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A beginner's guide to earning money online

Published:Sunday | November 17, 2013 | 12:00 AM

Yaneek Page Contributor

In recent weeks I've received many emails from readers from Jamaica, Canada, the United States and even as far as Tanzania, eager to find legitimate ways to earn a sustainable income online.

Some are looking for a way out of financial crisis, others yearn for self-employment and a few are desperately trying to survive. I was struck by how the desire to be one's own boss and navigate the maze of online resources has transcended cultures and boundaries.

There is no shortage of information on the topic on the internet; a quick Google search on 'how to make money online' will yield over 160 million results - a mindboggling number!

It's precisely this abundance of information that overwhelms people trying to decipher what's feasible, legitimate, lucrative and best suited for them.

To provide a useful and credible guide for earning online, I interviewed a 24-year-old Jamaican woman who has been doing so consistently for over a year. Let's call her Kim.

Kim works from home putting in approximately 20 hours weekly, using a laptop and the internet. She was extremely eager and forthcoming with answers. When I asked why, she said "I hear so many people complain about not getting jobs online and how hard it is get a foothold in this space and I've never had that problem. The opportunities exist so their approach may be off. Too many people have a traditional mindset of promoting their skills rather than understanding what clients want and delivering solutions."

Here's what else she shared:

Q. What do you do?

A. I'm a social media manager/consultant for small businesses. I help them grow and earn income online by managing their social media presence; developing strategies, plans, creating content, executing campaigns and measuring their effectiveness.

Q. How did you get started?

A. A friend who runs a small marketing agency asked me to assist with managing the social media presence of his clients. I researched what worked for other businesses online and tried and tested various strategies until I saw results.

Q. How much do you earn on average every month?

A. Typically, between US$800 and US$1,500, but that's with being very laid back and relaxing half the day. I have colleagues who apply more effort and earn over US$4,000 a month.

Q. How long did it take you to get to that level of income?

A. One year.

Q. One hundred per cent of your income is from outside Jamaica, how do you get clients?

A. Strictly online - through social media and referrals. I also use odesk.com and peopleperhour.com to supplement my income by doing short-term jobs transcribing, writing business plans, editing, proofreading, etc.

Q. How do you market yourself?

A. I've never done paid promotions. I connect with potential clients by networking online. I also get referrals from previous clients. Testimonials make or break you online.

Q. Where did you learn your skills and over what period?

A. I learned the basic skills I needed to start earning in under a month. Almost all of my knowledge comes from blogs, webinars, Twitter and online research.

Q. How much money did you invest?

A. Nothing at first. I already owned a laptop, smartphone and had internet access - which I used for freelancing. Since then, I've bought two domain names, a few applications for my phone and website which, in total, cost less than US$50. My monthly expenditure is US$50 for business applications, hosting, and internet/phone.

Q. What skills are overseas clients looking for?

A. So many! But the most common are
administrative tasks and business support, content creation, graphic and
web design, programming, social media management and
writing.

Q. What websites you would recommend for
beginners?

A. Freelance job sites:
peopleperhour.com
, freelancer.com,
odesk.com, fiverr.com,
microlancer.com; Job boards:
mashable.com,
freelancefolder.com

Q. How much and
how soon can beginners expect to earn?

A. Setting up
profiles on freelance sites and social media can take a few days.
Freelancing websites typically offer 25 auto-renewing credits weekly
which you can use to apply for jobs. If you utilise them fully and send
great proposals, you can expect to land your first job in two weeks or
less. If not, you're doing something wrong.

Earnings
vary by type of work, but most persons typically start out working for
about $3-$5 per hour. With a good portfolio and satisfied clients, you
can earn $10-$20 per hour pretty quickly. Skilled persons like web
designers/programmers can make $40 per hour.

Q. What
are your top success tips?

A. Speaking and writing
English well is important. Most jobs require you to communicate
regularly with clients via email and Skype and poor communication skills
are a turn off.

Try to build a portfolio quickly and
get creative when making proposals.

Clean up your act
online and position yourself as an expert in your area. If a potential
client searches for you online and sees profanity-laced commentary and
half-naked pictures, you won't get a second look.

To
get paid, you will need to set up a PayPal account. You can also sign up
for a Payoneer card which facilitates money transfers from PayPal to a
card you can use in Jamaica.

One
love!

Yaneek Page is a trainer in entrepreneurship
and workforce innovation. Email: yaneek.page@gmail.com Twitter:
@yaneekpage www.theinnovatorsbootcamp.com