
Idea #4: Solve their biggest problem
Contact the people on your marketing list and ask them what their biggest problem is. The answers will vary depending on your niche but you should get at least some ideas that you can turn into a special report. Write your report, turn it into a PDF, and sell it to your list for a low cost. Under $12 is a no brainer purchase for most people. Especially people who are into a specific subject or hobby.
Idea #5: Focus and finish it
Finish that product or website that you have been procrastinating over and get it out to the world. Everyone has ideas that are half completed. If we just spent 20 hours on them, they’d be done and ready to sell. Buy some PPC traffic and get cash flowing in before Christmas.
It’s amazing how quickly you can complete a project once you fully focus on it. Many of the most in-depth projects that I have procrastinated over have been fully completed in 40 focused hours.
Idea #6: Help a friend
Take all of the skills you have learned as an affiliate marketer and offer to help a friend who is in business to promote their website. Promoting a company’s website will easily bring in a few hundred dollars and you will be helping a friend make more money too. You might be able to help a few friends and have a very merry Christmas.
Idea #7: Offer a buying service
Become a buyer for people. Offer your time to do people’s online shopping. They tell you what they want, you go online to an affiliate retailer, track down the best prices then order it for them, through your own affiliate link. This is a win – win. You make an affiliate commission, they get good prices and they save some time. You might even like to add a service charge for your time.
Many people are time-poor, so why not offer them a premium buying service? Car brokers have been doing it for years.
What are you waiting for?
So there you have it, 7 weird and wonderful ideas that you can use to make cash this silly season. Obviously these could be jigged to work the whole year round and I know a couple of them could be upgraded into serious businesses.
Affiliate marketing doesn’t always have to be about make a website, build traffic, promote a product… Think outside the square, have a little fun with it and you might just discover that magic money making bullet that you’ve been searching for.
Good luck!