Harnessing Diversification: Monetizing Your Digital Content on YouTube, Podcasting, Blogging, and Filmmaking

In this digital age, as creators change, so do the avenues of monetization. Having your fingers in numerous pies isn't simply a fresh notion in this environment; it's a survival strategy. In this blog article, we'll discuss why you should diversify your revenue sources across platforms like as YouTube, podcasts, blogs, and movies, as well as tactics for doing so.

What Are the Benefits of Diversification?

Diversification of monetization may appear difficult, but the rewards far surpass the inconvenience of traversing new territory.

1. Diverse Revenue Streams:

 With the digital world's volatility, diversity can protect against rapid changes in one platform. A change in the YouTube algorithm or ad policy, for example, might have a significant impact on your earnings. Having many revenue streams helps to reduce such risks.

2. Reach of the Audience:

 Diverse people have diverse tastes in content. Some people like the visual appeal of YouTube videos or films, while others prefer the aural experience of podcasts or the introspective character of blogs. You ensure that your material reaches a larger audience by diversifying.

3. Creativity Flexibility:

 Each platform provides distinct opportunities for creative expression. Long-form dialogues are enabled by podcasts, in-depth analyses are enabled by blogging, and visual narrative is delivered through cinema. Diversifying allows you to explore numerous areas, which keeps the creative process new and exciting.

How to Make Money with Your YouTube Channel

Creators may make money from commercials, channel subscriptions, and YouTube Premium income through YouTube's Partner Program. However, depending only on ad revenue is problematic owing to shifting CPM prices and the possibility of demonetization. So, how can you broaden your horizons?

1. Affiliate Marketing:

Within your videos, promote items or services and utilize an affiliate link to earn a percentage on any sales made through it.

Increasing Revenue Streams

Affiliate marketing is a way of making money by advertising the goods or services of another firm. It entails forming relationships with businesses in exchange for a commission on each transaction completed through your unique affiliate link. This method works well for YouTube, podcasts, blogging, and filmmaking. It is especially appealing owing to the possibility of passive revenue and scalability.

Affiliate Marketing Examples

1. Amazon Associates: Because of the wide range of items accessible, this is one of the most popular affiliate programs. You may promote certain goods to your audience as a content producer and earn up to 10% commission on qualifying transactions made via your affiliate links.

2. Bluehost: If your content focuses on blogging, online development, or digital marketing, collaborating with web hosting firms like Bluehost might be advantageous. You may earn a sizable reward for any user who purchases a hosting plan via your affiliate link.

3. Skillshare: Skillshare, an online learning community, has a referral scheme in which you may earn $10 for every new member who joins up using your link.

Affiliate Marketing Strategies that Work

1. Market Products That Are Relevant to Your Audience: The key to affiliate marketing success is ensuring that the things you promote are relevant to your content and audience. Your viewers, listeners, or readers are more inclined to make a purchase if they trust your viewpoint and find the items relevant.

2. preserve Transparency: Always disclose your affiliate relationships to preserve trust and comply with FTC laws. Inform your viewers that you may get a commission if they buy via your link.

3. Use SEO and Keywords: Using SEO and keyword research may help bloggers attract more traffic to their affiliate content. More traffic equals more sales opportunities.

4. Quality Over Quantity: It is more beneficial to promote a few well-chosen affiliate items that you actually believe in rather than marketing a large number of low-quality or irrelevant products. Building trust with your audience is critical, and this trust might be jeopardized if you suggest inferior items.

Affiliate Marketing Advantages

 1. Passive Income: Once you've set up your affiliate links in your content, you may possibly make money even while you sleep. The material continues to lead prospective buyers to the product, and each sale earns you a commission.

2. Economical: Affiliate marketing does not need a large initial investment. You only need a platform (blog, YouTube channel, podcast, or film), an affiliate program, and an audience.

3. Scalability: There is essentially no limit to the amount of affiliate programs or goods you may promote. This implies that your earning potential will increase as your audience grows.

Affiliate marketing is a great way to diversify your monetization efforts and increase your revenue. You may reap its advantages while delivering important advice to your audience by successfully incorporating it into your content strategy.

2. items Sales:

Create and sell brand-related items such as t-shirts, mugs, or posters. Teespring, for example, integrates with YouTube, making this procedure effortless.

