Marketing a home business is critical to drumming up business and clients. Money is tight, especially for a fledgling business, so it's important to maximize the potential of every dollar you spend. Throwing money into advertising without a plan or strategy is wasting that precious cash. Instead, experiment, adapt and get creative with your advertising. As more business comes in, your name and your reputation will start to serve as an advertisement.

Develop an Advertising Strategy

Develop a strategy. Decide who exactly would want to buy your product and tailor your advertising specifically to this target audience. It's smarter, for example, to advertise your cowboy boots business on the country radio station than the rock station. Initially advertise exclusively in one medium at a time so that you know what the most effective method is. Simultaneously advertising in newspaper, radio and television doesn't give you this feedback. Customers rarely share why they chose their business, so don't count on this feedback either. Invest large amounts of money into advertising only after you've established what advertising method works best. Even then, continuously monitor the effectiveness of your advertising. The true test is sales, not just the number of people that heard about your business or showed up to check it out.

Get the Word Out

Invest your advertising dollars into the cheapest methods first. Word of mouth is absolutely free, so recruit your friends and clients to promote your business. You should always treat customers fairly, but really give your first consumers the royal treatment. Take advantage of every opportunity to distribute business cards. Find restaurants with cork boards, for example, that advertise local businesses. Distribute cards at your hair salon, hand them to the mechanics who fix your car, include it with your restaurant tip -- anything to get your name out there. Enlist other people to hand out business cards, too; give your distributor a small fee if a customer gives you a business card with the distributor's name on the back of it. Write press releases and contact your local newspaper about doing a business story. The press release should be written in third person. Shell out a few extra dollars and get a booth at a business fair.

Invest Wisely

Take advantage of non-prime time advertising hours. Prime time for television is between 7-10 p.m.; on radio it's 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. These hours command premium prices because that's when the most people tune in, but obviously people are using this medium at other times as well. The rates for these hours are more affordable to the small business owner.

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Power Home Biz: Win the Race

Web Site 101: Advertise Home Business