“For this training I show simple ways to make a few extra bucks with easy to learn techniques. Some people turn those few extra bucks into a lot of money, depending on how much time they put into it.”
Have you ever been on one of your devices such as your computer, mobile phone, or tablet and one of those alerts pop up where you just catch a few words of it? You tell yourself “I’ll go back and check that out later” and then get lost in yet another TikTok or YouTube short or whatever you were doing and never go look to see what it was?
We all do it. Whether it’s procrastination, busyness, or just forgetfulness, we rarely go back and see what that notification said. I know in my case it usually happens when I’m recording a video for a training session, and I’ve forgotten to mute notifications. In pops a subscription notification or a reminder that a domain name is about to renew, etc.
Ironically the training course I’ve been recording videos for is about side hustles. If you’re unfamiliar with that term, a side hustle is a way to earn a little extra income. For this training I show simple ways to make a few extra bucks with easy to learn techniques. Some people turn those few extra bucks into a lot of money, depending on how much time they put into it.
As I write this, I’m thinking I should record a training about this article because where I’m headed with this is yet another way to earn (or save) a few extra dollars. You see, many of these alerts are subscription notices are reminders of a bill about to be due. How many of these services are you still using? For me, many of those alerts are about a domain name that is about to renew or a service I signed up for a trial to provide a demonstration video on. And it has now become a paid subscription that I’ve not yet canceled. Doh!
Think about the $10 here, $20 there, $100 somewhere else. That can be a significant savings once you total them all up. Or maybe, it’s something you CAN use, and you’ve just not implemented it yet. In my case, it’s a mixture of both.
Extra Domain Names
One area I struggle with is domain names—maybe the actual struggle is having too many ideas. I buy a domain name for an idea and never get back to it. I know if you’re reading this most of us have fallen into that.
Well, let me share an idea with you on what to do with that domain name that just renewed for the fifth time that you now have for another year. One option is to finally sign in and cancel it, but there is something else you can do with those unused domains.
Here are some suggestions to make the most of a domain you like and don’t want to get rid of but aren’t ready to implement anything on that URL yet.
- Find out the renewal date and put it on the calendar the day before it’s going to renew with a reminder alert. On that day check to see if you’ve brought any value to that domain
- You could list the domain on an auction For that matter your registrar where you bought the domain generally has a seller option. This way, you could possibly get a return on your investment.
- Put an opt-in form up on the site and try to build a list for that Post the link on your social media feeds or even spend a few dollars and drive some traffic there. If you start collecting names, you’ll see that idea of yours was a good one, and some fuel will be added to that fire.
- Another option would be to put a question on the page with an option to capture name and email.
For example, I purchased a domain name for part of the aforementioned training course. In that session I was teaching about how to build an Etsy store and redirect your own domain name to it. I do this for branding reasons, and it’s generally a better URL to share than a longer one with the Etsy domain in it. I’ve since decided to not use that store as I have a similar store already. But now, I have the domain name for another year.
That website URL is DoodleVectorArt.com. I could add a question to the page. Something like “What doodle vector art image are you looking for today?” I would add an optional name and email address field, and then on the button put the words “Here is the vector art I’m looking for.”
On the thank you page, I could say, “Thank you for submitting your suggestion. I’ll do my best to add your request to my online Etsy store which you can check out by clicking the button below.” And then add a button that says, “Visit my Etsy Store.” That domain is now a lead generation page to help me build a list of potential buyers that I could email when I add more products. It also helps me generate ideas as to what to add to my store.
If creating a simple website takes more time for you than you have time for, an even quicker option would be to go to Yurpl. com. Create a simple campaign there. Pick a template and redirect that domain to that template URL. It will give you similar results to the above and will only take about 15 minutes.
You can watch a step-by-step video on how to do this here: https://youtu.be/2log0ef9B2M
Review Your Subscriptions
Most services will send you a reminder that your subscription is about to renew. It’s a good idea to put these on your calendar with a reminder, as well. I use a Google calendar, so I get a reminder there. It’s also a good idea to keep track of when you sign up for a trial too.
One thing I try to do once a quarter is look through my bank register and see what subscriptions are showing—both for business and personal. I ask myself, “when was the last time I used that service”? If I’ve not used it in a while, I login and cancel it. Some services will offer you a discount to try and dissuade you from leaving. Maybe that discount makes it worth staying for.
On some of the subscription services I use, they offer a referral or affiliate program where you receive credits towards your account or cash back for telling others about the service. That is also something good to check out.
As I mentioned earlier, one of the strategies I share often is to create a product review for the services you use and post them to your blog. Personally, I like to make a YouTube video of that service and add my affiliate link in the notes. Then share a link to that video in your social media accounts or even in your blog. That way you either pay less for that service or may even turn a profit.
My hope for you is that by following some of these steps, it helps you take action on those items you tell yourself that you’ll check out later, help curb a few of those annoying alerts, or maybe even earn a little extra income in the process so when those alerts come in, it gives you cause to smile knowing you’ve earned a few more dollars.
