A group of e-booksellers and publishers used article to jump start a discussion on their forum about marketing hype. Rod Purnell concluded that whether we like it or not, hype is effective.

He said, "Hype still works and I think people as a whole are still eating it up, even if they don't want to admit it." He contends that excitement created by hype is contagious and can actually drive people to buy.

But Teresa King of eBookWholesaler.com says there's a fine line between using hype and using a strong call to action to create excitement. If you cross that line, she says, you lose your credibility.

"I think enthusiasm is very important. I think a page that promises to show you how to make 400 extra dollars per month is way more realistic than a page that says make a million in six months. Those are so hyped up that they come across as totally unbelievable."

There are many ways to creatively and affordably promote your online business. I have tried all of following and they worked very well for me.

Joint Ventures - Participating in joint ventures with fellow publishers can be a very profitable experience. This could be anything from a group pop under window to advertising each other's ezines in your welcome letter. I also know a lot of people have had some results with signature buddies, where you would swap ads, so to speak, in each other's email sigtag. http://expertonebiz.com/articles/jvmoney.html http://www.jvmarketer.com/jvresource.html http://personalizedpartyfavor.com/freenocatch.htm

Writing Articles - Extremely effective method of building your reputation and your business. Writing articles is not hard, just stick with what you know and do not think you have to use big words to impress anyone. People are just looking for understandable articles with helpful info and useful resources. Write as if you were talking to a friend. mailto:getideas@getresponse.com mailto:yesarticles@getresponse.com http://www.ecommercebase.com/article/254

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Ad Swaps - Swapping ads, or running another publisher's ad in exchange for him/her running yours, is a very popular method of promotion. There are hundreds of thousands of ezines on net and most of publishers are willing to swap ads. When writing to a fellow publisher, be sure to include a link to a sample issue of your ezine. Introduce yourself and let them know how you know about their ezine. Tell them about your ezine and suggest a possible swap. There are publishers who will even swap solo ads which is a great opportunity! http://www.swapezineads.com/ http://www28.brinkster.com/bluesite/swap.htm http://www.linkydinky.com/swap/

Discussion Lists - Participating in discussion groups can get you established as an expert in your field as well as build your reputation as one who is there when needed. This can bring you subscribers, customers and clients. Always follow each group's guidelines for posting and treat everyone with respect and courtesy. mailto:hbj_chat-subscribe@yahoogroups.com mailto:ideasbypost-subscribe@yahoogroups.com mailto:newbies911-subscribe@topica.com mailto:Webmaster-Talk-subscribe@yahoogroups.com