If you own a business, advertising is one of the most important things you can do to help your business grow. Whether you own a traditional business where you see clients face-to-face, or you do most of your business online so that you and your clients only meet virtually, advertising is something you'll need to do so that your business becomes known.

If your business is more of a traditional business, where you meet clients every day (such as a cleaning business, computer repair business, and so on), one of the best ways to advertise your business is simply by placing a logo and contact information on the side of your car. This can be done for "free," too. Simply ask a buddy of yours to swap with you; he or she puts the logo and contact information such as a phone number on your car, and you provide whatever service or product you offer (cleaning, computer repair) for free to a certain amount, too. Okay, it's not exactly free because you have to swap with someone else, but it's still a way to barter services for services without having to pay money and it gets local business to come to you, too.

Another great free way to advertise your business is to put flyers up at places like grocery stores and community centers, athletic centers, et cetera. People visit these bulletin boards every day. You can offer childcare in your home, for example. Simply provide your name and number on the flyer itself and then supply small "tags" at the bottom of the flyers that people can simply rip off so that they can take your name and phone number with them. This is a great way to get your name out there as a business people need, and it's free except for the paper you do the flyers on.

Of course, word-of-mouth is another great free way to advertise your business. As your business grows and you get more customers, encourage those customers to tell friends and family about you. They'll be happy to, because you provide them a service they're grateful for, and they in turn help you grow your business. Let's face it; if you can't stay in business, they can't continue to receive your services. So it's a win-win situation for everyone.

Finally, even if your business isn't online, it helps if you have a webpage. Many sites let you host a webpage for free, and it's a great way to put all of your information in one place. Since most people do get online and surf at least occasionally, giving them a business card with your phone number and website on it lets them go peruse your website at their leisure. Make sure you supply an e-mail address, too, because many clients may want to contact you this way instead of via the traditional way of calling on the phone.

There are lots of ways to advertise your business for free; if you know about them, you can help your business grow without paying anything out of pocket. It's a great way to help others out, too, since you can trade services between businesses and therefore help two or more small businesses grow at the same time. The bottom line is, keeping your community happy is likely to help you keep your business growing, and that's only a good thing.