15+ Inexpensive Ways to Advertise Your Business

April 28, 2025

You know the old adage, “It takes money to make money”? While that may be true, marketing and advertising don’t have to cost a fortune. In fact, some of the most effective ways to get your business noticed are either free or surprisingly affordable (especially with the technology available). Whether you’re just getting started or trying to grow on a tight budget, here are 15 creative and cost-effective ideas to boost your visibility and draw in customers.


15 (plus one bonus) Cost-effective Ways to Get Your Business Noticed


1. Partner with Your Chamber of Commerce

Your local Chamber is a marketing gem hiding in plain sight. Many chambers offer affordable sponsorships, advertising in their newsletters, banner placement on their website, and opportunities to speak at or host events. Chamber membership also often includes social media shoutouts, ribbon cuttings, and business directory listings—all built-in exposure for your brand.


Chambers have excellent reputations in their communities as well as good relationships. Many tourists and new residents rely on referrals from the chamber when they come to town. Plus, the rates chamber’s charge for this type of high-quality exposure is very reasonable.


Chamber Members! Be sure to check out

-  Our Facebook Group, Chamber Connect.

- You can also view your advertising ROI from your online listing from August 2024 onward.

- Have an upcoming event? Submit it to our newsletter/online calendar (Office@LLChamber.com)

- Interested in hosting a Chamber Coffee for 2026? Contact us to see what dates are available: Office@LLChamber.com

- Support our Government Affairs Committee or Operations International. Contact us for more information!

- Interested in event sponsorships? Let us know! We can put you on a priority list for first information- Please note that our sponsorships are all ‘First Come, First Served’ basis.


2. Get Active on Social Media

You don’t need to be on every platform—just the ones where your customers spend their time. Create short videos, behind-the-scenes posts, tutorials, or even humorous content to show off your brand’s personality. Authenticity performs better than high-budget polish. Be consistent with your posting too. The more people see you, the more they notice and recognize you. Soon you will be on their mind.


Check out these past blogs for social media help and ideas:


-         5 Content Marketing Strategies for Small Business Owners

-         Feeling Stuck? Try these Content Ideas for Small Businesses

-         How to Be More Engaging

-         How to Get More Love for Your Business on Social Media


3. Run a Giveaway or Contest

People love free stuff. Give away a product or service in exchange for likes, shares, or email signups. It’s an inexpensive way to create buzz and grow your audience fast. Or run a contest when you host a pop-up or sponsor a table at an outdoor event (if it fits for your business). You’ll get to talk to a variety of people.

A fun contest that also gets you more visibility is encouraging people to check-in when they’re at your business. Then provide a quarterly prize to the person with the most check-ins.


House of Gaumond, a pop-up bakery, used this to great effect to get their following!


4. Create Google Business Profile Posts

Google Business Profiles (formerly Google My Business) are free and powerful. Use posts to highlight new products, offers, events, or blog content. Bonus: It helps with your SEO.


Get Started


5. Use Customer Testimonials and Reviews

Happy customers are your best marketers. Share their testimonials on social media, your website, and even printed materials. Ask loyal customers to leave reviews on Google, Yelp, or Facebook. Many people will write them when asked and when you make it easy for them to do so. Use links to get them where they need to be.


Chamber Members: Your built-out business listing allows people to rate you, submit a review, or ‘Like’ particular services.


6. Get Involved in Community Events

Sponsor a little league team, host a booth at a local fair, or donate a prize to a nonprofit raffle. Community involvement builds trust and visibility with your target audience.


Have you seen the traffic from the Leavenworth Interfaith Community of Hope’s 2025 Night of Hope Gala?

Or Ten and Two Coffee- Lansing, is known for being a great place for community events!


7. Start a Referral Program

Reward your current customers for referring new ones. A simple discount, freebie, or exclusive perk can motivate people to spread the word about your business.


HOTWORX- Lansing is a great example of this!


8. Offer Free Workshops or Classes

If you’re an expert at something, share your knowledge. Hosting a free online or in-person workshop can position you as an authority while attracting new leads. Share hashtags at your event to remind people to share on social.


Have an expertise? Would you like to share it at a Chamber Event? Let us know! Also, we’ve utilized this ourselves with Property and Sales Tax Forums, as well as a Cybersecurity Forum.  SorWil Technology Solutions also utilizes this for their videos/podcasts.


9. Pitch Local Media

Send story ideas or press releases to your local newspaper, TV station, or community blog. Journalists are always looking for local angles—your business could be the next feature.


