The Internet is perhaps the most cost-effective and wide reaching means of advertising today, and with the number of worldwide Internet users rising steadily, this is a realm that holds much optimism for business owners. Smaller businesses are restricted to smaller advertising budgets, so they need to make the most out of any channel that they get. The Internet represents a completely risk free and low resource utilizing medium that is very easy to tackle. A small business owner can undertake a number of Internet advertising methods on his own, or he can hire a team of specialists to do the same for him. Either way, the objective should be to make the company's presence felt in various different forums and to get people talking about the company and the services and the products that it offers. Ways to Advertise Small Businesses Online If you really want to advertise your business on the Internet, then you need to understand the dynamics of your targeted segment and the kind of websites and portals that they visit. Internet marketing also has a firm design and blueprint behind it, and it is necessary to stick to this plan. You also need to understand the concepts of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) as this will enable the content of your website to rank higher on search engine results, thus improving your visibility. And yes, you will most certainly need a website. This is something you can achieve with minimal costs, so do not even think twice about creating a website since this is the best way to do it. With that said, here are some tried and tested ways to advertise. Use Social Networks Social networks like Facebook and Twitter have more than 700 million users combined, and these are breeding grounds for advertisers. You will have to negotiate a revenue sharing model with the network itself, but the exposure that you will get will be immense. You can target the age groups and profiles that you feel match your potential customers, and you can spread information and awareness about your business. Social media marketing is the new buzzword in the marketing world, and you must act soon to exploit the potential this provides. Maintain and Update Blogs The objective here is to convince people that your company is an entity, and this can be achieved by creating and maintaining a blog on a regular basis. This can be done for free, and it allows the users to connect with your business on a more personal level. The first rule of marketing is to connect with your customers, and a blog is the perfect platform to achieve this. Online Classified Ads There is no better way to gain exposure than to be present when the customer really needs the service that you provide. By registering with classified ads online and other Internet marketing monitoring systems, you will ensure that your name will arise when the customer carries out a search. Some of these platforms needs to be paid for, whereas some are free. The free platforms will only hold your ads for a limited period of time though, so you will need to keep updating your ads on a regular basis. Chat Rooms and Forums You can hire a team of a few people to regularly visit chat rooms and forums and talk about your company and your services. This advertising will be completely free of cost and it will give you a great deal of exposure. You can even solve some people's problems online, and this will build your goodwill in their eyes. The process of branding and image building is a continuous process, and the Internet provides you with various methods in which you can achieve this goal. Emailers Everyone who uses the Internet has an email address, and if you can convince them to give you their email address you can create a massive database of existing and potential customers. You can regularly send them email based ads which are very simple to design, and the best part of this OTL (Over The Line) technique is that the customer feels like he is getting personalized attention. This builds a relationship with him and eventually aids your business. There are many companies and individuals who are adept and well versed with digital marketing and online advertising. You can enlist the help of such parties and have them carry out all these tasks for you as well. Marketing over the Internet has changed the dynamics and the concept of the term completely, as it gives you access to an individual every time he goes online. Moreover, the negligible costs involved make this a very attractive proposition for small businesses who are operating on a shoestring budget.