You have probably heard it before: “Experience is the best teacher.” However, in the past even when this may have been the case, most employers and even clients would opt for working with an entity with a healthy staff of college-educated and degree-bearing employees over a business with few to no college grads. This is changing, though, as the perceptions of the value of a business degree change and, in many cases, decline.

Whether or not you have a business degree is not the issue. Instead, as a smart business person, you know that the real issue is always how to turn public perceptions and thought trends to your professional advantage in order to sell more stock, recruit more clients or move more merchandise. In the current market, an appearance of longevity and the ability to stand strong is far more important than the letters that come after your name, so it is important to utilize strategies in advertising that will make it clear that your business has been around and is here to stay.

Here are some strategies to get your name (and dates) out there:

•    Cite your years of experience.

Make sure that potential clients know that you have been around by giving them references from clients that have worked with you for years. You can also put your business’s founding date on your business cards and any other promotional merchandise to emphasize your experience.

•   Address current market concerns.

In this economy, many icons in the business community are folding. There is no point in ignoring this because everyone knows it. Address the issue directly and explain to potential clients how your business has gotten through tough times before and emerged unscathed and stronger than ever.

•    Get out there.

If you have not been around for long, then give the illusion of age with a great deal of presence. The more people see your logo or company name, the more likely they are to feel like you are a familiar presence and be more inclined to trust your company when they need your goods or services.

And remember, market creatively, carefully and often!

You probably have “a guy” that you use for any number of things. Whether it’s your old high school buddy who sells you cars at a great deal or the mechanic that your father has been using for decades who now works on your kids’ cars, you probably have a number of things that you rely on trusted friends and co-workers for. Think about how this applies to your business: wouldn’t it be great if you had hundreds or even thousands of people who thought of you and your business as “their guy” when it comes to your specific arena of products and services? Of course it would. It would send your productivity through the roof. Well, now with social media, you can achieve this – for free.

Recently, the social media network Twitter made big headlines when Ashton Kutcher challenged the news network CNN to a competition to see who could get to a million followers first. Twitter “followers” are people who have signed up to be notified when you change your Twitter status, for example, you might “tweet” that you are waiting in line at the movies, then again once you finished watching a particularly stellar action flick. Each time you do this, your Twitter followers receive an update on their Twitter page and some may even sign up to get the information via email or text message.

While this diversion was largely a media stunt for both Kutcher and CNN, it has some serious ramifications for you. People who are involved in your day-to-day motions feel like they are part of your life. In fact, they may even consider themselves your friends even though you have never met. At the very least, you will develop a rapport with them based on the fact that you interact on a regular basis. As a result, when it comes time to make a business decision, you and your business will be “that guy.”

Of course, social media memberships alone will not achieve this for you. You need to take some steps to accumulate friends and followers. For example, Ashton Kutcher publicized his competition with CNN on fan sites, blogs and even television spots. For your purposes, simply making a connection will suffice in most cases. Either sign up to follow other people that look like they might be good potential contacts (who will in turn follow you in most cases) or just put your Twitter information on products such as promotional merchandise so that your clients and potential clients can stay in touch and feel a stronger relationship with you than ever.

And remember, market creatively, carefully and often!

In May of 2009, NewsDaily.com reported that on average, newspapers in the United States have lost over 20 percent of their readership. In addition, the article featured quotes from Warren Buffet, well known for purchasing companies in distress and then turning them into million dollar money-making machines, stating that he would buy few, if any, newspapers in the United States regardless of how low the price.

None of this is particularly new. The printed news media has suffered in competition with web based news since the majority of the population first got online. With so many different media sources and information networks at their disposal, internet users do not see any reason to rely on one costly news outlet when they can do their own research and get a variety of viewpoints and information online for free. While many newspapers have taken their news online, this has not staunched the bleeding for print editions, and many periodicals now either have a very limited delivery geography or simply opt to solely deliver the news online.

This has a very direct effect on advertising strategies, particularly when it comes to small and locally based businesses who have relied primarily on news print advertising for years. If you own this type of company, you may not be interested in targeting a wider market as you could online. Fortunately, you have options that are not only far more effective than the now-crippled news advertising industry, but that are far more cost-efficient as well.

•    Advertise online with geographically targeted sponsored ads

You can actually determine where your internet advertising appears based on geographic location of the computer that a person viewing your advertising is using. This is a great way to take your advertising online and still stay local.

•    Sharpen up your networking skills

If you really want to make a local impression, then you can do so by keeping in touch with local potential and existing clients. While a phone call will work wonders, promotional merchandise is a great way to get a lot of use out of a one-time investment. By giving a client something that they will use frequently, you can make sure that you stay in the forefront of their mind and get multiple advertising instances out of a single article of merchandise.

•    Take advantage of local online news sources

If your local paper is going online, they will likely have great deals on advertising in order to try and lure advertisers onto their web space. Work with your local newspaper to get a good deal or even a combination deal on better advertising space both on and offline.

And remember, market creatively, carefully and often!