Making money online is not as difficult or as elusive as many people make it to be. I’d say that there is not much difference between making money online and making money offline. You’d need almost the same number of variables and factors to make money in both instances. The only difference is just the medium used in offering the product or service.
So, when you think about making money online, zero your mind that the only advantage an online platform gives you is more access to customers and speed of delivery. Every other thing stays the same.
That is why I want to write about the 10 digital skills that enable me to make money online in Nigeria. In truth, I could make money offline with those same skills if I want. I’d only be serving a different customer base.
So, without further ado, let’s take a look at these 10 digital skills and how they enable me to get exposed to different digital opportunities.
Business Research Writing
I have very strong skills in business research and business writing, and I utilize these skills to make money online.
Business research is just about gathering information in specific business areas and using those information to make sense of a particular business topic.
I like business research writing not only because I love writing about business, but also because I learn on the job. Almost every new information I know of right now was learned while making one business research or the other.
Business research writing is also one of the highest paid writing skills. On the average, business research writing could earn you five times what you can earn writing articles or stories.
Copywriting & Sales Emails
As a creative person, I enjoy copywriting a lot. It is an essential digital marketing skill that if honed, could help you get well paid as well as improve your own business marketing.
The copywriting and sales email niches have a lot of high-value clients. They barely haggle over price, and are willing to pay top dollar for the right job. In my experience, I’ve earned the most money working online for copywriting clients.
This experience has also affected the way I work, as I prioritize copywriting clients over other types of clients. Once I get a copywriting job, I ensure all other jobs are on pause until I’m done delivering the copywriting job.
Technical Writing
Technical writing pays a lot, but it can be difficult if you don’t have the skill to research and comprehend technical topics.
The hardest technical writing job I’ve ever done was about planes. I had to review and write about different airplanes, their designs and how they work. It was brain racking, but I completed the job because I was curious to learn about that topic.
In other words, my curiosity was my inspiration. For others, it might be the money or the connection with the client. But it is important to know that technical writing jobs in my opinion have the most ruthless clients with the worst communication skills.
If you want to go into this, you’d have to be patient and be able to communicate your skills effectively.
UX Design
UX (User Experience) design is a cool niche. It is not to be mistaken for UI(User Interface) design even though both of them go hand in hand.
As a UX designer, I work hand-in-hand with a UI designer with very strong design skills. Yea, my design skills are not that strong, but I could do some minor designs though.
So, I work with a UI designer to ensure that the software design considers the user experience and incorporates good human interaction protocols. In other words, I ensure that the user intended to use a piece of software encounters as little problem as possible when using that piece of software. In fact, I sometimes go further to ensure that they enjoy using that software as much as possible.
UX Writing
UX writing is not a popular digital skill, but demand for it is starting to grow as most tech companies begin to target a larger and more diverse user base.
Have you ever used an app or website where a popup appears and tells you to “click here” to do something? Or a popup that gives you instructions on how to use a mobile app or website?
That is UX writing at work.
A UX writer simply anticipates how a user will use a piece of software and helps them utilize the software as intended. UX writing could also include writing product descriptions, FAQs and placeholders.
Website Development
I’ve built websites for all types of businesses; small business, school website, accounting firm, logistics company, church website, property listing website, ecommerce business, etc.
I enjoy building websites using the wordpress platform. It is simple, fast, and creatively refreshing.
I regard website development as a way for anyone to make easy money online. You don’t need to even know how to code (Hello, stackoverflow?!). All you have to know is what to do and where to do it.
Building websites could also inspire you to learn to code (talking from my personal experience) and could be the beginning of your journey as a web/mobile programmer.
Digital Marketing
There is money in digital marketing. Lots of money.
As a digital marketer, companies could literally hand over their marketing budget for you to control. It’s a big time job that could make you a millionaire if you have the right connections.
Some of the richest guys in Nigeria’s digital space are digital marketers and they have clients from big 4 companies in Nigeria and beyond.
One thing about digital marketing is that it is very easy to learn. Heck, Google even has a Digital Marketing Certification course that you could take online free of charge. So, what are you waiting for?
Branding & Design
I’ve said previously that my design skills are not so strong, however, I have strong skills in branding and I know my shit when it comes to coordinating brand campaigns.
If you have strong design skills such as photoshop and adobe, then you will do well in branding and design. You could either start designing product features, covers, brochures or app interfaces. There are many design areas where you can start with, but it would depend on where your interest lies.
Business Strategy Consulting
As interesting as it is, I make money online doing business strategy consulting. I love talking about business, and that is why I started this blog in the first place. And by the way, reading this blog is free business strategy consulting.
I have clients who have money, but are at a crossroads when it comes to strategizing on the next step for their business. They come to me for brainstorming sessions and we design a reasonable strategy for the business going forward.
Business strategy consulting is an interesting niche, but you need to have the required experience to be able to succeed.
If you are a reputable mobile app developer, then you can be a strategy consultant for mobile development. If you are experienced in different aspects of design, then you can be a brand consultant.
Music Mixing & Mastering
This is one of my newest skills and one that I learned just for the fun of it. But it is actually a legit paying skill.
So far, I’ve mixed and mastered two songs which were made by me. I really enjoy doing this and I think I would definitely build more music skills this way.
However, I’ve not earned anything yet with this skill, but I plan to monetize it soon. Maybe, I’ll start a mini recording studio or start providing music mixing and mastering services online. Only time would tell.
Conclusion
Now, you might be wondering how I make money with all these skills. Well, I do them via freelancing on Fiverr as well as sourcing for clients on social media.
If you have one or more of these skills, then you can do the same by registering as a freelancer on platforms like fiverr and upwork. There, you would get clients to pay top dollar for your digital skills and services.
That said, making money online is not rocket science. The more digital skills you have, the more doors of opportunities that will open to you, and it becomes way easier from there.