When I do get serious about taking photographs for other people I plan on depending a great deal on Word of Mouth advertising more than anything. I imagine that I would be doing quite a few of complementary or extremely low cost gigs just to try and establish my name at first. I know that before making a purchase or seeking a service (e.g. car repairs, doctors, etc) I depend a great deal on personal references of my family, friends, and co-workers. I think Word of Mouth is still the most effective way of advertising.
What do you guys think?