Paid advertising online can be very effective, but can be initially expensive, particularly if you want to promote referral programs (eg get paid to read e-mail) where you don't see an immediate return on your investment. But did you know there are ways to get identical advertising packages at a fraction of the price?

This might be a surprising suggestion but there are hugely discounted advertising packages available on eBay. In the past I've picked up a paid solo e-mail to the membership base of a GPTRE site for just $1 and links on a PR6 site for £1. Below are a few examples currently available from both the US and UK sites.

Adtactics - One of the most innovative sites around, you earn credits from reading messages, viewing sites and displaying banners for other members and use these credits to buy advertising. Free and premium memberships available.

Downline Clubs

It doesn't matter how many visitors you get to your site if you can't persuade anyone to sign up for the program you're promoting. Downline clubs are an attempt to help to overcome this by working for the mutual benefit of all members. In return for signing up for programs under other members, you get people signing up under you in your selected programs.

GetRef.com is a well-established downline club with hundreds of opportunities to join and promote. You earn credits by joining a program, clicking links or referring new members to the site, and then swap your credits for new referrals in the programs of your choice. You set the number of credits you offer to each referral - the more you offer, the higher up the list your offer appears and the greater the chance of getting referals.

There are also a few sites that work by building a downline in internet marketing sites, particularly traffic exchanges. When you join one of these sites you enter your membership links and then simply need to promote one site. Your new recruits are then presented with details of the programs available with your referral links automatically included.

Check out the following:

Downline Planet allows you to build downlines in a range of free to join programs, primarily traffic exchanges, but what makes this one different is the option to add your own programs free. Visit http://www.downlineplanet.com/programs for details of the current programs on the list.

Traffic Hoopla - Find out which are the current top performing traffic exchanges, and get your own site to promote your links in these exchanges.

Traffic Exchange Advertising Know How understands the importance of list building to a successful online business and offer a selection of list building ideas with the option to add your own affiliate links for your own line to sign up through.

BuildReferrals was once of the best downline builders, offer a huge library of resources as well as dozens of the best programs you can join. However the site hasn't been updated for some considerable time and some programs are no longer around, or as highly recommended as they would have been. If you already belong to some of the traffic exchanges listed, it may still be worth using. In addition the free resources included are well worth a look. Also available is Build Referrals - The Next Generation a professional downline club with a monthly fee. Worth considering if you wish to promote any of the following:

• Twenty20
• Better Universe
• Hot Conference
• Kiosk
• Surefire Wealth
• E-Lottery
• Zabang
• Website.ws
• Direct Matches