Marketing success doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to spend big money. As a small business, finding ways to cut expenses is crucial so if you can find ways to save money on your advertising efforts, you should take advantage of them.

There are a few very inexpensive—or even free—marketing tactics you can look into that often go overlooked. Before you start sinking cash into iffy marketing efforts, consider some of these options.

Show That You Are an Expert: Write a few articles about your industry. Share some of your personal insights and thing you have learned over the years. You can look for places to publish them via online publications or local outlets such as magazines or newspapers.

Social Networking: Social Networking holds a place on all lists like this one for a reason; there has never been an easier way to share your message and knowledge with so many others. With social networking, you can connect with facets of your target audience that would have been unavailable to you 10 years or so ago.

Be a Sponsor: Keep an eye out for charity events in your area and ask if they are looking for sponsors. The key here is to be genuine and sincere. Make sure the event is something that you care about or, even better, is somehow related to your industry. This is also a great way to generate some great public relations buzz (again, for free)!

Teach a Class: You might be surprised to find that there are numerous opportunities to teach a class within your town or area. Contact your local government representatives to find out if there are any opportunities within the government or local businesses for you to teach or lead a class related to running a business, business practices, or anything related to your industry.

Sure, these options take a bit of time and effort, but the amount of money they can save as opposed to traditional marketing practices make it well worth it.