15 Ways to Advertise Your Business in 2024

Business advertising is a tactic that helps businesses reach potential customers and encourage them to make a purchase. It is often a component in an overall marketing strategy that can help you stand out from the competition and gain attention.

While business advertising used to be limited to traditional print options, such as newspaper ads or brochures, today’s digital world means there are more opportunities to advertise nearly everywhere. Selecting the right advertising avenues is important, and the best way to narrow down the choices is to understand who your target audience is and where they are spending their time.

Business advertising is important because it’s an essential part of creating and sharing your brand story. Customers want to know what a business is all about, what it stands for and why they should spend their dollars on its products or services. With such a saturated market and the seemingly endless reach of the internet, businesses must advertise strategically in order to establish and maintain their reputation.

So, who is paying attention to business advertisements? Almost everyone, as it turns out. No matter what form of advertising a business opts to utilize, there is an audience for it. And the statistics support the idea that advertising is not going anywhere, with growth predicted to continue over the next several years. Here are some significant numbers related to business advertising:

• More than 1.2 million businesses use Google Ads to advertise their products and services
• In 2023, 29% of respondents ages 18 to 24 said they paid the most attention to social media advertising, followed by television and the internet
• This year, online advertising revenue in the United States will exceed $222 billion dollars, more than all other media combined
• Google, Spotify, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Meta, X (formerly Twitter) and Pinterest are the leading digital platforms advertisers use
• Businesses earn around $8 for every $1 spent on Google Ads

What these numbers mean for small businesses is that not only must they include advertising in their marketing strategy, but they must also determine what online, traditional and digital platforms will offer them the best return on their investment.

Although sometimes used interchangeably, business advertising and marketing are two different concepts. Advertising works as a subset under the larger umbrella of marketing, along with other categories such as branding, sales and public relations.

Marketing can be divided into what is known as the 4 Ps: product, price, place and promotion. Advertising is found in the last of these four tenets, promotion, which focuses on communicating with potential customers and convincing them to make a purchase.

Customers are inundated with shopping options, from small businesses to massive online corporations. It’s important to remember that even in this saturated market, buyers still value a human connection, excellent service and high-quality products and services. Taking the time to advertise your business both thoughtfully and strategically can help you stand out from the competition. Here are 15 of the best ways to advertise your business:

Establish a Website

Potential customers love to have a business website to visit, even if it’s a simple one. A website serves as a central location for sharing your brand story, product and service information, updates, special events and so on. All of this serves as a way to promote your business 24/7.

Claim Your Google Business Profile

Once you have a website, claim your Google Business Profile, a free tool small businesses can use to manage how they appear in search results. Verifying your profile and listing means you show up on Google Maps and makes your business more credible, which in turn sends more customers your way.

Create Local Listings

Third-party websites, such as Yelp, Bing and the Better Business Bureau, serve as directories for business listings, so you’ll want to make sure you are added to them. Add as much information as possible to your listing, including address, phone number, website and hours of operation, and update them regularly as needed.

Prioritize Social Media

While social media may feel overwhelming, it is a huge part of successful advertising for businesses today. Connecting with your target audience via Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or X (formerly Twitter) allows you to share content, answer questions and attract new customers.

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Utilize Influencers

Many businesses choose to utilize social media influencers to help with their advertising efforts. Local accounts who have large followings are often receptive to partnering with businesses for promotions or giveaways, which helps boost their reach as well as yours.

Optimize Your SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a completely free way to improve your website’s ranking in search engine results. Using relevant keywords, headings, images and links helps Google and other engines find your site more quickly, which in turn pushes it closer to the top of the results pages.

Start a Blog

Another part of SEO is publishing high-quality content, and one of the easiest ways to do that is by blogging. Sharing content that provides value to your readers is an excellent form of passive advertising that can be done in many different ways. Think about creating posts that offer information, entertainment, testimonials and resources.

Run Paid Ads

Running ads is a more expensive form of advertising, but they also offer a high return on investment. Paid advertising can be seen everywhere, from Google search results pages to social media to appearing in the sidebars of websites you are browsing.

Share Interactive Content

Enhancing the consumer experience through interactive content is another way to subtly advertise. Customers who are able to engage through e-books, quizzes or infographics enjoy these experiences and remember the brand that is providing them with the content.

Host a Webinar or Workshop

Another way to advertise your business is by sharing knowledge yourself, through a webinar or workshop. Hosting an online or in-person event where attendees can ask questions, gather information or learn a new skill is a highly effective way to make your advertising more personal.

Gather Reviews

Having positive reviews from real people helps to build momentum and legitimacy around your business. Potential buyers rely on the reviews published on Google and Yelp before deciding to make a purchase, so take the time to ask for feedback from happy customers.

Get Back to Basics

Advertising has changed a great deal over the years, but there is still value in many old-school methods. While business cards, magazine or newspaper ads and paper mailings may seem out of date, for some brands they are still a worthwhile investment for reaching certain target audiences.

Launch an Email Campaign

Email advertising campaigns are a low-cost way to reach both new and existing customers. The key is to send emails strategically and make sure they provide value, such as business or product updates, special events and seasonal discounts.

Reward Loyalty

Customers love being rewarded for their brand loyalty, making it another effective avenue for advertising. Offering tokens of thanks, such as discount codes and freebies to customers who make purchases or refer others to your business is a way to see big results for a small price tag.

Support Local

If you are a small business, getting involved with the local community as much as possible is another great form of advertising. Attending events, offering a sponsorship, giving in-kind donations or volunteering with an organization or on a board all provide the opportunity to share about your business.

No matter the size of your business, advertising is an absolute must in order to reach customers in 2024. Thankfully, there are many different ways to advertise your business and many of them are free or low-cost. We recommend starting with a few and slowly adding more as time goes on and your business grows.