Running a small business can be very rewarding, but it can also be a challenge to advertise and get the word out about your business when you don't have a huge budget. One of the keys to successful small business marketing is being creative and using your advertising budget in the most efficient way possible. Use the following ideas to help advertise your small business:

Get Involved in a Non-Profit Event

Sponsoring a non-profit event is an excellent way to promote your business and also give back to your community. You may want to consider being a sponsor for a charity fundraiser, such as a 5K run, sponsoring a youth or high school sports team, or donating one of your products or your services for a non-profit raffle prize. The great thing about this type of advertising is the fact that it usually doesn't cost a lot, and it also shows that your business supports important causes.

Harness the Power of the Internet

In this day and age, having a strong online presence is essential for any small business to be successful. If you have an old or outdated website, it is worth making an investment in a new site that is well designed and has excellent copy that engages potential customers and leaves them wanting to make a purchase or call you to schedule services. 

After you have a great website online, it is important to make sure that people can find it. This can be achieved by optimizing your site for search engines so it ranks higher when someone searches for certain keywords related to your business. There are many different search engine optimization (SEO) techniques, and if you are tech savvy, you can implement some of them yourself. If you don't know where to start, you can purchase a basic SEO package that you pay month to month from an Internet marketing company to help your website have a good search engine ranking.

Stay on Top of Social Media

Social media pages are a free way that you can advertise your small business and engage with past and future customers. One of the keys to making social media work on behalf of your company is to update your pages regularly, and make sure your posts are interesting and compelling. You may also want to consider doing giveaways on social media to help bring more interest to your business pages.

Use Mobile Billboard Advertising

Mobile billboard advertising is an affordable way to get an advertisement featuring your business in front of a lot of eyes. Mobile billboard advertising companies typically drive around trucks that have mounted billboards on the back--when you purchase an advertising package with one of these companies, your large advertisement will be displayed on the billboard. Mobile billboard companies typically drive around in areas where there are a lot of people, such as sporting events, concerts, farmers markets, and other popular community events. Mobile billboard trucks stand out on the road, so you can be sure that many people will be drawn to your advertisement.