Darren

How to Use PLR Articles and Content Samurai to Make Videos for Affiliate Marketing 2019

A lot of people struggle with creating content, especially writing and publishing consistently.

This can be really challenging if you’re new to copywriting and don’t have the capital to outsource your content.

In today’s post, I will show you how you can create videos from PLR articles.

I use PLR articles to create videos and build backlinks to my blogs and articles I am trying to rank for.

But before we start with the tutorial, you might be wondering what PLR stands for.

PLR simply refers to Private Label Rights. You can use these articles as you wish. You can even edit and rebrand these articles and use them as a lead magnet.

If you’re a beginner with affiliate marketing, offering PLR products as bonuses can also help improve your conversion rate and boost your commissions.

I have seen many affiliate websites offering PLR products as bonuses towards the end of their article.

However, always check the terms before editing anything! Lets dive in.

Step 1 – Research

Find the PLR article you would like to turn into a video.

I like to purchase PLR articles from theplrstore. There are many PLR sites out there but I like to use theplrstore as my personal preference.

theplrstore

Make sure you check the terms before making any changes to the original files.

theplrstore-check-terms

Once you have made your purchase, download the PLR articles to your desktop.

Step 2 – Template

Login into Content Samurai and click on Create A New Video to get started.

Create-new-video

You can choose from a variety of templates you can use to create your video.

For this tutorial, I will use a template from Video from an article or blog post. I went with the Viral Buzz template.

Click Use This Template to move onto the next step.

use-template

Step 3 – Script

Now you’re in the Script section of your video. You can copy and paste the PLR article here.

plr-article

paste-article

Make sure to start a new line for each sentence. This helps Content Samurai understand to start a new scene with each new sentence.

paste-article-01

paste-article-02

Having too much text on one slide can make it more difficult for people to digest the content.

Just leave all the options on the left-hand side checked for now.

Click Create Scenes For Your Video when you are done.

Step 4 – Scenes

Go through each scene and make sure the videos/images are related to the text.

You can change the current video/image by typing in a keyword related to your content.

Just under the search bar, there are keywords that Content Samurai have suggested.

Click on one of the keywords and it will show you related images and videos.

At the moment the sentence is positioned in the center of the screen.

You can change the position by clicking on Change text position.

If you don’t like the font or highlight color, you can click on the Style tab next to Layouts.

When you have made it to the final scene, click Add Voice Track To Your Video.

Step 5 – Voice Track Options

In the next section, you can add an automated voice or upload your own voice recording.

For this tutorial, I will leave it as Music only.

Click Preview Your Video to move onto the next step.

Step 6 – Preview

We’re almost at the end of the tutorial. In the Preview section, you can make final adjustments to your video.

If you would like to edit the text on certain scenes, click on Scenes instead of Script on the left side panel.

You can also select or upload your own music track as well as adjust the timing of each scene.

If the music track is too loud, you can use the Music Volume slider to reduce the volume.

To add more branding to your videos, you can upload your own watermark.

This also helps prevent other people from downloading your videos and reusing them.

Make sure to preview your video before clicking on Looks Good, Continue…

Step 7 – Download

Click Generate Your Video and Content Samurai will start to render your video.

generate-your-video

This may take a few minutes depending on the length of your video.

generate-your-video

Click on the Download Your Video button and you’re all done! See how quick and easy it is for you to create content.

download-your-video

You can upload these videos to video sharing sites such as YouTube and Vimeo for backlinks for your website.

Conclusion

You can check out my Content Samurai in depth review here.

You can also try Content Samurai out for 7-days free here.

How to Make Dropshipping Video Ads with Content Samurai in 2019

dropshipping-video-ad-tutorial

Content Samurai has recently released an update to their video creating software.

You can now create Viral Style videos with just a few clicks!

In today’s post, I will show you how to create viral style dropshipping videos using Content Samurai.

If you have been testing products on Facebook with just images and not seeing much success, you should definitely keep on reading this post.

⇒ Start your Content Samurai 7-day free trial here.

How to Create Viral Style Videos with Content Samurai

Step 1

Collect all the images and videos you need for your video. Place them in a folder so it makes finding and uploading your files easier later on.

You can screenshot the product images from the supplier. Make sure the images are high quality and not pixelated.

product-supplier
Do a quick search on YouTube for your product.

Sometimes I can find videos already made for the product that I am going to test with Facebook Ads. 

youtube-creative-commons-rights

Click on filters and check Creative Commons.

filter-creative-commons

You can reuse and edit videos under Creative Commons without getting into trouble for any copyright.

For this tutorial, I will use the pocket fishing rod. Make sure you see Creative Commons before you download the YouTube video.

Copy and paste the YouTube URL and head over to a website that converts your video to MP4. Just do a quick Google search and you will see a whole list of them. 

youtube-to-mp4

Download your video and save it in the same folder with your images.

Step 2

Login Content Samurai and click Create A New Video.

create-new-video

Now you should see the Template interface.

You can also create videos for your blog posts, sales videos, videos for your online course and property listing videos. 

For today’s tutorial, we will stick with the Video for social media.

You can preview a template by clicking on the thumbnail. Click the play button and it should start the demo video of the template.

I will choose the Blue Bars template for this tutorial. Click Use This Template to get started.

blue-bars-viral-template

Step 3

Next, type or copy and paste your script.

Content Samurai will automatically create scenes for each sentence. 

Just make sure each new sentence is on a separate line.

Click Edit Your Scenes when you’re ready to move onto the next step.

Step 4

In this section of Content Samurai, you can edit each scene of your video.

You can also upload your own images and video clips easily by clicking on Uploads tab. 

Just make sure you check the Clips or Images before uploading.

upload-images

upload-images-successfully

So right now I have a total of three scenes. 

I will show you how to add new scenes. Just click on the Add new scene above the scene previewer.

add-new-scene

From my image library, I can add different images of the product.

I can also change the text above and below the video. Just double click on the bar and it will allow you to start typing.

title-text

You can also adjust the background image by clicking Adjust background image. Drag the side to zoom into the image.

move-background-image

Make sure your Transition effects are consistent. You can check by clicking Transitions.

adjust-transition-effect

transition-effects

This will display all the different effects you can apply to your scene.

Clicking on the Style tab will give you more options for adjusting the text style.

style-adjustments

Once you have finished editing each scene, click Add Voice Track To Your Video.

Step 5

With this next step, you can add a music track, automated voice, record or upload your own voice track.

Depending on your budget, you can hire someone from Fiverr to record a voice-over which you can use for your dropshipping ad videos.

fiverr-voice-over

For this tutorial, I will download a separate music track and upload it to Content Samurai.

Click Preview Your Video and it will take you to the next step.

preview-video

Step 6

In the Preview section of Content Samurai, you can make the final adjustments to the video before rendering.

Since I used my own video clip, I will have to manually adjust the timing for the scene so that it doesn’t cut off abruptly. 

Click Manually Adjust Timing and it will expose the timeline. All you have to do is drag the green line to move each scene. 

manually-adjust-timing

Next to the green line is the timing for each scene.

Since the video of the fishing rod demonstration is around 14 seconds long, all I have to do was drag the green line 14 seconds to the right. 

It was a bit confusing for me at first but it is really easy once you get the hang of it. 

You can do this for each scene. Click Hide Timing when you’re done.

Now I will show you how to upload your own music track. Click on My Music and Upload Music.

my-music-tab

upload-music-track

Once your music track has uploaded successfully, check the tick on the left to apply it to your video.

If the music track is playing too loud, you can manually adjust the volume by dragging the Music Volume slider.

Before we finish up, I will show you how you can add a watermark to your video for more branding. 

You want your videos to be consistent with your store’s branding to create more trust and perceived value for your products. 

It’s also a great way to protect your videos from other lazy dropshipper’s who steal other people’s videos!

Click on Watermark > Create New Watermark.

I quickly created a logo for this demonstration to show you how easy it is to add your business logo as a watermark.

logo-creation

You can also adjust the Scale and Opacity so that the watermark is not too distracting.

adjust-watermark

You can move the watermark by using your mouse and dragging it the position you like.

If you would like to edit any scene, just click on Scenes on your left-hand side and it will take you back to each individual screen.

Once you’re satisfied and ready to render your video, click Looks Good, Continue…

looks-good-continue

You will see a Generate Your Video button appear. Click that button and Content Samurai will start working its magic.

generate-your-video

When that is done, click Download Your Video and you are all done!

download-video

Now, you might be thinking, “do I have to start all over again if I want to use a different template
?”.

The answer is…no!

One of the cool features I love about Content Samurai is the ability to duplicate my video without having to start from the beginning again. I will show you how to do this.

When you’re back at the My Videos dashboard, find the video you would like to reuse. 

Hover your mouse over the thumbnail to expose the Clone option. 

clone-template

All you have to do now is click Template and choose a different template you would like to use.

However keep in mind, you may have to resize your images again so that it sits nicely in a square format. 

Here’s a mockup of what the video would look like on a Facebook newsfeed.

facebook-video-ad-example

I’ve also added the exported ad video for you to check out.

