The television business offers you targeted and affordable advertising options. You can reach an upscale, diverse audience of thousands of people. Because TV stations track their viewership, you can reach that niche of women, men, families or children. Targeting an audience according to geographic location helps eliminate the waste of producing a commercial or public service announcement for nothing.

You can also increase revenue by using the TV industry for free advertising. No, they're not going to produce a commercial for you for free (unless you're a non-profit organization) but they will send news crews to local community events. If your business sponsors the Race for the Cure, for example, you'll get free television exposure. Also, if you make yourself available to local reporters and photographers for news segments, you're reaching thousands of people for free.

1. Determine whether to hire TV production companies for your advertising needs

2. Get free exposure through local reporters and producers with the TV industry

3. Know that the television business will cover major community events so it benefits businesses to get their name linked to the initiatives

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Use TV production companies or local TV stations to produce top-quality advertisements

You can hire television production companies to write, produce and edit commercials and then buy air time on local television stations for those commercials to run. You can also use television companies like the local ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX for their production capabilities. They usually have top-rated creative services departments that can do it all for you.

I recommend: Television companies such as Time Warner Cable have sales and creative services departments to meet advertising needs. Contact the affiliate to the network television industry in your area, such as KARE 11 in Minneapolis-St. Paul or WTEN in Albany, New York, to discuss an ad buy on their websites or on-air. Use ProductionHUB to request a quote from television production companies.

Petition TV companies to produce public service announcements for your non-profit

The FCC requires the television industry to run a certain amount of community service programming every week. That's why stations will produce and run public service announcements. Use 'real' people and their stories whenever possible, as opposed to the 'face' or 'official' of the agency.

I recommend: Arrange to shoot a spot that truly depicts what your agency does for the community. The Ad Council is the leading producer of PSAs. The group focuses on education, community and health and safety. Use The Community Tool Box for tips and information on public service announcements.

Take advantage of the TV industry in your town to get free advertising

Let's face it, local television news is always doing stories about the economy, the rising prices of products, car sales, healthcare issues and gas prices. If you run a hospital, car dealership or any other business, make yourself available to these TV companies. Instead of potentially losing the audience during a commercial break, you'll catch thousands of people's attention during the evening newscast.

I recommend: A news story about your establishment is free advertising, which is very valuable to your bottom line. MDA, Muscular Dystrophy Association, works with businesses across the country. All those businesses get exposure during the annual telethon and year-round on the MDA website. Susan G. Komen for the Cure also had corporate sponsors who underwrite and support their mission.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Even if you're a for-profit business, TV companies may produce a free public service announcement for you if you're holding a charitable event such as sponsoring a walk to raise money for cancer research or a food drive for the local pantry.

The television business can be a cut-throat one, and knowing where to find your B2B TV contacts can be vital to the success of your show or network. TV companies need a large variety of tools to bring everything together, and you can easily find the television B2B contacts to fill every need.

Television companies need cameras, editing houses or software, lights, props and more. TV production companies can find a large variety of those items through the web.

To fill your TV industry needs:

1. Assess what items you have without purchasing. Then compile your want and need list. Often your want list will exceed your want list, but everything is relative to your budget.

2. Set your budget. Television business tools don't necessarily come cheap. Consider used equipment for greater cost savings.

3. Consider making another TV industry contact that you can split costs and share equipment with. One of you uses the gear while the other is editing and vice versa. Work out a rotational schedule to minimize your cost. You might also consider sharing your crew as well on a rotating basis.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find cameras for the TV industry

Camera equipment can be expensive in the TV industry, but you can easily find many new or used products to fit your budget or need.

I recommend: Check out the professional cameras by Panasonic. Their site features new products, special promotions and featured stories. The always favorite B & H Foto & Electronics Corp. also carries professional cameras suitable for the TV industry.

Locate TV industry quality lights

Having the proper lighting for TV industry projects is critical to a satisfactory end product. Knowing how to counter direct sun or work under low light conditions is an art that must be mastered for consistency and creativity of shot. Having the skills, though, is not enough, and you have to have the proper equipment to nail the shot.

I recommend: LTM is one B2B television source for lighting. They specialize in professional lighting fixtures for television, movies and theaters. Entertainment Lighting Services offers sales and rentals of theatrical stage lighting and television production lighting.

Use TV companies that offer post production services

Post production services are critical to a quality end product, so use TV companies that offer post production services to give you a polished end product.

I recommend: Check out the post production directory guide from ProductionHUB, Inc. It has service providers broken down in tens of categories. Take a look at the award winning post production work of Black Sheep Television LTD.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When working in the TV industry, don't be afraid to take on a mentor to bounce ideas off of. He or she has the experience that you might lack and can offer insight into something that you might be missing.

