There are a number of effective online advertising options, however, I believe that there are two main categories of advertising; Direct Marketing methods and methods aimed at creating Credibility & Branding. Many novice Internet marketers have historically put all their eggs in the direct marketing basket. This ideology was actually more of the norm 5 years ago among many successful marketers, however, the landscape has changed dramatically to the point where it is becoming far more difficult to reach your business advertising goals if your advertising strategy does not include increasing your credibility and branding through marketing who you are. Gone are the days when Internet marketing was a bland impersonal business transaction. Your potential customers are ones that want to believe in what you are marketing and increasingly, believe in the one doing the marketing.

Category 1: Direct Marketing

1. Pay-Per-Click Advertising

This is the most common “go-to” form of advertising. Pay per click advertising is simply paying for specifically targeted traffic that clicks on your ad that brings them to your site. The analytics offered enable you to monitor and control these advertising programs very closely, as well as, tweak your ad copy and key words that you are using. This can be a very expensive option, but it doesn't have to be if planned carefully and monitored frequently. Google Adwords, Yahoo and MSN are the big three. Watch for new developments in the next 12-18 months in advertising with the Yahoo – Microsoft deal which will combine the #2 & 3 ranked search engines to position them to rival Google's search traffic.

2. Text Links

This is a simple way to draw traffic to your site that is overlooked by many. It is also one of the least expensive. You can often buy text links pretty inexpensively. The link will not only promote the specific site or page you choose but also connect it with the specific key words which are most applicable to your business or demographic you are looking to attract. Text links also give you a double pay-ff since you can attract immediate traffic from the host site, as well as, achieve better search engine ranking which will further increase traffic.

3. Ezine Advertising

Ezine advertising is one of the best ways to reach your future customers because it is typically inexpensive. It offers you the option to match the ezine audience with your product and ad. It includes an added benefit in not only your initial ad but also longevity in the ezine archives.

4. Email Marketing

Even though there has been a concerted effort to stop spam it is a fact that email advertising is still successful. You can still use email marketing as a way to reach out and touch your customers and your future customers provided it is not seen as spam. Be very careful to not cross that line since we are talking about your business reputation which is paramount.

You just need to make sure that no one receives mail except the people who ask for it. People are still willing to sign up for mailing lists--especially if you have something to offer them in return for sharing their email address. You can sponsor a contest; give away an ebook, or tutorial; or offer a discount and you will have people sign up willingly. If you don't abuse the mailing list you will have the opportunity to reach them repetitively, which is the advantage.

5. Banner Ads

Through 2004, banner ads had gone through a period where it gained a bad reputation. In part because of the proliferation of banner farms that swung a striking blow to the banner swap programs (or at least made them completely ineffective). Most of us have memories of those hideous annoying banners flashing across the top of so many web sites.

Banners have come along way since then and a nicely designed banner can be a real asset to any advertising campaign. You don't have to use one of those giant banners that span the width of the screen. You can use smaller simple ads that can fit easily into the side of the screen or special box on an applicable web site and will work more effectively. It is important that you carefully consider the types of sites you will choose for displaying your banner. (i.e.: A site about web development for your hosting service ad or a site about healthy living for your health supplement site.) Many text link and pay per click advertising vendors offer banner ads. Similarly many publishers of ezines and newsletters sell space on their sites as well.

Category 2: Marketing Personality & Knowledge

Showcasing Who You Are To Create Credibility & Branding

The next six advertising methods are all either free or very inexpensive, but they do take patience because they require a sacrifice of the time and effort to convey the information effectively. The benefits, however, far out weigh the sacrifices because you are providing something of value -- your knowledge and expertise. Remember, in most cases your potential customers are ones that want to believe in what you are marketing and increasingly, believe in the one doing the marketing. The goal is to establish yourself as trusted resource in the marketplace with the ultimate goal of being seen as an expert in your field. It's sounds daunting but it is far easier than it sounds. It starts with educating yourself on certain topics applicable to your customers and writing and summarizing what you've learned. Below are marketing methods where you can apply the written fruits of your labor. This will not only provide increased traffic but also great credibility, and it will increase the effectiveness of your advertising.

6. Start a Blog and RSS Feed

While publishing a newsletter or ezine isn't that difficult it is much easier to create a blog and make its content available via RSS feed. This can offer you the benefits of regularly updated material for your web site, which will be attractive to visitors and search engines alike. It will also send articles to other blogs and users when posted so that you can increase your site visits as well. You can register your domain name and host your own site, or there are many free blogging sites around where you can create a blog that is hosted on their site. I personally like using Squidoo and WordPress, but many web hosts now offer blogging services.

7. Create a Newsletter

By creating your own newsletter or ezine it offers you all the advantages of ezine advertising and email marketing discussed in the first section.

8. Write your Own Articles

You can take the material you have generated for your newsletter or blogs and release them as articles. Upload these on as many free content directories as you find available on the web. This not only helps to establish your credibility but the contact info you provide in your resource box (which will run every time someone else publishes your material) will bring in both direct traffic, as well as, search engine attention.

9. Create an Ebook

Once you have enough material generated from your newsletter and blog then you can combine it into a convenient Ebook and give it away. Make sure to capture names and email addresses so that they can be added to your email marketing list.

10. Post in Forums

If you have the time you should start your own forum, but even if you only have a few minutes a week to spare for this effort it can be well worth the effort. Remember that this is all about credibility, so don't offer blatant spam posts but find a forum where you have something to offer. Make sure that you include an applicable URL and description for your forum signature, and you will attract the double benefit of both traffic and search engine results.

11. Social Networking Sites

Sites like: LinkedIn, FaceBook, MySpace etc have become increasingly effective at gaining credibility. In the last three years these sites have totally changed the advertising landscape and added a new dimension that is now considered a “must have” in any campaign.

Conclusion

A successful advertising campaign cannot embrace one single method of advertising and at the same time, not every method works for every business model. Advertising cannot be seen as a one-size-fits all proposition. You need to establish your goals, assess your business needs and create an optimal combination of methods. It is important to make sure to track your results—evaluate the measurable data and alter your strategy accordingly to optimize your advertising effectiveness.