Conclusion

Creating videos is a must if you want to succeed with dropshipping, especially if you’re relying on Facebook Ads.

Content Samurai is an easy tool to use to create these videos quickly without a steep learning curve compared to other programs.

If you want to increase your sales and profits, creating videos ads will be much more engaging compared to images.

Using these viral style video ads is a perfect way to grab the customers attention when they are scrolling through their Facebook newsfeed.

⇒ You can start your 7-day free trial here.

⇒ You can also read my full Content Samurai review here.

How to Create Simple Videos for Local Businesses Using Content Samurai in 2019

I have been using Content Samurai for quite some time now. 

It’s an awesome tool that has helped me turn my blog posts into videos. 

I can upload these videos onto YouTube and other video sharing sites to create more backlinks for my blogs.

However, you can also use Content Samurai to create videos for other people and their businesses. 

In today’s post, I will show you how you can use Content Samurai to create videos for local businesses and make yourself some extra money.

If you keep reading till the end, I have also included the demo video just to prove to you how cool Content Samurai is.

Let’s dive in.

How to Create Simple Videos Using Content Samurai

Step 1

In this example, I will use a real estate business as part of the demonstration.

The first step is to head over to Google, type in real estate and “your location”.

For this tutorial, I will be using Sydney as my location. 

Here is a quick tip, I like to skip the first page and focus on the second page onwards. 

The reason why I like to start like this is that most of the businesses on the second page of Google are not really optimized for the real estate keyword, or they simply do not have an online marketing strategy in place.

This is also an opportunity for you to upsell your own digital marketing services for more money.

Step 2

Analyze their website and social media profiles (if any).

Having a quick look at their Facebook profile, I noticed that they don’t have any video content for their real estate listings.

Instead, they only share the URL directly on their newsfeed.

We can see that a static image is not very engaging combined with all that text.

Step 3

Now head back to the business website, and choose one property listing to use with Content Samurai.

Save all the images onto your desktop. You will use these images for each scene of the video.

Step 4

Login Content Samurai, once you are in the dashboard, click Create A New Video.

Now you should see the Template interface.

On your left-hand side, you will see the different types of templates we can use to create our video.

For this tutorial, we will focus on Property Listing Square 1 video. 

Click on the tab with the house icon and it will display all the templates we can use for our property listing video.

If you would like to see what each template can do, just click on the thumbnail and it will expose the demo video.

Click Use This Template and the fun is about to begin!

Step 5

Now you should be in the script area of your video.

In this section, you will copy and paste the text from the property listing.

You can be selective with the amount of text you want to be displayed throughout the video.

Make sure the script matches up with the images. You don’t want to confuse the audience.

Here’s a quick tip, you can start each sentence or phrase on a new line.

This tells Content Samurai to start a new scene to keep the text legible and not cluttered.

Click Create Scenes when you’re done with the script.

Step 6

Remember the images we saved earlier? 

In this next step, you will have to upload them onto Content Samurai. 

If you don’t, Content Samurai will add it’s own default stock content.

Click the Uploads Tab, check Images and click Upload Image. 

Depending on how big your images are, it will take a few seconds. 

Step 7

Once the images have finished uploading, you can edit and make adjustments for each scene.

You can change the text location by clicking the grid icon. 

On the left side panel, you can also adjust the text color, text weight and the text highlight color and weight.

As you can see the text for this scene is covering the image in the background.

You can easily adjust the image by clicking Adjust background image. 

Now you can zoom in and also manually adjust the image by dragging with the mouse.

I could have aligned the text towards the top, however I will be adding the business logo in the corner as a watermark. 

Don’t worry, I will also show you how you can easily add a watermark to your video.

When you’re happy with each scene, hit the Add Voice Track To Video to move onto the next step.

Step 8

Now you should see the Voice Track Options interface.

You can choose to use a music track, an automated voice or even record your own voice track for the video.

 

For this tutorial, I’ll stick to using a music track. 

Click Preview Your Video and it will take you to the next step.

Step 9

You’re almost done!

Before we finish up with this tutorial, I will show you how you can easily create a watermark to add more branding to your videos.

Click on the Watermark tab next to Music.

click-watermark-tab

Hopefully, the logo you are using is a PNG file without a background.

I had to remove the white background in Photoshop before adding it into the video.

remove-background

Next, click Create New Watermark 

create-new-watermark

 

You can adjust the position, size and opacity of the watermark. Click Save Watermark when you’re ready.

adjust-watermark

 

I like to reduce the opacity so that the logo is not too distracting. We want the audience to focus on our content.

Step 10

We’re almost done.

Click on the Music tab next to the Watermark.

In this section, you can choose a music track to suit the video. You can also preview the track by clicking the play button.

If each scene is playing too fast or too slow, you can manually adjust the timing. 

You can also adjust the music volume by dragging the Music Volume slider.

Click Looks Good, Continue… when you’re satisfied with the settings.

Step 11

Now you should able to see a Generate Your Video button. 

Click that button and Content Samurai will start to render your video within a few minutes.

Once the video has finished rendering, you can download your video onto your desktop.

All done!

Here’s a quick preview of the final video.

Conclusion

You can use the Content Samurai app to create as many videos as you like within the 7-day free trial.

You can offer these videos to florists, physiotherapists, dentists and coffee shops. It doesn’t have to be just real estate agents.

The amount you can potentially earn will depend on the length of each video and how much you are charging.

When you find potential businesses that might be interested in your service, offer them a free video to demonstrate what you can do for them.

This is a great way to get your foot through the door and it also leaves a good first impression since you’re providing them with value first.

I would also recommend selling your videos as a bundle for their social media or YouTube channels.

If you have any questions about Content Samurai, leave me a comment below. I would love to hear from you.

⇒ If you’re interested in Content Samurai, you can check out my in depth review here.

⇒ You can also sign up to a 7-day free trial here.

How to Make a Real Estate Listing Video Using Content Samurai

Hey, its Darren.

Google is always updating their algorithms which makes SEO more difficult to gain traction especially if you’re new to digital marketing space.

However, there are other methods of generating more traffic. This can be accomplished by video marketing.

In today’s post, I will show you how you can Content Samurai to create your own real estate listing videos quickly.

If you’re a real estate agent, you can use these videos to promote your business and market your listings on your social media profiles.

Video is becoming more popular and it’s a quick way to grab your audience’s attention when they’re scrolling through their newsfeeds.

Let’s dive in!

How to Create a Real Estate Listing Video using Content Samurai

Step 1

Find a real estate listing to use for your video. 

 

Most real estate listings will include images and copy which you can easily add to Content Samurai.

Step 2

Login Content Samurai.

From the dashboard, click Create A New Video.

On the left side panel, click Property listing video.

You will now see all the templates you can use on the right side of your screen.

You can also choose between the standard landscape template or squared template for social media platforms.

Clicking on a template thumbnail will show you a demo video.

For this demonstration, I will use the square template.

Just click on the template and then hit the Use This Template button to get started.

Step 3

Now, from the property listing, just highlight the copy and paste it into the text field in Content Samurai.

 

You can also enter a title for your video.

 

Tip: Make sure each sentence is on a new line. This will tell the app to start a new slide.

Once you’re done, click Edit Scenes.

Step 4

Content Samurai will automatically add their own media files. We don’t want to use this so we will upload our own content. 

Head back to the property listing and save the images directly onto your desktop.

In Content Samurai, click on the Uploads tab > Images. 

You can click Upload Image or drag them into the Drop Images Here.

Step 5

Now it’s the fun part. 

Once the images have finished uploading, you can select which images you would like to use in each scene.

You can also adjust the color and position of the text.

 

Clicking the Grid will show you the position of the text. 

 

For this example, I changed the text highlight color by simply using the color picker tool.

 

You can also edit the Transition effect by clicking the checkered icon.

 

Once you have finished, click Add Voice Track To Your Video.

Step 6

This next step is optional.

You can add a music clip to the video and also an automated voice to read the text of each slide.

If you don’t like how the automated voice sounds, you can record your own voice over as long as you have a high-quality microphone. 

For this demonstration, I’ll just add music only. 

Hit Preview Your Video when you’re done. 

Step 7

If you have a business logo, you can upload it and it will automatically display on each scene.

For this demo, I made a quick logo to show you how easy it is to add a watermark to your video.

 

You can also adjust the scale and opacity of the watermark.

Positioning is very easy by simply dragging the logo with the mouse. 

Hit Save Watermark when you’re happy with the settings.

If you find each scene are playing too slow, you can adjust the scene timer.

 

You can also use our own music track by clicking on the My Music tab and Upload Music from your desktop.

For this video demo, I will stick to the default music tracks supplied by Content Samurai.

While previewing, if you noticed there’s an error on one of the scenes, you can hit the Scenes tab on the left side panel. 

This will allow you to edit each scene directly without adjusting the script again.

Once you’re happy with everything, click Looks Good, Continue…

Step 8

Now you should see a Generate Your Video button.

