Surviving in a digital world, multiplying your income streams.

 Has the thought of what you would do, if you should lose your job suddenly, cross your mind? The thought itself can be depressing, not to mention facing the harsh reality and living with it every day. The truth is, many have faced this reality, and one day you may face it too.

What will you do? We are now living in the digital age. Modern technology is growing at a rapid pace. Gone are the days when people would do walk-ins to brick-and-mortar buildings or stand relentlessly in long queues to complete a simple face-to-face transaction.

We are now living in an era where most of our daily transactions are done virtually. From pharmaceuticals, grocery shopping, bill payments, consultations, webinars, seminars, meetings, etc. How are you positioning yourself financially in this digital age? Are you willing to adjust to the fast pace of modern technology?

There isn't much of a choice. Whether we realize it or not, we will have to adjust to this digital era, or get left behind! Many might ask, what will happen to those who are not digitally advanced? How will they survive? With the advent of the coronavirus.
We have seen the power of technology at work, with more persons working from home, virtual schooling, zoom meeting, face timing, and online shopping. Although, it has been quite chaotic adjusting to the new normal.

People had to do what they must to survive. The same will happen to those who aren't digitally advanced. They will have to do what they must in order to survive, and if the world won't change for them, they will have to adjust somehow.
Who would have thought we would have seen a time such as this? But in the future, these things would eventually happen. All COVID-19 did was expedite the process. How are you positioning yourself in this digital world? Are you growing with it or lagging? Are you in fear that you may lose your job to digital platforms?

In the wake of the coronavirus, we have seen companies like Zoom, Amazon, and many others, skyrocketing in sales. Why was this so? Because of the lockdown, many persons were forced to stay indoors. All their daily necessities had to be processed online.
People could not meet in person, so they had to do so virtually. It's a fact that e-service companies will see an influx in profits as the years go by because that's exactly where the world is going. We will have fewer persons doing manual desk jobs, and fewer persons will have face-to-face interactions with customers.

In Jamaica, I have heard of major banks and other public service companies reducing their staff to facilitate digital platforms. This resulted from the stay home order that was imposed by the government. The majority of daily transactions were moved online.
So, there was hardly any need for in-office staff. Globally, millions are unemployed for various reasons, and the pandemic made it worst. They say a word to the wise is enough.
If you learned nothing from the coronavirus. Learn that coronavirus has forced the world to think ahead of time and prepare if we have another pandemic. What this means is that everything that can be done virtually will be.

More people will lose their jobs to digital platforms as our society delve further into digital technology. In this digital age, there are still ways in which you can earn a steady income. Believe me, the internet can be an income landmine. If you know how to use it wisely. Make it work for you. It is filled with a wealth of knowledge and insights to better your life.

Take a thing or two from social media influencers, who are paid big bucks to make a simple post, endorsement, or upload a short second video. These are regular persons like us, taking advantage of digital technology, and maximizing it to its full potential.
I know people working an entire month to obtain a salary, that can hardly meet their expenses. While others are working legitimately, only a few hours per day, and they make far more than a month's salary within days. A few years ago, I began researching passive income ideas on Google.

There are reputable companies that pay a decent income. Your phone or computer is all you need to complete simple tasks, daily. There are passive income ideas that will allow you to become your boss and earn far more than an individual with a career.
You'll have the luxury of working remotely, choosing your hours, and working at your own pace. But it is up to you to do your research, find passive income ideas that are available in your geographic location, and make them work.

I have done quite a few passive income ideas, and many persons have been earning a livable income long before this pandemic. I will list some that I have done below, all these can be found on Google. Go do your research, review the companies you plan to work with, study the market, and use the right social media channels to make these work, consistently.

• Invest in stocks

Before you consider buying stocks ensure that you are educated about the risks that are involved. While you have the opportunity of earning maximum returns on your investment. There's also the possibility that you might lose all the money that you've invested. Before buying stocks, you must speak to an experienced Wealth Advisor who will guide you accordingly.

