Have you thought about how you will advertise your online business or if you have already been in business for a while, what advertising methods are you currently using? How are they working for you? Whether they're working or not working or if you haven't gotten to that part, it pays to diversify. You don't want to spend your entire advertising budget on just one avenue. You definitely don't want to pass up the many opportunities for free advertising that can be found all over the Internet.

Split Testing

You'll find that an Internet marketing technique commonly referred to as "split testing" will come in handy when you are trying to figure out which advertising method or methods to use. Split testing will let you see how and where you are getting your customers so you can benefit from the method that is working better. For example, you can put up the exact same salespage on two or more different sites and then track where your site visitors are coming from. You can also post messages in different forums with links back to your website in your signature line and then track which links your visitors clicked on to find you.

Mix up your advertising efforts as well as your advertising dollars in order to discover which methods work best for you. Many new Internet marketers rush into their new business venture and spend far too much money on advertising before they even know which methods work the best. Maybe banner ads will bring you business; maybe they won't, but before you sink all of your advertising dollars into banner ads do your homework first.

AdSense or AdWords?

Most, if not all Internet marketers are familiar with Google AdSense and AdWords. Briefly, AdSense works by placing free ads on your website and you earn money (pennies in most cases) when others click on those ads. AdWords works by Internet marketers paying for keywords; it is a PPC (pay-per-click) marketing strategy. You only pay for the ads that are clicked on. While an entire volume could be written on PPC and AdWords, suffice it to say that while there is no guarantee that visitors will make a purchase, usually, only those interested in what the ad is selling will click in the first place.

Anytime you search Google, you will find an example of PPC ads. These are listed on the top and to the right of the "regular" results and these ads have been paid for by advertisers; that's why they are called sponsored ads. PPC advertising works for some Internet marketers and it doesn't work for others. You can, however, easily track your progress and decide if this method of advertising is for you without spending a ton of money.

Free Advertising

Don't neglect the plethora of free advertising opportunities the Internet has to offer. Free forum posting, free blog hosting, link exchanges, and article directories: all of these are ways in which you can benefit from free advertising and you should seriously consider taking advantage of them. One of the most important aspects of building your Internet empire that you should take into consideration is that you need to build relationships with your customers so that they will become and remain loyal customers. One of the ways in which you can do this is to establish yourself as an expert in your niche. Frequent blog and forum posting can also serve as free advertisement; just remember to keep it real and relevant and don't try to use these sites as places to make a quick sale. Just get involved naturally and you can acquire a reputation of being an expert in your niche.

Every successful Internet marketer knows how important it is to choose just the right niche in order to create a successful Internet marketing empire. After all, you don't want to just hawk products; you want to establish yourself as an expert. In order to do this, you must select a niche that you know something about and can talk about with an air of authority. While there are numerous opportunities to sell or market almost anything you can imagine on the Internet, you're likely to achieve far greater success if you can involve yourself with something that means something to you in some way.

What do You Care About?

While you don't have to absolutely love the niche in which you decide to market, if you are passionate about it, that passion will show through in everything you do. On the other hand, if you don't have some affinity for your niche and are just trying to sell product, that will surely show through also and will cost you in the end. So the key is to build your marketing around something that touches you personally in some way.

Start by taking inventory of your own likes and dislikes. Then dig deeper. For example, say you are absolutely passionate about dogs. However, when you do a Google search, you discover that there are more than 200 million websites already in place for dogs. You realize that you're unlikely to have your website in the top search results with so much competition already in business so what can you do? Here is where you start digging.

Dig Deep

What is it about dogs that you like so much? Is there a certain breed that you feel close to? Perhaps you're a dog breeder yourself. Or maybe your dog has a disease or condition that you've had to pay close attention to. Maybe your dog even requires a special diet. Once you identify what it is about dogs that you feel passionate about, you're ready to start narrowing your choices for a niche market.

It works the same way with any subject. Maybe you like toys. Plug the word "toys" into Google or any other search engine and you'll once again be met with millions of webpage results. Narrow the field, however, and you'll discover that there is indeed, room for one more. And it might as well be you. Just like we drilled down with the subject of dogs, do the same thing with toys. There are toys for adults and toys for kids. Electronic games, board games, outside toys, educational toys; the list goes on and on.

What if you're already marketing a product and now you need to find a niche for it to fit in? You can do this and many marketers do; however, it is still better to build your marketing empire around something that you already care about. Still, sometimes we have to start where we are and if you already have products you're trying to sell, you can still develop a niche around them. The important thing is to establish yourself as an expert so that others will turn to you for information and products when they are in the market for what you are selling.

There are simply too many ways to drive traffic to your website to sit by and suffer in silence because you don't have enough traffic. What you need, though, isn't just traffic; it's customers. While we will briefly go over some ways to drive traffic to your website, it's just as important to realize that once your traffic gets there, they need something to hold their attention. Make sure you have an attractive and useful website before you employ the following methods or your traffic will keep traveling.

Targeted Traffic

You don't want just any old traffic beating a path to your website or blog; you want targeted traffic. Traffic, by itself, won't make you any money. Targeted traffic, on the other hand, is traffic, or people who are actually interested in what you are selling. You want to concentrate your efforts on reaching the people who might actually make a purchase instead of looking in the window and moving on because you're not selling anything they are interested in. So if you're selling an ebook about how to upholster your own furniture, you probably don't want to take out a banner ad on a landscaping site. Instead, concentrate your marketing efforts at people who are in the market for furniture or advertise, blog, and post in forums at websites that cater to the do-it-yourselfer.