Using Merchandise Sales to Make Your Brand a Tangible Experience

Merchandise sales are a powerful monetization technique that extends beyond the digital arena, giving your audience physical representations of your brand. This include designing and selling brand-related merchandise such as t-shirts, mugs, posters, and more. Platforms like Teespring make this procedure easy, especially for YouTubers, but it's an approach that can be used on any platform.

How Does It Work?

The first stage in goods sales is selecting what kind of things to sell. Your products should reflect your brand and appeal to your target demographic. A hilarious podcast, for example, may choose clever phrases on t-shirts, whilst a filmmaking YouTube channel may provide posters displaying classic sequences from their films.

Platforms like Teespring come into play after you've settled on the product. On these platforms, you may design your stuff, select your price, and sell your products on their marketplace. Teespring handles manufacturing, shipping, and customer care, greatly simplifying the process.

Teespring with YouTube: A Potent Combination

Teespring's connection with YouTube is especially notable for YouTubers. You may exhibit your stuff immediately beneath your YouTube videos if you're eligible and have enabled the merch shelf on your YouTube account. This tool puts your items in the spotlight, making it simple for your audience to explore and buy your stuff while interacting with your content.

Key Strategies for Merchandise Sales Success

1. Produce High-Quality, Relevant Products: Your brand's quality and style should be reflected in your items. It's more likely to sell successfully if it's something your target audience would be pleased to wear or use.

2. Market Your stuff: Use your platforms to market your stuff. You may wear a t-shirt you're selling in a YouTube video. You may mention your products throughout your podcast.

3. Limited Edition goods: Create limited edition goods or debut new designs on a regular basis. This may create a feeling of exclusivity and urgency in your audience, enticing them to buy.

Why You Should Think About Merchandise Sales

1. Additional Revenue Stream: Merchandise sales may enhance your other monetization efforts by providing an additional cash stream.

2. Brand Engagement: Merchandise helps your audience to connect more deeply with your brand. It may deepen your relationship with your audience and develop loyalty.

3. Free Advertising: When your target customer wears or utilizes your products, they are successfully selling your brand to others. This may improve brand awareness and even attract new audience members.

3. Crowdfunding:

Sites like Patreon and Kickstarter may let you raise money from your audience in exchange for unique content or incentives.

 Increasing the Variety of Your Podcast Monetization

Podcasts are typically monetized through sponsorships and advertisements, although there are alternative options.

1. Premium:

Using Premium Content to Increase Podcast Monetization

While sponsorships and adverts are the foundation of podcast monetization, expanding your income sources may provide additional financial security and audience engagement. Offering paid material is one appealing strategy. This is delivering more value to your listeners in exchange for a membership fee on sites such as Patreon or Memberful.

Recognizing Premium Content

Premium content is extra content that goes above and beyond what you give in your normal podcast episodes. Additional episodes, ad-free listening, early access to material, exclusive interviews, or even behind-the-scenes access might all be included. This special material is often made accessible to listeners who choose to financially support your podcast by subscribing to a premium tier.

How to Use Patreon or Memberful to Create Premium Content

1. Patreon: Patreon is a platform where authors may create membership levels for their audience. For example, you might offer a $5/month tier that includes ad-free episodes and a $10/month one that includes both ad-free episodes and special material. Listeners who wish to take advantage of these privileges may choose their preferred tier and become 'Patrons'.

Patreon manages the transaction, assuring a pleasant experience for you and your listeners. As a creator, you'd then make your premium material available solely to Patreon Patrons.

2. Memberful: Memberful works similarly but interacts with your website and podcast host directly. This allows you to have greater control over your listeners' experiences since the premium material can be disseminated directly via your normal podcast feed, making it more convenient for your listeners.

Strategies for Effective Premium material 

1. Know Your Audience: The premium material you give should be relevant to the interests of your target audience. Survey your target audience to find out what they value the most in terms of premium content.

2. Regularly delivering premium material is critical to retaining your paying subscribers. It's critical to develop a release timetable that you can keep to.

3. Promote Your Premium material: To attract prospective customers, mention your premium material and its advantages in your regular episodes.

Why Provide Premium Content?

1. Consistent Revenue source: When opposed to changing ad revenue or sponsorships, premium content delivers a more predictable revenue source.

