How to Make Money by Documenting Home Improvements Online
Did you know you can make money off your home without even renting it out? It might come as a surprise to you, but it’s possible to get some extra cash just by documenting home repairs and improvements that you make to your home. In order to be successful, you need to build a dedicated following. If you’re curious about how to get started, here are a few tips from RenovationFaceTime.
Determine How to Pay for Improvements
Before you start trying to build an online presence, you’ll need to know how to pay for all the repairs you’re going to be doing. If you don’t have a lot of savings, one of the easiest ways to pay for home remodeling projects is by taking out a home equity loan.
You can determine your home’s equity by subtracting the amount you still owe on your home mortgage from your home’s current market value. You can find an estimate of your home’s market value online. Once you calculate your home equity, you’ll have a good idea of how much you’ll get if you choose to pay for improvements with a home equity loan.
Build a Social Media Presence
In order to gain a following, you should take advantage of social media sites like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. When it comes to developing a following on social media, the most important thing is to create meaningful content. Instead of just posting before and after pictures, explain the process. The people who look at your posts are more than likely interested in learning how they can make the same kind of repairs to their homes. Creating valuable content will also make it more shareable, which is important when you’re trying to grow your audience.
Another way to grow your audience with social media is to use hashtags. Sprout Social notes that it’s best to use around 30 hashtags on Instagram, while you should stick with 1–2 for Twitter and Facebook. Keep in mind that these hashtags need to be popular and relevant to the content that you’re sharing.
Create a Blog
Developing a social media presence and putting together your blog go hand in hand. Your social media accounts should drive traffic back to your blog and vice versa. Like your social media content, your blog content should consist of valuable information. For example, you could explain (in detail) how you had different parts of your home remodeled.
You should definitely include photographs documenting the process and explain the supplies used. You could also share any DIY projects that you think your followers would find useful. For example, you could explain how to install trim or tile. To draw more readers, make sure you craft a compelling title and intro.
Put Together a Schedule
To succeed with both blogging and posting on gaining followers on social media, you should have a schedule ahead of time each week. Keep a notebook or document for brainstorming ideas and plan to post regularly. Early in the morning on Mondays and Thursdays is generally the best time to post blog posts, while the best time to post on social media accounts overall is 10:00 AM on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. This is an overall statement. You won’t know what works for you until you try it. Experiment with times to see when your audience engages most.
Profit From Affiliate Marketing Opportunities
You might be wondering how any of this brings in a profit. This is where affiliate marketing comes in. Once you’ve built an online presence both through your blog and social media accounts, you can start making money by promoting affiliate products. You can do this by sharing a link in a blog post, but OptinMonster notes that all affiliate products should fit in seamlessly with what you’ve written.
If you put a link in your blog post that doesn’t fit with what you’ve written, this will hurt the reader’s experience. The products you choose need to fit with the theme of your blog: home improvement.
Bear in mind that if you start to bring in a regular income, you need to legally register your business. Many new business owners find it’s easiest to do this with an online service like ZenBusiness. The service walks you through all business basics, and can help you form an entity like an LLC. An LLC can offer you certain protections and tax advantages, in addition to legitimizing your venture. This also paves the way for boosting your brand awareness and further legitimizes your business in the eyes of your customers.
Once you’ve built a large enough following, you’ll be able to profit off documenting repairs on your home. Keep in mind that you should let your followers know when a post contains affiliate links. To remain credible, don’t market services or products that you don’t believe are quality. If you stick to a schedule and provide valuable content, you’ll soon enjoy the profits.
Once you finalize a home improvement project with pizzazz, turn to the renovation pros at RenovationFaceTime for ideas on getting top-dollar for your house. That extra cash will prove useful in your next big remodel! Reach out today to connect!