There are plenty of ways to make money online, though not all of them are created equal. With Twitter, however, there are more opportunities than ever to generate some extra income.
In fact, some people have even made careers out of the money they make with Twitter, but you don’t have to be a social media wunderkind in order to mimic their success. All it takes is some creativity and the ambition to carry it out.
1. Crowdsource.
Crowdsourcing is the practice of soliciting ideas and contributions from a large group or community. It’s been a marketing darling for years, especially when it comes to social media.
With Twitter, crowdsourcing is an effective way to bring in contributions from your followers (new and old) in order to fund your business or idea. This is especially useful in tandem with something like Kickstarter.
Crowdsourcing can make you plenty of money, or at least capital, but only if it is done correctly. Read up on plenty of successful case studies before attempting to start your first project.
2. Sell products.
This seems like a no-brainer, but some businesses actually forget that people won’t buy anything if they don’t see a call-to-action.
Now, when it comes to *how* you sell products on Twitter, the conversation becomes a little more old school. One of the most effective strategies is to use promotions and discounts to spur spending.
Some businesses have found plenty of success in “daily deals” and other basic marketing practices that fit well with Twitter. Just make sure that you’re not overwhelming your Twitter feed with pushy selling.
3. Produce your own Twitter-related service.
Your audience is on Twitter, which means you already know what they’re using in their free time. Take advantage of this by creating a Twitter product that they will want.
For example, a lot of Twitter users would like to use an app that lets them generate hashtags automatically, based on popularity. Something like this may exist already, but you can develop a better product that your followers will love you for.
Alternatively, you can use websites like Fiverr to charge people for building their Twitter presence. I’ve done this myself by helping other people generate (real) Twitter followers for low prices‒$5 for every 100 followers.
4. Use Sponsored Tweets
Did you know you can actually charge businesses for your Tweets? On SponsoredTweets, you can find sponsors who will pay you to Tweet about their products for a fee you arrange.
Just make sure that you watch what you Tweet on the side. There are ample people who’ve been fired for what they Tweet, and the same goes for losing a relationship with a sponsor.
5. Discover new leads.
Thanks to Twitter’s fantastic search engine tool, you can seek out potential customers based on their bios and what they’re Tweeting.
Let’s say you sell skateboards. You can find new leads by searching for terms like “Need a new skateboard” or “Wish I had a skateboard like this.” From there, you can Tweet at the individual and let them know of a promotion you’re doing on skateboards. You could even offer them a coupon code if they’re interested.
6. Hold a Twitter contest.
Nothing engages people quite as efficiently as a prize. Try linking up with a local business who wants some publicity. Offer to hold a contest with Twitter and be paid a percentage of the sales that come in.
There are a lot of fun and creative ways to make a contest enticing for followers. You can ask them to be judges, crowdsource them for ideas, or simply ask them to favorite/retweet something.
7. Use YouTube.
If you’re savvy with videos, then consider making Twitter-related tutorials that people are searching for on Twitter. With AdSense, you can monetize your YouTube content and make plenty of money based solely on your Twitter expertise.