Click that button and the Content Samurai app will start rendering your video.

This may take a few minutes. 

Sometimes the app may freeze, just hit refresh on your browser and it should restart the rendering process again, but this time it won’t freeze. 

Step 9

Once the video has finished rendering, you will see Download Your Video button.

Click that button and save your video.

Now you’re all done! How easy was that? Within a few minutes, we have video content that we can use to promote on our social media profiles.

Conclusion

So what do you think about Content Samurai? Pretty cool right?

Within a few minutes, we have made a professional real estate listing video.

I have uploaded the demo video for you to check out just to prove that this app works.

You can even make these videos for other local businesses in your area such as coffee shops, hairdressers, child care centers etc…

It’s a great side hustle to make some extra money which you can use to invest back into your affiliate marketing or dropshipping business.

⇒ If you’re interested in Content Samurai, you can check out my in depth review here.

⇒ You can also sign up to a 7-day free trial here.

15 Common Dropshipping Mistakes and How to Avoid Them as a Beginner

1. Do your research with paid advertising

For many dropshipping beginners, you will be focused on using Facebook ads to drive traffic to your store. It’s important to understand the different campaigns, adets and objectives.

When I first started dropshipping, I made the mistake of setting up my Facebook Ads campaign objective around Traffic.

I was getting a significant number of visitors to my store each day.

I was spending $20 a day even scaling my budget to $50 a day to see if I can make a small return just to break even at this point.

However, I did not make a single sale… Why is that?

The traffic that was coming from Facebook wasn’t targeted at people who are actively shopping online. I was literally pouring money down the drain and feeding Facebook’s wallet.

I recommend playing around with the Facebook ads dashboard to familiarize yourself with the platform before investing your money in paid ads.

YouTube and blog articles are great resources to educate yourself. Keep your budget small if you’re a beginner. 

To be successful with paid ads, you will have to test, test and test to find out what works best for you. 

You can increase your ad budget when you scale winning ad sets. 

2. Selling Tradmarked Products

Selling trademarked products on your store is a recipe for disaster. 

There are hundreds of products you can find on Aliexpress with Star Wars, Rick and Morty and Harry Potter designs and branding.  

These products are much easier to sell since the brands are already established with a passionate fan base.

However, selling these trademarked products on your store may get you into some trouble. 

When I first started out with dropshipping, I use to sell anime related products that were trademarked on my store.

Things were going well until Shopify payments, Stripe, PayPal and Facebook banned me from using their services. Just like that, I was wiped out.

Even though making sales was easy, it’s really not worth the headache. At the time, it was very unfortunate but it was a great lesson learnt. 

An easy way for beginners to find products to sell is to look for products that are problem solvers. 

3. Always Test New Ads

Facebook is constantly being updated with new ways to display ads on their platform.

Testing new ads will help optimize your adsets to find what works best for your store and your customers. It also keeps your brand fresh by using new ad creatives. 

Have a look at small and big brands to find inspiration. Analyze their copywriting and visual elements. Are people commenting, sharing and liking the ad?

Right now, if you check your Facebook feed and engage with an ad, I guarantee you will see a different version of that ad targeting you again. 

That’s because they are constantly trying new ads to see what makes the most ROI. 

Knowing which ads works best for your customers will allow you to make better decisions when you invest in paid advertising. 

4. Wrong Expectations

Most dropshipping beginners expect to make thousands of dollars by running $5 Facebook adsets. 

I’m not going to lie, I thought it was going to be easy at the start but I was wrong. 

Dropshipping is a business and you will have to treat it like a real business to see the right results.

Many marketing gurus make dropshipping sound easy so that people will buy their courses. 

The hard truth is, most of these gurus don’t make their money from dropshipping but from selling people their courses.

There’s a saying, when there is a gold rush, sell shovels. 

5. Giving up to soon

Similar to the previous point, if you have the wrong expectations from the start, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. 

Many beginners give up too early in their dropshipping journey and claim dropshipping is a scam or its “dead”.

There can be a variety of reasons why your store isn’t converting the way you want it to. It can also be your ad sets and how your marketing your products.

To make any business work, whether its a traditional brick and mortar or online store, you will have to focus, be determined and persistent in order to achieve success. 

6. Spending too much time deciding between a general and niche store

There’s going to be mixed opinions about starting with a general store versus a niche store.

If you’re a beginner, I highly recommend you start off with a general store so that you have the opportunity to test multiple products from different niches.

Once you find a winning product, you can branch out and start another store around that niche. 

This is where you can scale your dropshipping business by ordering in bulk and letting a fulfillment center process your orders. 

As a result, you will have your own branded products and more control over shipping times. 

7. Know your audience

Understanding who your customers are will help you target the right people who would benefit the most from purchasing your products or services. 

Knowing these small details about your customers will help you create marketing content that resonates with their pain points thus easier to convert them on your store. 

This also helps with lowering your adspend when your ads are placed in front of the right people.

8. Poor customer support

This is a common problem I see many dropshippers fail to get right.

They are too focused with making sales and ignore their customers who are asking questions or making a complaint about their recent order.

If you have a Facebook page for your store, please communicate with your customers like talking to a friend and avoid copying and pasting your product page URL when it’s not relevant to the customers enquiry. 

9. Having the wrong mindset

I get it, you started a dropshipping business to make money. But if you’re constantly chasing the money, you will eventually burn out and lose interest in your business.

Use your dropshipping business as an opportunity to help solve your customers’ pain points. Promote high quality products and be passionate about your customer service.

When I changed my mindset from wanting to make money to helping and providing value for my customers, it kept me motivated and more focused with my dropshipping business. 

10. Find trustworthy suppliers

There are thousands of suppliers on Aliexpress and it can be a bit overhwelming finding the right ones to rely on.

Don’t make the mistake of choosing any supplier and finding out later they haent shipped out your customers orders or become silent when you try to contact them.

Here are a few things I look for when selecting a vendor or supplier to work with:

  • Are they responsive to your questions?
  • Are the products high quality? (Check past customer reviews or order the product to test for yourself just to make sure)
  • Do they ship on time and honor their refund and return policy?
  • How old is their store and what is their overall rating?
  • Do they have high quality images?
  • Do they have related products for upsells?

It’s always a good idea to build a relationship with your supplier so that you can do business with them long term. You can also negotiate prices and even faster shipping times. 

11. Be clear with your Shipping and Handling details

Its important to display your shipping and handling times throughout your store and product pages. 

You don’t want a customer to freak out when they haven’t received their order in a few days. 

Being transparent and upfront will reduce the number of emails from ing from angry customers asking about their package. 

You can offer your customers a flat rate shipping price to make it easier for you and your customers.

12. Not enough branding

You want your brand to be seen throughout your store to increase brand loyalty and retain more customers long term.

Avoid using colors or fonts that does not match your branding. I have seen many stores use bright fluro colors with fonts that make is very difficult to read text on their store.

Make sure you have a high quality logo on your homepage and checkout page to ensure your brand is seen throughout the shopping experience. 

Some suppliers also offer custom packaging and branded packing slips printed with your logo. 

You can also send a follow up email to say thank you and ask the customer to fill out a survey about their shopping experience.

13. Supplier Marketing Material

When a customer places an order on your store, it is your duty to make sure you process the order as soon as possible to avoid any delays. 

One thing you should not forget is to leave a little note for the supplier to not include their own marketing material when they ship your customers package. 

You don’t want to confuse your customers or raise any red flags when they open up their package.

14. Not optimizing for Mobile

Many beginners focus on optimizing their store on desktop but forget to optimize for mobile devices. 

They often use images that are too big which takes forever to load on smaller devices. Let’s not forget about the plugins and extra apps that need to load every time a user refreshes the page.

Since you will be using Facebook to run ads, most of your customers will be viewing your store on mobile.

If you’re on a budget at the start you can opt of a free Shopify theme that works pretty decent for both desktop and mobile. 

But if you have some extra cash, I highly recommend investing in a premium theme and I guarantee it will make a huge difference in improving your store’s user experience on desktop and mobile.

Most premium themes include marketing plugins that will help you save money long-term compared to using a standard theme and installing apps which you have to pay a monthly fee to use. 

This can quickly add up and affect your profits. 

15. Be clear with your refund and return policy

Be organized and have a system in place to handle refunds and returns. It’s important to work with trustworthy suppliers and selecting high quality products to minimize your returns and refund rate. 

You can state in your store’s policy that you do not offer any returns on items that are on sale. 

If they are very unsatisfied with their purchase, just refund their money, no questions asked. 

Sometimes you will have to take a loss and move on as it’s not worth dealing with an aggressive customer.

15 Side Hustle Ideas To Make You Extra Money In 2019

One of the best ways to earn some extra cash is a side hustle.

Side hustles can help improve your finances since they do not require large, upfront investments or specialized skills to start.

For example, I was able to pay off my credit card debt by buying and flipping items on eBay for a profit.

In today’s post, I have compiled a list of 15 side hustle ideas which you can help you make some extra money.

