Just 10 days ago I joined Ezine Articles and set to work composing 10 articles. All of them were published on this site. Today, I received a very complimentary note from the Team at Ezine informing me I had been elevated to Platinum Membership.

I feel a tremendous responsibility has been placed on my shoulders to justify the faith of the Ezine Team in granting this rapid promotion and intend taking on the challenge seriously. With this promise in mind I will be offering the best advice I can muster over 40 long years as a shopkeeper.

In particular, I would like to address the needs of Small Business; always struggling to keep afloat in a market which gets bigger and bigger, yet with more and more competition.

Make no mistake. It's a tough world out there.

Small Business is certainly small, but to survive you must THINK BIG! That means adjusting your thinking to the size and type of your market and maintaining a rigid approach to everything you do servicing that market.

As a case in point, let's look at the Advertising. It certainly pays to advertise, we've all read that in books by advertising gurus, yet it also costs. Just how does the small businessman with a limited advertising budget compete with major players with millions of dollars to spend?

For press advertising free weekly suburban newspapers are a good alternative to daily nationals. Advertising rates are certainly much cheaper, but in many cases the distribution is questionable. People don't especially like junk mail and the free newspaper often fits into this category. If you do spend money in this medium be careful to measure the results of the ads. Then make your own decision about their effectiveness.

Perhaps a more reliable alternative for press advertising is to use Classified Ads in the daily national papers. People do read them and the amount of classified ads in each paper speaks for itself. Should you use classified ads, make sure you add a touch of class in your copy with a few well chosen words with bite and appeal. Your ad should stand out from the crowd to get the maximum attention.

No need to discuss television unless you have a mighty big budget.

However, in Small Business don't overlook the most cost-effective medium of all, word-of-mouth advertising. Worth its weight in gold and it doesn't cost a dime. When you do the right thing by your customers, they will talk. Tell others. Believe me, nothing travels faster than a good shopping experience.

Just a few simple suggestions about advertising which is the calling card for your business. If you are reading this article and have experienced some benefits from the points mentioned, please be good enough to add a comment. It will only help others like yourself.

Small Business is demanding, but can be very rewarding. Get it right and you'll be well provided for.

Now I'm retired and I like to follow my other love of life. Teaching young singers how to sing. You can find me on my website =>http://singingforpleasure.tripod.com