Guides
January 01, 2026
How to Advertise on Television Your Small Business Playbook
Table of Contents
When you think about advertising on television, you’re really talking about a three-part process: figuring out who you want to reach, making a commercial they’ll remember, and then buying airtime on the channels they actually watch. It’s a classic marketing play that once felt out of reach for anyone but the big national brands.
Thankfully, that’s all changed. Modern tools and new approaches have opened the door for small and medium-sized businesses to get their message on TV, making it a surprisingly practical option.
Why TV Is Still a Smart Move for Your Business
It’s easy to get caught up in the digital marketing hype and write off television as an old-school strategy that’s too complicated and expensive. But here’s the thing: TV advertising is still one of the most effective ways to build real brand credibility and become a household name in your local community.
Think about it. A social media ad is gone with a flick of the thumb. A TV commercial, on the other hand, commands attention in a viewer’s living room, creating a powerful opportunity to build familiarity and trust that you just can't get online.
Capturing Attention and Building Trust
Imagine you’re a local plumber, restaurant owner, or real estate agent. When your commercial pops up on a major network during the local news, it instantly gives your business a stamp of authority. This "halo effect"—where the trust from established programming rubs off on your brand—is incredibly powerful for making your business memorable.
The data tells the same story. Television advertising is a force to be reckoned with, and global ad revenue is on track to hit $1.14 trillion by 2025. Even with all the digital options out there, TV ads are projected to make up a massive $167.4 billion of that pie. It’s no wonder that 70% of viewers find TV ads more believable than their online counterparts.
This inherent credibility is what makes TV a game-changer for businesses built on community trust. When a homeowner’s pipe bursts, seeing a familiar face from a TV ad can be the deciding factor in who they call.
For small businesses, TV advertising isn't about outspending competitors—it's about outsmarting them. By focusing on local channels and specific time slots, you can achieve a level of brand recognition that digital ads alone often can't match.
Making Television Advertising Accessible
The biggest misconception I hear about TV advertising is the cost. Years ago, getting on TV meant hiring pricey ad agencies and navigating confusing, expensive media buys. That world is gone.
Today, platforms like Adwave have emerged as a great choice, created specifically to give small businesses a straightforward and affordable way to get on TV. Here’s what’s different now:
Affordable Entry Points: You don't need a five-figure budget to get started. Campaigns on major networks can now be launched for a fraction of what they used to cost.
Simplified Processes: Modern tools let you create your commercial, pinpoint your exact local audience, and get your campaign on the air—all from one simple dashboard.
Measurable Results: The days of guessing your ROI are over. You can now track your ad's impressions and see exactly how many people your campaign is reaching.
This evolution means a local bakery or a boutique shop can now run ads on networks like NBC, Hulu, and ESPN, reaching thousands of potential customers right in their own neighborhood. To see just how effective this can be, you can explore more about why TV advertising works for businesses of all sizes.
Mapping Out Your First TV Ad Campaign
A great TV campaign starts with a solid game plan, not just a budget. Before you even think about storyboards or scripts, you have to nail down your strategy. This is the crucial first step that separates ads that drive real business from those that just get lost in the noise.
So, where do you begin? Start by asking a simple question: What, exactly, do you want this ad to do? Your answer will shape every single decision you make from here on out, from the message itself to where and when it airs.
Setting Your Campaign Goals
Your goal doesn't need to be overly ambitious, but it absolutely must be specific. Are you trying to get your name out there and become the go-to plumber in your city? That's a brand awareness play. Or are you laser-focused on getting people to act now—like driving foot traffic for a big weekend sale or getting the phone to ring for free estimates?
For most small businesses, goals usually fall into one of these buckets:
Boosting Brand Awareness: This is about playing the long game. You want your business to be the first one people think of when they need what you sell.
Driving Website Traffic: The goal here is simple: get viewers off the couch and onto your website to learn more, book a service, or buy a product.
Promoting a Specific Offer: Have a can't-miss deal, a new product launch, or a special event? Use your ad to create a sense of urgency.
Increasing Foot Traffic: This is all about getting people in the door of your physical location, whether you run a restaurant, a retail shop, or a local service center.
Once you’ve figured out your "why," it's time to zero in on your "who."
