Every business needs to advertise. With no advertising, you cannot get more leads and customers, and your business quickly is in jeopardy. If you have few customers already, though, it can be difficult to budget for advertising. If you need to get the word out about your products but you have a modest budget, here are some tips that may help:

1) Go online. Targeted ads online are often quite inexpensive but very effective. If you sell Tocca candles, for example, find an online newsletter or blog dedicated to candles. In many cases, you can place an ad for $30 or less, and you can read thousands of interested customers. There are also lots of free places to advertise online. Set up a free blog, for example, or send out a free newsletter to customers. Join social networking sites such as MySpace with your business name. Whether you are selling Votivo candle products or pet grooming kits, these can be great places to let customers know about you.

2) Stick with small, local newspapers. The free newspapers that are available in stores often rely on advertising, but often charge just a few dollars for a small ad. You see lots of ads in there – for book stores, jewelry stores, and services. Your ad would fit right in.

3) Focus on marketing rather than advertising. Advertising means that you pay to have your ad placed somewhere. Marketing means promoting your product. There are lots of ways you can market without paying for ads. You can distribute your business card, for example, or distribute flyers. You can give talks about your business at local schools and associations.

4) Ask your customers to advertise for you. You can ask customers whether they know anyone who might use your products or services. If they do, you have a lead. You can also distribute free personalized pens, magnets, and t-shirts to customers. Every time customers use these products they advertise your company, and getting these items personalized with your company name, number, and logo is usually quite affordable.

5) Make yourself an ad. Businesses often overlook places to advertise. Do you participate in online discussion groups or forums? Place a signature line with your business URL under each comment. Do you use email? Add a signature line. Do you drive? Consider adding a business decal to your car so that other drivers can see your business name and logo.

6) Make yourself an expert. If local reporters or writers are looking for someone with your experience to interview, volunteer as an expert source. Write articles or letters to the editor about a subject related to your business and submit your pieces to local magazines and newspapers. Don’t advertise heavily in these pieces – just mention that you are the owner of such-and-such a company and then move on to the useful information. People who read your words may be interested in learning more about your company.

7) Carry your business card with you. Ask to leave it at local cafes, internet cafes, and other businesses. When you strike up a conversation with someone, exchange cards. A simple card can lead to a new customer.

Even if you are not writing – even if you failed English class in college – you can still write great copy for your blogs, websites, and newsletters. In fact, you can still write copy that makes customers want to buy. All you need to understand is what customers are looking for:

1) Customers are looking for something that makes things better. Customers do not just want perfumes – they want a scent product that will make them irresistible to others or will make them feel glamorous. By the same token, customers are not looking for Trapp candles – they are looking to have glamorous homes or to feel as luxurious as rich celebrities. Your products or services likely fall into one of two categories – wants or needs. You may provide an essential service – such as plumbing – or a luxury product – wedding flowers. If your provide a need or an essential service, your advertising should emphasize how you will make a customer’s life better – “Our plumbing service will have your problems fixed in an hour.” If you provide a luxury, you will need to stress that your product will enhance a customer’s life – “On your wedding day, our flowers will make you a gorgeous bride.”

2) Customers are looking for a benefit or a low price tag. If you are selling t-shirts for a $1 per item, you only need to write that – the low price tag will draw customers to look further. If you are selling something of high quality with a higher price tag – Tocca candles, let’s say – you will need to stress the benefits of the product first and list the price last.

3) Customers are looking for something exciting – but they are not looking for long. You only have a few seconds to grab a customer’s attention. That’s why you need an exciting headline, tag, or promise to make customers want to keep reading. Look through your own junk mail – which ads make you keep reading? Keep those ads in a separate folder and read them over again. What made you look twice? Was it a quote, a shocking statistic, an outrageous claim, or a sentence that seemed to make no sense? Whatever it is, you can likely use a similar technique in your own copy.

4) Customers are looking for something different. Most customers see ads all day. If you want to make an impression, you need to offer something different. Maybe you can offer better service, faster shipping times, better selection, or lower prices. Find out what you are doing better than the competition and then make sure that customers know that you excel in that area.

5) Customers are looking for something believable. Don’t exaggerate claims, make promises you can’t keep, or lie in your ads. Customers will notice and your credibility will be ruined. Worse, you could run afoul of truth in advertising laws and regulations. Today, customers are very wary of anything that looks like a scam, and exaggeration or hyped claims always tend to look suspicious. It’s certainly not the impression you want to make.