Every day, we are seeing and using rapidly changing technology environments ranging from smartphones to UPI payments or say, one-finger touch banking services at your palm. In today’s digital landscape, the boom of the internet changed our lives. One can feel the power of the internet by just clicking on the mouse while sitting at home.

Over the two decades, on the one hand, the internet offered us various basic services to luxurious facilities and on the other hand, it offered tremendous workspace for individuals to make lucrative money. With those ample opportunities, digital marketing proved as one of the most lucrative and growth-oriented field.

Nowadays, digital marketing is called a wealth-generating tree where it gives fantastic opportunities to everyone whether you’re a school or college-going student, a home parent, looking to work at home and make some legitimate income, or a person who is looking for a career shift, digital marketing fulfills and cater the need of money-making to everyone.

Digital Marketing in India:

1. Digital Marketing is a method to promote products or services of any particular brand to the target audience.
2. Channels through which digital marketing works are social media marketing, content marketing, affiliate marketing, SEO, SEM, and PPC.
3. Other modes of digital marketing are radio channel advertising and TV advertising.
4. India is the second largest online market in the world, with over 900 million internet users.
5. As per the reports published by big media houses in India, in FY 2023, Indian Digital Marketing spending was 31,500 Cr and by the end of FY 2024, it will increase to 41,000 Cr. and future projection for FY 2025, it will increase by 55% of the overall.
6. As per the reports published by the global media houses, the forecast for the digital advertising market by the end of FY 2024 will be around $667.6 billion and surpass $730 billion by the end of FY 2025.

The perspective and shiny growth of the digital marketing field in India have changed the game. Digital marketing has already proved that it has enough potential to cater to every aspiring person to earn money through digital marketing.

Now in 2024, India’s population has crossed 1.4 billion and among them, the number of internet users is growing rapidly, businesses are already setting up their presence on the internet i.e., on websites, on social media, or through online marketing and advertising channels to reach their target customer. This shift has created a high demand for skilled digital marketers who can help businesses establish their online presence, drive traffic to their websites, and ultimately, boost their sales and revenue.

There has been a high rise in the number of users of the internet in the past decade due to digital marketing through various digital devices. Internet users are now more connected to every kind of digital marketing platform than ever, and their buying behavior is heavily influenced by the information they encounter online. This shift has made it crucial for businesses to establish a solid digital presence and adapt their digital marketing strategies to meet the changing environmental needs, desires, and behavior of their target audiences.

In this deep discussion, we’ll explore the basic and yet most important concepts of digital marketing. We will also explore the various platforms through which you can easily earn money online from digital marketing in India in 2024. Whatever background you come from, each tool and technique of digital marketing is explained in a manner, whether it is social media marketing, content marketing, affiliate marketing, or search engine optimization (SEO), so that you can easily learn and succeed in each area.

 

First, let’s discuss, what digital marketing is.

What is Digital Marketing?

 

Digital Marketing is the collective and collaborative art of products, services or brands through electronic channels of media. The other electronic media i.e., the traditional marketing channels use printing mode, television mode, and radio mode to publicize their advertisements but digital marketing dominates the internet to reach out to its targeted audiences.

When we use, targeted audiences, that means more penetrated marketing. That’s the big difference between digital marketing and traditional marketing. This is the biggest reason why big brands choose digital marketing platforms to advertise.

Some real-world digital marketing examples are:

• Social Media Marketing
• Content Marketing
• Affiliate Marketing
• Influencer Marketing
• Pay Per Click Advertising
• YouTube Influencer Marketing
• Email Marketing
• Search Engine Optimization
• Video Marketing

Why Digital Marketing is a Game Changer

In this digital age, what is the most common tech gadget you see everyone has all the time?

A SMARTWATCH, NO… a TAB, NO… a DSLR CAMERA, NO… it’s the SMARTPHONE.

Today, consumers spend most of their time on the internet. Whatever consumers want to know before deciding on any purchase or shopping for something, they use their smartphones. According to Statista.com, as of 2023, the majority of online shopping was done using mobile phones in India.

These are the logical reasons why you should adapt and learn the tactics of digital marketing, grow with it and earn money as a freelancer, part-time or full-time career.

9 Best Ways to Earn Money from Digital Marketing

 

 

Consider any of the given tools of digital marketing according to your interest and learn as much as you can to earn money legitimately. The simple and working method to learn the skill of digital marketing is to learn one skill at a time so that you can become an expert in many of them.