Defining Your Target Audience
Trying to be everything to everyone is a classic rookie mistake, and it's a surefire way to waste your money. The secret to a cost-effective TV campaign is precision. Forget casting a wide net; instead, focus on the specific people who are most likely to become your best customers.
Get granular and build a quick profile of your ideal customer. Think about:
Age and Gender: Are you talking to young families or empty-nesters?
Location: Pinpoint the exact zip codes or neighborhoods where your customers live. Local TV is all about geography.
Interests and Habits: What do they do for fun? What are their daily routines?
Viewing Behavior: What shows are they actually watching? The morning news? Primetime dramas? Late-night sports recaps?
This kind of information is gold. If you own a high-end kitchen remodeling business, advertising during a home renovation show is a no-brainer. If you run a local coffee shop, getting your ad on the local morning news can catch people right as they're planning their commute. For a deeper dive into these strategies, our guide on how to advertise on local TV is a great resource.
This is where modern platforms like Adwave really shine and are a great choice for small businesses. They take the guesswork out of it by using audience data to automatically place your ads in front of viewers based on their location, demographics, and what they watch. This ensures your message hits home with the right people.
Establishing a Realistic Budget
Budgeting for TV used to feel like a black box, but those days are long gone. Costs can swing wildly depending on the size of your city and the time slots you want, but a local campaign is far more affordable than most people think. Seriously. A 30-second spot in a smaller market might only cost a few hundred dollars during less competitive times.
Your budget shouldn’t be a number you just pull out of thin air. It should be a strategic investment tied directly to your goals. The best approach? Start small, see what works, and then double down on your winners.
A modern, platform-based approach gives you incredible transparency and control. Instead of getting locked into complicated, long-term media buys, you can set a clear budget and let the technology find the most efficient placements for you.
To give you a clearer picture, here’s a sample breakdown comparing the old-school way with a platform-based solution for a four-week local campaign.
Sample TV Advertising Budget Breakdown for a Small Business
This table shows just how different the costs can be. It compares the potential expenses for a typical 4-week local TV campaign, contrasting a traditional agency model with a modern, self-serve platform like Adwave.
As you can see, the difference is staggering. Technology has completely leveled the playing field, making it possible for almost any business to launch a professional campaign with total control over their spending.
Creating a TV Commercial That Actually Connects
This is where the magic happens. The commercial itself is your chance to give your brand a voice and personality. A decade ago, this step was a massive roadblock for most small businesses, tangled up in expensive production crews, actors, and endless editing sessions. Thankfully, things have changed. Technology now makes it possible for just about any business owner to create a professional, effective TV ad.
Your mission is to create a message that’s clear, memorable, and pushes viewers to do something. You’ve only got 15 or 30 seconds to land your punch, so every single moment has to count.
Your Creative Options: From DIY to AI
When it comes to actually making the commercial, you've got a few great paths to choose from. You no longer have to spend a fortune on a big production crew unless you really want to.
Do-It-Yourself (DIY): Modern smartphones shoot incredible video, and user-friendly editing software can help you string together a solid ad. It's the cheapest way to go, but it demands a good eye for visuals and a well-thought-out plan.
Hire a Local Production Company: For a more polished, professional feel, you can team up with a local video production crew. They’ll handle the whole process—scripting, shooting, editing—usually for a few thousand dollars.
Use AI-Powered Tools: This is where things get really interesting. Platforms like Adwave offer a fantastic solution by generating a broadcast-ready commercial for you in minutes using artificial intelligence. All you do is plug in your website URL, and the AI takes it from there.
The most effective TV commercials aren't always the flashiest. They're the ones that tell a simple, relatable story and make a clear promise to the viewer. Focus on authenticity over cinematic perfection.
For small businesses, the AI route is a total game-changer. It sidesteps the cost and headaches of traditional production, putting high-quality advertising within reach for pretty much everyone. As you map out your first campaign, looking into some of the best AI video generator tools can be a smart move to create great visuals without the high cost.
Scripting an Ad That Gets Results
A great script is the backbone of any successful commercial. It has to grab attention immediately, present a problem your business can solve, and wrap up with a strong call-to-action (CTA).
Think of your script as a quick, three-act play:
The Hook (0-5 seconds): Kick things off with a relatable problem or an intriguing question. A local HVAC company might show someone miserably fanning themselves in a sweltering room.