The television industry has specific policies and procedures which are important to understand when working with TV stations or production companies. You can drum up support and business for your shop or company if you have an in-depth knowledge of how things work. For instance, working with television production companies or the local TV station will go much smoother if you have an understanding of how to work with the industry.

In addition to producing commercials, your business may be one that television companies seek out for news stories or public service announcements. This would include car dealerships, hospitals, non-profit organizations, schools, retail shops and others. It'll help you cope with the media if you know what the local or business TV production crew needs from you. The story will come together much faster and be a better representation of your business if the crew can get right down to business, without having to explain every step to you.

1. Use the television industry to get the word out about your business and its services.

2. Help television companies get their product completed by understanding their expectations.

3. Seek out TV companies to produce effective advertising spots.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Hire TV production companies to produce a commercial

In the TV industry, a commercial or spot will run during allotted times, depending on the package you buy. Look for TV production companies in your area to produce the spot, but know that local affiliate TV stations also have production departments. If you're going to air the commercial on that particular station, consider using their production department to produce the ad. It's often included in the price to air the commercial.

I recommend: GuggoMedia was founded by network news professionals and produces quality corporate videos, multi-media presentations and commercials. Use Marcus Productions to produce commercials, too. The company is based in Florida but claims to have a national reputation.

Understand the expectations of the television business

TV companies need a few things when they're shooting a commercial, public service announcement or news segment. The TV industry crew needs video, natural sound of what's happening, good lighting and solid interview clips.

I recommend: Affiliate television stations are linked to the network television industry. ABC, NBC, FOX and CBS affiliates are located throughout the country, such as 9 WSYR (ABC) in Syracuse, New York. You may also be involved in commercial production or a news story with a cable TV company, such as Time Warner Cable. Download the PDF Glossary of Industry Terms from Native American Public Telecommunications to brush up on every term used in the field.

Give television production companies access to all parts of your business

In the television business, video of your business, warehouse or office may be paired with the voice of a reporter or even you, the business person. The story or package the reporter puts together includes video, interviews and on-camera segments.

I recommend: LA 411 and New York 411 have a plethora of commercial production and television information in the Los Angeles, California and New York City areas. Both sites contain information on production and post-production companies, lighting and audio equipment, camera and sound equipment and production support.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If producing a business TV commercial, make sure you keep it fresh. It lessens the impact if viewers can tell the advertisement is out of date.

The television industry is a very competitive one in which involved individuals need to be highly skilled and educated. In order to succeed, shows and networks need to be very familiar with the trade and understand the subtle nuances, as well as the central and imperative characteristics and distinctions of the industry. Knowledge of television key terms and concepts can go a long way toward helping to understand the industry.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Ad-hoc network

An ad-hoc network is actually made up of a group of television stations. The stations come together in order to promote a special purpose. Latin for 'for this,' ad-hoc networks may come together in order to show a one-time only television program or series.

I recommend: Creating an Apple TV ad-hoc network is discussed at Apple.com.

Psychographics

Psychographics refers to an analysis of an audience. This analysis is based on a number of different psychological factors that make up the average audience member's life. These factors include lifestyles, values, interests and their purchasing behaviors.

I recommend: Aspects of psychographics and how they relate to marketing campaigns for print, television and internet are discussed at AllBusiness.com.

Interactive television

Interactive television, abbreviated as iTV, takes place when television is combined with interactive content. The programing of interactive television may include richer graphics or one-click access which transfers users to websites via television crossover links. It can also include email and chatting programs, as well as online commerce which is set up on a back channel.

I recommend: WhiteDot.org explains iTV in detail.

Duopoly

Duopoly occurs when two television stations, both positioned and located in the same defined and designated market area, are owned by the same entity, individual or business party. At one time, duopolies were forbidden by the FCC; however, in recent years, the rules created with respect to duopolies have been relaxed.

I recommend: Benton.org discusses the potential drawbacks and limited benefits of another broadcasting duopoly in Miami.

Coverage

Coverage represents the percentage of homes or individuals that have received or are presently receiving a specific broadcast signal. Coverage is also limited by a defined and specific geographic area of the region, country or world.

I recommend: Specific coverage of the House of Representatives and the Senate can be found at MN.US. Information about local NFL games and local coverage can be found at The 506.com, while television coverage maps can be viewed at TVFool.com.

Affiliate

An affiliate is a television station that is not owned by a network. Rather, the station has been grated network use of programs and advertising related to that network for specific time periods. The affiliate network will be compensated by the television network. Any programming that is not related to the network will be programmed locally.

I recommend: The lack of television coverage by one NBC television affiliate stationed in Boston, Massachusetts is discussed at DigitalHome.ca. Susan Grant praises CNN affiliates at BroadcastingCable.com.