3 WAYS TO MONETIZE YOUR SKILLS

You have spent countless number of hours learning a particular skill. You have also probably spent money learning the skill.

Even if you didn't pay money to learn the skill, you might have used money to buy data or transported yourself.

Which ever way, you have used time, energy and resources.

You need to get them back in cash. I don't want you to be great at what you do and be broke.

I am going to show you some tips on how to monetize your skills.

What I'm about to show you does not give instant results. I believe in Long term results.

Follow me!

GOOD IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH

Before you think of Monetizing your skill, how well do you know the skill?

People won't pay you if you are not an expert in your field same way you won't pay a learner to do something for you. So, before thinking of Monetizing your skill, your focus should be on being great at your craft. Not good but GREAT.

Don't do something you are not naturally good at. It sucks.

If you don't find something you love doing now, the world will miss your work.

Find out that particular thing you are good at, become better and better and show it to the world.

BLOW YOUR OWN WHISTLE

Now that you are becoming good at what you do, the next thing to do is to blow your own whistle.

Become like the United States. Once they do something for you, boom! The media carries it. BBC and CNN will announce that the US helped you with so so and so.

Don't wait to be perfect before you start telling people what you know how to do.

You can leverage on this digital age. The internet has become like a second skin to us.

Open Instagram business accounts and post content consistently on what you do. Use your WhatsApp status, use your Facebook. These are tools that can make you.

You can read up social media marketing here.

There are three great ways to monetize your skills.

1. THE LEADERSHIP PATHWAY (INFLUENCER).

This is how people like Neil Patel monetize their skills.

Becoming an influencer in your niche can earn you a great amount of money. People will invite you for speaking engagements even at your local level.

Endorsement deals will also come your way and your popularity grows.

Money follows attention.

How can you get there? By blogging, inspiring and teaching others.

This pathways doesn't bring money instantly but in the long run, it pays.

For example, this blog post won't fetch me instant money. But I will surely make money from it. I will never find out the amount I'll make from it. It can pay in five years time or even tomorrow.

Prepare a blog for your skill and teach people. Don't be driven by results. Be driven by the process. When the process starts driving results, create a sales funnel.

Newbies make a mistake here. Becoming an influencer is not a Sprint but a marathon.

Give yourself three years and work hard. The money will start flowing in.

You can also check out the top highest paying digital skills here.

2. BUILD AND INVEST IN CONTENT ASSETS.

Sharing your knowledge pays a lot. John Obidi (Founder, Headstart Africa Facebook community) said he made over 800 thousand naira by selling an app building course.

You can follow his pathway. I have advocated for learning the following alongside the skill you want to be known for;

• Copy Writing: This is the art of writing articles to make sales.

• Sales Closing: This is the art of getting sales on phone calls.

• Cold emailing: Sending emails to people you have never seen before telling them about you and what you do. You can read more here.

• Social Media Marketing: Selling your self and your business on social media platforms.

Others include; Facebook Advertising and content marketing.

After you have learnt all these, invest in content assets e.g

• Ebooks

• Audio books

• digital courses

• A blog

You can also become a niche affiliate. Let's say you are a tailor, other fashion inclined companies like those making fabrics will want you to link customers to them and give you a commission.

This is the more reason you should invest in social media marketing.

You can also get money by writing articles of review for other products. Because of your influence, you can review products.

A good investor should invest in SEO. Rank your website or blog on Google to gain more customers.

A good SEO can get you more than a thousand persons daily. You will make money from it too.

Invest also in YouTube videos. You have a smartphone and you can talk 😄. Teach people the little you know on YouTube. If you start now, before the end of the year, you will start getting subscribers in their thousands (with a proper SEO structure).

Over 500 million videos are watched every minute on YOUTUBE. Does that give you a reason to start?

Build content assets, they hardly expire. Invest in content assets, they pay.

3. TRADE TIME FOR MONEY (Consultant/Agency):

By becoming an inspiration to a few, your Fame will spread accross with word of mouth.

People will start coming to you for helpful tips.

You can then start building your agency. For instance, I help small businesses with digital marketing. When I'm done, they become happy and they go ahead to tell others.

Try it and see how it will boost your bank account.

CONCLUSION

It is good to learn a skill but it is great to have a Monetization strategy.

'Everything wey better require planning' according to Burna Boy 😁.

So, take one or two of the tips highlighted above and synchronize them with your skills.

I know you will succeed.

Cheers 🥂

Cajetan Iyenagbe