Side Hustle Ideas to Make Extra Money From Home

1. Amazon Flex

amazon-flex

If you don’t mind driving, you can consider becoming a delivery partner with Amazon Flex.

With Amazon Flex, you get to work around your own schedule. You can make up to $18 to $25 delivering packages for Amazon.

All you need is your own transportation and a smartphone to install the Amazon flex app.

Pros

  • You get to choose when you work.
  • Flexible hours

Cons

  • Wear and tear on your car
  • Delivering to apartments with gates and gated communities can be challenging.
  • High chance of being chased by dogs
  • Weather conditions
  • Support is only available through email

2. Charging Scooters

recharging-scooters

The next gig involves picking up scooters and recharging them.

If you live in the right place, this is something anyone can do. The two most popular scooter brands are Bird and Lime.

For Bird, they can pay you between $3 to $30 per scooter. The pay rate will be based on when the scooter was last charged and becomes available again.

With Lime, they will pay you $5 per scooter. It may seem like a small amount, but over time the money will add up.

If you live in a city with many scooters available, one way to recharge them is to collect them on your way home from work, charge them over night and drop them off on the way to work.

You will need a smartphone to install the app to find available scooters to pick up and recharge. If you have a large vehicle, you can pick up as many scooters as you like.

Pros

  • Flexible with your work schedule.
  • Chargers are similar to the ones we use for laptops. They are interchangeable with different companies.
  • Small costs of recharging a scooter
  • Scooters are eco-friendly.

Cons

  • Wear and tear on your car
  • Hoarders can make it difficult for you to find scooters

3. Providing a service locally (e.g car washing, car detailing, mowing lawns)

local-service

Do you have skills in certain areas that can be used to help others solve their problems?

For example, I see one person in a Facebook group about cars advertising his car detailing business. The best part about this marketing method is it’s for free. he pays $0 and has access to a niche with passionate people.

How much you can earn really depends on your skills and experience. In the beginning, you might have to charge people a bit less to get your foot through the door.

It’s a great way to build your own brand and also make money doing what you love.

Pros

  • Get paid for doing what you love and good at
  • Great way to develop a brand locally
  • You can set your work schedule

Cons

  • Depending on your expertise, you may have to invest some money in tools and a vehicle for transportation.
  • Can take some time to find customers and establish a brand

4. Flipping items on eBay

selling-on-ebay

The next side hustle idea has been around for ages. This is one of my favorite methods of making some extra cash on the side.

You can go to garage sales or thrift stores to find items people want and list them on eBay for a profit.

There’s a small community of full-time eBay resellers on YouTube who teaches their audience about flipping items.

You can also use the Facebook marketplace to find items locally which you can pick up and resell.

The amount of money you can earn will depend on the items you list. You will have to take calculate your expenses which include packaging material, shipping costs, and eBay fees.

Overall, eBay is a trusted marketplace and the traffic is already there. All you can start off with selling items lying around your house which you don’t need. It’s a great way for you to learn how to sell things online.

Pros

  • Anyone can sign up to eBay and start selling today. User-friendly interface.
  • Great for introverts (like me!)
  • Develop skills for running your own business. You will have to package, ship and answer customer inquiries.
  • Fees are not as high as Amazon

Cons

  • Can be time-consuming. You will have to source products, take pictures and list them on eBay
  • Scams can happen from time to time. A customer will receive their product and claim they’ve received an incorrect item and make a claim with PayPal.
  • There is a learning curve when you’re first starting out but it gets quite easy over time.
  • Selling items does take some time. Certain products may sell faster.
  • Customer service and dealing with negative feedback.

5. Dropshipping – E-commerce Business

dropshipping-e-commerce (1)

Dropshipping is another side hustle you can consider. As a dropshipper, you are the middle man who connects a customer to a supplier.

The beauty with the dropshipping model is you do not have to worry about an inventory or warehousing costs. All you have to do is create an e-commerce website and send traffic to your offers.

How much you earn will depend on how much money and time you want to invest.

Dropshipping can be side hustle or scaled up to a full-time business.

To start a dropshipping side hustle, all you need is just a laptop and an internet connection.

There is a learning curve in the beginning and will take some time to get use to the tools and software you will need.

You’re most likely a one-man team and will be required of doing many tasks and learn new skills along the way.

If you’re interested with learning how to start your own dropshipping business, click here to read my eCom Elites review.

Pros

  • Minimum upfront costs (domain name, website, internet connection and a desktop/laptop)
  • You don’t have to worry about inventory and warehousing expenses.
  • There are many great business skills you can develop with running your own e-commerce business.
  • Many tasks can be outsourced.
  • Potential of developing a long term brand.

Cons

  • You will need some money to spend on paid ads to drive traffic.
  • There is a learning curve and you will be required to develop new skills.
  • You don’t have control over product quality and shipping times.

6. Renting out your car

renting-out-car

The next side hustle is kind of like Airbnb for cars. Instead of renting out a spare room, you are renting out a car instead.

If your household has multiple cars, you can make use of the ones that don’t get driven as much by renting them out to other people.

You can use a peer to peer service like Turo to list your car. The amount of money you can earn from renting out your car will vary.

You will have to make sure your car is well maintained and kept clean.

Pros

  • Rent out your can to make extra money when you’re not using it.
  • You can choose who can rent your car.
  • Services like Turo provides insurance for your car.

Cons

  • If your car becomes totaled or stolen it is possible you won’t see your car for an extended period.
  • Increase costs in car maintenance and wear and tear.

7. Online Chat Support

chat-support

Providing customer service online. You can work from home as long as you have access to a computer and internet connection.

You can up to $9 to $18 depending on the company and you will have to be able to type quickly with little error.

Pros

  • You can work almost anywhere as long as you have an internet connection.
  • Schedule is flexible
  • No commute to and from work

Cons

  • Be ready to deal with rude people
  • You may have to work an odd shift

8. Food delivery e.g Ubereats

uber-eats

The next side hustle idea is becoming more popular around the globe with more people ordering food online.

You can sign up and become a delivery partner with Uber or other similar food delivery services.

How much you can earn will vary from different companies. Depending on the location you live, this can be a great side hustle you can do in your spare time.

If you like to drive, you can use your car or if you like to save some gas money, a motorcycle or bicycle can do the job as well.

Pros

  • You can work your own hours and decide how many times a day you want to work.
  • There is no limit to the hours you drive.
  • There is no limit to how long you work for UberEats. The contract is an independent contractor, so you are not an UberEats employee, and as long as your ratings are high, you will continue to work for them for as long as you decide.
  • You don’t have a boss or supervisor
  • Pay can be instant depending on the company your representing.
  • Learn how to navigate the city
  • Referral bonuses, when you add a customer or driver, you get a cash bonus, usually a discount of $5 for the first order, and you also get a discount, so it’s worthwhile using your referral code as often as possible.

Cons

  • The Uber fee is taken off your income
  • Waiting times at restaurants: you still have to wait for the food to be prepared and packaged. You also have to check to see if the order is full and correct and make sure there are condiments and utensils.
  • factor in depreciation, gas and other yearly costs for maintaining a car
  • You are not allowed to take tips
  • you have to deal with weird locations and finding a door in a building complex
  • Dealing with traffic

9. Private Parking Space – Kerb

renting-out-car

Do you have space in your front yard that you don’t use and would like to make some extra cash?

Well, you can consider renting out space on your driveway that doesn’t get much use.

This is a side hustle anyone can do since it’s so easy!

If you live in a certain area that is close to the train station or airport, this gig maybe for you.

There are people who are looking to park conveniently close to their workplace or spectators who need to park near to a concert or entertainment venue.

Depending on where you live, different rental agencies will offer different pay rates.

Pros

  • Can potentially make good money for little effort
  • No big investment required before you start earning
  • You don’t necessarily need to be at home when the tenant arrives
  • Helps relieve pressure on street parking in heavily congested areas
  • less intrusive and personal than letting a room or space inside your home
  • You are performing a useful public service by helping to meet the demand for parking
  • Flexible pricing means you can compete with commercial car parks and still turn a healthy profit

Cons

  • Your parking space may not be suitable
  • Possible home insurance and/or mortgage complications
  • Rental spots in low-demand areas may not be very profitable
  • If access is restricted, you may need to be available to give tenants entry
  • You won’t be able to use the space yourself while it is being used by a customer
  • You need to regularly monitor bookings, and respond to communications and queries

10. Freelancing e.g Writing content

freelancing-upwork

Helping others with your specialized skills is a great way to generate some extra cash on the side.

You can sign up to platforms like Fiverr and Upwork and list your services as a freelancer.

The best part about freelancing is  the opportunity to do what you love and get paid for it.