Support our local paper, the Leavenworth Times!


10. Use Window or Sidewalk Signs Creatively

A clever chalkboard sign or window display can stop foot traffic in its tracks. Make people smile, laugh, or think—and they’ll remember your business.


Other examples are Leavenworth Main Street’s Passageways project, or the Leavenworth County Historical Society’s Spirit of the Buffalo project!


11. Create a Loyalty or Punch Card Program

Encourage repeat business by rewarding customers who come back. Whether digital or old-school punch cards, loyalty programs keep your brand top-of-mind. It can also sway people to choose you more often. For instance, if they know they’ll get points from buying with you, they may go out of their way to do so knowing that they will benefit from it.


And we’ll help you share the news about your new program!


12. Offer a Limited-Time Promotion

Scarcity sells. Use urgency—“for 3 days only,” “first 10 people,” or “today only”—to create buzz and spike short-term interest.


Sis’s Sweets does a great job updating daily and letting people know what’s available and for how long.


13. Join (or Start) a Local Business Collaboration

Team up with complementary businesses for cross-promotions. For example, a coffee shop and a bookstore might do a “Read & Recharge” special. You both win.


The Red Hibiscus Juice Co., is one example of a business that coordinates & collaborates with others in the Health & Wellness to promote awareness!


14. Start an Email Newsletter

Email is still one of the highest-ROI marketing tools. A simple monthly email with updates, deals, or helpful tips can keep customers engaged and coming back.


Be sure to check out Constant Contact – it’s what the Chamber uses!

Also, be sure to check out these articles for tips on newsletters:

-         Build a Fanatical Following with Email

-         10 Unique Ways to Get More Email Subscribers

-         The 5 Most Common Mistakes Email Marketers Make


15. Use Your Vehicle as a Moving Billboard

A magnetic car sign or vinyl decal can turn your commute into an advertising campaign. It's a one-time investment that works 24/7.


The Chamber got ours from Advantage Printing. Support Local!


Bonus: Watch your favorite brands. What makes you stop what you’re doing or stops you from scrolling. Even if they’re in a completely different industry, ask yourself how you might use what they do to improve your marketing.


You don’t need a big budget to make a big impact. With some creativity and a willingness to show up where your audience is, you can get your business noticed without breaking the bank. And this isn’t a “choose one and you’re done” idea. These ideas are designed to get you thinking about what your audience will respond to. Then give it to them consistently so they get used to seeing you around.


And remember—your Chamber of Commerce is here to help. Reach out and ask about marketing opportunities available to members. You might be surprised by how many resources are already at your fingertips.


----------

While we can’t list them all, here are a few more Chamber Members with a fantastic social media presence – Give them a follow!

 

Alliance Nationwide Title Agency – Check out their past events. They have both fun and informational events that helps get people in the door of their offices, and they also celebrate with the community.

 

Artistic Works by Lu- a mix of short-form videos, a weekly live stream, and regular posts about what’s new in store. They have a loyal following ready to see what’s New with Lu.

 

Communication Concepts, Inc. – Their content is more professional, informational, and helpful! But it all leads back to what they do, creating a good sense of brand.

 

The Small Hinge – Really lets her personality shine! Always showing off finished products and upcoming workshops. It’s easy to feel excited when her posts cross your feed.


PS: Have a great social media strategy that we missed? Let us know in the comments!


---------------------


Christina Metcalf is a writer and women’s speaker who believes in the power of story. She works with small businesses, chambers of commerce, and business professionals who want to make an impression and grow a loyal customer/member base. She is the author of The Glinda Principle, rediscovering the magic within.

