Small businesses often come with small advertising budgets, making it difficult for the business to grow. It is especially difficult for small businesses to utilize social media as an advertising platform when they are unable to designate multiple employees as social media monitors. Facebook is attempting to make advertising easier for small businesses, by offering training sessions on how to utilize the platform for marketing.

Jonathon Czaja, director of small business in North America for Facebook, told the Silicon Valley Business Journal that one of the goals of the training was to get small businesses to communicate with one another.

“Small businesses learn best from talking to other small businesses — they share stories at the events.” He added that the training helps combat common mistakes made by the businesses.

Another aspect of the training that small business owners appreciate is learning how to target ads to reach their ideal market. With Local Awareness ads, small businesses can designate the preferred age, gender, and location of their target market. They are also able to designate the advertising campaign’s start and end date and budget, among other things.

In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the West Alabama Chamber of Commerce is taking their small business advertising directly to consumers. Kicking off a new leg of their “shop local” advertising campaign, the Chamber of Commerce is reminding consumers of the effects shopping elsewhere has on the local economy.

The ads, bearing slogans like “Pave Vermont’s Roads” and “Help Doctors in Other Cities” initially appeared on billboards in the middle of March. Billboards were a logical starting point, as outdoor advertising costs 50% less than radio advertisements, 60% less than newspaper advertisements, and a remarkable 80% less than television advertisements.

“Our intent is to create a buzz that will have everybody shopping T-Town, all the time and shopping Northport, now,” said a statement released by the Chamber of Commerce. Consumers will be reminded that local shopping generates tax dollars for education, parks, and public services in addition to creating local jobs and income. Print, television, radio, and online ads will be joining the outdoor ads later this year.