How to Make Money Online With Your Personal Brand

When it comes to making money online, there are two main aspects that you should focus on. The first part is the product or service that you offer to your customers. This is the easy part. I firmly believe that there is money to be made in selling anything. This includes things like rocks, NFTs, and bath water. With countless no-code platforms making it easy for developers to monetize their audience, the barrier to entry for product/service creation is lower than ever.

The second (and most difficult) part of the process is finding and building the audience to which to sell those products and services. If you get your offer right, there will always be a buyer ready to buy. The challenge is just letting them know you exist. In this article we will discuss how to build and market your personal brand so you can start making your first few dollars online!

Also see: 5 steps to building your personal brand from the ground up

Part 1: Platform selection and setup

One of the most important decisions you will have to make when launching your personal brand is the platform you are going to use. There are thousands of platforms out there, but to keep it simple, let’s stick with the big ones:

Before choosing a platform, you first want to define your target audience. Once that is defined, the next thing you need to ask yourself is, “Which platform is used most?” I’ve built communities on most of these platforms and in my experience, Instagram and YouTube work best for most niches. Once you figure that out, you can move on to part two!

Part 2: Content Creation

With the rise of online money making and side hustles, there’s a good chance someone else is offering the same product or service that you are offering. The best way to overcome this and build trust with your future customers is through content creation. Good content tells a story, is authentic and full of value. Making sure your content includes all three of these elements will not only get you the sale, but you’ll be able to ask for more money.

Of the platforms listed above, I especially love YouTube. The longer you can keep people consuming your content, the easier it is to sell it over time. YouTube is the perfect platform for this because you can hold people’s attention longer.

Another tactic I like to use to get viewers engaged with my content is my Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook stories. Maintaining your stories is an easy way to showcase your life. If you have well defined your target audience, you can even present your life in a way that the viewer can relate to. Uploading stories is a great way to build trust and make your personal brand stand out.

Part 3: Sell and be consistent

If you ask any online course owner where a majority of their sales are coming from, most will tell you that these people came from their free content looking for more information.

It’s easy to turn on ads, but difficult to convert that cold traffic due to lack of trust. The easiest way to sell to your audience is with the free content you provide. When providing this free content, you want to make sure that you post it consistently along with your upsells.

After you make your first few sales online, you’ll quickly discover that timing matters. Sometimes people today are unable to buy anything. But if you’re consistent with your content creation, you’ll eventually catch the same person at the right time and land the sale. I love working with clients who come this way because they already know what I’m doing, it builds trust and they have a desire to buy. This is one of the many long-term benefits of a personal brand.

Also see: How Entrepreneurs Can Grow Their Personal Brand and Actually Make Money From It

When it comes to making money online, there are no shortcuts. Sure, you can buy ads – but again, this cold traffic will be difficult to convert due to the lack of trust. If you’re serious about making money online in the long run, you need to have a personal brand or you’ll likely be left behind.