Wednesday, April 27, 2022

Product Testing On Opinion Hero

 


https://youtu.be/iiq1TGN7kMs

Join Opinion hero using this link https://bit.ly/3v7Zvtr ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In this video, I will go through the countries that can work on this platform. Definition of product testing and what you will be expected to do on this website.


This review will be in 2 parts. This first part is based on information available on their website, the registration process, and payment methods. In part 2 I will go over how many opportunities are available and how much you can expect to make working as a product tester.

African freelancers want to know "Can we work on your platform?" and I am here to give you my honest opinion.

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

Is It Too Late To Start Freelancing In 2022

 Why Africans Should Start Freelancing Now



Now is a great time to start freelancing. Freelancing has always been an option that plenty of people have used to earn an income but thanks to our new normal post COVID, corporation, small and medium companies are now testing freelancers to fill the gap in their workforce. With the uncertainty of todays world, employees are quitting their jobs with more frequency abruptly and it's easier for most companies to outsource work to freelancers before they permanently fill positions.

Freelancers For Startups

It's also a great option for startups who cannot afford to have full time employees to dedicated positions. Full time and part time employees have to work in company offices, have benefits and dedicated salary every month. However, freelancers can be paid per task and per project whenever needed making it a great hiring option for start ups.

Freelance Careers

It's also a great time to hire freelancers because of the change in careers. New careers are popping up to accomodate future tech and social media filled world. Even old careers like marketing and advertising are being replaced by digital marketing, which five years ago was not being taught in university. The work force is being forced to hire digital marketing firms who through freelancing, have learned the new way of digital marketing.

Specialized Skills

Freelancers specialize in specific fields at a time and hence can hold more competency than traditional employees. Social media managers are a good example of this. A company may have managers that oversee business operations, however, they may need a social media manager whose sole responsibility is to manage social media accounts. A freelance social media manager is a very common addition to most brands, although it will not be created as a full time position. A social media manager is also a great addition during marketing campaigns and product launches and then scaled back once marketing campaign is over.

Competitive Edge

Freelancers are often self-motivated because their business relies on constantly being better than the competition. They are often replacable at the drop of a dime, and they have to consitently produce good work in order to keep getting hired. Businesses find that freelancers can often be more reliable than traditional employees because they don't always expect to be asked to work on a project or task.

Freelancer also get to benefit from their business arrangement because freelancers earn higher income. This is because they can have multiple clients and charge more based on the project difficulty and complexity. They also get to work as many hours as they want, choosing which project to pick up earning themselves more money. 

The flexibility of hours worked can also vary for freelancers choosing to work around their family obligations, travel arrangements, religious and national holidays. This means that freelancers will show up to work ready and available to work bringing their A game to every job they pick up and work on.


Are you a freelancer? Why do you choose to be a freelancer? Comment below and share with our community of African freelancers. 

Follow us on Twitter @wecanwork2 to continue this conversation.







Monday, April 25, 2022

Passive Income Ideas For African Freelancers

 Passive Income Ideas That Freelancers Should Consider



Passive income is revenue that can be earned automatically, is easy to maintain, and requires little labor or only initially while setting it up. If you currently pay rent, your rental payments are passive income for your landlord who invested in commercial real estate and only pays to maintain that investment and manage it while collecting revenue every month.

Finding the right passive income streams can bring you more flexibility and freedom. There are passive income streams for every income level that can work in any country. I will give you passive idea tips and strategies to keep that passive income flowing.

Drop-Shipping



This is a form of retail business, where the seller accepts customers' orders online or in-person without keeping the stock and fulfilling customers' orders directly with the manufacturer or distributor. The distributor will then deliver the goods to the customer. 

The drop shipper considers the cost of the goods, and delivery costs and marks up the price of the goods to make their profit. This income is passive because the seller simply needs to set up a sales funnel such as a website, run ads or find their target market online without ads and make them aware of where they can purchase the item in question. Once orders come in the seller will use the customers' payments to pay the distributor who will ship and deliver items to the buyer. 

Royalties



The music industry pays musicians based on royalties generated by licensing of copyrighted songs. Copyrighted songs can also make royalties in movies, radio play, commercial jingles, and also content online on video platforms like Youtube. 

If you have the talent of a singer or skills of a music producer or writer. It's worth the shot to create music and copyright it for monetization. The music you create either by writing, producing, or vocalizing, could make you passive income in the form of royalties for the rest of your life.

Selling Online Courses



This can be done by selling access to someone else's coursework or creating coursework on a topic of your expertise. This calls for a lot of work upfront but selling online courses can be a great way to generate passive income. 

To sell an online course you would first need to find your target audience, and provide that audience a clear solution in an online course. With the right sales funnel and marketing, the online course would be recommended to your target audience continually earning you passive income.