2. Increased Listener Engagement: Premium content may help you connect with your audience more deeply since it frequently encourages more direct engagement between you and your listeners.

3. Creativity: With premium material, you are not constrained by the framework of your regular episodes. You may experiment with numerous formats, themes, and techniques, giving you a creative outlet as a podcaster.

Finally, selling premium material may completely revolutionize your podcasting experience, creating not just a constant cash source but also a deeper relationship with your listeners. So, start looking at services like Patreon and Memberful, and allow your listeners in on the secret experience that lies beyond the premium curtain!

On platforms like Patreon or Memberful, provide additional episodes, ad-free listening, or early access to material.

items: 

Similar to YouTube, selling podcast-related items can provide an additional cash stream.

Increasing Podcast Monetization through Merchandise Sales

Selling stuff isn't only for YouTubers and singers; podcasters may also benefit from this revenue stream. Podcast-related goods, whether it's a t-shirt with your podcast logo or a mug with a favorite quotation from your show, may offer an extra cash source while also deepening the relationship between you and your listeners.

Developing a Podcast Merchandise Strategy

Successful product sales, like any other marketing technique, begin with knowing your customer. What kinds of things are they looking for? T-shirts, hoodies, stickers, mugs, or even laptop or automobile decals? And what kinds of graphics would they like - your logo, catchphrases, episode titles, or custom artwork inspired by your show?

Once you've selected what you want to sell, you can design and produce your items using a platform like Printful or Merchly. These platforms provide print-on-demand services, which means that the item is generated as orders are received, sparing you from storing inventory.

How to Promote Your Podcast Merchandise

It is critical to promote your goods to your listeners in order to increase sales. This may be accomplished in numerous ways:

1. In-Episode Promotion: Mention your goods throughout episodes of your podcast. You may talk about new designs, provide a listener's product review, or incorporate it into the subject of your episode.

2. Use social media to exhibit your items, communicate when new designs are released, and highlight any deals or discounts.

3. Website: Dedicate a part of your podcast's website to your stuff, allowing listeners to explore and purchase quickly and easily.

Why Should You Consider Merchandise Sales for Your Podcast?

1. money Diversification: Selling items gives another money stream to your podcast, allowing you to be more robust to fluctuations in ad revenue or sponsorships.

2. Increased Listener Engagement: Merchandise gives listeners a concrete method to express their support and feel like they're a part of your podcast community.

3. Brand Promotion: When a listener uses or wears your products, they are promoting your podcast. This might boost your exposure and bring in new listeners.

Finally, selling podcast products may be a profitable way to monetize your program, both monetarily and in terms of listener engagement. Remember that your goods should represent the core of your podcast, engage with your audience, and, most importantly, be something you are happy to sell. Good luck with your merchandising!

Live Performances:

Consider conducting live events or shows once your podcast has gained momentum. This not only gives your audience with an immersive experience, but also a potential for ticket sales and sponsorships.

Increasing the Profitability of Your Podcast Through Live Performances

Once your podcast has a sizable audience and momentum, hosting live events or programs may add a new layer to your revenue plan. Live performances elevate your podcast from an aural experience to an engaging, interactive event. This opens up the possibility of ticket sales, sponsorships, and a stronger relationship with your audience.

Making the Transition to Live Performances

Putting your podcast live might seem like a major step, but it doesn't have to be. Here's where to begin:

1. Select the Appropriate Venue: Depending on the size of your audience, this might range from a modest neighborhood café to a huge conference center. The location should be appropriate for the type of your podcast and the preferences of your audience.

2. Create Your Content: A live show might follow the same framework as a podcast episode or take a more participatory approach. Q&A sessions, live interviews, audience involvement portions, or even performances might all be included.

3. Publicize Your Event: Make an announcement about the live show on your podcast, social media outlets, and website. To promote speedy ticket sales, consider giving early bird tickets or special discounts.

Making Money From Your Live Podcast Performances

1. Ticket Sales: This is the simplest method to profit from your live performance. You may sell tickets using websites such as Eventbrite or your own.

2. Sponsorships: Local companies may be interested in sponsoring your live performance in exchange for advertising space. Your usual podcast sponsors, on the other hand, may be interested in this extended kind of marketing.

3. stuff: A live event is a good venue for selling podcast stuff. You may set up a product station at your event and even design special goods that will only be available at your live concerts.