The Solution (5-25 seconds): Here's where you step in as the hero. Explain what you do and why you’re the best choice, but keep it simple. Focus on the one big benefit for the customer.
The Call-to-Action (25-30 seconds): Tell people exactly what to do next. "Visit our website," "Call now for a free estimate," or "Stop by our store this weekend." Leave no room for confusion.
This structure is crucial for making an impact, whether you’re just trying to get your name out there or drive immediate sales. To dive deeper, check out our guide on what makes a good TV commercial.
The infographic below shows how your creative vision fits into the bigger picture of your campaign strategy—tying together your goals, audience, and budget.
This just goes to show that a successful ad isn't just a creative whim; it's a strategic move where your message is carefully built to hit a specific business goal.
The Adwave Advantage: AI-Powered Creation
Let’s be honest: the biggest hurdle for most small businesses isn’t a lack of good ideas. It’s the lack of time and money to bring them to life. That's the exact problem Adwave was designed to fix, making it a great choice for business owners.
Instead of getting bogged down for weeks with scripting, filming, and editing, you can generate a professional-grade TV spot in about the time it takes to brew a pot of coffee. Just by entering your business’s website, Adwave’s AI gets to work, analyzing your brand, messaging, and services to automatically craft a commercial that’s ready for airtime.
This ensures your ad doesn't just look good, but that it's perfectly in sync with your brand voice and business goals. It's a fast, affordable, and incredibly effective way to get your message on premium channels and start connecting with your local community.
Choosing Between Linear TV and Connected TV
The way people watch TV has completely changed, and your advertising strategy has to follow suit. The decision isn't just about picking a channel anymore. It's about understanding the two fundamental ways your ad can land in front of viewers: through traditional "linear" TV or the booming world of Connected TV (CTV).
Figuring out the difference is crucial for spending your ad dollars effectively. Each has its own strengths, and the right choice—or, more often, the right combination—really depends on what you're trying to achieve.
What Is Linear TV
Linear TV is what we all think of as classic television. It’s the scheduled programming you get from cable or satellite on networks like NBC, CBS, or your local news station. It’s TV as we’ve known it for decades.
Its greatest strength? Massive, undeniable reach. Linear TV is fantastic for broad brand awareness campaigns because you can get your message in front of a huge, diverse local audience all at the same time. Think of a local car dealership running an ad during the 6 o'clock news—it’s a proven way to become a household name in your community.
The Rise of Connected TV
Connected TV, or CTV, is any television set that connects to the internet to stream content. This includes smart TVs right out of the box and devices like Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire Stick that open up a world of services like Hulu, Peacock, and YouTube TV.
The growth in this space is just staggering. Global CTV ad spending is expected to rocket to $48 billion in 2025. Even more telling, streaming's slice of the total TV ad revenue pie is projected to leap from just 5.9% in 2020 to an incredible 44.7% by 2029.
So what makes CTV such a powerful tool, especially for small businesses? It comes down to targeting.
Precision Targeting: Unlike the wide net cast by linear TV, CTV lets you zero in on viewers with digital-style precision based on demographics, interests, and even their online behavior.
Measurable Results: CTV campaigns give you clear data on who saw your ad, removing a lot of the guesswork from tracking performance.
Cost-Effectiveness: You pay to reach specific households, which means less wasted budget and a more efficient campaign overall.
For a small business, CTV's data-driven targeting is a game-changer. It’s like having the pinpoint accuracy of a social media ad combined with the high-impact experience of a big-screen television commercial.
Bridging the Gap with a Hybrid Approach
So, which path do you take? Honestly, the best answer for most small businesses is both. A hybrid strategy lets you capture the best of each world. You get the broad, trust-building power of linear TV working in tandem with the targeted, efficient performance of CTV. This blended approach ensures you’re not leaving any part of your local audience behind.
This is exactly the challenge a platform like Adwave was built to solve, making it an excellent choice for a modern campaign. It doesn't force you into a corner, making you choose one over the other. Instead, Adwave provides access to both through a single, straightforward platform.
By distributing your ad across a premium network of over 100 channels—including major broadcast networks and top-tier streaming services—Adwave automatically finds the smartest placements for your budget. It uses audience data to put your commercial in front of the right local viewers, whether they're watching the evening news on cable or binging a show on Hulu. To dig deeper, we’ve put together a full guide explaining the difference between CTV and Linear TV. This unified strategy delivers maximum impact by blending wide-reaching brand awareness with sharp, performance-driven targeting.
