Online advertising sales involves incorporating passive ad income streams into your business model. With opportunities offered by the internet, there are many different ways to earn money.
Some of them are more passive than others—meaning the money rolls into your bank account without consistent work on your part—but once set up, all of them should generate ongoing income.
1. Newsletter & Blog Ads
If you send a regular email newsletter or have a blog with local traffic you can sell ad space in either property. This is a great opportunity for a complementary business—think salon, chiropractor or esthetician—to reach their ideal clients and for you to make some extra cash. Small businesses are looking for places to advertise where their ads will stay up and be seen for more than a few seconds, and your SEO-optimized website or newsletter could be the right fit.
You would need to have your website visitor traffic stats and email list figures (number of subscribers and open rates) for potential advertisers to know how many people might see their ads. Next, you’ll create your offer, including price and ad size, and approach local business owners in your network. Getting everything set up takes work; however, if you found three businesses that wanted ads at a monthly rate of $100 each, you would see a passive income return of $300 over the coming months.
To keep this idea passive, ask advertisers to provide their own ads; limit changes to the ads; and create newsletter templates that already have ad space built in. For a blog ad, ads can be set up in the blog sidebar to appear in every post.
After the initial setup and finding advertisers, newsletter and blog ads have the potential to be mostly passive—assuming your advertisers are happy and keep their ads going, which they probably would do if you are giving them a good value for their money.
This idea is ideal for a therapist who has a regular newsletter schedule and consistent website traffic.
2. Google Ads
Another option to look into would be setting up Google ads on your site. You’ll need a Gmail account, a website and your bank account for deposits to get started. You can customize what ads show and where the ads go on your site.
Some people don’t care for Google ads on their sites, and they might be distracting to your visitors. I’m a fan of looking at all of my options and making an educated choice for my business, so check out your options and see what’s best for you.
3. YouTube and Podcast Ads
If you are planning to (or already have) a YouTube channel or podcast, adding advertising is simple and can then create a passive income stream; however, it will only work if your content has viewers or listeners.
Many massage therapists have a YouTube channel or podcast that establishes themselves as an expert, shares self-care tips, and provides educational information that potential clients are looking for. YouTube is also great for boosting your SEO. (Check out Elite Healers Massage Therapy NYC on YouTube for a great example of a YouTube channel for a massage therapy business.)
After you reach 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in a year on YouTube, you can sign up for the YouTube Partner Program, which places ads in your videos—and you’ll earn money every time they are viewed. To get started on YouTube all you need is a Gmail account. It takes time and effort to create quality videos and attract subscribers. If this is something you enjoy doing, it can eventually lead to passive income in your bank account.
If video isn’t your bag, podcasting might be. A podcast can establish your expert status, educate clients—and if you like to conduct interviews, a podcast is a great way to build your local network. Podcasts are easy to start, and you can add sponsored content right away. (The Healing Pain Podcast by Joseph Tatta is a great example of a holistic health practitioner using a podcast to promote themselves.)
About the Author:
Gael Wood has over 25 years of experience in the massage and spa industry. She concentrates on coaching and teaching in the areas of marketing, business start-up, online business creation, customer service and spa services. Wood is also a MASSAGE Magazine All Star, a team of massage business and technique pros educating our audience online and in print.