Vending Machine Business



A vending machine is an automated machine that dispenses small items such as candy, sodas, cigarettes, make-up, and wigs when a coin or token is inserted. Vending machines work for any popular pre-packed food item or packaged goods like headphones. 

The goal is to look at the location where you want to place the machine and put items that people in that area might need. If you put a vending machine in the airport lobby you would put phone cables, headphones, or soft drinks that most travelers would need. If you place it in an apartment building, perhaps laundry detergent, or sodas might be useful to the tenants. 

Vending machines are a great investment granted that the area could benefit from the items placed in the vending machine. The only labor needed would be to add items to the vending machine and pick up the cash from sales.

Affiliate Marketing



This is a marketing arrangement by which online retailers pay a commission to an external website for traffic or sales generated from its sales. You can also get a cut of affiliate marketing even if you have no website by using social media to market products and services. 

If you have a blog or create content on social media this is a great way of earning passive income. By knowing your audience you can direct them to products and services that they can benefit from. If a large number of your audience click on the links you give them and shop using your discount code, you could earn a huge chunk of commission for your referrals.


These are just a few examples of how you can earn passive income. This income will need initial setup funds and management, but it will generate income continually for you. Do you have any passive income sources? Which passive income most interests you? Comment below and share with our community of African freelancers.


We Can Work

How To Link PayPal To Mpesa

 

Watch the step by step video 

Friday, April 22, 2022

How Search Engines Work

 How To Rank High On Search Engines In 2022



If you've ever had an online store or content that needs to reach a large mass of people or at the very least your target audience. You know the importance of ranking high on Search engines.

A search engine is a program that searches for and identifies items in a database that correspond to keywords or characters specified by the user. Specifically for finding sites on the world wide web.

 Examples of search engines are Google, Bing, YouTube, Yahoo, Baidu, AOL, Ask, duck duck go and so many more. Search engines exist to discover, understand and organize internet content in order to offer the most relevant answers for users.

In order to rank on search engines, your content must show up or be found on the internet. Search engines will find websites by:

  • Ranking
  • Crawling
  • Indexing


Ranking

When someone performs a search, search engines look through their index for relevant content and provide the content hoping to solve a query. The more times content relates to a query the more likely it will be ordered as being most relevant to the query. You will notice that your website isn't ranking or is invisible when search engine crawlers are blocked from your website, so make sure your website is indexable and accessible to crawlers.

Crawling

Crawling and indexing is how search engines find up-to-date content on your site and index it for future queries. One way to know if search engines are finding your website is by going to the search engine website and typing site:enteryourdomainhere.com into the search bar. This search will return results that the search engine has in its index for the site specified. If anything, other than your website turns up in the results your website cannot be found, enable search engine crawlers to make sure you are visible on the internet.

Indexing

Search engines process and store information found in an index. This is a huge database of content discovered and determined to be good to serve searchers. 


It is vital to understand how search engines work for your success in e-commerce, online ads, blogging, and any other content to rank high in search engines? Do you have any content or e-stores online? Did you understand how search engines work? Comment below and let us know how you intend to use search engines for online success.


We Can Work.




Thursday, April 21, 2022

How To Succeed Online By Defining Your Target Market

 Define Your Target Market To Succeed In E-commerce



Your core customers should be at the center of decisions around your business. It is important to understand your customer base and why they buy your products or services. In order to serve your customers, you need to understand why your products and services serve them by knowing who they really are, how they think, and what they value.

Demographics like occupation, marital status, age, education level, and race look at the surface external factors that define a group of people. These factors can help you determine what your customers' needs are and how common their problems are among them.

Psychographics, on the other hand, is the classification of people according to their attitudes and aspirations. It looks at the values that drive our decisions as human beings. Tea drinkers and coffee drinkers have very different values. When it comes to coffee drinkers there are those that brew their coffee at home and those who frequent their coffee shop daily for their coffee fix.

How To Identify Your Target Market

Look at your product or service and ask yourself who could get value from it.

Create profiles for your customer using demographics and psychographics.

Do market research for your industry to find out what is common in your industry.

Look at your competition and try to what they offer and to whom.


Do you have a business online or offline? Have you identified your core customers? Comment below on what steps you can take to cater more to your specific target market.


We Can Work



Wednesday, April 20, 2022

Lead Generation Strategies That Freelancers Can Use To Acquire New Clients

  Lead Generation For Your Freelancing Business



When you get interest in your work, either through your email, or your freelancing website, those are important leads. A lead is a potential customer or long-term client who could benefit from your services as a freelancer. There should be constant machinery in place to generate leads for you and an action plan once a potential client lands in your e-mail or website.

