Starting a new business and expanding it is a herculean task. You cannot possibly take your business to another level if you do not adopt effective advertising and marketing strategies. Word of mouth is indeed the best medium for promoting any business, however, it is a slow process that does not offer immediate results. Nowadays, there are other promotional techniques which are just as effective. If your venture is small, you may not have a large sum to spend on advertising. In that case you should resort to the following cheaper means of advertising. Flyers Flyers are one of the cheapest advertising mediums for small businesses. However, you need to put in a great deal of thought while designing and distributing your flyers. Flyers should be attractive with eye-catching text, graphics, and witty wording. Refrain from using only text, and incorporate attractive pictures and graphics in your flyers. Pictures are likely to arouse the interest of potential clients and captivate them. Mention important details like the name of business and contact information in bold font. Avoid cramming your flyers with too much info, as that can lose your customer's interest. Flyers should be ideally distributed near heavy pedestrian traffic areas. Hoardings Hoardings allow you to advertise your business on a large scale. Remember the guidelines mentioned above and implement them while designing your hoardings. The font of the hoarding should be large enough so that it can be visible from a distance. Since people are likely to read your hoarding while driving by, keep the text and graphics on the hoarding clear and readable. Placing your hoarding near a traffic stop light is a good idea, as people might read your board while they stop. Do not forget to check your neighborhood codes and laws regarding placement of hoardings. Newspapers Advertising through newspapers is another cheap option of publicizing your business. Newspaper classifieds or special advertisement editions are read by common people on a large scale. Hence, this might be your option of reaching to a larger number of people, without investing too much of money. Yellow Pages Many people sift through the yellow pages to find the business they want. If your business isn't listed there, you lose out on a big business opportunity. Hence, getting your business listed in the yellow pages should be your first priority while advertising your business. Radio Local radio stations are a good medium of advertising your business and taking it to a large audience. People are more likely to listen intently to radio advertisements than television ads. People mostly listen to radio while driving home, when they are in a relaxed state of mind, whereas television ads are watched in passing while switching channels. Thus, radio advertisements have a good retention value. Cable TV Television advertisement is an expensive affair. However, you can avail the benefits of TV ads by advertising through cable TV. Running infomercials can indeed grab the attention of people for a few seconds. This is a good way of making sure your advertisement reaches a large group of people. Direct Mailing Direct mailing is a great advertisement medium that makes your potential client's feel special. Even though you may not find address lists, you can always target a particular geographic area and mail your potential clients in that area. Community bulletin boards outside churches is another inexpensive advertising idea for your small business. No matter what technique you use, always make sure your advertisement hits your target clients.