Writing a post for a top-tier site, want some points-of-view from my Clarity family to add another layer to the "marketing cake"... Thanks.
Because most small business owners do not understand the different between advertising and marketing.
The two though related are not the same thing, a well crafted strategy for both advertising & marketing will bring in results. Depending on how much capital is involved, one can substitute effort and relationship skills for investment.
If you're really small you can't afford to look too big, be honest & attractive. Effectively it's like dating, and well you need to have pretty darned good social skills if you want a quality date. :)