Know Where Your Customers are Coming From

There's nothing wrong with paying for advertising; you may have to at some point if you want to be successful; however, this shouldn't be your only form of advertising. Even so, it is important to decide which form of paid advertising works the best. Don't automatically assume that the most expensive advertising will work the best or that the least expensive advertising won't work very well. In fact, it's crucial that you keep track of how your paid advertising is working. Actually, whether you pay for advertising or not you need to know where your customers are coming from. Are they clicking on the URL from your forum post? Did they find your site through an organic search or through the PPC advertising you decided to invest in?

Advertising on the Cheap

If you're not quite ready to pay for advertising, there are still numerous ways you can get the word out about your website. Consider submitting articles to directories as well as keeping fresh content on your site. Some of the article directories will let you post a link back to your site either in a bio box or at the end of the article. Forum posting and blogging are also ways you can increase your web presence without spending a lot, if any, money. You can also trade links with other sites that are in your niche. Just make sure you are not in direct competition with each other before you ask to trade links. However, if you are a dog breeder, you might have a lot of success trading links with someone who sells specialized products, such as pet nutrition products or dog pillows or beds. The possibilities are really endless if you can trade links with someone that provides goods or services that serve to complement yours.

Remember to keep your website updated and interesting so that once your traffic arrives they will be glad they found your website on the map!

There are two primary methods you can employ in order to use affiliate marketing as part of your overall Internet marketing strategy. You can either be an affiliate marketer yourself or you can allow others to become affiliate marketers of your products. Either way, you create a win-win situation for the owner of the product as well as the affiliate marketer.

Become an Affiliate Marketer

Affiliate marketing is a popular way to make money online. There are literally millions of affiliate marketers all around the globe. You have probably purchased products from an affiliate marketer, although you may not have known at the time that the person you purchased the product from was an affiliate marketer. Affiliate marketers sell products that others have created and in return, they get to keep a portion of the profits, like a commission. Some affiliate marketers are very good at marketing; however, they either don't want to create their own products, don't know how to, or don't have the capital. This way, they can make money online without having to create anything themselves

Many, but not all, products that are sold through affiliate marketing are digital products. That is, they can be downloaded over the Internet and therefore, do not have to be shipped. The purchaser pays with a credit card, Paypal, or whatever form of payment is accepted and instantly downloads their new product. It is all very fast and easy. Many affiliate marketers sell products that are found on ClickBank and there are plenty of other places to find affiliate marketing opportunities as well.

Some products that are sold through affiliate marketing are tangible products. Wal-mart and Amazon.com have an affiliate marketing program and so do thousands of other businesses. Affiliate marketers have no shortage of products to sell. If you want to be an affiliate marketer, you have your choice of a wide variety of products to market.

Allowing Affiliate Marketers to Sell Your Products

Perhaps you're the one with the product or products to sell and you're looking for another way to market them. Consider letting others be your affiliates; that is, they can sell your products in return for a commission. This is a great way to boost your online business; it's not as if you won't be marketing your products anymore, you'll just be taking on more help and you won't have to pay when they don't perform!

By allowing others to sell your products in return for commissions, you are really opening up the doors to your Internet business. The people who become your affiliates will be advertising your products on other sites; sites that you have not thought of or had access to, perhaps. You won't be responsible for any additional advertising costs because your affiliates will be covering any costs they incur for their own advertising.

You can really boost your online profits by using affiliates. In fact, to really send your income over the edge, consider running a contest, perhaps even a monthly contest and reward the affiliate who sells the most product. You can either give a cash prize or give away free product; just make it something that is truly valuable that people would want to work hard to earn. The sky's the limit when you motivate others to sell your product!

Before you write one ad or pay someone else to do so, it is imperative that you not only know who your target market is, but you know them. What do they like, what do they dislike, what do they need, and how can you fulfill those needs? Those are just some of the questions you'll need to ask before you can sell to them.

Defining Your Target Market

This is one of the first steps an aspiring Internet marketer must take. No matter how great your product is, you must know who it is intended for before you will be able to successfully market it. Once you define your target market, you'll then be able to develop strategies for reaching them and selling to them. First things first, however.

Suppose you're selling a product to parents. Are these parents of grown children or 2-year olds? Are they parents of special needs children? Are they parents of children that go to public school, private school, or perhaps they are parents that homeschool their children? Do one or both of these parents work outside the home? How much money do they make? Where do they live?

The questions can truly go on for pages but you do need to ask them and you do need to answer them in order to effectively define your target market. You can't hope to reach your target market until it is clearly defined. Knowing your target market will help you to tailor your offers to meet their needs. If your target market doesn't make much money, they may be looking for ways to save a buck any way they can. On the other hand, if your target market is so busy they can't see straight, convenience is going to win them over.

Go Where Your Target Market Is

Now that you know who your target market is, it is time to reach them. How do you go about this? The simple answer is to go where they are. For instance, if you are marketing to parents, go to websites where parents hang out. Post in forums where other parents post and establish yourself as an expert in your niche. Before long, other parents will be turning to you for answers.

If you haven't started a blog yet, it's not too late. Also, read other blogs in your niche and comment when appropriate. Of course, wherever it is allowed, be sure to include a link back to your website at the end of your forum posts and blog comments.

If you're marketing to parents, make sure your website is optimized for what parents are going to be searching for. Then, offer something for free in exchange for a name and email address. This will let you connect with these parents on a regular basis and you can develop an email marketing campaign as well.

To summarize, know who your customers are, or potential customers, and know where they hang out. Then make them an offer they can't refuse!