There are probably as many internet marketing ideas as there are internet marketers. Some of them are tried and tested, others never left the drawing board. Here are three which have proved their worth:

Write articles

This is an excellent way to gain visibility for your product or service. Publishing eZine articles not only promotes your products but also gives you credibility as an authority in your field. One well-written article will very likely be seen by hundreds of thousands of people. If you can make the content controversial, all the better, as this will generate discussions and comments which will, in turn, create links to various blogs and networks.

The idea is to be innovative and contentious or amusing. Interesting rather than imitative. People quickly lose interest when they find the same content rehashed and served up again and again. This said, a rewrite or summary of your own original article submitted to an article directory could help to attract visitors to your website as well as giving you more exposure in search engine results.

Commenting on other articles in your field of expertise is another way to make your presence felt. By participating in discussions on your subject you can build relationships with other entrepreneurs and create profitable links. You could also review interesting articles about your niche market from time to time on your website.

Participate in Affiliate Programs

Depending upon the type and scope of your business you can either become an affiliate or recruit affiliates. Either way an affiliate program is an excellent marketing strategy which both helps to promote your website and generate an income.

The merchant website recruits affiliates who will post their advertisements on their websites. In other words, one site is used to drive traffic to another. Payment is usually based on the number of visitors who click on the advertisement and visit the merchant’s site, or the number of visitors accessing the merchant’s site through the affiliate who actually purchase something, depending on the agreement between both parties.

This marketing strategy has become increasingly popular over the past ten years with the company who popularized the approach, Amazon.com, having over 500,000 affiliate websites.

Even if your website is not set up primarily to sell products or services online, if you have a successful blog, for instance, you can still take part in e-commerce and generate a good income by participating in affiliate marketing.

Engage in Social Marketing

Social networks are not only good communication channels but also powerful internet marketing tools if used correctly. Join popular networks such as MySpace and Facebook, publish your own blog and join in discussions on other blogs, providing useful or interesting information.

If relevant, join niche networks to target users who are interested in your merchandise or services. Like article writing the goal here is not to engage in direct selling but to promote yourself, your website and your brand by setting yourself up as an expert in your field and building relationships with customers and potential customers.

Whatever methods you choose to market your brand remember to keep track of your progress, be aware of what works for you and what doesn’t and consistently tweak your marketing strategy to ensure you get the most for your time, expenditure and effort.