Sales... and lots of them... bring success. Advertising makes the sales happen. Advertising is often as important to a small business as location, employees, and cash flow. It's an essential form of business communication, for both products and services. It's difficult to sell anything to people who don't know about you. When a business owner looks at his or her budget, advertising is oftentimes seen as one of those expenses that can be cut if times are tough or if sales are down. Unfortunately, this is exactly the opposite of effective advertising strategy.