Do you resist spending money on advertising your business? Often small business owners are confused with the umbrella term “advertising” come tax time. Advertising is simply anything you do to market your business. There are many ways to market your business, and traditional advertising is only one small category in a list of deductible expenses.

Traditional advertising is often the most expensive way to market your business. If you think advertising is the same thing as marketing, you are limiting your business tax deductions and utilizing the most expensive method of marketing. Advertising activities include anything you do to get the word out about your business or draw attention to a special promotion.

There are a plentitude of ways to market your business that are more effective and less expensive than traditional methods. Advertising and promotion costs are one of the easiest categories to turn into valid tax deductions. With all of the changes in technology and it’s influence on marketing small business, make sure you are deducting all of your legitimate marketing costs.

Here is a list of 2015 deduction categories underneath the advertising umbrella:

• Website design and maintenance

• Online marketing and media management services and software

• Email campaigns and software

• SEO and web traffic analysis

• Fees paid to marketing and public relations agencies

• Web advertising, banner ads, pay-per-click fees

• Promotions and event costs

• Promotional banner design

• Business logo design and brand identity

• Branded promotional or giveaway items (t-shirts, bags)

• Brochures, mailers, flyers

• Package design fees

• Catalogs and menus

• Business cards

• Marketing materials print costs

• Client gifts

• Sponsorships

• Bumper stickers, door hangers related to promoting business

• Traditional advertising such as video, TV, radio, newspaper, magazine, yellow pages