Pros

  • Flexible schedule, hours and location
  • You are the boss in control
  • You can select and choose clients you like to work with
  • Unlimited earning potential
  • No commute or commuting costs
  • Getting to pursue your passion projects
  • No office politics or annual performance reviews
  • Casual work attire
  • Learning new skills with running your freelance business
  • variety of projects and clients

Cons

  • Hustling for new gigs
  • Inconsistent work and cash flow
  • Juggling multiple clients
  • Answering to multiple clients
  • No paid time off, no maternity/paternity leave
  • No company-sponsored health benefits
  • No one to back you up if you’re sick or injured
  • Running every business aspect
  • Feeling scattered/unfocused and lacking structure

11. Rent-a-friend

rent-a-friend

Did you know you can rent a friend? This side hustle is great for those who are outgoing and adventurous.

If you have some spare time and would like to meet new people, you can rent out your time at an hourly rate.

A website like rentafriend.com and can help you connect with others who are looking for friends to accompany them in social activities.

Pros

  • Opportunities to meet new people locally and from around the world.
  • As the person rented, you get to make money all the while having fun and exploring new places.
  • You can make long term friendships

Cons

  • You don’t know the person’s intention until you meet up with them.
  • As the person getting hired, your safety is not always assured.
  • Sometimes the needs the clients might be risky.

12. Domain Flipping

domain-flipping

Domain flipping is a money making method that involves purchasing domain names and then reselling the names for a profit. You can flip cars or even houses for a profit.

I recommend using a website like justdropped and sign up to their email list to be notified of domains that have recently expired which you can purchase and resell for a profit.

Domain flipping does take time to see returns and you will be required to spend some money to purchase these domains.

Depends on how much someone is willing to pay for the domain name. Some things you need to consider when purchasing a domain is things like the length of the domain name, age and authority and domain extension.All you need is an internet connection and some key skills when searching for domains to flip.

Cons

  • Time Consuming: This is the main challenge when it comes to domain flipping. You will need time to do research before purchasing any domains. As a domain flipper you will need patience and should not be expecting sales in the first few months. Some domains can take years to see a significant return on your investment.
  • Might Feel Discouraged: Domain flipping is not easy when you first start and not seeing any money in your bank account can be discouraging. Just be patient and stay focused on what you’re doing and you will see results, don’t quit.
  • It Involves Risk: Every online business involves risk. Some people buy domain names without even knowing who the buyer will be. Sometimes you might buy domains that violate trademarks or with bad back links which no one light be interested in.  You can minimize your risk by setting up a good plan and strategy.
  • Consumes Cash: If you like eating pizza while working you might need to give it a halt when starting your flipping business. At the start you need to put in cash in buying domain and if possible getting some email marketing tool or auto responder for your promotions and campaigns. This is just for the start, no one like to be broke. With time you might get back to your usual life style if things are done the right way.
  • You are Likely to Make Many Mistakes: This is very common with newbies in the flipping business. Some common mistakes you can make as a domain flipper includes: Include buying many domains, buying the wring domain, selling at a cheaper rate and more. In the next part we will see some mistakes which you must avoid when it comes to flipping domains.

13. Pet Sitting

pet-sitting

Similar to babysitting, pet sitting is simply taking care of pets in their own home while their owner is away.

If you love being around animals, this side hustle is right down your alley!

Pros

  • Your pet gets to stay within the comfort of their own home and can stick to their everyday routine
  • Sitters can do the housesitting chores in addition to caring for the pet
  • Visits will be done on your requested schedule. 
  • Pet is getting one-on-one attention and care.
  • Less risk for the pet to be exposed to contagious illnesses that may be lurking in a kennel.

Cons

  • The pet sitter will be in your home while you’re away. Make sure you choose a pet sitting company that thoroughly screens their sitters.
  • Could be stressful for pets that are used to having company throughout their day.

14. Rent out your place on Airbnb

air-bnb

If you have an investment property or a spare room you would like to generate some extra income, you can rent out your space on platforms like Airbnb.

These services make it easier for tenants to find accommodation when traveling.

Pros

  • More Flexibility: you can block off certain dates on your Airbnb calendar in case you’re not in town or on vacation, friends or family staying in town or you need to repair something and require a bit of time.
  • More Control: By listing your place on Airbnb, you can check on your home regularly to make sure your tenants do not cause any damage to your property. When a tenant makes a booking for your place, you will receive payment straight away.
  • More Income: It’s possible to make more money monthly compared to listing your place for rent traditionally. If you live in the right area with enough demand, you can make more money as a host on Airbnb compared to being a landlord.  

Cons

  • Less Certainty: You’re not guaranteed to make a steady income each month.
  • Less Freedom: Depending on your lifestyle, you will have to dedicate some time to cleaning and preparing your place for the next tenants.
  • Less Early Profits: You will have to spend some money upfront to furnish your home and make it more welcoming for new guests.

15. Help someone with an odd task

help-with-odd-task

Similar to Uber, you can sign up to platforms like Airtasker or Taskrabbit that connects people who need help with completing a task with people who are ready to work.

Pros

  • Being your own boss and choosing when you want to work.
  • Negotiate how much you are paid for each task you complete.
  • You can decline certain tasks you do not want to do. However, canceling often can affect your account negatively.

Cons

  • Getting into contact with support can be challenging and time-consuming.
  • Hours can be limited to how much you can work.
  • Can be labor intensive.
  • More competition means a reduced amount of work you can find.

How to Invest Your First $1000 in 2019: 7 Ways to Make Passive Income

investing-money

In today’s post, I will share with you 7 ways you can invest your first $1000 to make passive income in the future.

7 Ways You can Make Passive Income at Home

1. Financial Literacy

“The most important investment you can make is in yourself.” – Warren Buffet

First on the is financial literacy. You might be thinking, “why do I need to care about financial literacy?”. 

You would be surprised with the number of people who do not understand about managing their finances and end up swimming in a sea of debt when they are adults.

As I started to reach my mid 20’s I was in a lot of debt which restricted my cash flow. I felt like I was stuck in the mud.

I wanted to use my hard earned money to invest in my side hustles but I couldn’t since I had to pay back my debt plus interest on top! Month after month it felt like this debt was never going to leave me. 

I realised school did not teach me about saving money, distinguish between a need and a want, managing budgets, paying bills on time or planning for retirement. 

Instead, they force you to learn subjects that have little value once you’re in the real adult world.

Financial literacy provides you with the information you need to adjust your lifestyle and help you create a roadmap for better financial decisions. 

You can read books and blogs about managing your finances. Your local library is also a great source of information. Spend a day at your local library, you will be surprised at the content you can find for free.

You can also purchase ebooks from Amazon, online video courses and attend community college courses.

Watching videos on YouTube is a quick and cost effective way of educating yourself about finance.

Becoming a financially responsible adult will free you from debt and provide you with enough money for you to enjoy when you retire. 

2. Blogging

You can start a blog for less than $100. All you need is a domain, hosting and a simple WordPress theme. It’s a great online business model to make money online for beginners. 

Decide what niche you’re interested in. It will help if you’re passionate about the content you will be creating. 

You will have to do some keyword research and find out what your audience’s pain points are and how you can add value and help solve their problems.

Overtime as your blog ranks in the search engines and traffic starts to come in, you can monetize your blog to make more money. If you don’t like to write your own content, I recommend outsourcing this task to freelancers on Upwork or iWriter. 

Creating your own blog is super easy. You can check out my tutorial here. 

Pros and Cons of Blogging

Advantages

  • Business Opportunity: You have the potential to monetise your blog and turn it into a full-time business.
  • Flexibility: You can work from anywhere as long as you have a laptop and an internet connection. 
  • Purpose: If you have a business website or e-commerce store, adding a blog and consistently updating your blog with quality content will help search engines rank your website and attract more visitors.
  • Daily Journal: Great platform to document your journey and business.
  • Outreach: When you create informative and engaging posts, your visitors are more likely to share your content with their friends. In return, you will gain new followers and subscribers.

Disadvantages

  • Laziness: Having a flexible workplace can often lead to laziness if you’re not careful. It’s always a good idea to have a clean workspace free from clutter and remember to take regular breaks so you’re not indoors for long periods of time.
  • SEO: You will have to learn SEO and it does take time to master. There’s no point of creating amazing posts if no one is going to read them. Google is constantly changing their algorithms so its important  to constantly learn new techniques to optimize your blog.
  • It’s a business: If you take your blog seriously and treat it as a business, you will be able to turn it into a full time business. It’s important to always optimize the user experience on your blog by making it easier for your audience to digest content. You want your audience to stay engaged with your content and keeps them coming back for more.
  • It takes time: Blogging is not a get rich quick scheme. To create a sustainable blog that will continuously make you money in the future will take time, patience and discipline. You will have to add value first by providing quality content which connects to your audience and then the money will follow eventually.

3. Start an e-commerce store

Another way of investing your first $1000 is starting your own e-commerce store. 

But you’re probably thinking, “what do I sell and where do I find this stuff”?

If you’re a beginner you can do this two ways. The first method is to dropship products from a supplier individually or you can purchase items at wholesale.

For beginners who would like to sell stuff online, I recommend the dropshipping method.

E-commerce platforms like Shopify have made it super easy for beginners to set up their first store. 

