With the economy only just on the mend and jobs still scarce, many people that found themselves out of work and unable to secure another job have turned to Internet marketing.

But what is Internet marketing?

Well, it is quite a broad term. But, for the purpose of this article Internet marketing is basically making money online using the Internet.

I am not referring to companies that use the Internet to advertise or sell products – companies such as Amazon. I am strictly speaking about individuals that work from home using the Internet as their modus operandi – their base of operations.

So what options are available?

There is a vast array of techniques and systems of Internet marketing. When you think of the internet you probably imagine websites. Whilst they are the main body of the web they are not the end all and be all. Online marketing, as it is often referred to, does not always include the use of a personal website – in fact in many cases websites never figure into the equation.

In fact, if you are interested in the potential use of online marketing as a business venture, you should make yourself aware of the following:

Social Networking – especially Twitter, Facebook and MySpace
Web 2.0 – sites like YouTube and Flickr
Social Bookmarking – Digg, StumbleUpon, Reddit and Delicious
Article Marketing – Check out EzineArticles or GoArticles
Email Marketing Campaigns – find out what an Autoresponder is and how they are used
Affiliate Marketing – Probably the most common form of Internet marketing.

There are many more areas you should make yourself familiar with but these would be the best place to start. If that seems like a lot I would definitely recommend looking at affiliate marketing first. You will find that this actually incorporates many of the other items in the list as part of its strategies anyway, so you may as well check this out first.

Affiliate marketing is very popular and is what most people think of when they hear the term ‘Internet marketing’. Its popularity may be due to the low cost and simplicity of getting started and earning money online using this technique.

If you are interested in learning more about affiliate marketing and would like help in developing and running a successful affiliate sales campaign, you can find a how-to guide that has helped thousands of new starters build successful careers in online marketing.