Lead generation is the process your business uses to attract potential clients and guide them from interested parties to paying clients. Lead generation works by using offline or online channels to build interest in your freelancing business. This can be your website showing your services and sample work or your profile on a freelancing platform showing your work and ratings from previous clients. It can also come from offline channels like word of mouth, where someone that has used your services recommends you to others.

Once a potential customer expresses interest in your work, you should then engage them by naturing a relationship in order to move them closer to making a purchase. You need to understand the needs of the customer to provide them with solutions that meet their unique problem.


Lead Generation Strategy

Capture the lead- This is collecting information on the potential customer. You should capture their name and e-mail but you also need to know what services interest them and who referred them to you.

Lead Magnets- A lead magnet is an incentive you might give to encourage the lead to give up some information about themselves. This could be a free e-book or a discount on their first order.

Segmentation- This helps you categorize your lead according to their need, persona, the section of your website they visited, content on your site they downloaded, and any information they provided about themselves. This could help you pinpoint what services to highlight in e-mail marketing or what time of year to offer discounts for a seasonal service offering.


Do you have a lead generation strategy for your freelancing business? How do you attract new clients for your freelancing services? Comment below, and share your thoughts with our community of African freelancers. 


We Can Work.


Tuesday, April 19, 2022

Making Money On Your Phone Using SagaPoll

Sagapoll Review 2022



Sagapoll is an African survey app that allows you to earn from your phone by taking polls. This app is free and you make money on the app by answering short surveys every day to earn points. The points can then be converted to cash that can be withdrawn on PayPal.

How Can I Participate?

  1. Download the app on google play.
  2. Create your account-It's free
  3. Earn points by taking polls

How Can I Earn As An Ambassador?

  1. Download the app on google play.
  2. Create your account.
  3. Create a video on YouTube/Tick tock/Instagram telling your followers about Sagapoll.
  4. Earn points every time a user uses your referral code.
  5. 5000 points= $20

Register to Sagapoll and USE CODE: QY34T to earn 5 points. Share it with your friends and family using WhatsApp and earn even more points. Its that easy. This is how you can make money from your phone.

Watch our video exploring the Sagapoll website and other great opportunities for African freelancers.

Will you sign up to Sagapoll? Do you often make money by taking polls? Comment below.


Monday, April 18, 2022

Making Money With Shortened Links

 How Content Creators Can Make Money With Short Links



Content creators and website owners share website links all the time to promote their products and services online. Freelancers who are social media managers spend time creating content and sharing it on various social media sites. Platforms like Twitter that require only 140 characters per post work best with short links. Plenty of websites charge a monthly fee to shorten links, but others will pay you for shortening your link on their platform.

These websites will pay you to shorten your links but there is a catch. They usually pay you for traffic from specific countries. Some countries earn more money than others. No matter your country there is a link shortener that can earn you money. Here are some examples of these websites and what audience they pay out to.

DZ4link- Pays $2 per click for worldwide traffic.

Shrinkearn- Pays $3.50 for worldwide traffic 

Short.est- Pays $14.04 for 1000 views from the U.S

Bindbucks- Pays $ 1.30 per link for IK traffic

Link.tl- Pays $4.80 for traffic from the U.S

Shink- Pays $5 for traffic from Australia

African Traffic Link Shorteners

These are link shorteners that pay specifically for African traffic.

Linkrex- Pays $15 for 1000 views of traffic from Angola

Lanzame- Pays different rates depending on the country, but has a global rate of $ 3.50 for 1000 views



Please note that most of these link shorteners are only good for a limited time, once the short link is created. I encourage you all to look at your audience and find one that works for you and look into their terms and conditions to understand how they work. You also need to be aware that Facebook does not allow you to post shortened links on its platform.


Are you a content creator? Do you have a website? Which one of these link shorteners would pay you for your traffic? Comment below and tell us how you plan on monetizing your content.



Friday, April 15, 2022

Easy Online Jobs For African Freelancers

Easy Remote Jobs You Can Start Today



Remote work is a job that can be done by the employee regardless of their location. No office commute is required but one needs to have access to a computer, laptop, and a stable internet connection. It also helps if you emulate a work office environment by having a quiet workspace with good natural or artificial lighting. For those of you that may be new to remote work, here are some easy jobs that you could get started with today.


Product Testing

Often times when you see a job listing for a product reviewer the listing asks for students or teenagers because of how simple and uncomplicated this job is. These jobs require reviewers to write product reviews for e-commerce vendors. Sometimes the job also requires inspecting finished products and write up of the product. The review will include materials used, quality of product, and whether or not it is as described in the listing. Individuals can sign up for product testing, and give their demographics such as location, age, and sex.

I recently signed up for a product testing position on Opinion Hero, see my thoughts on this platform on our YouTube channel.

