Everything you do in your business is advertising. Advertising isn’t just the ads you place in the newspaper. Here are a few tips that have proven to increase profits in local businesses.

Your business can’t look empty. If your parking lot is empty, it looks like nobody is buying from you. Do you like to go to restaurants with an empty parking lot? Most don’t At least park your car in front of your business. If you have a large parking lot, and other stores close to you, offer to let the employees of the other stores park in front of your store.

Lighting in your retail store or small business. Natural full spectrum lighting makes the colors in your business stand out. Your displays will stand out better. It’s also easier on the eyes.

Have music in your store. Make it loud enough to hear, but not loud enough to interfere with any conversations. Popular music is good, easy listening is good. A store or other business without music sounds dead ands static. Very unappealing.

Have an air purifier running. Stale smells are a big turnoff. Make sure you trash cans are empty of anything that could smell. There is no need to spend big money here. A small air cleaner in your display area will do.

If you own a retail store. Please don’t smoke in the store. Please don’t chew tobacco. I know it is your store. But smoking is irritating to the nostrils of about 80% of the population. Watching you spit your tobacco in a cup is about as appealing as...well, spitting in a cup. If you want to completely turn off over half of your customers, smoking or chewing tobacco at your business should do the trick.

A retail store or other small business is no place for your beloved shedding pet. Cats and dogs have an odor, no matter how much you love them. Some people are afraid of dogs. If you have a pet at your place of business, you are losing sales, I promise.

Your local small business is no place to show your political loyalties. If you have signs up that are political (either Democrat or Republican), you will turn off half the people who come in your store. Unless you sell political hats and jewelry, keep it to yourself. Even political bumper stickers will cost you sales.

An OPEN sign is needed for most businesses. A lighted OPEN sign looks like you are ready for business. If you don’t have a lighted sign, some people will just assume you are closed.

Keep your business tidy and clean. If people track mud into your business, vacuum it up after it dries. If a customer makes a mess, and the next customer sees it, they will assume you made that mess, and just don’t care.

If you let customers use your bathrooms, make sure they are clean, and have plenty of soap and toilet paper. Use an air freshener after each use. If you never let customers use your facilities, still spay an air freshener after each use.

If you have displays in your small business that people walking by can see, make sure they are lighted at night. It helps security, and after you are closed, customers will still look in your windows. Make sure what they see is appealing.

These ideas aren’t about how to advertise in the traditional way. But ignoring these ideas will cost you business, no matter how well you advertise your business.