7 Cheap Ways to Advertise Your Small Business

You can build the greatest small business of all time. But it won't matter one bit if nobody knows about your awesome business. So, like it or love it, advertising is a necessary part of running a small business.

However, you don't need to fork over fistfuls of cash for a high-priced advertising agency a la Mad Men. You don't even need to pay for a Slightly Annoyed Dude. There are tons of cheap, easy ways to advertise your business that won't clear out your bank account.

1. Get active on social media

According to the Pew Research Center, some 69% of people use Facebook, and around 40% of people are on Instagram. Nearly a third of people are on Pinterest, and even Reddit is visited by nearly a fifth of survey respondents.

All this equates to a whole lot of eyeballs. If even a small number of those folks see -- and, ideally, interact with -- your business's social media posts, then you could be seen by thousands of people.

Sure, building up a social media presence can be a bit time consuming. But, in most cases, your time is all it costs. (We're talking just posts here, we'll talk about paid advertising below.) So, get creative and start posting.

2. Start a podcast or YouTube channel

As popular as the rest of the social media sphere may be, it's nothing compared to YouTube. Some 81% of adults watch YouTube, which means potentially millions of people who could be looking at your content.

Not keen on putting yourself out there in video? Then consider a podcast. While not as popular as video -- only 41% of people say they listen to podcasts -- it's still quite a large pool of potential customers.

One thing to keep in mind with any kind of social media posting is to stay professional. As great as it could be to go viral, you don't want to go viral for the wrong things. Keep your content on topic and avoid anything that could get your business into legal trouble.

3. Become a local media expert

Every local morning news program has a few segments a day offering advice from folks in the community, from tax experts to AC repair professionals. Whatever your business is, offer up your expertise to your local media outlets for some free targeted advertising.

Is your business digital and/or national? Consider branching out. Contact media outlets that share your target demographic and let them know you're available if they need an expert.

4. Create a loyalty/referral program

Who doesn't love those little punch cards for Buy-10-Get-1-Free? Print up some cards and invest in a hole punch, and you're ready to rock. 

If you'd rather join the modern age, of course, there are a range of tools you can use to design and operate a white-label mobile app or other digital loyalty program. These can be convenient for you and your customers, while also giving you potential access to email addresses and/or phone numbers.

And don't forget to encourage referrals. Offering a discount to folks who refer new customers -- as well as those who have been referred -- can encourage word-of-mouth advertising in the community.

5. Stickers (and other swag)

People love stickers. Kids, adults, everyone -- give them a sticker, and they'll find a place to stick it. Bumper stickers, in particular, can be great local advertising if people like your business enough to slap a sticker on their car. And best of all, stickers are surprisingly cheap and easily available online.

Of course, stickers are far from the only type of swag you could get. Pens, shirts, flashlights; the options are limitless, and easy to adapt to your budget.

6. Hold a sweepstakes, raffle, or giveaway

Who doesn't love free stuff?! Trading contest entries for email addresses can be a great way to build up your mailing list, and the contest itself will help generate a bit of buzz.

And don't think you need to hand out free gaming systems to get people interested. Folks will happily jump through hoops for free t-shirts, let alone something more valuable. Depending on the nature of your business, you could keep costs down by offering your own goods or services as the prize.

1. Purchase social media ads

Ideally, a bit of creativity -- and some luck -- will help you boost your social media following enough that you don't necessarily need to fork over cash to be seen. But if your social media isn't growing as fast as you'd like, you can always purchase an ad or two.

Social media advertising can be surprisingly cost effective, with options to pay per impression, per click, or even per campaign. Plus, some small business credit cards will offer bonus points for digital advertising spend, making it even more affordable.

Be awesome, and stay awesome

No matter how great your advertising is, it's up to you to keep your customers coming back. So while it's certainly important to spend some time and money on advertising, don't let that distract you from what's most important: running a good business. In the end, it'll be your products and customer service that count the most.