Why Should You Consider Live Podcast Performances?

1. Increased Revenue: Live concerts provide additional monetization opportunities such as ticket sales, sponsorships, and merchandising.

2. Increased Listener Engagement: Meeting and talking with your listeners in person may help you and your audience form a closer relationship.

3. Brand Building: A successful live event may increase the popularity of your podcast, attracting new listeners and possible sponsors.

Finally, live podcast performances may provide a novel approach to monetise your podcast, engage your audience, and promote your brand. So, don't be scared to take your podcast off the air and onto the stage - your listeners will certainly like the live experience, and your monetization efforts will likely skyrocket.

Blogging for Money

Ad income, affiliate marketing, and sponsored content are the primary ways that blogs are monetized. To broaden your horizons:

1. E-books and Online Courses:

Exploring E-books and Online Courses to Diversify Your Blog Monetization

While ad revenue, affiliate marketing, and sponsored content are tried-and-true ways to monetize a blog, diversity is essential for long-term profitability. Creating and selling e-books and online courses is one potential strategy to broaden your monetization efforts.

E-books: Putting Your Knowledge in Writing

E-books are a great method to bundle your knowledge into a product that your audience can buy, download, and read at their leisure. This may be an in-depth tutorial on a certain subject, a compilation of your finest blog entries, or even a fictitious narrative - the options are limitless.

Steps for Creating and Selling E-books:

Choose a subject: Select a subject that is relevant to your blog's specialty and that your followers are interested in.

Write Your E-book: Make it interesting and valuable. Remember to proofread and edit before posting.

Create an eye-catching cover: An eye-catching cover may have a major influence on sales. If your budget allows, consider hiring a professional designer.

Choose a Platform: You may sell your e-book on your blog or via sites such as Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing or Gumroad.

advertise Your E-book: To advertise your e-book, use your blog, social media platforms, and email newsletters.

Online Courses: A Dynamic Learning Environment

Online classes may be a more engaging and valuable offering to give your target audience. You may create a course to teach your audience on a certain subject, complete with video lectures, downloadable materials, quizzes, and more.

How to Make and Sell Online Courses:

Choose a subject: Just like an e-book, the course subject should be relevant to your blog's specialty and audience interest.

Make Your Own Course: Plan the organization and content of the course. Create downloadable materials, record video courses, and, if necessary, put up quizzes or tasks.

Choose a Platform: Platforms such as Teachable or Thinkific make hosting and selling your online course simple. You may also host the course on your own website.

Price Your Course: Take into account the value supplied, the investment you put in establishing the course, and what your target audience is prepared to pay.

Promote Your Course: To promote your course, use your blog, social media, and email newsletters.

What Are the Benefits of E-books and Online Courses?

1. Revenue Potential: E-books and online courses may be priced more than traditional ad or affiliate revenue, resulting in a large income increase.

2. Establishing expert: Creating and selling your own items may help you position yourself as an expert in your area.

3. Evergreen Sales: Once generated, these digital items may sell indefinitely, providing a source of passive revenue.

Finally, broadening your blog monetization plan with e-books and online courses will help you raise money, demonstrate your expertise, and deliver enormous value to your audience. It's time to go beyond typical revenue tactics and see what possibilities these sources have for your site!

2nd. Advisory or Coaching:

 Consider offering consulting or coaching services if your blog demonstrates your skill in a certain sector.

Investigating Consultation and Coaching: A Personal Approach to Blog Monetization

Offering consulting or coaching services might be a great monetization approach if you're renowned for your expertise in a certain field via your blog. This not only increases income but also allows for more tailored connection with your audience.

Recognizing Advisory and Coaching Services

Consulting services often include giving customers professional advise in your area of expertise. This might include business consultancy, marketing guidance, health and wellness suggestions, or any other subject in which your expertise can be useful.

Coaching, on the other hand, often entails more personal, continuous instruction to assist someone in achieving particular personal or professional objectives. Life coaches, writing coaches, and fitness coaches are a few examples.

How to Launch Your Consulting or Coaching Business

1. Clarify Your Offering: Be specific about what you can provide as a consultant or coach. Consider your abilities, experience, and the audience's requirements or obstacles.

2. Determine Your Pricing Structure: Will you charge by the hour, session, or package deal? Consider the value you provide, the normal prices in your field, and what your target audience is prepared to pay.

