How to make money online in Ethiopia

A. Upwork

Upwork is the world's work marketplace where businesses of all shapes and sizes go to find the expert independent talent they need for their projects.

According to Upwork, some of the most in-demand skills for 2024 include:

• Design and creative skillsGraphic design, video editing, presentation design, illustration, image editing, 3D animation, video production, and product and industrial design
• Coding and web developmentFull stack development, front-end development, web design, mobile app development, back-end development, and ecommerce website development
• AI and machine learningGenerative AI modeling, machine learning, AI-assisted web and software development, and natural language processing
• Sales and marketingSocial media marketing, SEO, sales and business development, lead generation, and telemarketing
• Virtual assistanceGeneral virtual assistants help clients with their calendar, email, and presentations
• Project managementProject managers analyze complex business processes and identify possible improvements for existing workflows

Other in-demand skills include:

• Consulting
• Career coaching
• Cybersecurity consulting
• Business analysis
• Scripting and automation
• Database development
• Packaging design
• Music production
• Videography
• 
  

Potential earning: 100-10,000$

Skill: Require medium to advance skill

B. Fiver

Fiverr is a marketplace that connects freelancers with people and businesses looking for services. Freelancers can offer a variety of services, including:

• Writing: Writing blog posts, press releases, and other content
• Graphic design: Designing logos, album covers, and other graphics
• Web design: Designing websites
• Video editing: Editing videos and creating UGC videos
• Digital marketing: Creating social media marketing campaigns, email marketing campaigns, and e-commerce marketing campaigns
• Programming: Developing software and other programming projects
• Translation: Translating content from one language to another
• Music: Creating music and working as a voice-over artist

Potential earning: 100-10,000$

Skill: Require medium to advance skill

A. Youtube

Advertising is the primary way Creators can earn money on YouTube. Advertising revenue is generated when people watch ads that are running on videos. This revenue from ads is shared between YouTube and the Creator - thus empowering Creators to directly profit from their work.

you'll need people to have watched 4,000 hours of your content in the last 12 months to start earning.

C. Tiktok

As Tiktok don't pay moeny in Ethiopia the easiest way to monetize your TikTok account is to advertise products, create a website and direct traffic to it via a link in your bio. Whether you use this form of TikTok marketing to direct followers to a media kit or a portfolio showcasing your skills is up to you

A. User Testing
.

To make money using Utest, sign up as a tester on their platform, complete your profile with relevant skills and device information, then apply for available testing projects where you will review websites, apps, and software on different devices, providing feedback on usability, functionality, and bugs to companies who are looking to improve their digital products; you get paid per test completed, with the amount varying depending on the test duration and complexity.

Benefits of using Utest:

• Work from anywhere: You can test products from your own location using your personal devices.
• Flexible schedule: Choose projects that fit your availability.
• Variety of testing opportunities: Access a wide range of projects across different industries and platforms.
• Gain experience: Improve your testing skills by working with various products and providing feedback to companie

B. User Lytics
.

To make money using Userlytics, sign up as a paid tester on their platform, where you will be compensated for providing feedback on websites, apps, and other digital products by recording video of yourself navigating them and answering questions about your experience; essentially, you get paid to test different user interfaces and share your opinions on how they could be improved.

Important points to remember:

• Not a high-income option:While you can make money using Userlytics, it's not a full-time income source for most people as the pay per test is usually relatively low.
• Quality feedback is key:To maximize your earnings, provide detailed and constructive feedback during your test sessions.
• Availability of tests may vary:The number of available tests can fluctuate depending on the current demand for testers.
  

Digital marketing is a broad topic. I see many Ethiopian creators misusing the term and trying to take money from Ethiopians. There's nothing wrong with charging for value, but exploiting people is quite strange. That's why I want to create this blog with limited availability. Without further ado, let's dive into digital marketing.

Digital marketing is just marketing, but done digitally. Done! A digital marketer is a skilled person who can market products and services online.

What is marketing? Marketing is the act of changing human beliefs to influence purchasing decisions. Digital marketing is the act of changing human beliefs to influence purchases digitally.

As I mentioned earlier, there is always a product or service to be marketed. So, to make money online with digital marketing, you should either:

• Have digital marketing skills and a product to market.
• Sell your marketing skills.

Makes sense, right? Let's list the ways to make money with digital marketing:

- Selling your own product using digital marketing skills.

- Selling someone else's product using digital marketing skills and sharing the profit.

- Selling your marketing skills to promote other companies' products—either as a freelancer or a full-time employee.

From the above, I hope you understand that to make money with digital marketing, you must have the skill to sell either your own product or someone else’s. Below, I will cover what skills you need and where to learn them.

What Are the Skills Required for Digital Marketing?

- Digital marketing is a vast subject with many disciplines. You don’thave to master all areas, but you should specialize in at least one.

Let’s categorize the skills into three broad areas:

1. The Digital Place/Sales Funnel: Top of the funnel, middle of the funnel, bottom of the funnel.

2. Copy and Sales
-Copywriting
-Persuasion
-Conversion Optimization

3. Traffic - Mediums
SEO: Search Engine Optimization (Organic)
SOM: Social Media Organic Marketing (Organic)
SEM: Search Engine Marketing (Paid)
SMM: Social Media Marketing (Paid)

This structure gives you a clear roadmap to start mastering digital marketing effectively.

A. Digital product or service selling

To make money selling digital products or services, you need to identify a niche market with a need for your expertise, create a high-quality digital product (like an ebook, online course, templates, or design assets), establish an online sales platform, effectively market your product through relevant channels, and provide excellent customer service to build a loyal following; consider using platforms like Etsy, Udemy, Gumroad, or your own website to sell your digital products.