_______________________________________

Medium: @christinametcalf

Facebook: @tellyourstorygetemtalking

Instagram: @christinametcalfauthor

LinkedIn: @christinagsmith

Mid-Year Reset: 5 Smart Moves to Strengthen Your Small Business

June 9, 2025
The year's midpoint is your wake-up call—refocus now to finish strong. Scrutinize your numbers to find what’s working (and what’s not). Reboot your marketing before seasonal shifts hit. Remove workflow roadblocks to boost team output. Reconnect with your business’s core purpose. 597 Words ~ 3 minute read The midpoint of the year often hits like a reality check: goals half-met, momentum lagging, and a to-do list that keeps growing. But this moment is also a strategic gift: a reset button that can set you up for a stronger, smarter second half. Here are five high-impact moves to help you reset with intention and finish the year with confidence: 1. Run the Numbers, Then Rewrite the Playbook Take a hard look at your financials. Are you ahead, behind, or coasting? Scrutinize revenue trends, margins, and expenses. Identify what’s draining resources and double down on what’s driving growth. Use the insights to reshape your financial strategy for the next six months, because winging it isn’t a plan. 2. Reboot Your Marketing Before the Fall Rush If your marketing has lost steam, this is your window to revive it. Launch a seasonal promotion, refine your messaging, or test new channels to re-engage your audience. And don’t wait to prep for fall. Holiday planning starts now. Review your content calendar, track past performance, and align campaigns with your business goals. 3. Clear the Roadblocks Slowing Your Team Small inefficiencies become big headaches by year’s end. What processes are wasting time? Where’s the communication breaking down? Invite your team to flag friction points and co-create solutions. Even modest upgrades, such as automating reports, streamlining meetings and clarifying roles, can drive major gains. Harvard Business Review explores how better collaboration fuels better outcomes. 4. Recalibrate Your Goals and Reset Priorities It’s okay if the goals you set in January don’t fit anymore. Priorities evolve. What matters is focus. Reassess your KPIs and trim anything that’s distracting from your top objectives. Reset your team’s focus around fewer, clearer targets so execution becomes simpler and more powerful. 5. Reconnect with Your Why Amid the grind, your original mission can get blurry. Take a step back to reflect: Why did you start this business? Who do you serve, and how do you want to show up for them? Realigning with your purpose energizes your leadership and clarifies your brand. Fast Company outlines how reconnecting to your “why” boosts both engagement and performance. Bottom Line: A mid-year reset isn’t just a productivity hack, it’s a strategic imperative. It gives you space to pause, zoom out, and ask the critical questions that get lost in day-to-day urgency. By evaluating your numbers, refreshing your marketing, streamlining operations, focusing your goals, and reigniting your purpose, you give your business the fuel it needs to finish the year not just intact, but thriving. This isn’t about doing more; it’s about doing what matters most with greater clarity, consistency, and conviction. --- The Leavenworth-Lansing Area Chamber of Commerce is a private non-profit organization that aims to support the growth and development of local businesses and our regional economy. We strive to create content that not only educates but also fosters a sense of connection and collaboration among our readers. Join us as we explore topics such as economic development, networking opportunities, upcoming events, and success stories from our vibrant community. Our resources provide insights, advice, and news that are relevant to business owners, entrepreneurs, and community members alike. The Chamber has been granted license to publish this content provided by Chamber Today, a service of ChamberThink Strategies LLC.

5 Genius Ways AI Can Stretch Your Existing Content

June 9, 2025
Who isn’t feeling the pain of being stretched too thin these days? If you’ve dabbled with AI, you may have cut the time it takes you to do administrative tasks by as much as 26 minutes a day (at least according to a recent survey in the UK). However, it’s possible to do a lot more than that when you move past administrative tasks and see where else you can do more with less. One of these areas is content. Most businesses are sitting on goldmines of content and don’t even know it. This article will show you five genius ways to get more out of what you already have by repurposing and restructuring the media. 1. Turn Longform Content into Shortform Gold Feed your existing blog posts, eBooks, or newsletters into an AI tool to extract highlights, tips, or quotes for social media posts. Creative twist: Use AI to rewrite the same message in multiple tones—professional, humorous, casual—or tailor it for different platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, or Facebook. 2. Transform Video or Podcast Transcripts into Written Content AI transcription tools can convert spoken content into text. Use a language model to turn that transcript into blog posts, newsletters, or Q&A articles. Creative twist: Convert a video transcript into a “Top 5 Takeaways” post, a tutorial, or a visually rich infographic with AI-generated headlines. 3. Create Content for Different Audiences from One Source Take a general piece of content (like a blog post) and ask AI to adapt it for different member personas such as new members, loyal/engaged members, or industry partners. Creative twist: Turn one blog post into: · A beginner’s guide on the topic · A technical breakdown · A “pitch” version for partners or press releases 4. Build an Email Series from a Single Piece Take a detailed guide or blog post and ask AI to break it into a 3–5-part email series, complete with subject lines, CTAs, and value-focused messaging. Email series can be very effective in helping your content get noticed. People may not take the time to read a 700-word blog post, but if you email the summary points across several days, they’ll get the gist of the message and will most likely remember it better than reading it all at once. Creative twist: Include AI-generated teaser lines or questions at the end of each email to boost open and click rates. 5. Reimagine Content as Interactive Tools or Experiences Use AI to turn tips, FAQs, or how-to guides into interactive quizzes, calculators, or chatbot scripts that educate and engage users. Example: Turn a skincare routine blog into a “What’s Your Skin Type?” quiz, or a business checklist into a “Startup Readiness Scorecard.” The titles you choose for the materials can make the content a lot more appealing. You can even use reimagined, designed pieces as lead magnets. People often won’t recognize it in another format. Speaking of, upload any written content onto NotebookLM and create a podcast on the topic. You can even tell it which parts of the text you want it to pay attention to or avoid. There are so many things you can do with existing content and marketing collateral you already have. If you can’t think of any creative ideas on how to repurpose those critical pieces, ask AI. Tell it your audience and your goal behind repurposing the content. Then ask it to suggest some ideas to you. You’ll be surprised what it comes up with. ------------- Christina Metcalf is a writer and women’s speaker who believes in the power of story. She works with small businesses, chambers of commerce, and business professionals who want to make an impression and grow a loyal customer/member base. She is the author of The Glinda Principle , rediscovering the magic within. _______________________________________ Facebook: @tellyourstorygetemtalking Instagram: @christinametcalfauthor LinkedIn: @christinagsmith

