Thanks to your business plan, particularly your marketing plan, you should have a clear idea of whom your customers are and what their key characteristics are including their ages, family type, buying habits, etc. You should also know where they're located whether around the corner or across the country. All of these factors need to be part of your advertising decisions.

Most media organizations, from newspapers and magazines to radio, television, and many online businesses, have what's known as a “media kit.” It's available free of charge to potential advertisers (that's you) and outlines the demographics of their audience. It lets you know how many people make up their audience, where they are, and should also list the various advertising costs, the deadlines for each edition, and the subject material of upcoming special editions or sections.

Compare all of this information with your target customer, your business, and your budget, so that you can select the best matches. To evaluate how effective they are, you could choose one outlet at a time, which will give you a clear idea of how successfully each is reaching your customers. Or you can choose several — when your customers contact you, ask where they found you, to gain a sense of which outlet has been most effective.