Pros and Cons of Dropshipping

Advantages

  • Low start-up costs: You only have to buy the items once you make a sale. Even if you didn’t have money to start off with, you can use a credit card to pay for the items.
  • Less risk: You don’t have to worry about keeping inventory you can’t sell.
  • No storage needed: You don’t have to worry about finding a place to store your inventory or warehouse expenses.
  • Hands-free: All the packaging and shipping is done by the supplier. You don’t have to make regular trips to your local post office.

Disadvantages

  • Low Profit Margins: With dropshipping, your profit margins will be lower compared to purchasing items at wholesale. 
  • Unreliable suppliers: Your goal as a dropshipper is to drive traffic to you store and convert your visitors into paying customers. A bad supplier can take your money and not send out the goods to your customers. When you receive too many negative reviews, it can destroy your business reputation. It’s important to research trustworthy suppliers.
  • Takes time: this is not a get rich scheme.

If you would like to learn how to create your own profitable dropshipping business, you can check out my eCom Elites course review here.

4. Pay off your debt!

You can’t go too far ahead if you’re stuck in the mud. Pay off your credit card debt with the most interest rate first. 

There’s no point investing your money if you have debt you need to pay off. The interest you have to pay overtime will 

To be financially independent, it’s important to have a financial game plan so that you stay positive cash flow. 

Pros and Cons of Paying off Your Debt Fast

Advantages

  • Save money in interest: Taking out a loan or using a credit card will involve interest payments. The longer you take to pay off your debts, the more interest you will have to pay overtime. 
  • Free up cash: Having debt will prevent you from having financial flexibility. Paying off your debt off quickly will help free up some cash that can be used for a rainy day. 
  • Sleep Better: Knowing you have debt from month to month can drain you physically and mentally. Paying off your debt quickly will reduce your stress and anxiety. You will also have the peace of mind, knowing you’re not burdened by debt.

Disadvantages

  • Depleting Emergency Fund: Paying off all your debt is ideal, but you need to be careful where the money is coming from. Make sure you have at least three months of living expenses saved away. When you have no money left, it can be difficult to cover medical emergencies or losing a job. Using different funds: At times, you may have to dig into your savings and other funds you may have in order to keep up with debt repayments. Paying off debt early can also decrease your investment funds and opportunities. 
  • No Money Back: Lenders will not send you your money back if you change your mind. Once the debt is paid for, your money is gone. 
  • Credit Rating: Paying off your debt early can potentially hurt your credit rating. Consistent repayments is the best way to build credit. 

5. Buy and Resell on eBay

  • User Friendly: Flipping things on eBay is very easy. All you need is an item, take some photos of it, list it on eBay and configure the shipping details. You can also set the handling time to suit your lifestyle in case you would like to take some time off to go on vacations. 
  • Flexible: You can sell almost anything on eBay besides illegal stuff like weapons and drugs. It’s a great way to test different niches to see what your customers love to buy. I have sold products from books, clothes and electronics. 
  • Vast Audience: One of the best things about selling stuff on eBay is the potential to reach more customers. eBay is an established e-commerce platform with millions of shoppers looking for products to buy making it easier for you to attract new customers. 
  • Gain new customers: Making a sale is one of the best feelings you can experience as an entrepreneur. It’s also a great opportunity to entice your customers to check out your eBay store for repeat purchases. 
  • Second Chances: When you’re selling things on eBay, it gives the item a second chance. You will be helping the environment by recycling stuff but also making money in return. It’s a win win!

Disadvantages

  • Motivation: You are your own boss and you are responsible for everything that happens in your eBay business. Its very easy to be distracted and side tracked with our environment You will be required to find and list items on your store.  However, if you keep practicing, you will get better and faster as time progresses. 
  • Time: With any side hustle, you will have to develop new skills. It will take time and patience to master these skills . You will learn how to use the eBay to list your items, how to find profitable products to sell and how to package and ship your order. Some products may sell faster than others so dont expect to make a return over night. 
  • Seller Fees: It’s important to understand the eBay fees that may affect your profit margins on certain items. Make sure you do some research to see how much your item has sold for in the past before listing it on eBay. You don’t want to waste your time by listing an item and later not making much profit after eBay fees have been deducted. 
  • Customer Service: With any e-commerce type of business, you will have to deal with answering your customers questions and resolving any problems they have with their order. There was one time I had sold a set of keyrings to a customer which got lost in the mail. Instead of the customer contacting me directly to resolve their issue, they left a negative review which affected my store ratings. When customers don’t see 100% positive feedback on your store, they are less likely to buy from you. I reached out to the customers explaining to them I have sent another set of keyrings and they should have contacted me first instead. Lucky enough, eBay was able to remove that negative feedback!
  • Tracking Inventory: As your store gets bigger, you will need a process or system in place to track your inventory. Let’s not forget you’re most likely going to store a lot of your items in your own home so it’s important to keep them organized and easily accessible. 
  • Competition: Depending on your item and niche you’re selling in, certain products will have more competition than others. Its always a good idea to do some research before listing any items. You will have to find ways to make your listings stand out from the crowd. This can be as simple as taking better photos, improving product titles and descriptions. 

6. Create an Online Course

Everyday I see a YouTube or Facebook ad promoting a new course from some expert living across the world. 

Selling online courses are currently trending and is a great way of leveraging your expertise and knowledge.

Platforms like Teachable and Udemy make it super easy to create and sell courses online. 

They handle most things like web hosting and payment processing so that you have more time to focus on creating awesome courses. 

The Pros and Cons of selling your own course

Advantages

  • Revenue and Profit: You can serve multiple clients at the same time and make more money while keeping costs low. 
  • Engaged Learning: Being able to deliver your content in different formats can offer more educational opportunities for a wider audience. Some people learn better by seeing visuals or listening to audio instead of just reading.
  • Ownership: You own and earn 100% of the profits. You can use your course as a way to reach more people and increase brand exposure. Top marketers all have their own courses and products which helps them stand out from the crowd.

Disadvantages

  • Technology Costs: Creating your own course will require the use of software and services which includes a monthly fee. You will also need time to learn how to use them.
  • Marketing Costs: Utililizing your own email list to drive traffic to your course is a great way to make your first few sales. However, if you do not have an email list to market to, you will have to utilize other marketing methods like PPC advertising, guest posting, affiliate programs etc. This can easily drive up your marketing costs if you’re conversion rates are low.
  • Difficult to Protect: One of the downsides of creating an online course is the difficulty to protect your course from being redistributed over the internet. There are many tools and tricks available that people can use to download your course and re-upload and sell them for a cheaper price. 
  • Takes Time: Creating and developing a course will take time and patience. If you’re producing video and audio content, you may need professional equipment and this can cost you more money.
  • Pricing: Deciding how much you should charge for your course is not a simple task. You will have to include costs of reformatting existing material, promoting the course and profit margins need to be considered. Conducting competitor analysis is a great way to see what is currently on the market.
  • Sales Funnels: Some marketers use their online course as part of their sales funnel. This leaves a bad reputation for online courses as more people are skeptical of marketers who flash their expensive cars and lavish lifestyle in their ads. 

7. Affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing is one of my favorite side hustles which I highly recommend for beginners looking to generate another income stream online. 

All you have to do is, recommend products and you will make a commission every time someone buys using your affiliate link. 

There are many marketplaces you can sign up to find products to promote. These include Clickbank, Amazon, MarketHealth and many more.

If you would like to learn more about affiliate marketing, you can check out my Savage Affiliates review here. 

The Pros and Cons of Affiliate Marketing

Advantages

  • Low Cost: To start your own affiliate marketing side hustle, all you need is a domain name, hosting and a website. It’s very easy to setup your very first WordPress website which I have shown here. 
  • No inventory: You don’t have to worry about storing inventory or dealing with packaging and shipping. Your goal as an affiliate marketer is to drive traffic, collect leads and recommend products to help your audience solve their pain points.
  • Customer service: If you’re an introvert like me, you don’t have to worry about dealing with any customers when you’re an affiliate marketer. The vendor will be responsible for dealing with customer enquiries on the backend.
  • Adding Value: Becoming an affiliate marketer is a great way for you to add value back to the world. You can create content that documents your own experiences which can be shared to millions of people. 
  • Scaling: You can leverage multiple platforms such as social media, forums, organic and paid traffic sources to promote your affiliate programs. You can also collect emails to build your email list which you can later market to through email marketing to make more commissions in the back end. Your email list is your money printing machine so its important to collect emails as soon as possible!
  • Cost effective: Your startup costs are almost non existent in the beginning of your affiliate marketing journey. All you need is  electricity, an internet connection and a computer. You also have the flexibility to work from home or remotely. Compared to other business models, you don’t have to worry about hiring employees or paying for a workspace at the start. 
  • Secondary Income Stream: As an affiliate marketer, you don’t have to quit your day job as you grow your side projects.   This ensures you have a steady   which you can use to invest in your affiliate marketing projects.  
  • Independence: Another reason why I love affiliate marketing is the independence and freedom to do what you want and when you want. I can work on my blogs wearing my pyjamas while playing classical music in the background without anyone interrupting. Compared to a regular job with rules and regulations, you have to put up with other people’s bad habits and a loud workspace.
  • Passive income: With affiliate marketing, you can make money while you sleep. One of the best feelings you can experience is checking your affiliate programs to see that you were able to generate money without lifting a finger. Passive income is possible if you put in the hard work at the start and reap the rewards later in the future. 