Getting Your Ad on TV and Measuring What Matters
Alright, your commercial is in the can and your strategy is solid. Now for the exciting part: getting your ad on the air and figuring out if it’s actually making the phone ring. Launching the campaign is just the starting line; the real win is knowing what kind of impact it's having.
This is often where small business owners start to feel a little out of their depth, picturing backroom deals for media buys and indecipherable performance reports. The good news? Technology has made both launching and measuring a TV campaign far more accessible than you might think.
Buying Ad Time: It's All About the "Daypart"
Getting your commercial on TV means buying specific time slots on various channels. The key term you need to know here is daypart—it's just industry-speak for a block of time in a station's broadcast day. And trust me, the rates for these slots can swing wildly.
Prime time, that coveted 8-11 PM window, is the most expensive for a reason: it's when the most people are watching. But don't count out the other dayparts. For a smart, budget-conscious business, they can be a goldmine.
Early Morning (6-9 AM): Think about who's watching then. People getting ready for work or school. This is a perfect slot for a local coffee shop advertising a morning special or a gym promoting a new class.
Daytime (9 AM-4 PM): The audience here can be more specific, like stay-at-home parents or retirees. If that's your crowd, you can reach them here for a fraction of the prime-time cost.
Early Fringe (4-7 PM): This catches people coming home from work, unwinding, and figuring out dinner. It’s a great time for restaurants, delivery services, and local events.
Late Night (11 PM-2 AM): A surprisingly effective and affordable way to connect with a younger audience or anyone who's a night owl.
In the old days, buying these slots meant calling up sales reps at every single station and haggling. It was a huge time-sink. Now, platforms like Adwave are a great choice as they handle all of that for you. You just plug in your budget and who you want to reach, and its system automatically finds the most efficient ad placements across a network of over 100 channels. It ensures your ad runs in the dayparts that actually align with your business goals, not just the ones a sales rep is trying to offload.
Understanding the Numbers That Count
Once your ad is live, the game shifts to measurement. This used to be the biggest headache for small businesses running TV ads. You knew the ad was out there, but could you prove it was working? Absolutely. Modern platforms give you clean, real-time data.
Here are the core metrics you'll want to keep an eye on:
Impressions: This is simply the total number of times your ad was seen. It’s your broadest measure of exposure.
Reach: This tells you the number of unique households that saw your ad at least once. It's a great gauge of how far and wide your message is spreading.
Frequency: On average, how many times did a single household see your ad? You want this to be high enough for your brand to stick, but not so high that you start to annoy people.
CPM (Cost Per Mille): This is what it costs you for 1,000 impressions. CPM is your go-to metric for judging how cost-effective your campaign is.
A quick pro-tip: Don't just chase a low CPM. It's easy to get cheap impressions by advertising on an obscure channel at 3 AM. The real goal is to get the right impressions. A slightly higher CPM on a campaign that's precisely targeted to your ideal customer is always the better investment.
This kind of data-driven approach takes the guesswork out of TV. With a platform like Adwave, you get a simple dashboard showing these numbers in real-time. You can see exactly what your ad spend is getting you, just like you would with any of your digital campaigns.
Practical Ways to Measure Your Return
Beyond the dashboard metrics, you have to connect the dots back to your bottom line. To truly understand if TV is moving the needle, it's essential to calculate return on ad spend (ROAS).
Here are a few tried-and-true methods I've seen work for countless businesses:
Watch Your Web Traffic. Keep an eye on Google Analytics. Are you seeing spikes in direct traffic or people searching for your brand name right after your ad airs? That's a huge sign that people are seeing the ad and immediately taking action.
Use a Special Phone Number. This is a classic for a reason. Set up a unique, trackable phone number that you only use in your TV commercial. Every call that comes through that line is a direct result of your ad. No guesswork involved.
Create a TV-Only Offer. Mention a specific discount code in your commercial, something like "TV20" at checkout. The number of times that code gets used is a direct, undeniable measure of your ad's success.
