Try google adsense. It worked wonders for me.
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The slow down doesn't help and visibility is hard to come by.

There really is no secret to promoting, its all about how you list and how you advertise and keep going at it till you figure something out that works for you. As frustrating as that seems.
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I would try to find a niche- the smaller the better. From there, find the places on the web that those people 'hang out' Join the conversation.

Small Business Forums
Twitter
Facebook
Yahoo Answers!

Offer good, free advice and you will start to receive business in return.
References :
http://twitter.trafficvault.com/

One good free strategy is to start publishing articles in places like ezinearticles. So if you are a web designer you just need to write stuff about it and publish it with a link to your website.
References :
Binary Art Services http://binaryartservices.com/

There are many areas that you can market yourself. One great area is using the social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and develop a relationship online with people and let them see your work. It doesn't happen overnight but the more you keep your presence out there, the more people will rely on your services.
References :
http://howtosellwhennobodysbuying.com