Disadvantages

  • Slow progress: This is where most people give up in their affiliate marketing journey and often say making money online is a scam. Affiliate marketing will take some time at the start before you see progress as there is a learning curve and many skills you have to learn and master. I must admit, I was also sceptical about affiliate marketing when I first started out. However, when I made my first commission, I knew affiliate marketing was going to be my freedom from the conventional 9-5 lifestyle. It may take you months and even years before you will see any returns. The key is to stay persistent and develop the right habits that’s going to keep you focused for the next couple of years. 
  • Additional Costs: With any trade, you will need tools to help you run your business smoothly. This includes email marketing software and outsourcing tasks that you can offload to someone else while you focus on the important stuff that takes your business to the next level. 
  • Relying on the vendor: You don’t have control over the affiliate program. You will have to adhere to the vendor/merchants rules and any changes they implement. For example, changes with commission rates or removing certain products.
  • Competition:  Depending on your niche and industry, there can be a lot of competition created by other affiliate marketers. However, don’t let competition scare you. As an affiliate marketer, your hard work and persistence will help you get a piece of the pie. All you have to do is take action.

Final Thoughts

When you hear people talk about investing money, its either in stocks, real estate or crypto currency.

However, I find investing your first $1000 into a side hustle is more profitable and sustainable in the long run. 

The key is to choose one side hustle, focus and master it before you hop onto the next. 

Its very easy to be distracted and fall for the shiny object syndrome. Stick to one idea, focus and stay persistent. Your results is an indicator of how much effort you put in. 

What side hustles are you currently focused on? Let me know in the comments below, I would love to hear from you!

Clipman 2.0 Review: Does This Video Software Really Work in 2019?

Are you searching for an honest Clipman review? I’m glad you stopped by.

In today’s post, I will give my thoughts and opinions on Clipman and to help you make an informed decision.

I will also recommend an alternative so make sure you keep reading till the end.

Clipman 2.0 Review

You can spend hours upon hours editing and fine-tuning a video, only to find out Facebook won’t accept it because there’s just too much text.

I have spent countless hours late at night waiting for my video to render only to be rejected by Facebook!

But why is video content important and why should you care?

Whether you are in e-commerce or real estate, creating video content will help your business with reaching a wider audience.

If you’re a dropshipper, you need exciting and engaging videos to attract new customers to your store. This is where Clipman steps in to help business owners create video ads seamlessly.

Click here to check out Clipman 2.0 < 

What is Clipman 2.0

Clipman 2.0 is a cloud-based video editing software which allows you to produce high converting and engaging marketing videos. You can turn

If you own a Shopify dropshipping business, you can copy the URL of a product page, paste it into Clipman and it will use the content from the link to generate a video for you.

Clipman helps e-commerce entrepreneurs produce affordable and high-quality videos with just a few clicks of their mouse. You can edit the video to display specific details about your offer.

As a dropshipper, you will be testing a lot of products…

Who created Clipman?

Josh Ratta is the creator of Clipman.

He is known for creating internet marketing products and software such as iGloo Reloaded, Vidgeos, Vidinfusion, VIDELLO and many more.

What are the features?

Clipman helps you create engaging videos within a few minutes.

Here’s a list of features included:

Create videos from URLs: Clipman has made it easy to create videos for your e-commerce products. You can copy and paste the product page URL and Clipman will take care of the rest.

These templates are eye-catching and high quality to grab your customers attention when they are browsing through their Facebook newsfeed.

Create Multiple Videos: You can create multiple ad videos from using just one product URL. This saves you time with creating ads for split testing.

Lifetime Access: Unlimited life-time access to Clipman.

3000+ Audio Tracks: With many audio tracks ready to use, you do not have to worry about buying another audio track ever again.

30+ Ready-made Templates: You can choose from a variety of professional templates ready to be customized to suit your branding.

HD Video Renders: Videos rendered will be HD quality to ensure your stands out on your customer’s newsfeed.

Create and Post on Facebook: You can create videos in Clipman and publish them directly to Facebook in the same dashboard.

Saves Money and Time: You don’t need to invest a lot of money for fancy cameras or editing software. Clipman makes the process of creating professional video ads from e-commerce in a few clicks.

How to create video ads using Clipman

When you first log in you will see the main dashboard.

There are two ways to create videos using Clipman. The first is using a product URL or you can start with a new template.

I will show you the Product Page To Video method to demonstrate how easy it is to create your own videos using Clipman.

Product Page To Video

  • Click on Product Page To Video > Select a product > Copy and paste the URL > Click Continue

  • Pick a template to match your product > Click Continue

 

  • Upload your content. This can only be images of your product. > Edit text

  • Choose your background audio > Click Continue

  • Add titles, prices, and call to actions > Click Continue

  • Render your video > Promote on Facebook or share on social media. Simple as that!

How much does it cost?

You can sign up for a 7-day free trial with Clipman.

After the trial has finished, it will cost $37 each month.

Money Back Guarantee

Clipman comes with a 7-day money back guarantee if you are not happy with their service. I think using the free trial should be enough for you to decide whether or not you want to continue using this product.

FAQ’s

Does Clipman work on Mac?

According to their website, Clipman does work on Mac. Not only that, but Clipman can also be used on smartphones, tablets, Linux operating system and Chromebooks. Clipman is a cloud-based software so as long as you have an internet connection and web browser, you can create videos almost anywhere you go.

Is there any training included?

When you sign up to Clipman, you will have access to a basic video ads training course by Australian Video Ads master John Hutchison.

How long does it take to render a video?

Clipman is a cloud-based software so rendering times will vary depending on how many people are using their service.

The more people on the server, the longer your video will take to render. This can range from 30 seconds to a couple of minutes.

My own experience

I found out about Clipman as a recommendation from a YouTuber that I followed and trust.

The software looked promising with high-quality templates you can use for Facebook Ads.

However, I did not know it was a Kickstarter project and the software was still in beta.

The software did not work as I thought it would. I noticed a lot of reviews on Google praising Clipman, but in reality, the product is not what I expected. When I tried to preview my video with the audio file, it did not work so I had to constantly refresh my browser or start again from the start.

Making small edits to my video template wasn’t a smooth process and would take multiple tries until I was satisfied.

Overall, the user experience is very glitchy and not user-friendly as they claim.

I personally do not use Clipman to create my videos anymore and I do not recommend using it for your own business.

Instead, I use Content Samurai. Click here to check out my review.

What are users saying about Clipman

Dashboard interface is not intuitive and there are no tutorials to help you understand how it all works.

If you contact their support team, they will provide you with a short, low-quality video to help you.

The video templates are very restrictive. It’s very difficult to modify font sizes, font types and the position of the text on the screen.

Some users have reported some of the templates cannot be accessed that were part of their subscription plan. They have to pay extra in order to use these templates.

Video quality is very poor. The page will freeze when trying to render videos and you will have to restart from the beginning.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Integrated with Facebook
  • Integrated with most e-commerce platforms
  • User-friendly interface
  • Professional ready-made templates to save you time
  • Cost-effective solution for creating video ads

Cons

  • Rendering videos can take a while depending on their servers
  • Templates are not very customizable
  • The user interface can take some time to get used to
  • Rendered videos can turn out with low quality than expected
  • You cannot upload your own videos, only images

Recommended Alternative – Content Samurai

As promised, if you’re looking for a video editing software to help you with marketing your content, I recommend you check out Content Samurai.

Content Samurai is also a cloud-based software and takes your content and turns it into a professional video without the need for technical skills.

You can create a stunning video with just a few clicks. The user experience is intuitive which makes creating videos easy and fun.

Click here to read my full Content Samurai review. <

Final Thoughts

Overall, I will give Clipman a 3 out of a 5-star rating. I have always found it challenging to create videos on my own since it takes a lot of time and skills.

Clipman does offer some great features to save you time and money, but the inconsistency with the user experience makes it fall short compared to its competitors.

Another downside is not being able to upload your own video clips.

If you’re a dropshipping beginner, you’re most likely using Facebook as one of your main traffic sources.  

Clipman will make this process easier by providing you with ready-made templates and the software itself is integrated with Facebook.

You can create multiple video ads and have them uploaded to Facebook with just a couple of clicks

You can test out Clipman by signing up to their 7-day free trial.

If you do decide to sign up with Clipman after the trial, they also include a 30-day money back guarantee if you are not satisfied with their product.

Click here to check out Clipman 2.0 < 

eCom Inner Circle Review – Is Arie Scherson’s Course Worth It?

Hey, Darren here.

Are you looking for an eCom Inner Circle course review?