Website Testing

If you own a laptop or desktop computer with a webcam, a pair of headphones, stable internet, and a quiet well-lit room, you could start website testing today. This job entails using a browser app to record your screen as you give your opinions out loud. Often times they will have a task that they want you to accomplish on the website in order for companies to improve the user experience of their customer while buying goods or signing up for services.

I have a whole review on my experience on Userbrain on this blog and a video of how I was able to make over $800 using this browser extension alone.


Blogging

Blogging is an easy yet challenging way to make money online. It's easy because you can get started for free on blogger.com which allows anyone with an idea, interest, or something to teach an audience can document it in their dedicated blog for free. Challenging because it takes years to fully monetize a blog after which it can generate monthly passive income. The advice that I can give anyone with an idea or a passion to share is start now and rip the rewards for years to come.

Thursday, April 14, 2022

Breaking Down Affiliate Marketing For African Freelancers

 What Is Affiliate Marketing And How African Freelancers Can Use It To Make Money



Affiliate marketing is performance-based marketing in which businesses reward partners for visits to their websites for products or services bought from their affiliates' efforts. This is a marketing arrangement by which an online retailer pays a commission to an external website for traffic or sales generated from its referrals.

This is a way in which thousands of freelancers make recurring income online by partnering up with online retailers through affiliate programs. This is especially effective for freelancers that have a blog. There are so many brands, products, and services that could benefit from affiliate marketing like insurers, wireless routers, flights, and perfume subscriptions hence no matter what your blog audience is, there is an affiliate program that your audience can benefit from. By simply recommending products and services to your audience, they benefit by having information on products and services that they would already use. You as the blogger will benefit by having content for your audience and earning based on action taken by your audience.

How Do I Make Money?

Affiliates get a unique link that can be tracked by using cookies. These links can be integrated with blog posts, social media posts, or any other place that drives traffic. Cookies then track purchases within a certain amount of time, for example, the cookie might track clicks and purchases for 15 days or 60 days. If a purchase is made within a certain amount of time from that click the affiliate gets paid a commission. The payout is usually through PayPal but sometimes an affiliate program will ask for bank details for direct deposit. Other rewards like gift cards and points might be earned. 

Types Of Affiliate Programs

Content Creators- These are bloggers and influencers that independently make content for their audience. By featuring products on their platform, they would drive organic traffic to brand websites and likely result in sales and website traffic.

Review Sites

These websites are popular for higher-end purchases. When a buyer is about to invest a larger amount of money on a product online, they go to review sites to make sure the product reviews well. By creating review sites freelancers can post reviews of products and provide their audience with affiliate links for purchase.

Search Affiliates

 Freelancers pay to promote offers on search results like Google, Bing, YouTube, and Facebook. This will drive traffic to the advertised websites and result in clicks and purchases. 

Coupon Sites

These sites are popular with bargain shoppers that are always looking to get the lowest price while shopping online. Freelancers that love to discount shop online can create coupon sites that encourage their audience to go to certain websites for the lowest price on goods and earn commissions on these sales.

Email Marketing

This kind of marketing works best when shoppers provide their email addresses to get notified of new products or sales on brands or products that interest them. affiliate links would be attached to these emails and sales generated by these emails will gain you a commission.

There are plenty of affiliate programs in every conceivable niche online. Which niche would generate your blog or website money online? Comment below.



Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Futuristic African Cities Built Around Tech

African Futuristic Smart Cities Underway in 2022 

Back in 2010 or thereabouts, there was a huge need for African cities to be built to accommodate a tech-savvy future. Innovation emerging from the African continent encouraged wealthy individuals and governments to create cities where technological advances would be made. A career in tech, cryptocurrency, blockchain technology, and all-around innovation would bring about a great future for the whole world. Here are some of these project cities and their progress so far.

Akon City, Senegal



The $6 billion city is the brainchild of Senegalese American singer Akon. This mega project would feature ultra-modern skyscrapers with the city overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in the village of Mbodiene. Akon wanted this city to be a refuge for the African diaspora hence the name. The currency would be the Akoin which would be a cryptocurrency for this smart city. The first phase of Akon city is expected to be completed in December 2023.

Konza City, Kenya



This is a project of the Government of Kenya by the Konza Technopolis development authority. This will be a world-class technology hub with a mix of business, workers, residents, and urban amenities.  Konza city construction began in 2017 and at this time in April 2022 is 50% completed. The first phase of this project is projected to be finished in December 2022.


Kigali Innovation City



The master plan for Kigali Innovation City was unveiled in December 2021. The 61 hector site entails mix-use construction for three universities, research facilities, development facilities, business incubators as well as retail, hospitality, and accommodation. This is a project of the government of Rwanda that will integrate smart solutions for green solution transport and building designs. With a variety of green and open spaces to foster collaboration and exchange of ideas in the ecosystem. 

