Congratulations on your new small business! All your hard work has paid off and now you're ready to start offering your products and services to your target market. Your family and friends have promised to help promote your business via word of mouth and social networking sites. But what if you want to target a wider audience outside your community of relatives, friends and neighbors? How do you get the word out even farther but your marketing budget does not permit you to spend on paid advertising?

That's what free classifieds online are for. There are plenty of websites out there dedicated to helping entrepreneurs advertise their business at no cost. This is the perfect venue for a start up venture trying to keep costs down while reaching out to a vast audience of potential customers.

You need to look for a website that can match your needs. Ideally, a site that offers free classifieds online should allow you to register easily and efficiently. You may have to produce proof of your small business but that's to be expected, so be ready with the pertinent documents. A truly reputable classifieds site will do all it can to protect its reputation and the buying public by ensuring that each company or individual that advertises on their site is legitimate. Stay away from sites that let you register without going through a screening process. Chances are, such sites are riddled with dubious entities looking to scam buyers. And you certainly would not want to be associated with such people.

Be wary as well of sites claiming to offer free classifieds online, but end up asking you for your credit card and other payment details. If they are really free, why would they ask for such information? They might end up billing you for so-called upgrades and claim they gave you a limited time offer free trial in the beginning. So read the fine print and watch out for hidden clauses that will only result in a charge to your account.

Once you have registered, it's time to think of great copy to advertise your small business so you can stand out from similar enterprises. Remember to make your copy concise and catchy. Be mindful of the maximum number of words or characters the free classifieds online site has allotted for you, and try to post images of your products so customers can see what you have to offer. If you think your copywriting skills are not so great, get someone to help you out. Maybe you have a friend who does that for a living and can create copy for you at low cost or even free!

When promoting your business, make sure you have all the crucial details posted there. Besides the obvious like your business name, contact details and what is it you do exactly, you also need to be clear about your prices and the scope of your services and product line. In that brief copy, indicate what benefits you offer and why they should choose you. All that may seem like a lot to insert in limited ad space, but if your wordsmith is creative, you can pack those all in effectively! Maximize your use of free classifieds online and you're well on your way to reaching your target market. Good luck and may you enjoy much success.