Internet Marketing

Make PR a core component of your Internet marketing strategy Marketing on the Internet is about more than advertising; it's also about public relations. Use the Internet to generate publicity and to monitor, build and maintain your online reputation.

I recommend:  Include Google Alerts in your Internet marketing toolbox. Use them to keep tabs on mentions of your name, your company and your products online; search Technorati, meanwhile, for mentions in blogs and social media. Finally, when you write press releases, distribute them via a newswire service like PRWeb, which allows you to tag your release for exposure on social bookmarking sites like Digg and Del.iciou.us.

Purchase display advertising and take advantage of traditional online marketing tools Display advertising, including banner ads of all sizes, is perhaps the most basic form of online marketing. Because you'll pay for impressions - banner ads are typically priced using CPM, or cost per thousand impressions - make sure you pursue ads only on websites that your target customers visit.

I recommend:  Yahoo! Advertising provides Internet marketing services with which to design, purchase and place your Internet advertisements.

Engage in e-mail marketing in order to better target your Internet marketing efforts Promotional e-mails, including targeted messages and periodic e-mail newsletters, are an effective, opt-in tool for doing one-to-one Internet marketing. Send coupons or send content, but whatever you do, don't send spam.

I recommend:  VerticalResponse is a popular e-mail marketing vendor that can help you develop and execute an Internet marketing strategy that’s all about e-mail; browse its resources page for e-mail marketing research, tips and advice.

Use search engine marketing to strengthen your larger Internet marketing strategy If you have a website, Internet marketing via search engines will help your customers find it. Consider search engine optimization, which will improve your search engine rankings, and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, which markets your company via relevant, targeted search engine queries.

I recommend:  When you’re marketing on the Internet, use Wordtracker’s free keyword suggestion tool to choose keywords; use those keywords in PPC advertising via Google AdWords and Yahoo! Sponsored Search in order to build search engine traffic.

Pursue affiliate marketing and let others do your Internet marketing for you A collaborative approach to Internet marketing, affiliate marketing consists of advertisements on other people's websites; every time a customer clicks on those ads and visits your website, your affiliate gets a small commission.

I recommend:  While LinkShare and ClickBank are examples of companies that provide affiliate-focused Internet marketing services, AffiliateScout.com and AffiliatePrograms.com are examples of directories where you can search for affiliate networks based on geography, industry, etc.

Make blogging an essential piece of your Internet marketing strategy In contrast to expensive Internet marketing services, blogs offer business owners an affordable and personable way to connect with customers. Blogging about your business, your industry and your life positions you as an expert, an advocate and most importantly, a person.

I recommend:  For a low monthly fee, you can publish your own blog via sites like TypePad and Movable Type; Blogger and WordPress, meanwhile, are free. Don’t forget to market your blog via RSS feeds; while most blogging software will create RSS feeds for you, Internet marketing companies like SimpleFeed can help if yours doesn’t.

Find viral marketing tools with which to spread your online marketing message Whether you send a viral e-mail, produce a viral video or build a viral website, Internet marketing of the viral variety spreads far and fast, allowing you to start small and finish big.

I recommend:  Consider uploading branded media to sites like YouTube, Revver or Flickr; while there’s no guarantee, a video or photo that goes viral can attract heaps of new business.

Participate in social networks to give your Internet marketing an interactive edge Social networks are an essential component to your modern-day Internet marketing strategy; giving your company a presence on popular social networks allows you to engage younger consumers and turn them into brand evangelists.

I recommend:  While MySpace, Friendster and Facebook tend to be the most attractive social networks for companies who are marketing on the Internet, other sites, such as