Modderfontein New City South Africa



This current defunct mega project in South Africa was proposed in 2013 by a private Chinese real estate firm. The goal was to create a New York in South Africa, however, a lack of investments and pushback from the municipal government led to the eventual demise of this project. The initial project may be dead in the water but it has inspired other such mega projects.


Which of these futuristic African cities are you rooting for? Which have the most potential for progressing the African continent. Comment below.




Tuesday, April 12, 2022

Best Paying Jobs Across Africa in 2022

 5 Highest Paying Jobs In Africa



If you are looking to make great money in Africa as an employee, it helps to know the best paying jobs in Africa. In fact, there are many in-demand occupations that pay extremely well. Knowing the best-paying jobs will set you on the right path as a freelancer to direct your services.

Software Developer

There is a high demand for software developers in Africa. African developers are getting full-time jobs that pay as high as $107,000 per year. The job involves developing, designing, supporting, and deploying software to customers. Software developers also design application systems for smooth operations. Analyzing and testing computer programs and software is also part of the job of a software developer.

Marketing

It will come as a surprise to many how well marketing jobs in Africa pay. According to glass door marketers in Africa are making about $112,000 per year. The job involves demographic analysis. Promoting products and services to the right audience as well as promoting ideas to certain demographics to increase revenue and the growth of businesses.

Agriculture

With vast fertile land, Agriculture is a natural fit in the continent of Africa. Agriculture is Africa's largest economy generating the highest paying revenues. This industry requires management, business research, manufacturing, packaging, marketing and so much more. These employees make an average of $60,000 per year with commercial farmers making around $90,000 per year.

Mining

Mining accounts for 20% of economic activity in Africa. Careers created in mining are such as scientists, surveyors, geologists, engineers, as well as drillers. Mining engineering is the most sought-after in mining. Earning an annual salary of about $72,000 per year. The trade and industry around mining bring in large revenue in Africa.

Transportation

With its relatively low barrier of entry, transporters across Africa enjoy huge power and influence because of the income generated in this sector. This industry offers lucrative daily revenue to many from drivers, accountants, bus companies, couriers and so many more. An average transportation logistics manager will make a minimum of $33,000 per year. There are numerous ways to make money in the transport sector.


As a freelancer where do you see the opportunity to benefit from these high-paying jobs across Africa? Comment below and share with our community of African freelancers. How can we make it work?


Monday, April 11, 2022

How Small Businesses And Startups Can Benefit From Freelancer Culture

 Freelancer Culture Can Benefit Small Businesses And Entrepreneurs



If you are a small business or entrepreneur you could benefit from this booming freelancer culture. Now more than ever there are no gatekeepers to talent or work. People are free agents for the first time in our lifetime. Corporate culture will always be there but the shift is for labor to move online in a freelancer capacity.

As the owner of a startup, you are often the solo labor for your business. You do the taxes, acquisition, sales, and marketing. The truth is you could really use help from a pro. You might not be able to hire full-time employees, but you can outsource for a task or a project to keep your startup going. Here are a few freelancer platforms that you can use to find help with your business.

Fiverr



Fiverr helps small businesses hire the perfect freelancer for projects and short gigs. They have freelancers in everything from graphic design, and website designers, to freelance architects to draw up plans for your new home. If there's a job you want to be done you could probably get it done on Fiverr. This platform was known for the cheapest freelancers but all that has changed. They have Fiverr pros that are verified in their field and have the experience and skills to get that job done right.

Flexjobs



Another platform that will give you vetted remote workers to fill in the blanks in your growing company. They staff some of the largest corporations in the world as well as small businesses looking to fill in their ranks.

24/7 Virtual assistant



This website provides dedicated virtual assistants who can help get your work done. They offer services like web development, custom websites, e-commerce, content management system, and more. 

99designs



This website specializes in graphic design services. They offer logos, website designs, branding, product packaging, and more. They work with many talented designers and you will have access to all their specialists on their website.

Deel



 Hire anyone anywhere from deel. This website allows you to hire international employees in all capacities. You can access their talent spread out in over 150 countries and hire employees and contractors from all over the world. This is really useful for companies looking to expand into new territories and are looking to create a team locally. You can also access their guidelines on how to conduct remote interviews and compliance guides for different countries.

Sunday, April 10, 2022

Making Money With Canva As A Freelancer

Five Creative Ways That African Freelancers Can Make Money With Canva



If you make your money online, or if you are in e-commerce, you understand the importance of online presence. To be a brand in this digital age requires that you maintain social media pages with content. Everything from YouTube videos, Twitter feed, logos, and imagery for your online identity. This is where Canva comes in.

Canva is a platform that allows creators to use their templates to create posts, banners, logos, videos, posters, and more. They have basic templates for free and a wide variety of templates for their paying members.

