CLEVELAND, USA: Internet marketing continues to both expand and mature, offering several cost-effective strategies for entrepreneurs trying to build their business. These Internet marketing tips for entrepreneurs leverage the evolving online landscape, connecting entrepreneurs with customers and investors alike.

"Entrepreneurs understanding the nuances of interactive marketing and online networking are at a clear competitive advantage," said Tiffan Clark, Marketing Vice President of JumpStart Inc., the venture development organization behind IdeaCrossing, a free online resource that connects entrepreneurs with investors.

Search Marketing
Online visibility is critical to entrepreneurs engaged in fundraising, marketing and management team building activities. Search engine marketing (SEM) is one strategy for increasing web visibility and connecting with customers. SEM includes both pay-per-click (PPC) and search engine optimization (SEO).

PPC offers entrepreneurs a highly targeted, rifle-shot approach to online advertising. With popular ad platforms such as Yahoo! and Google, advertisements appear alongside search results based on selected keywords and phrases, and advertisers pay only when their ads are clicked.

SEO focuses on boosting website volume and traffic quality through better "organic," or natural, search results. By incorporating keywords into a site's content and structuring the site so that search engines can easily "spider," or scan, the content. SEO marketers improve a website's search ranking, and thus increase its visibility to customers and investors - all without paying a penny out of pocket.

Online PR
Ad gurus will tell you that brands and marketing "buzz" are most effectively created by public relations, and sustained through advertising. The Internet has revolutionized PR and the brand-building process: entrepreneurs can now publish their content directly to the masses using media distribution services such as PR Newswire. Bypassing the media gatekeepers, startups can easily push content directly to search engines, making their company news easily accessed through a keyword search.

Giving away free content in the form of articles and advice is a great way to gain consumer trust and carve out a niche as an industry expert. Just be sure to include links back to your website when publishing and distributing your content.

Social Media
The task of networking is becoming easier thanks to social media. Thriving Internet communities such as IdeaCrossing make it simple to connect like-minded business professionals, so it pays to seek out online niche business communities and become active members in them.

Blogging offers a unique way to facilitate communication with key audiences and create positive conversations about brands. The keys to creating and maintaining an effective blog are providing timely, useful content and building a community of conversation with direct channels for consumer feedback.

Other Internet marketing tips for entrepreneurs using social media include:

* Participate. Comment on other relevant blogs and link back to your site
* Bookmark. Share your content by submitting and categorizing it on social bookmarking sites such as StumbleUpon
* Offer subscriptions to your content using RSS feeds
* Don't sell, educate. Consumers want dialogue and transparency, not sales pitches

Finally, take advantage of the Internet's interactive nature and solicit feedback. Wondering what consumers are thinking about your business? Ask them through emails, newsletters and no-hassle forms.