In addition to making guest feel welcome, the 21st century church needs to make itself known in the community. But traditional avenues may not be the most effective way. I would NOT advertise on the "church page" of the local newspaper. Again, this is primarily because church people are the ones who read the church page. Actually, except in highly unusual cases, newspaper advertising may not be money well spent at all. the best ads available right now, and the only ones I currently recommend, are those papers that offer a "sticky" ad for the front page, often called a billboard ad. This removable ad is usually available in color and must be removed by the reader to continue reading any front-page story. Beyond that, newspaper ads don't have quite the "bang for the buck" they once had.
Something that does have that "bang" is a website. But be very careful. A website has the potential for reaching a large number of people. How you use it can make or break your image in the community. Design a website that has information on the front page that has to be updated. AND UPDATE IT WEEKLY! In fact, there should be several pages on your site that require regular updates. That way people who visit the site will navigate around it. Also, post lots of pictures! Consider a catchy address for your site that is not necessarily the name of the church. A site without the church name in the address allows your to advertise the site alone, which will drive people to it. if your church name is in the address, some people will not bother to go there. Be sure the web address is on every piece of advertising you do. It is even more important than the phone number. Maybe even more important than the physical address. After all, if someone wants to check out your church, just driving by won't get them much information.
Be sure your church has a memorable logo and slogan. This is of utmost importance. if utilized properly, this logo can be the single biggest factor in attracting guests to your church. Once it is professionally designed, I would slap it on golf shirts, t-shirts (GIVE them to all your kids), good quality ball caps, coffee mugs, car window decals, billboards, and -- most importantly -- yard signs. It is not a bad idea to be known as the "church with the signs all over the place."
An overarching factor in all this is quality. To borrow another advertising slogan, "Quality is job 1". It is very easy to get so familiar with the processes in your church that you don't see the breakdowns. Every so often go through each aspect of the ministry to see how it is presented to first-time guests. Everything could use a little "tweaking" now and again. be sure all printed material gets a thorough going over. Use color whenever feasible. Develop an identifying theme and style. A reasonable rule-of-thumb could be, "If Disney wouldn't present this to the public, neither should we". Because, regardless of what you might think about "the Mouse", everything they do has a first-rate flair to it. It attracts people. It creates destination.