How Can I Use Canva To Make Money Online

1. Use Canva For YouTube Channel

You can create YouTube thumbnails for your videos. Banners for your YouTube channel and even edit your videos on the platform.

2. Create Print On Demand Products

You can create the graphics and artwork for your print-on-demand business on the Canva website. The templates on Canva are all professional level and you can choose the file type that you want it saved as. Ensuring your print on demand company prints your art and graphics in the best quality for your product.

3. Design Your E-book Cover

E-books generated $1.1 billion. If you have a story to tell or information that people, find useful, creating an e-book is the least you could do to make money online. Once the words are written you will need a book cover that communicates the value of your work. Canva will allow you to use their templates as well as their images and elements to create a captivating book cover for your e-book.

4. Canva For Businesses

You can create good-quality logos on Canva. On Fiverr, you could sell one logo for at least $5 each. You can also create business cards for clients and charge a fee respectively. Other products you can create for your business clients are; presentations, websites, invoice templates and so many more. Most busy business owners are aware of Canva but who don't have the time to sit through that process will be happy to pay you for it.

5. Social Media Manager

To be a social media manager, you will need to create posts and infographics to keep the timeline active for a company or brand. Using Canva you can create posts, gifs, videos, animations, and event invitations for the timeline. Social media managers make about $50-100 per hour. With this useful website, you have the ability to make this too.


Have you ever used Canva in your freelancing work? What most excites you about this platform. Comment below and share with this community of African freelancers how else they can use Canva in their freelancing work.

 


Saturday, April 9, 2022

Making Money With Instagram Using Affiliate Marketing

 How Africans With Large Followings On Instagram Can Make Money



If you have an Instagram page with a large following, you can make money through affiliate marketing on Instagram. Out of the entire population of Africans 1.216 billion people, 15% of Africans are online. This is a huge market. Most Africans using social media are an average of 20 to 40 years. Brands have decided to tap into the power of Instagram to reach this population.

If you are a young African on Instagram with a following of 2k, 5k 10k, or more you can make money from your following online. Brands are finding that smaller micro-influencers with 2k or 5k organic followers may be more effective in marketing to their audience because these micro-influencers have more direct engagement with their audience.

Affiliates by Niche

Look at your content and ask yourself why your audience flocks to you. Is it for your vegan lifestyle or baby-filled content? Do they like your tech-savvy content or the fashion events you often attend? This is your niche. If they like you for baby picture content, search online for affiliate links for baby brands. If they love you for discount shopping tips, search online for affiliate links for coupons and savings on shopping. Give them links to the topics that they are already interested in. You would be surprised how many of your followers will use the links you recommend and make you money simply by recommendation.

The Brands You Love

If there are stores you frequent, coffee shops you like to hang out at, or local ride-sharing apps you like to use. Make posts while at these locations in a natural way to your audience. Tell your followers why you frequent that restaurant, take a picture or a short video and tag the brand. When you decide to approach the brand, you can show them how engaged your audience is with your post and encourage them to be a sponsor by giving them rates for posts, reels, or live sessions which focus solely on their brand. Most brands are looking for local influencers to work with and will gladly take you up on it. Some will not, and that's just fine. They may still invite you to their events and send you free swag. Keep approaching brands that you have a natural love for and eventually, you will build an impressive roster of consistent paying clients who will turn to you when they have a brand campaign they want on Instagram.


Are you on Instagram? Who follows you and why? Comment on your target audience in the comment section below and let us know what you would promote on your page.

Friday, April 8, 2022

How To Make Money With Print On Demand

 Print On Demand Business In Africa



Print on demand is an online business of designing art and graphics to be printed on items for sale. When perfected it can be a useful tool for creating passive income, cutting out the tedious tasks of production of goods and shipping or delivery to the customer. It is often reserved for items that can be mass-produced like T-shirts, mugs, calendars, planners, beach towels, and more. The goal is to take a generic white T-shirt or average coffee mugs and personalize them with niche graphics or words for your customer base. The print-on-demand company provides physical goods; mugs, T-shirts, calendars, etc. You produce the slogan the art or the graphics that will focus on your customer base.

How Do I know What To Print?



Look around your society and reflect it back to them. In Kenya for example coffee is for the younger crowd and tea is for the older generation. You can find themes that are trending with each group and print out teacups for the older ladies and coffee cups for the younger coffee drinkers. The goal is to design something so relatable or funny or personal that when they see it, their impulse will be to buy it for themselves or for a friend. They will be willing to pay more for this product than they normally would because it's so personal to them.

You can also look at the trend of big weddings in African culture with huge bridal parties and custom-made items for bridesmaids, groomsmen, wedding photoshoots, and more. At a wedding I attended a few years ago, the bride presented all her guests with duffel bags with items to commemorate her wedding. She had a premade calendar, pens even the bottled water had pictures of the bride and groom. This is an example of reflecting what your customer wants and making it available to them through print on demand.