1. Social Media Marketing
2. Content Marketing
3. Affiliate Marketing
4. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
5. Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising
6. Influencer Marketing
7. Video Marketing
8. YouTube Marketing
9. Email Marketing

 

Let’s dig deep into all of the above given tools to know the hidden gems of digital marketing to boost your career and earnings.

1. Social Media Marketing (SMM)

 

With ample opportunities and competition over the internet today, skilled digital marketers are in high demand and to fulfill that demand, one needs to understand, learn and have a good command of social media marketing skills. As the opportunities to earn money online through social media marketing have increased over the past decade, the number of digital marketers has also escalated. This huge demand for social media marketing managers has created digital competitiveness and this can only be fulfilled by skilled, well-trained and experienced digital marketing professionals.

Looking upon the opportunities, one needs to get highly skilled, trained and work on those skills as soon as possible. One can learn social media marketing skills by joining many feature-rich courses offered by some big brands available online at very competitive fees followed by certification after completion.

Some best-seller courses offered by big brands like Meta Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate | Coursera or Mega Digital Marketing Course A-Z: 32 Courses in 1 + Updates | Udemy or Social Media Marketing Certification – HubSpot Academy can teach you extraordinary social media marketing skills without going anywhere else. So without any further delay, join any of the above courses to start your digital marketing journey as a social media marketing manager.

Social Media Marketing platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. are ready to promote the products and services of brands and can engage a high-volume customer base.

As a social media marketing manager or learner, you will be doing the most important and consistent duties like:

1. Creating a Master Blueprint

This is the first work in your hands to do. The Blueprint of any task or project is like laying the foundation of a building or a company. Creating a master blueprint for social media marketing includes deciding goals about creating a brand, generating traffic, creating sales funnels, choosing platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. to engage and cater target audience, and tracking competitors’ activities.

2. Engaging Content Creation

Your content must be engaging, so that your target audience can’t stop to scroll. Your engaging content may include catchy images in the form of infographics, short or long videos and reels according to your niche and social media platform. Nowadays, people like to scroll reels on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. So, learn to create engaging content according to your niche and target audience.

Make a schedule to post created content regularly and consistently to engage the interest of the audience followed by follow-ups of comments and feedback to build and maintain strong and long-term relationships with your target audience and to improve your content further.

3. Tracking results and restructuring your strategy accordingly if needed

Analyze how your content is performing by monitoring likes, comments, shares, click metrics, subscribers, followers and website traffic so that you can understand what is working for you and what is not. Then according to the results, you can restructure your strategies for more workable patterns.

Some other key activities include:

• Collaborations.
• Know the latest trends.
• Running Social Media Ads Campaign.
• Analyse engagement metrics.

2. Content Marketing

Content is the backbone of Digital Marketing. Without content, digital marketing does not pulsate. Advertisement campaigns run through creative content pitch and with a good audience base. So, doing good research on content related to a given niche is extremely important.

In Content Marketing, be creative and consistent every day and night to shoot more and more content over the internet to magnetize the target audience.

Write blog posts and keyword-rich articles on your website or for a website like Fiverr, Upwork, or PeoplePerHour,  as a freelancer, record diverse videos and reels day by day while monitoring your competitor, collaborate with influencers, do rational podcasts with other influencers, tie-up with brands for sponsorships, create and sell eBooks.

• As a Blogger, you can start a profitable blog or a website on WordPress, Hostinger, Godaddy or Wix based on any highly profitable niche starting with as many as hundred plus articles to attract the attention of the audience so that they should come to your website repetitively. Further when a good audience base is built within a couple of months, then you can monetize your blog with Google Ads, Taboola, Ezoic, etc. Share your shareable content on social media as well.

 

• As a Video Creator, have a good command of video creating and editing skills to create iconic and thrilling videos and reels of popular niches and upload them on platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, etc.
• As a Graphic Designer, by learning graphic suites, software and application development, anybody can earn money by offering services as a part-time or a full-time graphic designer to big media houses, big brands content creators and influencers.
• As a Podcaster, do record interviews face to face of different niches expert influencers and content creators and upload platforms on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, etc.
• As a Content Creator, create courses, and ebooks and do webinars offering free or with minimal charges to generate leads by spreading sponsored ads through Google Ads.

3. Affiliate Marketing

When any affiliate marketer, blogger, YouTuber, or digital marketer promotes another person’s products and services by joining their affiliate program, then they receive some commission as a reward. It is called Affiliate Marketing.

There is always an affiliate link to embed in your content on which the audience clicks on it and completes a purchase on the advertiser’s website, you earn a commission.

