It is just crazy. Every time I open my mouth to talk about Internet marketing, it is like I am speaking a foreign language to my audience. My local audience that is.

Here in my country of Jamaica, average person does not even know how to send an email. Ezines, search engines, optimization and like are non-existent to ordinary man on street.

Some people even look at me as a genius for knowing how to create, design and market a website. What they don’t realize is that whole process is not as complex as they might think. Anyone of them can learn to do same thing as long as they apply themselves to situation.

At one time, I did not even know how to turn on a computer. The very first time I saw what HTML looked like I was stunned. How could I learn to do that was question on my mind because it look like something only geeks could do.

But I was wrong. Most persons working online are plain ordinary people. They just saw an opportunity and decided to go after it. And that could be anyone even you.

Networking. Perhaps most commonly used approach by small business owners. However, it is often poorly executed. Many people attend a networking function and take wrong approach by trying to meet as many people as they can. They bounce from person to person, handing out business cards like it is an Olympic event and they are vying for gold medal. They fail to realize that most effective way to network is to cultivate relationships and give referrals to other members first.

Referrals. This marketing strategy places a close second in preferred methods of generating new business leads. The key here is to develop a systematic approach to ensure that you take proactive approach instead than a passive one. Rather than assuming that satisfied client will refer someone to you, ask for that referral. Tell people who your ideal client is and ask for their help in finding these types of clients. The real estate agent who represented seller when we bought our house, sends us a card every year and reminds us that she loves referrals. It is not pushy, does not sound like she’s begging, and I’m confident it helps generate new leads.

Writing. This often under-utilized strategy is an excellent way to become recognized as an industry expert. Every industry has trade magazines and most are hungry for good content. The Internet is also filled with websites and e-zines looking for material to send to their subscribers and customers. I now write at least one article every month and send it to more than two hundred publications. This strategy alone has helped drive more traffic to my website more than anything else. It is sometimes challenging to come up with ideas and to write an 800 word article but investment of time and effort is definitely worth it.