So how realistic is it to build an autopilot income from home, really? Although there’s plenty of software I’ve talked about on this site which can make your life easier while building an online business, there’s still work to be done. Building an autopilot income takes time and investment, however.
When I started out online, I got duped by those videos which tell you it can be done by just spending a short time on your laptop and you can watch money roll in! Don’t believe those videos! It’s not easy and it takes time and a lot of effort to build even an income in the online world; let alone an automated income which is scalable. Yet it can be done! Many have exactly that – an automated income which is scalable.
What’s Involved In Building An Automated Income From Home?
An automated income can be built by selling other people’s products online, using what is known as affiliate marketing. Affiliates don’t need their own products and simply promote other people’s products for a share of the sale. Their sales are tracked automatically online and can be traced back to them. They receive a commission for each sale they make.
To sell anything online you need a customer. By leading customers to products they are in need of, or actively searching for, affiliates can build a scalable income which comes in whether they work or not. Once built, their infrastructure can sell products to anyone globally, even without them being physically present.
Depending on how they build their online business, that infrastructure can be scaled to reach more and more people once they have mastered their marketing strategy.
Types Of Marketing Strategy – Blogging
Affiliate marketers use many different strategies (and products). But let’s talk about marketing strategies. Some affiliates use organic strategies to find potential customers and lead them to products they might benefit from. This website is an example of an organic strategy. You can read more about how this works in my article create free website and earn money.
But basically it involves creating a resource which people can find organically. This is a pretty slow, long term strategy which affiliates can use to build a steady stream of free leads which can turn into sales. See my ebook niche blogging for profit for more on this too. Over time, if you have the patience and a passion for what you’re doing, this can work wonders. Imagine a steady stream of free buyers for your affiliate products. Unfortunately this strategy is often abandoned be many simply because it takes so long to get any traction.
Very few affiliates make this strategy work long term because they either give up or are not patient enough. Blogging takes time and effort and there’s no financial rewards for some time. Those who can see the long term benefits from blogging, and enjoy the process, are more likely to stick at it long enough to make it work. It can take from 6 months to a year to generate traction with a blog; longer in some niches.
Types Of Marketing Strategies – Paid Advertising
Paid advertising is definitely something you should use if you are less patient and want faster results. Some can’t afford paid advertising though but it’s a far more effective strategy, if you can afford it.
With paid marketing you get instant feedback from your efforts. Unlike blogging, you can determine whether your advert works or not very quickly. In the first instance, affiliates who use paid marketing will spend a lot of money with very little return, often nothing!
This is where many give up and proclaim that it simply doesn’t work. But affiliate marketing is an entrepreneurial game! You can’t expect an easy win right out of the gate! Consider the skill of learning to drive. If you get something wrong initially, you don’t give up straight away. But with affiliate marketing many do.
Once you hit on a winning advert, you’ve found a ‘vein of gold’ and you can repeat that success very easily. With paid marketing you can also scale up very easily and quickly. This is not the same with organic marketing. So it’s definitely worth using some paid marketing at some stage. Start with a small budget and be very patient. Never scale up a losing advert and always test and measure with small amounts before adding to your budget.
How Do I Get Started Online?
There’s so many ways to earn money from the internet it can be overwhelming when you start. There’s so many shiny objects being thrown at you it’s difficult to discern what is real and what isn’t.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that making money online is an easy thing. It takes time and effort. Your knowledge will serve you the most. So don’t look for or trust those “easy wins” which can seem attractive! They will lead you down many rabbit holes, often to nowhere!
Start by getting educated and focusing on your learning and development. Decide on a direction and stick to a specific path for at least 6 months to a year. Access an all in one training resource here which gives you multiple options on direction and timeframe according to your current situation.