Some of the big affiliate networks like ShareASale, Commission Junction, and ClickBank offer to promote their products and services through affiliate programs on a commission basis.

As a freelancer, you can start a blog website of a particular niche related to affiliate products and services and when traffic grows, you can embed affiliate links into your articles and blog posts. Whenever any person finds your article suitable and gets inspired for something, your affiliate link would fulfill his/her desire by clicking on that link and completing the purchase on the advertiser’s website and ultimately you would earn a commission on every such purchase.

That’s how affiliate marketing works in the digital world to earn some extra penny or earn a living.

Platforms where you can work and earn money:

• Social Media (YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, WhatsApp etc.)
• Niche Based Blogs
• YouTube Channels
• Email Marketing

4. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO is the most crucial and important process to optimize a website to rank in the top order in search engine optimization pages (SERPs).

Through Search Engine Optimization (SEO) knowledge and a little know-how, you can help businesses improve their online presence and search engine ranking so that businesses can make more sales and reach their target audience and grow exponentially.

There are several ways through which you can learn and offer SEO services to business houses and advertising agencies.

Some good courses for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) are available online like Coursera’s SEO Specialization Course, Simplilearn’s Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Course, and HubSpot Academy’s Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Course, where you can get expertise within a couple of months and start your journey as a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) expert and earn at least some money initially and when you get a good amount of expertise then you can establish a Search Engine Optimization (SE) Agency and attract more business and ultimately earn more money.

 

You have generally two options to start a career as a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Expert:

– As a Freelancer or Your Presence Online where you:

• create or authorize a content-rich, keyword-rich and SEO-optimized website or an e-commerce website for search engines to gain and attract organic traffic. Here you can join affiliate programs and embed affiliate links in articles on your website to promote affiliate products and services and earn some commission on generated sales for advertisers.
• creating an SEO-optimized website with keyword-rich content and relevant keywords related to your niche can attract more relevant and organic traffic. It gradually increases and if you attract and maintain the traffic consistently, you can earn a good amount of money by Google Ads services and displaying advertisements on your website.

– You can be a freelance content writer or SEO freelance:

• who can offer services on Fiverr, Upwork, and PeoplePerHour on a project basis or a pay-per-hour basis? You can be an SEO Consultant for long-term relationships with business houses. You can also start an SEO Agency when reach expert-level SEO Consulting to cater to many big business houses.

 5. Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising

PPC advertising allows businesses to display ads on websites, search engines like Google, and social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. Advertisers pay a fee each time someone clicks on their ad. Google Ads is one of the most popular PPC platforms among all other PPC platforms, where businesses can bid on keywords to display their ads in search results. PPC campaigns can quickly drive targeted traffic and generate leads.

There are two main ways to earn money from PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising:

     – Running PPC Ads for Others (Affiliate Marketing):

• Promote Affiliate Products and Services: This strategy involves promoting other companies’ products or services using PPC ads. You’ll pay for ad clicks yourself, but you’ll earn a commission whenever someone clicks your ad and completes a purchase on the advertiser’s website.
• PPC Campaign Planning and Management: Offer PPC campaign management services to businesses. This involves managing their PPC budgets, creating ad copy, targeting the right audience, and optimizing campaigns for better results.

     – Monetizing Your Existing Audience:

• Google AdSense: This is the most popular option for website owners. Sign up for an AdSense account and place Google ads on your website. You’ll earn money whenever someone clicks on those ads. The amount you earn depends on various factors like the advertiser’s bid, your website’s traffic, and the ad itself.
• Other PPC Networks: There are other PPC networks besides AdSense, each with its own requirements and payout structures. Explore other options like Media.net, PropellerAds, Infolinks or Amazon Associates.

6. Influencer Marketing

It is an era of influencers who dominate almost every social media platform over the internet because it has proven that social media platforms have given tremendous opportunities to creators to build profitable careers and earn good money for a living. Whether it is a collaboration or partnering with brands, posting a sponsored article or blog post, or becoming a brand ambassador or brand influencer, Influencer Marketing has become a new career path for sustainable living for influencers.

What you can do as an Influencer to build your presence on Social Media Platforms:

• Create High-Quality Content and attract target audiences and big brands.
• Regularly collaborate with brands and post Sponsored Content.
• Build Transparency and Trustworthiness.
• Networking with other Social Media Influencers.

