Self-publishing software and games

[edg3]

So, I suppose this would be one of the ideal places to post this and get some feedback, but I'm looking for advice for self-publishing your own software and games, I'm specifically looking around at ways that this can be properly monetised and hopefully become successful. To start off I know that this kind of discussion is very context sensitive, but self-publishing is its own logistical nightmare, so I figured tackling self-publishing with regards to software and games as a start.

I will give a more precise scenario at the end of the post, but first let me clarify a few things. Publishing in this sense follows the same major fundamentals as all other publishing, but the major problem comes in with the startup capital, and until I have a clearer strategy that will work I'm hesitant to sacrifice the petrol money I work for (I'm a student), and equally hesitant to try using services such as KickStarter.

So the advice Im looking for is in these 2 categories of the publishing specifically, but all publishing help is useful:

Marketing
Advertising

Specifically, when you see software or games being sold by companies that have yet to build a client-base and decent portfolio what things make you rather avoid them? And what things work to grab your attention? Unfortunately I don't have a lot of funds to work with for advertising, but if I did, what advertising (if any) managed to grab your attention and drive you to testing products?

As for the scenario, I am looking at Windows, and Windows Phone 7 based applications and games currently (the framework I am most familiar with only works on Windows, Windows Phone 7 and the Xbox 360). Should the products become popular enough I would then invest the time into porting to iOS and Linux, but for now Im keeping my target market list small. I have already tried the following:

Free with ads for revenue (1 complete flop, 1 app that seems to be extrememly popular, but that hasnt generated any decent revenue yet)
The trial being the full application, but you can buy it to support my dev work (1 game which hasnt seen much interest, 1 application which has a 2 month trial period that it is too soon to tell if it will work out)

It isnt a particularly expansive list of experiments (I have >15 apps and games on the Windows Phone 7 marketplace and they are mostly hit and miss experiments), but I'm hoping to release a content rich game by the end of Feb that will be my first big self-published game.

So any thoughts and suggestions are welcomed, and I thank you in advance for them

[ChilliGirl]

Advertising is a Marketing tool.

you have to look at the various marketing tools. Another which is a good to great website. If you cannot design a good site yourself have it designed by someone, even if you get them to do it in such a manner that you can maintain it in the future. In today's society a website can add to the make/break of a business.

Your product(s) also have to be innovative & attract attention

[edg3]

Most things Ive read make the distinction between advertising and marketing as having marketing as "how you sell your game, how you show it off, how you spread the word about your game without paying for advertising", and advertising being the paid adverts aspect of it.

[Vecna]

Just make the game ridiculously good and people will eat it up.

[Sutekj]

Most things Ive read make the distinction between advertising and marketing as having marketing as "how you sell your game, how you show it off, how you spread the word about your game without paying for advertising", and advertising being the paid adverts aspect of it.
In business, marketing refers to doing market research, among other things, and advertising.

[crudler]

have you looked at the microsoft bizspark programme?
its gives u access to all sorts of advertising / marketing channels.
(assuming u are on the MS stack)
plus also access to VCs