3. Promote Your Services: Create a dedicated page on your blog to highlight your services, publish testimonials, and provide customers a means to schedule a session or contact you. Mention your services on a regular basis in your blog entries and on social media.

Important Strategies for Providing Successful Consulting or Coaching Services

1. display Your Knowledge and skills: Your blog post should display your knowledge and skills. Use case studies, detailed instructions, and practical advice to demonstrate what you can provide as a coach or consultant.

2. Collect Testimonials: As you work with customers, ask for testimonials to post on your website. Positive feedback may dramatically increase your reputation and attract additional customers.

3. Provide Excellent Service: The most effective strategy to expand your consulting or coaching services is to provide tremendous value and surpass your customers' expectations.

Why Should You Consider Consulting or Coaching?

1. High Earning Potential: Consulting and coaching often attract larger rates than other types of monetization. Even a few customers may drastically increase your earnings.

2. Direct influence: With this technique of monetization, you may have a direct influence on people. It's satisfying to see your advice result in your customers' success.

3. Personal Branding: Providing these services may help you establish yourself as an authority in your sector, drawing additional readers, collaborations, and prospects.

 if your blog has established you as an authority in your field, providing consulting or coaching services may be a rewarding and effective monetization approach. It enables you to have a direct and significant influence on your audience while also increasing your revenue and improving your own brand.

3. Membership Website:

 Convert your blog into a membership site where members may pay to gain access to special material, webinars, or forums.

Making Money through Filmmaking

Film festival awards, distribution partnerships, and internet sales are all ways for independent filmmakers to generate money. To increase the number of income streams:

1) Platforms for video-on-demand:

Increasing Filmmaker Monetization Through Video-On-Demand Platforms

Traditional distribution and film festival prizes provide several cash prospects for independent filmmakers. However, the introduction of digital platforms has created an altogether new revenue stream: video-on-demand (VOD).

Using VOD Platforms to Their Full Potential

Video-on-Demand services enable customers to watch movies or TV series whenever they choose, rather than waiting for them to be aired at a certain time. As an independent filmmaker, you may use these channels to reach a worldwide audience and monetize your work.

There are three kinds of VOD systems to think about:

1. Transactional Video-On-Demand (TVOD): In this model, consumers pay for each film or television program they watch. Platforms like as iTunes, Google Play, and Vimeo On Demand fall within this category.

2. membership Video-On-Demand (SVOD): Viewers pay a monthly membership fee for unrestricted access to their content collection on these platforms. Popular SVOD services include Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu.

3. AVOD (Ad-Supported Video-On-Demand): Platforms such as YouTube and Tubi enable users to watch content for free, but with commercials. Ad revenue is how you make money.

Making Money from Your Films on VOD Platforms

1. Know Your Audience: Different platforms appeal to different demographics and genres of viewers. Understanding your audience and what they are willing to pay for is critical.

2. Choose the Right Platform: Depending on your film and audience, you may choose a broad-appeal platform like Amazon Prime, a filmmaker-friendly platform like Vimeo On Demand, or an ad-supported site like YouTube.

3. advertise Your Film: Regardless of the platform you choose, you must advertise your film. To draw viewers to your film, use social media, your network, and other marketing tactics.

Why Should You Consider VOD Platforms?

1. Global Audience Access: VOD services may expose your video to people all around the globe, thereby boosting your earnings.

2. Creative flexibility: When compared to conventional distribution techniques, many VOD channels provide indie filmmakers greater creative flexibility.

3. Revenue Diversification: Each VOD platform has its own revenue stream. You may diversify your income and lessen the risk associated with depending on a single revenue source by employing various platforms.

To summarize, video-on-demand services provide a tremendous potential for independent filmmakers to commercialize their work, reach worldwide audiences, and retain creative control. Understanding the many kinds of VOD providers and how to successfully use them may considerably boost the income potential of your picture.

2) Crowdfunding

Websites such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo can help you generate funding for your movie by providing backers with rewards or early access to the film.

Using the Power of the Crowd to Fund Your Film

When it comes to independent filmmaking, finding funding may be a major hurdle. This is when crowdsourcing comes into play. Platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo have transformed film finance by enabling filmmakers to seek cash directly from their target audience.