This online business can require that you have options on your website where your customers can pick the font used or edit the name or words used on their custom items. Allowing a personalized item for your customers. This is the reason most of your customers will pay more for the item and wait longer for delivery dates.



Print On Demand Companies In Africa

Prodigy South Africa- Artwork, hoodies, pillows, and stickers.

Kiakia Print Nigeria-Greeting cards, wedding stationery, business cards, banners, flyers, mugs, and paper bags.

Shopify Kenya- T-shirts, mugs, wall art, phone accessories, housewares, and more.

Print Planet Ghana- T-shirts, mugs, paper bags, gift items, and more.

Print Action Zimbabwe- Calendars, T-shirts, posters, and more


Do you know of a print-on-demand company in Africa? Let us know what country they operate in and their specialty. So that we can help more Africans set up online print-on-demand businesses.

Thursday, April 7, 2022

Jumia and UPS Join Forces To Improve Logistics In Africa


 

Jumia has revolutionized e-commerce in Africa. Its footprint throughout Africa extends beyond the major cities and ventures in rural areas often forgotten in the modernization of Africa. Jumia has made a lot of strides but they are still associated with high fees, mostly stemming from delivery charges imposed on its vendors and customers. Jumia has handed over last-mile logistic capabilities to UPS an American shipping company.

UPS will lean in on Jumia's infrastructure to deliver and pick up packages from door-to-door with a variety of payment options. It's always surprising that Jumia is constantly willing to give up the responsibility of delivering their goods and willing to share their profits with third-party delivery companies.

This partnership will also allow UPS the access Jumia drop-off stations throughout the continent for their customers who will now be able to drop off packages at Jumia stations. This collaboration will initially be rolled out in Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, and Ivory Coast.

This partnership is poised to benefit small and medium-sized companies that sell on Jumia as 90% of their vendors who sell their products on the Jumia platform. Jumia offers a pathway for its vendors to quickly connect to new markets by having a presence online on this SaaS platform sharing the space with other vendors holding items and brands of all kinds.

What this partnership represents to the Keen founders of startups is a platform that will perfect logistics and e-commerce throughout Africa, lowering fees and costs that are passed down to the consumer, just like Amazon did in America. There is still room for e-commerce sites that are just starting up in Africa to define their business model and perfect the task at hand and deliver goods ordered online using their platform throughout the continent.

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

Survey Sites Open To Africans Online In 2022

 5 Survey Sites That Accept African Participants



Surveys are the original way that many people made their money online. Depending on your demographics, survey takers can help companies and brands improve their products and services. Unfortunately, a lot of high-paying survey sites only accept participants from the US, Canada, and the UK. Fortunately, there are some survey sites that work primarily with African participants. Here are 5 survey sites for African participants.

Afrisight

This website promises up to $5 per survey. Afrisight is an African-focused data collection company. They work with African brands, governments, and non-governmental organizations to improve their products and services. I actually have a review on my experience on this website so check it out here.

Mobiworkx



This is an online panel for the Kantar companies in Africa and the middle east. Once you complete your surveys you will be able to cash out through Visa or PayPal. They tend to have different cash-out offers for different countries like Kenya and South Africa, allowing South Africans to cash out to their bank and Kenyans via PayPal. They also offer rewards like airtime. They are very vague on their website with information regarding the minimum cash-out amount but fortunately, I have a review of my experience working on Mobiworkx.

Surveynow



This is a free website that requires your honest opinion on surveys in exchange for cash and other rewards. You can expect surveys sent to your inbox if you meet the demographics. You will also be paid using the email you use at sign up so make sure your PayPal email matches the sign-up email. They offer up to R10 for each survey which is the equivalent of $0.69. I have a full video review of my experience on the 'We Can Work' YT channel.

Ysense



This is a global online community with multiple earning options. You can get paid for trying new products and services. You can also earn on this platform as an affiliate for referring this website to other participants.

TGM Panel



This online panel is available in these African countries; Botswana, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. You can earn money as an affiliate or a participant in surveys.


One thing is for sure, the more Africans that sign up for these online surveys the more we will be represented in future products and services. If we give accurate feedback on these panels, more companies will seek out paid research from the African continent, so please sign up to the websites that interest you and earn a little money online.

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Accelerator Programs For African Startups

 5 Accelerator Programs For African Startups


 

An accelerator program supports early-stage growth-driven companies through education, mentorship, and financing. African entrepreneurs and founders should consider these accelerator programs that work with African start-ups.

MEST Africa

Located in Accra Ghana, Lagos Nigeria, Cape town South Africa and Nairobi Kenya. MEST offers incubation for tech startups in Africa. They have trained over 500 people and funded over 80 businesses with a reach of over 30 countries. These software companies are tackling Africa's biggest problems across industries. Their investment size is $50k to $250k.