Most Popular Influencer Marketing options available on Social Media Platforms are:

• Instagram Influencer Marketing
• Facebook Influencer Marketing
• YouTube Influencer Marketing

7. Video Marketing

8. YouTube Influencer Marketing

Earning money from YouTube influencer marketing involves leveraging your YouTube channel and audience to partner with brands for product promotion or endorsements. Here’s a breakdown of the key strategies and how to get started:

Building Your YouTube Channel:

• Niche and Content Strategy: Identify a specific niche you’re passionate about and tailor your content to attract a targeted audience. Research popular content formats within your niche (gaming walkthroughs, makeup tutorials, tech reviews, etc.) and develop your unique style.
• Content Quality and Consistency: Focus on creating high-quality, engaging videos with good audio/visuals and clear editing. Regularly upload new content to keep your audience subscribed and coming back for more.
• Audience Engagement: Respond to comments, answer questions, and host live streams to build a strong connection with your viewers. Encourage them to like, subscribe, and share your videos.

Monetization through YouTube:

• YouTube Partner Program (YPP): Once your channel meets eligibility criteria (1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in the past year), you can join the YPP program and enable ads on your videos. You’ll earn a portion of the revenue generated whenever viewers see ads.
• Channel Memberships: Offer exclusive content, perks, or early access to videos through paid channel memberships. This allows dedicated viewers to directly support your channel.

Brand Partnerships:

• Sponsored Videos: Partner with brands relevant to your niche to create videos featuring their products or services. You’ll receive a fee to showcase the brand according to their guidelines while maintaining transparency with your audience through clear disclosure.
• Brand Ambassador Deals: Secure long-term partnerships with brands. You’ll create sponsored content at regular intervals, potentially attend brand events, or participate in product launches, representing the brand as a trusted voice in your niche.

Finding Brand Deals:

• Reach Out Directly: Research brands aligned with your niche and contact their marketing teams to propose video collaboration ideas.
• Influencer Marketing Platforms: Several platforms connect YouTubers with brands for potential partnerships. Explore options like FameBit, NeoReach, or Collabary.
• Become Discoverable: Optimize your channel description and video tags with relevant keywords to improve search ranking and increase your chances of brands finding your content.

Growing Your Income Streams:

• Affiliate Marketing: Promote products you genuinely recommend through affiliate links in your video descriptions. You earn a commission whenever someone purchases through your unique link.
• Sell Your Merchandise: If you’ve established a strong brand identity, consider creating and selling merchandise like t-shirts, mugs, or phone cases featuring your channel logo or catchphrases.

 9. Email Marketing

Earning money from email marketing involves building an engaged email list and then leveraging that list to promote products or services. Here are the two main approaches to consider:

     – Affiliate Marketing:

• Promote Affiliate Products: Recommend products or services relevant to your audience through affiliate links embedded within your emails. You’ll earn a commission for every sale generated through your unique affiliate link.
• Building a Targeted List: Grow your email list organically by offering valuable content (e.g., ebooks, guides, cheat sheets) in exchange for email signups. Ensure your list is targeted towards people interested in the niche or products you plan to promote.

Here’s what you’ll need to succeed with affiliate marketing via email:

• High-Quality Content in Emails: Provide valuable content that educates, entertains, or solves problems for your subscribers. Don’t just bombard them with sales pitches.
• Segmentation and Personalization: Segment your email list based on subscriber interests and tailor your email content and promotions accordingly. This increases the relevance of your recommendations and click-through rates.
• Building Trust and Credibility: Focus on promoting products you genuinely believe in and that would benefit your audience. Avoid being overly promotional and prioritize building trust with your subscribers.

     – Selling Your Products or Services:

• Promote Your Offerings: If you have your products (ebooks, courses, printables) or services (consulting, coaching), leverage your email list to directly market them to your subscribers.
• Nurturing Leads: Use email sequences to nurture leads, educate them about your offerings, and showcase their value proposition. Offer exclusive discounts or early access to paying subscribers.

 

Final Words

 

Digital marketing has revolutionized the way businesses reach and engage with their audiences. By leveraging various digital channels such as search engines, social media, email, and mobile devices, businesses can connect with customers in real time, personalize their marketing efforts, and measure the impact of their campaigns with unprecedented accuracy. The multifaceted nature of digital marketing, encompassing SEO, content marketing, social media marketing, PPC advertising, and more, provides a comprehensive toolkit for achieving marketing goals.

Earning money from digital marketing is achievable through various avenues, whether you’re a freelancer, blogger, influencer, or consultant. By leveraging the power of digital channels and staying informed about industry trends, you can create a sustainable and profitable digital marketing career. Embrace the diverse opportunities, experiment with different strategies, and continuously refine your approach to maximize your earning potential in the dynamic world of digital marketing.