How to make money from the internet in Nigeria - Tips to Make Money in Nigeria

Posted by Felix Okoli on Friday August 19, 2011 13:21:55:

The internet is a great resource and tool that is helping to modernize the way we live. What is the internet all about? It is a connection of computers across the worl in such a way that is allows users to share resources that seem unlimited from all these computers almost at the same time and using a single computer.

The internet and our world
The internet is helping humans to share knowledge in minutes. It can also be said to be the summation of human knowledge because one you are connected to it, we get a huge pool or resources. Think of any invention, any knowledge, any idea or opinion, you would probably be able to find it on the internet. Think of any problem, any health issues or any situation you have or see yourself in Nigeria, you would probably be able to find someone who had faced a similar circumstance. It is one thing to store a lot of vital information or data on your local computer and yet you know how effective such a small computer can be in giving you answers relative to the amount of data you stored on it. Now think of similar computers like that in their millions all connected to each other. It would be impossible to download all the information and data available on the internet into a single computer for storage in a single day and even if you do, you could hardly handle it. The internet is bigger than search engines like Bing, Google and Yahoo which are just able to provide answers to your queries in an organized pattern and limited database but even search engines have a limited capacity when compared to the internet which is still growing as more data is published on the web.

The capacity of the internet is almost unlimited as everyday websites and information portals are still being published and new updates are being made as humanity tends to make its mark and record history on this growing phenomenon.

The internet is a connection that allows people to do a lot things such as mobile internet banking, shopping, playing, entertainment, jobs and even worship and they can do this remotely from almost anywhere. Is the internet making the world lazy? Probably yes but it also helps us to do more effective work almost effortlessly and influence out society much more than we would do if we were there physically. The internet is digitalizing the way we live and it seems humanity is turning into a virtual being.

What if you could go to work without actually going to work? What if you could open your store without actually being at your store? What if you could do little work at home and still make a good income equivalent to what you currently make at your full time job? This is what making money from the internet really means - Using the internet to get more value from work.

If you are living in Nigeria, have access to the internet, you can make money from it by using a good business model.

How can Nigerians make money from the internet? Well, here is what I know you would need in order to get started:
- You need to offer something useful on the internet
- You need to be able to monetize it
- You need to be able to receive money online

Let's take an example on people who do freelancing on the web, they do so by:
- Offering their services on a website
- Negotiate for their fees or put a fixed rate on it
- Receive money online by Paypal, Alertpay, Cheque, Bank wire or other means

You can also make money from the internet by doing something like affiliate marketing. Here you market the product, you make money by making sales and then receive payment online from the merchant your are promoting during the payment period.

There are limitless ways to monetize your activity on the internet as what you really need is a good business model.

Here are some of the ways I know people in Nigeria are making money from the internet:

- Web content publishing with PPC ad networks
- Online forex trading
- Affiliate Marketing
- Freelancing jobs such as web designing, graphic design and others
- Article writing
- Online retailing such as airtime, subscriptions, entertainment and downloads

Why making money on the internet is a cool business
Especially as the 21st century settles in, this is the best time to start making money online. The world's economy i changing probably for the worse and people are getting laid off from their jobs but suprisingly, internet related jobs are still lucrative and still on the rise. People and small businesses are also seeing the need to setup online businesses and this is really growing the internet business industry. Apart from people who independently make money online, top internet related companies that offer services such as email, social networking and personal development tools are still smiling to the banks. The world is moving towards a digital era and traditional jobs are being reduced by internet jobs. People have said that in the near future, we may no longer need to seek transportation to go to work as we would be able to work from almost anywhere. Think of it, nowadays it is already happening as retailers can sell physical goods online, directors can have a board meeting on the internet, you can talk to people using video cams connected to the web so it is really coming into a reality as more human effort is being replaced by machine power. This simply means that is is high time you synchronize your business activities with the internet so that it may really remain a going concern. Using the internet is no longer becoming an option or luxury but a necessity as markets have been dominated by businesses who make use of the internet. Even when people want to buy new goods like baby items, mobile phone, they first check for prices on the internet in Nigeria before going to buy them. There is a story of a lady who was able to improve her monthly business income by more than 5 times her initial income just because she made use of the internet.
Another good thing about using the internet to make money is that it gives you more time for your leisure and to do other things like rest, exercise, socialize and even spiritualize. The internet gives you the ability to keep making money even while you are sleeping. Even someone who owns a dry-cleaning service centre can make use of the internet to make more money.

What do to do next
You would need to decide on a good business model or idea that can work for you. You will definitely need to have internet access and then set up an online business depending on your skill.
If you've decided on something like affiliate marketing, then you should decide on what items and merchant to promote, how to promote it and how you want to get paid for it. If it is forex trading, then you need to have a good training on it and how to be successful at it.

Some challenges with making money from the internet in Nigeria
- Unavaliable payment options: If your business or the merchant your are working for doesn't offer an acceptable payment option, it can be a problem for your business. If this is the case, then you should just just stick with a payment mode that works for you. It is much easier to do this if you are a seller rather than a partner or affiliate.
- Lack of technical know how: If you are not knowledgeable or well informed about an internet business, it may be hard to be successful at it. One thing you can do is to take time to study about it. Doing a research on it can help your scale this hurdle. You can learn more about it by doing internet research on videos, tutorials and even books or practical training can help.
Insufficient start-up funds: You would need some capital to setup an internet business and some require more funds than others.

Summary
Trying to make a good income can be really a hard task for fresh starters but the most important thing is having a good business model and the zeal to see it through to success. Once you can provide anything that people want, your web enterprise grows. Making money has never been so easy as it is now in the 21st century. If you really need to remain relevant in business, you can't exclude the internet

Comments:

Re: How to make money from the internet in Nigeria Posted by Pius on Monday August 22, 2011 at 11:25:11:

Thanks for the tips. Was encouraging. Would like to know how affiliate marketers receive money in Nigeria

Re: How to make money from the internet in Nigeria Posted by Rita on Monday August 22, 2011 at 11:26:26:

I need tips on increasing my Google adsense income. I hardly make up to $100 in 3 months.

Re: How to make money from the internet in Nigeria Posted by Ernest on Monday August 22, 2011 at 11:28:34:

It's true that there are a lot of opportunities for making money from the internet. I would really like to know about that of Facebook. I heard it's possible to make money with your facebook account. Is it true?

Re: How to make money from the internet in Nigeria Posted by Osita on Monday August 22, 2011 at 11:33:7:

The problem I have is with Paypal. Is there any easy business one can do on the net without the need for a Paypal account

Re: How to make money from the internet in Nigeria Posted by Felix Okoli on Thursday September 1, 2011 at 14:8:45:

Try affiliate marketing for big merchants like Amazon.com, netfirms, godaddy. These guys can pay you with international cheque and you can cash the money in Nigeria so just forget about Paypal. You can also try blogging with Google adsense or any other ad network

Re: How to make money from the internet in Nigeria Posted by peter samuel on Sunday September 18, 2011 at 6:28:50:

i need to know more about affliate marketing and it operates. Pls send ur reply to rectasapere@rocketmail.com

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