Crowdfunding for Filmmakers 101

Crowdfunding is the practice of soliciting modest sums of money from a large number of individuals, generally via the Internet. Filmmakers may use a crowdfunding site to pitch their concept or project and offer prospective supporters a variety of prizes or bonuses in exchange for their participation.

Early access to the film, behind-the-scenes information, merchandising, or even producer credits are all possible prizes. The objective is to provide incentives that appeal to your target audience and motivate them to support your project.

How to Launch a Successful Crowdfunding Campaign

1. Select the Right Platform: While Kickstarter and Indiegogo are popular options, you may want to try film-specific crowdfunding services such as Seed&Spark.

2. Tell a captivating narrative about your film, why you're creating it, and why people should support it in your campaign. Text, photos, and, ideally, a video pitch may all be included.

3. Design a Tiered Reward System: Create a tiered reward system that provides something of value at each donation level. This might include digital downloads, special updates, souvenirs, or even acting parts in the film.

4. Promote Your Campaign: Spread the word about your campaign using social media, email marketing, and personal networks. Remember that while the campaign is underway, crowdfunding is a full-time job.

Why Should You Consider Crowdfunding for Your Film?

1. Funding Source: Crowdfunding may give the necessary finances to get your idea off the ground.

2. Audience Development: Even before your film is launched, a crowdfunding effort may help generate attention and cultivate an audience for it.

3. Validation: A successful crowdfunding campaign proves that there is a market for your film. This may entice more investors or distribution partners.

 crowdfunding is more than simply a tool to generate cash for your film. It's a chance to engage your potential audience, verify your concept, and generate momentum before the cameras roll. So, whether you're creating your first short film or your next feature, think about how crowdsourcing might help you along the way.

3. Workshops or Online Courses:

Use workshops or online courses to share your filmmaking knowledge and talents.

Finally, diversification is the current digital world's credo. Monetization across many channels not only ensures financial security, but also enables for a larger audience reach and creative discovery. So, instead of putting all of your eggs in one basket, diversify and let your imagination flourish.

Diversifying Filmmaker Income by Teaching Workshops or Offering Online Courses

Independent filmmakers have a unique combination of artistic and technical knowledge that may be very beneficial to budding filmmakers or film aficionados. You may earn extra money while giving back to the filmmaking community by sharing your expertise and talents via workshops or online courses.

Utilizing Workshops and Online Courses

Workshops may be held in person or digitally, and they serve as an engaging platform for teaching certain skills or topics. You may conduct a screenplay class, a short film editing course, or a session on cinematography methods - the possibilities are endless and can cater to various areas of your expertise.

Online courses expand on this premise by providing a full, self-paced learning experience. You may create a course that walks students through the full filmmaking process or one that focuses on a specific area, such as directing or post-production.

How to Successfully Launch Workshops or Online Courses

1. Determine Your Teaching Topic: Consider the areas of filmmaking in which you are most proficient and enthusiastic. Consider what your prospective pupils are most eager to learn.

2. Create Your Curriculum: For seminars, create an interesting and practical session that provides measurable value. Create a clear and complete curriculum for online courses that includes interactive features such as video lectures, tasks, or quizzes.

3. Select Your Platform: Workshops may be held in person or using video conferencing technologies. Online course providers such as Udemy, Skillshare, and Coursera are excellent choices, or you may offer courses on your own website.

4. Promote Your Offering: Spread the word about your seminars or courses via your social media platforms, email list, and personal network. To boost sign-ups, consider giving early bird discounts or special incentives.

Why Should Filmmakers Consider Attending Workshops or Taking Online Courses?

1. Income Diversification: Workshops and online courses give a another money source that may help to balance out the frequently erratic nature of film income.

2. Establishing Authority: Teaching others will help you position yourself as an authority in the film business, perhaps leading to greater possibilities.

3. Community Engagement: By sharing your expertise, you are giving back to the filmmaking community and assisting other creatives in honing their craft. This may be quite gratifying and can lead to important friendships.

Diversity is the present digital world's motto. Monetizing your abilities and ideas across numerous platforms not only gives financial stability, but also opens doors to a larger audience reach and creative discovery. So, avoid the urge to put all your eggs in one basket. Instead, diversify, allow your creativity run wild, and take use of the myriad alternatives that the digital age provides.