Antler

Based in Nairobi Kenya, this accelerator program has had over 50,000 applicants to date and funded over 400 startups. They help remove the barriers to entrepreneurship by providing founders with funding, access to a global network of advisers, and a clear path to raising capital. They also offer funds of up to $100,000 for the startup.

Co-Creation Hub

Based in Nigeria, this accelerator is a 12-week program that helps Nigerian startups refine their programs, business model, and processes positioning them for success in the long run. They have graduated over 40+ startups and created over 500 jobs in Nigeria. They fund startups up to $250,000.

Hseven

This being the largest African Accelerator is based in Morocco. They accelerate world-class African start-ups led by Moroccans, Africans, and Africans at heart (not sure what that means). Their six-month programs are aimed at a 3-month growth phase to develop partnerships with major corporations to prepare for investor meetings. The selected startups will benefit from seed money of up to 150,000 Euros for 5 to 7% equity and another investment of 500,000 to 1.5 million Euros at the end of the program.

Startup Wise Guys

Based in Kenya this accelerator is for startups based in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Nigeria, and Ghana. They want to work with startups with initial traction, a solid team, and a focus in these industries; Fintech, Agritech, edtech, cleantech, health tech, and retail tech. They want early-stage digital B2B and SaaS startups. They will give funding of up to $65,000 for up to 12% equity.


There are many more accelerator programs looking to fund and develop African startups, but these are the biggest ones on the continent. Do you have a startup? What industry is it in? Comment below and we will reply with an accelerator program that you may benefit from.

Monday, April 4, 2022

The Best Freelancing Platforms For African Freelancers in 2022

Top 5 Freelancing Sites For African Freelancers


 

Hey African freelancers! This is your daily reminder that as a freelancer you get to work for who you want. Don't stick with one freelance platform, see multiple freelance platforms and rip the benefits. Here are some of the best freelancing platforms that African freelancers should explore.

Guru

This platform is unique in the kind of freelancers it allows on the site. You can work as an individual freelancer, small team, freelancing network, and large freelancer team. It's great for clients looking for freelancers because it verifies freelancers, and publishes their scores and their data. They are also very cost-effective with relatively low fees in the industry.

Toptal

This is an exclusive network that works with the top 3% of freelance talent. If you're a freelancer and your skills and experience keep you from working on low cost and low skill networks Toptal is for you. They staff freelancers in these fields; Top developers, top designers, top finance experts, top project managers, and top product managers.

ALX Africa

They credit themselves with transforming the lives of African youth through free upskilling and global job placements. They work with Africans between the ages of 18 to 34 and they have programs in technology, finance, entrepreneurship, sales, and more.

Andela

Connecting brilliance with opportunity is their goal. They work with remote workers across Africa in the technology field. They promise long-term job placements, competitive compensation, and career guidance. For their clients, they build engineering teams with engineers, product managers, and designers.

Fiverr

Out of all the freelancing platforms, Fiverr has the highest number of success stories for the average freelancer. The barrier of entry is low and individuals can start making money by using skills such as writing, proofreading, photo editing, data entry, and more. If you are unemployed and looking to make money online, Fiverr is a great place to start.



Best Affiliate Programs For African Freelancers In 2022

 Top 5 Affiliate Programs That Will Make You Money In 2022



What's a good affiliate marketing strategy? Pick an offshoot business and subsidiary item that you definitely know and use. That's an authentic way to do it, you'll find it simple to make content to advance items and acquire automated revenue. Set up an account and get started earning as an affiliate by promoting these products and services. 


Here are the picks for the best 10 affiliate programs that African freelancers can use to make money in 2022. 


1. Amazon Associates

Amazon is the biggest associate deals program on the planet. There are so many products to choose from that everybody can relate to. You'll need to focus your promoting endeavors on a couple of select items.


2. Offshoot Future

Offshoot has over 600 advertisers and 300,000 publishers, it's easy to see why offshoot is on our list


3. Avant Link

Avant Link centers around associations with in excess of 800 premium promoting brands. Crusades center around the brand, and by implication the items under the brand umbrella.


4. CJ Affiliate

This organization CJ affiliate centers around subsidiary lobbies for some powerhouse organizations like Overstock, Blue Apron, Turbo Tax, Barnes and Noble.


5. ClickBank.com

Affiliate advertising on this website works by connecting brands with people to market their items. For some brands, the funds for marketing may be paid until success is proven by number of sales and audience reached. This is one of the greatest partner organizations, so figuring out how to utilize ClickBank can pay off.


Do you make your money on affiliate marketing? Which programs have you had the most success with? Comment below and let share with this community of African freelancers.

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