How to Advertise Your Business: 10 Proven Strategies That Work

Learning how to advertise your business doesn’t require a massive budget or a fancy marketing degree—it requires smart thinking and consistent effort. Whether you’re running a side hustle from your garage or managing a full-blown operation, the right advertising approach can turn curious onlookers into paying customers. Let me walk you through the strategies that actually move the needle.

Social Media Advertising Works

Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok aren’t just for cat videos anymore—they’re advertising goldmines. The beauty of social media advertising is targeting precision. You can reach people based on age, location, interests, and even their online behavior. Start with a small budget, maybe $5-10 per day, and test different ad creatives to see what resonates with your audience.

The key is authenticity. People can smell corporate jargon from a mile away. Show real results, real people using your product, and real problems you solve. If you’re running a service business, before-and-after comparisons crush it. When you’re setting up campaigns, make sure your ad copy matches your brand voice—whether that’s casual and funny or professional and trustworthy.

Pro tip: Create separate ad sets for different audience segments. What works for 25-year-old fitness enthusiasts won’t work for 55-year-old business owners. Split testing different messages, images, and calls-to-action helps you understand what your specific audience wants.

Claim Your Google Business Profile

If you haven’t claimed your Google Business Profile yet, you’re leaving money on the table. This free tool shows up in Google search results and Google Maps, making it easier for local customers to find you. It’s not just passive either—you can post updates, respond to reviews, and add photos directly from the platform.

Fill out every single field. Your business name, address, phone number, hours, website, and service areas all matter for local search visibility. Add high-quality photos of your workspace, products, and team. Google’s algorithm rewards complete, detailed profiles with better visibility.

Respond to every review—yes, even the negative ones. A thoughtful response to criticism shows potential customers you actually care about service quality. This builds trust faster than any ad spend can.

Content Marketing Builds Authority

Content marketing is how to advertise your business without feeling salesy. When you create helpful blog posts, videos, or guides that solve real problems, people naturally trust you more. You become the expert, not just another business trying to make a sale.

Start a blog on your website and publish articles that answer questions your customers actually ask. If you run a plumbing business, write about common pipe problems and DIY fixes. If you sell fitness equipment, create workout guides. This content gets found on Google, drives organic traffic, and positions you as someone who knows their stuff.

The magic happens when you sprinkle in your services naturally. Don’t make every post a sales pitch. Aim for an 80/20 ratio—80% genuinely helpful, 20% promotional. Your audience will reward you with loyalty and referrals.

Email Marketing Drives Conversions

Email marketing has the highest ROI of any digital advertising channel. People on your email list already showed interest in your business by signing up. Now it’s about staying top-of-mind and providing value.

Build your email list by offering something worth their inbox space—a discount code, free guide, or exclusive tips. Then send regular emails with useful information, behind-the-scenes stories, and occasional offers. You can use tools like Mailchimp or ConvertKit to automate this process and track what works.

Segment your email list based on customer behavior. Someone who bought a premium package should get different emails than someone who just downloaded your free guide. This personalization dramatically improves open rates and conversions. Check out how to schedule send in Outlook if you’re managing communications across multiple platforms.

YouTube Video Strategy

Video content dominates attention online. YouTube is the second-largest search engine after Google, which means your videos can rank and drive traffic for years after you publish them. You don’t need fancy equipment—a smartphone and good lighting are enough to start.

Create videos that solve problems or teach skills related to your business. Tutorials, product demos, customer testimonials, and behind-the-scenes content all perform well. Keep videos between 5-15 minutes for maximum engagement, and always include a clear call-to-action directing viewers to your website or email list.

Consistency matters more than perfection. Publishing one video every week builds momentum faster than uploading five videos randomly. If you want to understand your audience better, learn how to see your subscribers on YouTube and track which videos convert best.

Local Partnerships Expand Reach

Partner with complementary businesses in your area to cross-promote. If you run a coffee shop, partner with a local bakery. If you offer personal training, partner with a nutritionist. You both reach each other’s audiences without spending on ads.

These partnerships can take many forms: joint promotions, referral agreements, co-hosted events, or featured spots on each other’s social media. The key is finding businesses that serve the same customers but don’t directly compete.

Local networking events, chamber of commerce meetings, and industry groups provide opportunities to build these relationships face-to-face. These connections often lead to word-of-mouth referrals, which remain the most effective advertising strategy ever invented.