• Self-Publish an e-book or Paperback: ( Here are a few self-publishing platforms that you can use to publish your e-Book or paperback. I have been using KDP for years. I wouldn't say that it's the best out there because it's the only one that I'm familiar with but you can do your research on the others. It's quite easy to get your book(s) published, but that's only the beginning. As a self-published author, you would need to do all the marketing for your book(s) or hire someone to do so. You will also need an editor. There's no guarantee that you'll earn plenty of cash from your book sales, but who knows, anything can happen with the right marketing techniques.

• Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)
• Barnes and Noble Press
• Kobo
• Apple Books
• Self-Publishing School
• Reedsy
• Lulu
• IngramSpark

• Affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing is a type of performance-based marketing in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought by the affiliate's marketing efforts. If you are new to affiliate marketing you might want to consider getting some training to get you up to speed. You can also join affiliate spaces on Quora or Affiliate Marketing groups on Facebook. They're worth it! Here are some affiliate marketing programs that you can join. There are many others that you can choose from as well.

• Amazon Associates.
• eBay Partner Network.
• ShareASale.
• ClickBank.
• CJ Affiliate.
• PartnerStack
• Fiverr affiliate
• Simple Traffic
• Publitio
• Advul

• Start a T-Shirt print-on-demand business.

You can create your dropshipping store and distribute your merchandise globally. You can either sign up with Shopify or select a hosting company for your website. Wix is an excellent choice! You would need to connect with a supplier that does white labeling. They will be responsible for the shipping and packaging of your products. For print-on-demand, you might want to take a look a Printful, Printify, Modalyst, etc. 

The best part about Print-on-demand is that you don't have to worry about inventory as this is handled by your drop shipper. Set up cost is also cheap as opposed to paying rent for an actual store. The disadvantage of this is that you will have to set your products at a certain price if you are going to make a decent profit. You'll need to market your products or hire someone to do so. Additionally, you don't have any control over the goods once the order is processed and shipped. 

• Create a blog

Blogging is quite popular these days. Why not create your blog and profit from it. The setup cost is relatively cheap if you choose to use a hosting company. You can also create a free blog using Wix or Google Blogger. 

To launch a successful blog you would need to identify the niche that you want to enter. Who do you wish to target and how you are going to drive consistent traffic to your blog site. If you are new to blogging I would recommend that you get some tips by reading Ahrefs and Semrush blogs. Their blog posts are informative. You can also read articles by Neil Patel. You must be willing to put in the work if you are going to earn a profit from your blog. Here are some things that you need to do.

• Research evergreen topics in your niche.
• Set up your on-page and off-page SEO.
• Use keyword generator tools, for example, Ahrefs keyword generator to find the best keywords for your topics.
• Write catchy titles.
• Research topics that people are looking for. Google Trends is a great tool!
• Keep your content fresh and write often.
• Promote your blog on the social media platforms that your target audience is on. You should also consider creating an online presence. Quora and Pinterest are excellent platforms to drive traffic to your blog. With Pinterest, you would need to set up a business account. With Quora, you should try to build up a reputation by answering some helpful questions there. They don't allow spamming on their platform. However, you can add a link to your blog site if you are answering a question that is related to your niche.
• Create an email list.
• Always remember that content is king. Write for people, not search engines.

To monetize your blog you can consider joining Google Adsense or post affiliate links on there.

                                                Go to appypie.com

• Become a Freelancer

You can launch your freelancing career and sell your services on sites like Fiverr and Upwork. 

• Create a youtube channel

Youtube has paved the way for many people to share their talent with the world. You can create your own Youtube channel and profit from it. You would need about 1000 subscribers before you can monetize your channel and you would also need to create interesting content that will help to grow your following.

These are a few things that you can do to earn an additional income. I have chosen the ones that I am most familiar with. There are many other options that you can choose from. While there are persons making thousands of dollars, some of these require patience and hard work.
Don't expect to get rich overnight. There are many things that you can do on the side. Some require minimum effort, and the best part is that you can make money while you sleep. If you are without a job, there is still hope. There is a wealth of information available online. Use it to the best of your ability. Start researching passive income ideas and choose those that work best for you.
See related articles How to transform your smartphone into a lucrative side income. Top five reasons every low and average income earner should be generating a side income