If you have ever thought of getting into internet marketing, or have recently gotten in, but you do not really have the money to invest in a number of websites, or pay-per-click advertising, you may have asked yourself how you can get the money that you really need to start making money off the internet.

One of the best ways, is to do some work to get that much needed money is commonly called "bum marketing." The name stems from the man who invented the theory - his wife told him that his plan was so easy, and cheap (free) that any bum off the street could do it. The name stuck.

Well, here are a couple of popular ideas.

- Article Marketing: this is one of the most popular free methods of affiliate marketing available. There are literally hundreds (probably thousands) of websites that are known as article directories (including this one, e-zine articles). By writing helpful articles that address the needs of people looking for help, information or products, and leaving a link to your website, or your affiliate program link, you can drive many of your readers directly where you want them to go - the website where they can buy the product or service you are promoting.To make it easier for yourself, after you write the article, use a article distribution service. This wil let you get you article out to hundreds of sites at one time.

- Forum Marketing: forums, more than any other place on the internet, are full of people looking for answers to their questions and problems. And, there are probably hundreds of thousands of forums on the internet dedicated to nearly every topic you could imagine. Find a great affiliate product that addresses a problem, find a bunch of forums that cover the problem you product solves, make a few friendly posts and then drop in "the link that a friend gave you about a cure/product/story" that addresses and solves the problem.

- Squidoo Lenses: If you do not know how to build websites, or do not have the money to purchase and host websites, Squidoo lenses are just as good. In fact, they are like mini websites that you can make about any topic you want. Load them up with great information related to the product you are promoting, give some of the benefits of the product, offer a quick review and put in a few links to the affiliate page for readers who are interested in learning more and purchasing.

- Yahoo Answers: hundreds of thousands of people use yahoo answers to get answers to their questions and problems every single day. Find some recent questions that are answered/solved by the product/products you are promoting, post a helpful answer, with some useful information and a recommended link to the affiliate product you are promoting.

If you are looking for some free ways to start making money off the internet and get the cash you need to begin buying websites and doing pay-per-click advertising these four resources are great places to start. Also, you should know that these resources, and any free affiliate marketing tool can be used to compliment any of the paid marketing tools you use. The more marketing streams you use, the more traffic you drive, the more money you make.