Paid Search Gets Immediate Results

Google Ads puts your business at the top of search results when people are actively looking for what you offer. Unlike organic search, which takes months to build, paid search gets you visibility immediately.

The trick is choosing the right keywords and writing compelling ad copy. If someone searches “emergency plumber near me” and you’re a plumber, that’s a perfect match. Bid on keywords that indicate buying intent—phrases that include words like “buy,” “near me,” “best,” or “how to.”

Start with a modest budget and track your cost-per-acquisition (CPA). If you’re spending $50 to get a customer worth $200, that’s a winning campaign. If you’re spending $50 to get a customer worth $40, you need to adjust your targeting or ad copy.

Retargeting Brings Back Visitors

About 98% of website visitors leave without buying anything. Retargeting lets you show ads to those people as they browse other websites, reminding them about your business and giving them another chance to convert.

Install a retargeting pixel on your website (Facebook and Google both offer these). Then create specific ads targeting people who visited certain pages. Someone who looked at your premium service should see different ads than someone who just browsed your homepage.

Retargeting is cost-effective because you’re targeting warm leads—people already interested enough to visit your site. These ads have higher conversion rates than cold traffic ads, making them a smart use of advertising budget.

Networking Events Build Relationships

In-person networking might feel old-school, but it’s incredibly effective for building real relationships that lead to business. Attend industry conferences, local meetups, and chamber of commerce events. Go with the goal of helping others, not just collecting business cards.

Ask questions, listen more than you talk, and follow up with genuine interest. When someone mentions a problem you can solve, offer help without immediately asking for payment. This generosity builds goodwill and often leads to referrals and partnerships.

Bring business cards and a one-sentence description of what you do that’s actually interesting. Instead of “I’m a marketing consultant,” try “I help small businesses get their first 100 customers without spending thousands on ads.” The second one starts conversations.

Analytics Reveal What Works

You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Set up Google Analytics on your website to track where visitors come from, which pages they visit, and what actions they take. This data shows you which advertising channels deliver the best results.

Track specific metrics: click-through rate (CTR), cost-per-click (CPC), conversion rate, and return on ad spend (ROAS). Different channels will have different performance levels. Social media might drive lots of traffic but low conversions, while Google Ads might drive fewer visitors but higher-quality leads.

Review your analytics monthly and adjust your strategy based on what’s working. Kill campaigns that aren’t delivering results. Double down on channels that bring customers. This data-driven approach separates successful advertising from wasted money.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the best advertising platform for small businesses?

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer—it depends on your business type and target audience. Facebook and Google Ads work for most businesses because they offer precise targeting. Local service businesses often see better results with Google Business Profile optimization. B2B companies frequently find LinkedIn more effective. Start with one platform, test thoroughly, then expand to others based on results.

How much should I spend on advertising?

A common starting point is 5-10% of your revenue, but this varies wildly. A brand-new business might spend more initially to build awareness, while an established business with strong word-of-mouth might spend less. Start small—$500-1000 per month—and scale up as you prove positive ROI. Never spend money you can’t afford to lose while testing.

How long before I see results from advertising?

Paid advertising like Google Ads and social media ads show results within days or weeks. Content marketing and SEO take months to show significant results but compound over time. Email marketing shows results in weeks. The fastest results come from paid channels, but the best long-term results come from combining paid, owned (email, content), and earned (referrals, reviews) channels.

Should I hire an advertising agency?

If you have budget (typically $2000+ per month) and limited time, an agency makes sense. They have expertise and tools you might not have. However, you can DIY most advertising strategies if you’re willing to learn and invest time. Start with DIY, and hire help when you hit a ceiling or need specialized expertise.

How do I know if my advertising is working?

Track metrics religiously. For each campaign, know your cost-per-acquisition and compare it to your profit margin. If you’re spending $100 to acquire a customer and making $500 profit per customer, that’s working. If you’re spending $100 and making $50 profit, it’s not. Also track softer metrics like brand awareness and customer satisfaction, which drive long-term growth.

The Bottom Line

Learning how to advertise your business is about testing, measuring, and doubling down on what works. You don’t need to master every strategy—pick 2-3 that align with where your customers spend time and attention. Start small, track results obsessively, and scale what works. The businesses that win aren’t always the ones with the biggest budgets; they’re the ones who stay consistent, keep learning, and adapt based on real data. Now get out there and show the world what your business can do.