Last year in April 2020, during the midst of the first MCO – I wrote a list of 8 side-hustles marketers can do to make money.

Fast forward today, we’re undergoing the third lockdown. So, I thought about sharing more monetization ideas, for those stuck at home.

The world, people, need problems solved. Here are 8 quick ways to make money, during the lockdown – from home.

1 – Help businesses rank their website on Google.

Most businesses have gone online. Most of them don’t get enough visibility – and they badly need it.

You can help them optimize and rank their website, so customers can find them when they search on Google.

It’s crazy. I see people offering SEO Auditing services for USD50-150 per site on Upwork. Basically, you simply run a site through a software (like Ubersuggest) and it spits out an SEO audit report for you. If you’re good at adding insights on top of what the software reports, you could do 3-4 audits per day and net an average of USD150 every day.

How to get started – If you don’t know SEO, make sure to join a free SEO workshop session that I’m running together with Crunch School. And no, SEO is not difficult. It’s only those who work in SEO who want you to think so.

2 – Become a freelance social media manager.

Thousands of businesses have turned to social media (Facebook, Instagram) to market their business. Most of them need someone to manage their page. I’m talking about managing the ‘PMs’, creating posts, replying to comments, and fulfilling sales orders for those who transacts on social media.

There’s a growing demand for social media managers. You could charge a monthly retainer for your work.

How to get started – Look for businesses that seem to have lots of activity on their page. DM them and ask if you could help them for a week. Help them for a week to show your value. Ask for a monthly retainer.

3 – Edit videos.

The rise of Tik Tok and video-based content has caused businesses to suddenly want to create videos.

Problem is most businesses are bad at shooting and editing videos. If you can edit a decent video, this is a growing opportunity.

I personally experienced this as a business owner. I needed lots of videos edited, mainly for Audio Mentor and LEAD. So I hired a former student to edit videos for me on a part-time basis. Today, he works with me full-time as a video editor.

To get started – Approach businesses who are posting videos that can be improved. Offer to edit one or two videos for them for free. Wow them with your work, then talk about charging them for your work.

4 – Write content.

You can literally write blogs on Medium and generate money for views. That, however, will take time and you need to be very consistent.

In Malaysia – most businesses need some sort of written content. Think, blogs, social media posts, emails & websites. Again, most of them are not good at writing, even if they think they are.

How to get started – Start a blog or write on Medium. Have some work published online. Find businesses who are already creating content, and offer to do a free write-up for them. Charge for the next one.

5 – Sell stuff you no longer need.

I have sold quite a fair bit of stuff on Facebook Marketplaces. I’ve sold old laptops, a door, a metal door frame, old air conditioners, used tennis balls, and even used earphones (I still don’t know why people buy them!).

The phrase, “One man’s trash, is another’s treasure” is 100% true. But what’s true-er, is that most people are just lazy. They have lots of things lying around, but they just can’t take 10 minutes to post them.

How to get started – Start by listing things to sell on Facebook Marketplaces. Once you know how it works, offer to sell your friend’s stuff. Split the profit for your effort in helping them sell.

6 – Flip stuff.

Flipping in business means buying something for the short term and reselling them for a quick profit. Few years ago, people used to flip properties in Malaysia like hotcakes, until the prices of houses started going beyond the reach of many people.

The good news is you don’t have to flip houses. Instead, figure out what people already want.

How to get started – Here’s an idea. Go to Ikea’s As-Is section. Buy furniture and home improvement items at 50-70% discount. Repair or refurbish them if needed. List them on buy/sell marketplaces. Congrats, you’re a flipper!

7 – Become a ghost creator.

The creator economy is estimated to be worth $104.2 billion. Individuals with the hopes of being seen, recognized and some of them to make a living, are creating crazy amounts of content on YouTube, Tik Tok, and Instagram.

How do top creators seem to create content so quickly? The answer is – having a team of editors and ‘ghost creators’ behind them.

How to get started – Notice some of the creators you follow. Slide a DM to them. Offer to do something for them.

8 – Cross-promotion manager.

This is a good one. Most businesses want to promote their stuff but lack the creativity to do so.

When they don’t know what to do, they start looking around and follow what other businesses seem to be doing – like spending more money on advertisements, spamming people on Whatsapp, and interrupting people via cold calling.

A strategy I tend to see businesses miss doing is JOINT VENTURES. Basically, find another company that has the same type of customers you want, but doesn’t sell the same stuff as you do. Run a cross-promotion strategy together.

The opportunity here is that most businesses lack creativity or is simply don’t know how to manage cross-promotion campaigns. This is where you come in. Become a cross-promotion manager to help these businesses work together. Win-win-win.

How to get started – Reach out to companies you notice could benefit from a cross-promotional strategy. Organize and manage the cross-promotion. Take a fee from both sides or share a profit for conversions.

Bonus – Teach on YouTube or teach a course.

The day we stop learning is the day we start dying. And like you – many people want to learn something new.

I’m not talking about those ‘Hey, imma teach you to make RM1,000,000 during MCO” or “Yooo, this is the SIDE-HUSTLE conference’ nonsense. Sure, those bring motivational value – but most people don’t benefit much from it, other than feeling pumped for 2 days.

I’m talking about teaching real stuff like cooking, exercising, training a pet dog, or planting. These are hard skillsets – that people can find immediate value from.

I know most people are reluctant to teach because they don’t think they’re ‘good enough’. But what is ‘good enough’?

The truth is, we don’t have to be a master chef to start teaching others to cook. All we need is the spirit of generosity and adding to the lives of other people.

How to get started – No need to build an academy or a full-blown website. Just start an event on Eventbrite or Peatix. Get people to pay money for the event. During the event, teach what you set out to do.