Have a close look at your brochures, stickers and other printed material and compare them to your competitor's. All colours send out a subconscious coded message to the viewer. A walk through the supermarket will reveal that certain primary colours suggest budget value and darker colours suggest quality and higher price. Corporate colours also have their own code which is different from the retail market. A good designer will be able to advise you on the best colours for your industry.
Most small businesses run display advertising in the local newspaper or trade magazine.
If it has been designed for free by the in-house artist at the publication it will probably lack the sophistication of the rest of your promotional material. Money spent on having an ad tailor-made to reflect your company's quality image will translate to higher response rate and a higher perception in your prospect's eyes. Many logos are designed using a typestyle that symbolises some aspect of a companies product or service. A florist may use a delicate script, or a carpenter may have his name carved out of wood. Unfortunately many of these ideas go out of date quickly and may not appeal to a new generation of clients.