Unfortunately, for most people who are just starting a business, there isn't much of an advertising budget available, and it is going to be necessary to be creative in order to reach your advertising goals on a limited budget.

Many people have a common misconception that it is a necessity to spend a huge amount of money in order to successfully advertise their home business. When you are just starting out, I actually recommend that everyone take spending on advertising very slowly - even if they *do* have a large budget available. It is just too easy to make mistakes at the beginning, so we want to limit the possible expenditure loss right from the start. No matter how much money you have available for your efforts, it is important to spend it wisely.

Now that you have decided that you are ready to begin your advertising, I'm going to share with you some important advertising truths that I have learned.

Advertising Truth #1

It absolutely does NOT have to cost an enormous amount of money to advertise your home business, and it won't - unless you do not plan properly.

I cannot stress enough the importance of testing your advertising! If you get too excited and just jump right in and start advertising like crazy, just dumping money on top of money without properly testing, you will quickly find that you have spent much more that you should have (and wanted to spend) without the results you are after. Many people make this mistake either just out of the sheer excitement of getting the word about their new home business out there, or simply because they don't know. When this happens, it is all too common for people to blame their failures on the business they chose rather than their poor advertising decisions. It is important to take a deep breath and approach this the right way.

Advertising Truth #2

All of your ad testing should always be done in blocks. If you start out and advertise in newspapers, radio, magazines, and on television all at once, how will you know which of your ads is bringing in the business? Chances are that you won't be able to discern who came from where. What makes it worse is that you will know that SOMETHING is working, but you won't have any idea as to what it is that is actually doing the trick.

I know that you will often see people putting messages in their advertising to be sure to tell them where you found them, but experience shows that only about 5% of people will actually tell where they found the ad (many probably don't even remember!). You should never rely on your actual customers to tell you what is working in your advertising campaigns. If you want to successful at advertising and only spend what is necessary, you will have to work at it so that you know what is and isn't working yourself.

Advertising Truth #3

Once again, start small! Until you have come up with a solid and proven advertising campaign, you should not spend large amounts on advertising. Even once you do have a good advertising foundation underneath you, you should always be careful and constantly review and monitor your advertising to determine just how effective an ad may be. In some cases, you may come across what seems to be a great advertising idea that may allow you to reach five times as many people as you have been able to previously, but depending on the type of advertising, the additional exposure may not generate many more sales than your current advertising. Be sure to pay attention to ensure you always get the most from your advertising budget.

Advertising Truth #4

There ARE very cost effective ways to advertise your business. When first starting out, the main goal is to get people talking about your business and getting some mindshare. This doesn't need to be an expensive proposition - there are rather simple, cost effective ways to accomplish this goal when getting started. Here are a few ideas:

Word of mouth - This is obviously the least expensive advertising available, as it doesn't cost you anything. Tell everyone who will listen about your business - even if the person you are talking to doesn't need or want what you're selling, someone they know might. Also, be sure to ask your existing customers if they know anyone else who could also find value in your products or services. If you conduct business properly and ensure that your customers are happy with your service, they will be willing to tell you other people you can contact, and/or they will refer new customers to you.

Business cards - You can usually pick up 250-500 business cards for ~ $20. When you get them, hand them out, but only give each person 3-5 cards. This way, if they don't pass them on, you aren't just throwing them away, and they will ask you for more if they need them. You can provide people with an incentive to give them out by offering them a few dollars for any referrals they give you. You can do this by telling them to write their name on the backs of the cards, and have the customers present the card to you when they purchase. Think of this as a sort of offline affiliate program. Also, get into the habit of leaving your business cards at places you frequent - leave a business card on the table when you finish eating at a restaurant. I know it sounds crazy, but this actually can and will bring in the occasional customer and at approximately 8 cents per card, it is really cheap advertising.

Press releases - I know, I know, many people think that they can't do a press release without hiring a professional publicist. This simply isn't true. A self-made press release can be a very good source for generating buzz about your new home business. The editors of the business section of your local newspaper are always looking for good local business stories to fill up the business section of the newspaper. In some cases, they will be slightly reluctant to publish your press release without you purchasing some advertising in the paper, but even if they don't print it right away, they will often hold on to it for times they need some "filler" for the section. Also, if you call them and really emphasize the fact that this is a "grand opening", they are much more likely to print it.

Remember that your press release must be formatted in the style of a news story - make sure that any quotes from yourself are presented in the third person, like this: Eric Mathieu said, "Blah, blah, blah". So, even though I'm the only person there, it will be presented as if it is an interview.

In Closing

Hopefully, this article helps you get some ideas of cost effective ways to advertise your business when getting started without breaking the bank. I'm not trying to make this seem overly simplistic, but these ideas will give you a good foundation with which you can get started. Once you have mastered these simple tactics and started making money, you can move on to some of the more advanced (and more expensive) advertising techniques. These should always have a place in your arsenal though.

Much success!

About the Author

Eric Mathieu can show you how to get your own Money Making Website that is built just for you and that will be 100% ready to start making you money and setting up a residual income stream within 24 hours! You can get all the details and signup now at: 1-2-3-work-at-home.com