In today’s post, I will share with you my honest opinions to help you make an informed decision whether or not the course is worth its price.

Can you really build a successful 6-figure e-commerce business by following what Arie teaches?

Keep reading to find out.

Who is Arie Scherson?

Dropshipping has seen a wave of popularity in 2018.

There has been an increase in the number of Shopify gurus claiming to be making hundreds and thousands of dollars from dropshipping products from China.

They often create videos flashing their expensive cars and to try and persuade you to buy their course.

These gurus will make it sound as though their course holds the secret to achieving the lavish lifestyle overnight.

On the other hand, you have genuine guys like Arie Scherson.

I’ve been following Arie on Youtube since his first videos about dropshipping and it’s great to him progress throughout the year.

Arie constantly delivers value to his followers and has the results to back up his teachings.

He consistently uploads fresh new content with actionable strategies for you to implement straight away in your own business.

I remember he shared one of his stores used as a case study which he had to close down because many of his followers were copying exactly what he was doing.

His eCom Inner-Circle course is currently priced at $397 and is accessible on the Teachable platform.

Teachable is an amazing platform with high quality videos to provide you with the best learning new skills.

You can watch all the videos of a course on most devices as long as you have an internet connection.

Even though $397 is not a cheap price for the average person, it does however deliver a lot of value compared to other courses priced at $997+.

To access the eCom Inner-Circle sales page, you can find a link on one of Arie’s YouTube videos which links you to the sales page.

Its clean, simple and explains what to expect when purchasing his course.

eCom Inner Circle Review

Module 1: Warm Welcome!

In the first module, Arie welcomes you with a few videos and introduces you to the course and what to expect.

It is also great to see Arie mentioning about updating his course and Facebook strategies regularly.

You will only pay a one time fee and receive unlimited updates from Arie.

He does not charge any extra fees for updated strategies which shows that he cares about his students instead of making a quick dollar.

When learning any new skill, it’s important to make notes and take action rather than rushing through the course.

I made the same mistake of trying to consume as much information as I can and not taking action.

This lead to information overload which made everything much more overwhelming.

Analysis paralysis is real people!

Module 2: Store Setup

In the next module of the course, Arie will teach you how to setup your dropshipping store.

He further explains whether you should start a general or niche store.

He breaks down the information so that it is easy to understand and digest.

Similar to other dropshipping courses I have come across, I’ve learnt you should start off with a general store to find winning products before investing money into a niche specific store.

Arie shows different examples of other e-commerce business to give you ideas and inspiration for your own store.

Module 3: Product Research – Finding 4,5 and 6 Figure Products

Aire teaches you how to find winning products. The strategies will help you find products that can make you 4,5 or even 6 figures.

In total, Arie will show you six different methods for finding profitable products.

In the first few videos, the strategies covered are suitable for beginners with the extra videos covering more advanced methods.

Arie also shares some information on how to find relatable products to increase your store inventory and make you more sales through upsells.

Arie also recommends a software called ProductListGenie.io which costs $97 per month.

If you’re just starting out with dropshipping, you don’t really need this software.

Update: Arie does not own this software. It is currently owned by Gabriel Beltran and his partner Coach Gianny.

In one of the final videos, Arie will discuss about the difficulties of finding your first winning product. This is to give you a heads up in case you do not see the results you expected from the course.

Module 4: Instagram Influencer Marketing

Update: Arie has updated this section to include Instagram Influencer Marketing

In this section, you will learn about Instagram influencer marketing and how to find the profitable influencers to collaborate with.

He also shows you how you can get the best ROI from your influencer shoutouts.

This section is very short and the videos are straight to the point.

Module 5: Understanding Facebook Ads

This module is more theory based. Arie will give an overview as to why Facebook Ads is his preferred traffic source for dropshipping.

He also shows you an overview of how you will test your products, how to budget and organize your adsets so that you can easily understand the data and analytics.

Arie also teaches you how to manage failing campaigns.

He also explains what BEP is and why it is important. I haven’t seen any other courses that cover this.

In the last few videos, Arie will show you the importance of product cost percentage and the best ways to get consistent results with Facebook Ads by lowering your ad spend.

Although he does provide a lot of value in this section about Facebook but it is more limited compared to eCom Elites by Franklin Hatchett.

Module 6: Facebook Ads

This module is more of an introduction to Facebook Ads.

If you’re a complete beginner, Arie will walk you through the process of setting up your business account and installing a Facebook pixel for tracking user data.

He then shows you how to create a Facebook Page for your store followed by a video ad tutorial.

Knowing how to create high engaging ad videos is very important with driving targeted and lowering your ad spend.

Facebook loves to reward video content with lots of user engagement.

Arie also includes and over the shoulder demonstration of creating your first campaign and what kinds of data you should look for after 3 days of testing ads.

There’s also a video about split testing ad copy and thumbnails followed by videos about scaling winning ads and how to lower ad cost and everything there is to know about PPE.

Module 7: Advanced Facebook Ads – Going From 5 Figures To 6 Figures

This section of the course is a follow up to the previous module.

This module is more for dropshippers who have started making money through Facebook Ads.

Arie will teach you how to setup your campaigns for optimal scaling.

He will also teach you how to create custom and lookalike audiences, how to retarget, micro testing to scale your store from 5 to 6 figures and manual bidding.

There’s also a few videos about caste study which can be used for some inspiration.

Module 8: Maximizing Profits With Back-End Systems

In this module, Arie will teach you how you can make more money in the back end of your business.

He will show you how to use Shopify plugins to increase your sales and profits.

Arie will also show you how to setup an email sequence for people abandoning their cart.

Abandon carts will always happen on any e-commerce store so it is important to win those customers back.

There’s also a video about using Manychat to retarget Facebook users with no extra costs.

This is an interesting tip I haven’t seen mentioned in other e-commerce courses.

Arie also shows you how you can double your sales using Zipify.

Module 9: Building A Long Term Brand

Building a brand is very important for long term success with any business.

A brand helps you stand out from your competitors.

Arie only recommends building a brand once you have found winning products from your general stores.

He will also teach you how to outsource and create a team of virtual assistants to help you scale your store.

Arie also shows you how to private label your own branded products so that you can sell these products for a higher profit margin.

Arie also teaches you how to incorporate an affiliate program to your store to help with building brand awareness and generate organic traffic to your store.

Module 10: Resources

In this section of the course, Arie provides you with some case studies and templates which you can use as a guide.

Facebook Mastermind

Signing up to the course will give you access to a private Facebook group.

You can ask questions and interact with other like minded members, even Arie himself.

Its also a great place to fall back on incase you’re stuck.

How Much Does eCom Inner Circle Cost

At the time of publishing this post, the price for eCom Inner Circle has increased to $397 and $997 for the VIP Mastermind package.

Money-Back Guarantee

You can try eCom Inner Circle risk free for 30 days. If you’re not satisfied with the course, you will have a 30 day money back guarantee as long as you do not view more than 20% of the course.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Arie does provide a lot of value and quality content throughout his course. The only thing I found kind of strange is the use of PowerPoint slides to show stats instead of showing the audience the data from his Facebook Ads manager.

With the current price tag of $397 and $997 for the VIP package  can be a little steep for beginners.

As an alternative, I highly recommend eCom Elites by Franklin Hatchett.

eCom Elties is perfect for beginners who would like to learn more about e-commerce and dropshipping.

The course itself has hours upon hours of valuable content for only $197.

Franklin also updates his course regularly so that you are always aware of the latest marketing strategies and changes to the ad platforms.

If you have any questions about the eCom Inner Circle course, leave a comment below.

⇒ Click here to check out my eCom Elites review. 

Top Video Sharing Sites for Backlinks in 2019

YouTube is definitely a great place for traffic but there are plenty of other sites you can also use.

Submitting videos to video sharing sites will create quality backlinks for your blog/website. All you have to do is submit your videos to these video sharing sites and add your URL in the description.

The key is to create useful videos related to your niche and providing added value to the audience.

This does take some time but its very beginner friendly and great for those who are creating video content using Content Samurai.

I’ve compiled a list of different video sharing websites below for you to build backlinks.

My Top Recommendations

http://flickr.com

http://vimeo.com

http://youtube.com

http://blip.tv

http://vodpod.com

http://atom.com

http://dailymotion.com

http://metacafe.com

http://multiply.com

http://photobucket.com

http://viddler.com

http://video.aol.com

http://video.yahoo.com

http://www.viddler.com

http://www.veoh.com

http://www.myspace.com/video/user-videos

http://www.break.com

http://www.tinypic.com

http://www.liveleak.com

http://www.ebaumsworld.com

http://www.vidmax.com

http://www.vidivodo.com

http://www.vidipedia.org

http://wistia.com

http://www.sproutvideo.com

http://www.vidyard.com

http://www.blinkx.com

http//www.dropshots.com

http://www.freevlog.org

http://www.vmix.com

http://www.veoh.com

http://www.zippyvideos.com

If you don’t have the time to submit your videos, I highly recommend using a service from fiverr to outsource this type of task.