Key steps to follow:

1. Identify Your Niche and Product Idea:

• Market research: Analyze current trends and identify potential gaps in the market where your skills can provide value.
• Target audience: Clearly define who your ideal customer is and their specific needs.
• Product concept: Brainstorm digital product ideas that align with your expertise, such as:
  Ebooks: Comprehensive guides or tutorials on a specific topic
  Online courses: Structured learning modules with video lectures, quizzes, and downloadable materials
  Printable templates: Customizable documents like business plans, social media graphics, or spreadsheets
  Digital art and design assets: Stock photos, icons, illustrations, or fonts
  Software tools: Small applications with specific functionalities

2. Create a High-Quality Product:

• Content development: Ensure your product is informative, well-organized, and provides real value to your target audience.
• Professional design: Invest in visually appealing graphics and user-friendly formatting.
• Quality control: Thoroughly test your product before launch to catch any errors.

3. Choose a Sales Platform:

• Dedicated digital product marketplaces:Etsy: For creative digital goods like art, printables, and fonts
  Creative Market: For design assets and templates
  Gumroad: Flexible platform for selling various digital products
• Learning Management Systems (LMS) for online courses:Udemy: Large marketplace with a variety of courses
  Teachable: Customizable platform to build your own online course website
• Your own website:Shopify: Ecommerce platform that allows you to sell digital products alongside physical goods
  WordPress: Customizable website builder with plugins to sell digital products

4. Marketing and Promotion:

• Social media marketing: Utilize platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter to reach your target audience
• Email marketing: Build an email list to send regular updates and promotional offers
• Content marketing: Create blog posts, videos, or podcasts related to your niche to establish expertise
• SEO optimization: Use relevant keywords to improve your website's visibility in search engines
• Affiliate marketing: Partner with other businesses to promote your product to their audience

5. Deliver and Manage Sales:

• Secure payment processing: Set up a reliable payment gateway to securely accept transactions
• Delivery system: Automate the delivery of digital products to customers via download links
• Customer support: Provide timely assistance to address customer inquiries and concerns

B. Affiliate marketing

To make money with affiliate marketing, you can promote products or services for a company and earn a commission for each sale. Here are some tips to get started:

• Find a niche: Choose a niche you're knowledgeable about so you can appear trustworthy to customers.
• Find an affiliate program: Ask brands you like if they have an affiliate program.
• Build an audience: Use social media, YouTube, or email lists to build an engaged audience.
• Create content: Write product reviews, tutorials, or other content that your audience will find valuable.
• Disclose affiliate links: Let your audience know when you're recommending products for a commission.
• Report on conversions: Keep track of which affiliate links are generating sales.

Additional tips Diversify your affiliate partners, Share discount codes, Consider search intent, Run ads during peak shopping times, and Link to localized landing pages.

Affiliate marketing can be a low-investment way to earn passive income

C. Dropshipping

To make money dropshipping, you need to: choose a profitable niche, find reliable dropshipping suppliers, build an online store, select trending products to sell, market your store effectively to attract customers, and ensure smooth order processing by communicating with your suppliers to fulfill customer orders promptly; essentially, you act as a middleman between suppliers and customers, making a profit by marking up the price of products you don't physically hold inventory for.

Key steps to start dropshipping:

• Select a niche:Focus on a specific market with high demand and less competition to target your marketing efforts effectively.
• Find reliable suppliers:Source trustworthy dropshipping suppliers, ideally on platforms like AliExpress, who offer quality products at competitive prices and reliable shipping times.
• Build an online store:Create an e-commerce website using platforms like Shopify, where you can showcase your products and manage orders.
• Product selection:Choose trending and profitable products within your niche, considering factors like customer reviews, price points, and market demand.
• Set pricing:Calculate your profit margin by adding a markup to the supplier's price while remaining competitive in the market.
• Marketing and promotion:Utilize various marketing channels like social media ads, content marketing, SEO, email marketing, and influencer collaborations to drive traffic to your store.
• Customer service:Provide excellent customer service to build trust and encourage repeat purchases.

Important considerations:

• Shipping times:Be transparent about shipping estimates and ensure your suppliers can deliver products to customers promptly.
• Quality control:Check product quality before listing them on your store to avoid customer complaints.
• Legal compliance:Understand and adhere to all applicable laws and regulations regarding online sales and consumer protection.

D. Print on demand

To make money with print-on-demand, you can create unique designs and sell them on various platforms like your own online store or marketplaces like Etsy, by partnering with a print-on-demand service that will produce and ship the products when a customer places an order, allowing you to focus on marketing and design without needing to manage inventory; key factors for success include choosing a profitable niche, crafting high-quality designs, and effectively marketing your products across different channels.

Key steps to start a print-on-demand business:

• Choose a niche:Identify a specific market with high demand for custom products, like apparel, phone cases, home decor, or accessories related to a particular interest or hobby.
• Design your products:Create original and visually appealing designs using graphic design software.
• Select a print-on-demand provider:Choose a reliable service that offers a wide range of products, good print quality, and competitive pricing.
• Set up an online store:Create a storefront on a platform like Shopify or Etsy to showcase your designs and manage orders.
• Market your products:Social media marketing: Utilize platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to promote your designs.
  Influencer marketing: Collaborate with relevant influencers to reach a wider audience.
  Paid advertising: Consider using targeted ads on social media and search engines.
  Email marketing: Build an email list to send out promotions and updates to potential customers.

Important considerations:

• Pricing strategy: Determine a selling price that covers the cost of production, shipping, and provides a reasonable profit margin.
• Product quality: Ensure your print-on-demand provider delivers high-quality products to maintain customer satisfaction.
• Customer service: Respond promptly to customer inquiries and address any issues effectively.