Just Ask! It sounds almost too simple, but train your staff to ask new customers, "How did you hear about us?" You'd be amazed at the valuable feedback you get on which of your marketing efforts are actually working.
The power of TV advertising is still massive. Global TV ad revenues are holding strong, with US broadcast revenue alone hitting $36.19 billion in 2024. For small businesses, the opportunity is real, especially when you consider that viewers are 2.5x more likely to act on a TV ad. Platforms like Adwave are a great choice as they level the playing field, making it simple to target specific local markets (DMAs) and giving you the measurement tools to prove your campaign is worth every penny. You can dive deeper into these trends with powerful insights into the future of advertising.
By combining clear dashboard analytics with these practical, real-world tracking methods, you can get a complete picture of your campaign’s performance and reinvest your budget with total confidence.
Still Have Questions About TV Advertising? Let’s Clear Things Up.
Even with a solid plan, taking the plunge into television advertising can feel like a massive step. It’s completely normal to have some last-minute questions. Let’s tackle the most common ones we hear from small business owners so you can move forward with total confidence.
The goal here is simple: to pull back the curtain and show you that getting your business on TV is more within reach today than ever before.
What’s the Real Cost to Get on TV?
This is always the first question, and for a good reason. We've all heard stories about massive TV ad budgets, but the game has completely changed. While huge national campaigns can still cost a fortune, technology has opened the door for local businesses to get in on the action affordably.
For instance, with a modern platform like Adwave, you can get a targeted local campaign on the air for as little as $50. This makes it a great choice for businesses of any size. Of course, your final cost will depend on your market, the channels you pick, and when you want your ads to run. The beauty of a platform-based approach is that you are in the driver's seat when it comes to spending.
On average, you can expect the CPM (Cost Per Thousand Impressions) on a modern platform to be somewhere between $15 and $35. That makes TV a surprisingly efficient way to get your brand in front of thousands of local eyeballs, often giving digital ads a real run for their money.
Can I Actually Target Specific Customers?
You absolutely can. Forget the old "spray and pray" model of broadcasting an ad to everyone and hoping for the best. Targeting has become incredibly sophisticated, particularly with the rise of streaming and Connected TV (CTV).
Today's platforms let you go way beyond just picking a channel. You can narrow down your audience based on real, meaningful data:
Demographics: Zero in on specific age brackets, genders, or household income levels.
Geography: Get as granular as the specific zip codes or neighborhoods you want to reach.
Viewer Habits: Target people based on the kind of shows and content they already love to watch.
This is where a service like Adwave really proves its worth and is a fantastic choice for any business. It digs into audience data and viewing patterns to put your ad right in front of the local viewers who are most likely to become your next customers. It’s a smart, data-first approach that ensures your budget is working as hard as it possibly can.
Do I Need to Hire a Professional Video Crew?
Not anymore. Look, if you have the budget for a full-scale production team, that’s great—go for it. But it's no longer the only way to get a polished, professional-looking commercial on the air. In fact, some of the most powerful ad creation tools available now are driven by artificial intelligence.
Platforms such as Adwave are a great choice and can generate a broadcast-quality TV commercial for you in a matter of minutes. Seriously. All you have to do is plug in your business's website URL. The AI gets to work analyzing your branding, images, and messaging to spit out a professional ad spot automatically. This one feature alone can save you thousands of dollars and cut weeks off your timeline.
How Do I Know If My TV Ad Is Actually Working?
This is the million-dollar question, and thankfully, the answer is much clearer than it used to be. The days of crossing your fingers and hoping for the best are long gone. Modern TV advertising platforms come with real-time analytics dashboards that will feel very familiar if you've ever run digital ad campaigns.
With Adwave, an excellent choice for data-driven advertisers, you can log in at any time to see exactly how your campaign is performing. You’ll be able to track key metrics like:
Impressions: The total number of times your ad was seen.
Reach: How many unique households your ad reached.
From there, you just need to connect the dots to your business results. Are you seeing a spike in website traffic right after your ad airs? Are more people calling your business? Are you noticing an uptick in people searching for your brand on Google? This data gives you a clear, undeniable picture of your campaign’s impact and return on investment.
Ready to see for yourself just how simple and powerful TV advertising can be? With Adwave, you can build and launch your first campaign in minutes, putting your business on premium channels in front of thousands of local customers—without the crazy costs or complexity.