When Strategy Stalls: 4 Moves to Regain Momentum

June 2, 2025
Pause to Stabilize: Cut costs and renegotiate to create breathing room. Pivot, Don’t Panic: Explore new markets or customer segments while staying agile. Learn Fast or Fall Behind: Turn setbacks into insights through rapid experimentation. Guard the Downside: Hedge risks and protect what matters most. 600 words ~ 3 min. read Even seasoned leaders know the sting of a strategy that’s no longer working. But the real measure of leadership isn’t avoiding failure—it’s how decisively and creatively you pivot when the path ahead shifts. When strategic plans falter—whether due to market turbulence, internal missteps, or external shocks—leaders must act not with panic, but with precision. Drawing from Harvard Business Review’s “How to Rescue a Failing Strategy,” here are four pivotal moves to help regain strategic traction. 1. Pause to Stabilize If your strategy is wobbling, the first priority is to buy time without triggering chaos. Consider: Reducing burn rate by cutting non-essential expenses Freezing expansion plans that strain resources Renegotiating contracts or vendor terms to ease cash flow Retailers, for instance, might pause new store openings to refocus on e-commerce logistics. Nonprofits may temporarily halt new program rollouts to concentrate on core impact areas. This strategic pause buys clarity—and the space to think critically. 2. Pivot, Don’t Panic Locking into one approach can be dangerous when conditions change. Instead, design options: Enter adjacent customer segments Test low-risk partnerships or distribution channels Pilot tweaks to product offerings or delivery models For manufacturers, this might mean adapting existing equipment to serve a neighboring industry. Professional services firms could pivot to virtual delivery or a subscription-based model. Related reading: McKinsey on adaptive strategies 3. Learn Fast or Fall Behind Use turbulence as a catalyst to turn your organization into a fast learner. That means: Running controlled experiments on pricing, offers, or ops Creating real-time feedback loops from customers and staff Making strategic reviews more iterative, less static Construction firms might beta-test prefab components for speed and cost. Tech startups could A/B test UX changes weekly. Also worth reading: Bain on learning organizations 4. Guard the Downside Pivots come with risk. Your job? Minimize exposure while staying bold. Cap investments in unproven ideas Increase controls around key financial or operational processes Develop contingency plans for likely risk scenarios Think of this as smart aggression—pushing forward without leaving your core vulnerable. Bottom Line Every organization will face moments when strategy falters. The difference lies in the response. Leaders who act with focus—stabilizing, experimenting, and protecting—don’t just recover; they reposition for smarter, stronger growth. --- The Leavenworth-Lansing Area Chamber of Commerce is a private non-profit organization that aims to support the growth and development of local businesses and our regional economy. We strive to create content that not only educates but also fosters a sense of connection and collaboration among our readers. Join us as we explore topics such as economic development, networking opportunities, upcoming events, and success stories from our vibrant community. Our resources provide insights, advice, and news that are relevant to business owners, entrepreneurs, and community members alike. The Chamber has been granted license to publish this content provided by Chamber Today, a service of ChamberThink Strategies LLC.