Here are six affordable ways on how to market your own restaurant.

1. Write about your restaurant

Writing is a powerful medium to get your message across. This is what small business owners ought to learn from Shakespeare.

Do you write for a weekly/monthly column for the local paper or shoppers' guide? Are you writing a self-help book on small businesses? Fact is these are perfect opportunities to introduce your restaurant to a larger audience.

Your local newspapers are normally looking for contributors. The best thing is, you don't have to write a single word if writing is not for you. You can always outsource the research and writing to web sites like elance.com.

2. Teach a class

People looking to start their own businesses sign up for introductory business classes to get their feet wet. As a restaurant owner, you're in the perfect position to be teaching one of these classes. It's also the perfect opportunity to market your restaurant by setting it as a living example of a successful business endeavor.

3. Organize events

Events are a great way to make up for slow business times. They're also a great way to market your restaurant.

For example, offer discounts on lunches every Thursday for members of the local book club. It's a proven effective way to introduce new customers to your menu and attract potential patrons.

4. Take the service to their doorstep

Being unidentifiable and indistinct is the worst nightmare of any business owner. As an entrepreneur, you want – you need – your brand to be unique. Customers should be able to distinguish your cooking from a mile away.

Take samples door-to-door. It's like selling vitamins or Avon products, but in this case you are merely asking the customer to try your samples. Someone's bound to like your style of cooking, and that someone is bound to appear at one of your tables soon.

5. Spread your advertisements

Restaurant marketing doesn't have to be expensive. Instead of running a single ad in the local newspaper—an expensive ad—why not choose to advertise on several smaller ads in different shoppers' guide publications? This strategy gives you more exposure at the same or even less cost.

6. Say "Thank You"

Never, never underestimate the power of acknowledgement. A simple Thank You goes a long way into letting your customers know you appreciate their decision to entrust you their hard-earned money in exchange for your service.

A satisfied customer will say a positive word about you to their friends and relatives. You can count on that.

Marketing a restaurant is an adventure in itself. Sometimes it's as easy as saying Thank You, sometimes it's as difficult as teaching a class of aspiring entrepreneurs. But one thing is certain. If done right, restaurant marketing is damn worth it.